CrAzY Working Mom: Family

Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Red Faced at the Zoo, But Not From the Heat!!!

Over the weekend we took a short road trip with the kiddos and some great friends to the Memphis Zoo. The weather was a bit overcast, so the skies were cloudy a big part of the day and thankfully there was a slight breeze during most of the day. The Memphis Zoo is very enjoyable and our family loves to visit. Each child has their own "favorite" animal. We discovered during our last trip to the circus that little Emily has a love for elephants. When we got to the elephants, one was washing himself by filling his trunk and spraying himself. He would also slap the water with his trunk to get himself wet. This was very comical to Emily. She declared, "Mommy, I just want to stay here and watch the elephants all day." It was the sweetest thing. Of course Shelby loves Zebras and Tyler likes Monkeys. I think he has a close relation to them. ;)

The highlight of the day, however took place on the playground as we were wrapping up the afternoon. The kiddos were all playing and one of the older children came to me and said that I needed to go check on Emily. When I arrived at the top of the playground equipment I found Emily sitting down with her pants and panties around her ankles!! The child needed to potty, so she just dropped her drawers and sat down and peed on the very top of the jungle gym between the slides. Needless to say, I was slightly red faced when we left...and not from the heat!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Homecoming

I made it home yesterday after a bit of a frightful flight. (Try saying that five times real fast...GO!) There were storms around Arkansas so we did a little diverting or so the pilot said, it sure didn't seem like it to me! It was a very bumpy ride toward the last thirty minutes of the flight and the landing was a nightmare. Usually I don't get too panicky on flights, but on this one, I did my share of praying! I tried to keep calm by reading, but it was so bumpy that I couldn't even do that without feeling nauseated! Thankfully we made it home safe and sound.

I practically RAN to the front of the airport where my babies were waiting on me! They had made cute little signs saying "Mom" so I would know they were there for me. It was adorable. Tyler was in his baseball uniform because he had a ball game, unfortunately due to the storms the game was canceled. So, we ended up having a night to ourselves to catch up.

I sat in the back with the kids on the way home and I am telling ya, Shelby talked almost the entire 45 minute drive back home. It was good to catch up with them and they asked about the Statue of Liberty and New York City. I showed them the pictures I had taken and they were excited about it as well. All in all it was a good ride home and great to be back with my babies.

When I got home, Brien was home from work and had brought me flowers. He is so sweet and thoughtful. Nobody felt like cooking so at dinner, we went out and let someone else do the cooking and cleaning. I was thrown right back into my Mommy Hat for sure. Tyler and Shelby were the first ones to fight. Once it was resolved, Tyler made his way down to Emily and got her stirred up. Do you see a common denominator here? Needless to say it was good to be back home. ;)

Sunday, June 05, 2011

My kid ran half naked through JC Penney...NOT KIDDING!!!

I can't believe it's taken me three days to blog about this!!! The kids and I went to run errands on Thursday. We had to go to the bank, post office, pick up dry cleaning, etc. These things are normally easy, quick things when it's just me. However, having three children you have to buckle, unbuckle, etc. makes it a bit more difficult. Thankfully, our dry cleaners have a drive through and so does the bank. We only had to go in at a couple of places. We also had to make a trip to Wal-Mart and JC Penney. I had to buy the kiddos some new clothes. They all needed shorts. With these 100° + temperatures, capris just won't cut it with the girls.

As we were going through Wal-Mart, I found myself repeating over and over again, "leave her alone, stop kicking him, quit it, be nice". I think that next time we have an outing, I will put that on a loop and just let it continuously play for them for I surely sounded like a broken record to those poor souls shopping around me. :(

To say that they got me frustrated in Wal-Mart is a serious understatement. Against my better judgment we went on to JC Penney. Hind sight says I should have just gone home and waited another day for clothes shopping. I will just tell you that this is how our shopping trip ended. We were in the dressing room letting Emily try on some shorts. She is at that in between size. Most things she has to have a 3T, but when it comes to shorts, some 24 months or 2Ts fit her. I had one of each size, or so I thought, when we went in there. As it turns out I had two 3Ts. I sent Shelby right outside the fitting room where the Toddler section was to grab another pair - the 2Ts that would hopefully fit her since the 3Ts were falling off her. When she was gone for a while, and the rack was right outside the dressing room, I should have just gotten Emily dressed and taken both of the younger kids out with me. But, I didn't...

I told my five year old son, Tyler to watch Emily so that I could step out and grab the shorts. He was playing Angry Birds on my phone. Apparently someone called my phone, so he thought he needed to leave the dressing room and come find me. Instead of finding me, he was walking around in another section - the baby section and guess who was running around the store in her panties and t-shirt?! Yup, two year old Emily had escaped!!!

It was at this point in time that as a "mommy blogger" I was thinking, this is great blogging material...you can't make this stuff up and anyone with children will appreciate this, but right now I sure wish I was reading this on someone else's blog and it was not happening to me!!! I chased her down and hung up on the person who had called (sorry Aunt G.) and corralled up the children back into the dressing room!! I got Emily dressed and we left with the few items that we had previously chosen.

As we checked out in the front of the store, I had all three children sitting on the floor by the check out line and the cashier commented on how well behaved my children were. HAH! I'll bet the ladies back in the toddler section would beg to differ, I know I sure do!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Summer Fun Activities and Ideas - (Contest Closed)

"Mom, I'm bored!!!" Those are the most dreaded words a mom can hear anytime, but even more so during the summer months. This year will be the first year all three of my children will be home all summer. In the past we've had an office outside of the home and I would work there, taking the oldest child while the other two continued daycare through the summer months. Since we've moved our office back into our home, I am presented with the challenge of how to keep my kids occupied so that I can accomplish what I need to on a daily basis both in the office and in our home.

I have always loved a good challenge and decided to present YOU, the readers of CrAzY Working Mom with the ultimate challenge of helping me come up with fun, inexpensive, and creative ways for us to enjoy these long summer days! What are some things that your family has enjoyed in the past? From arts and crafts, to outdoor activities, bring 'em on! Your ideas may be featured here, and there will be prizes for the one with the best ideas that my kids love the most. ~~Details on the prize pack to come later.~~

Since you are giving ME ideas on how to enjoy summer, I thought it only fair that I give back to you! So, for those of you who leave me ideas in a comment, you will be entered to win a $25 Wal-Mart gift card! This way you can put your ideas to work for your own summer fun! How does that sound?! We will run this contest for the month of June. If you want to Tweet/Facebook this post leave the links in a comment and you will be entered for every time you tweet/FB (once daily)! Please remember to make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner.

So, leave your suggestions in the comments. We look forward to hearing them.

Contest is now closed. Winner chosen here.

Friday, May 06, 2011

My Sister is A Wiener, errr...ummm...I mean Winner!!!

I helped my niece enter her mom, my sister in a contest from the local news station, Today's THV - local CBS affiliate. The winner was chosen this morning and out of hundreds of entrants, Mandy's picture was picked to be the winner.

I took this photo last November when our daughters shared their birthday parties together at the skating rink. Mandy was helping Emily, my 2 year old go under the limbo stick. Keep in mind that neither of them had on skates! She did fall on her face, she hit her eye on the floor, but thankfully she wasn't hurt too bad. In fact, this photo was taken moments after the "crash". I thought that since the contest was celebrating Mother's Day, it is only fair to post a photo of my mom. Happy Mother's Day to you, sister. Congrats! Happy Mother's Day to you and Mom, I love you and hope you have a great day as well.


Mandy Boone and Katie Dean (L) Lana Higgins (Center) Tisha and Shelby Black (R)

The following is a video of the television segment:

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Batter Up - Our First Baseball Season!!!


A very nervous Tyler...

Since Tyler was a little fella we've been visiting the baseball fields watching my nephew, his cousin play baseball. Tyler has always had interest in the game. He loves to watch and has said for a long time that when he's old enough he wants to play! Sign ups were last month and when it came time to sign up, he was a bit nervous. In fact, the first time we went he talked himself out of it. We left without signing him up. When we got home and talked about it, he told me he wasn't sure how to play so he didn't want his team mates to get mad at him! After some talking from myself and my husband, he was convinced that his coach would teach him what he needed to know about the game. The next time we were there to sign up, he was ready, willing, and very excited!

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. We got a call from his coach. It just so happened to be someone that my husband went to school with and he is a super nice guy. Tyler was a little nervous when he went to his first practice, but he hung right in there and did a great job. Here is video of his very first batting practice:

Obviously he had a lot of folks cheering him on, which he said makes him very nervous. So, hopefully those nerves will settle for him and turn into excitement on the day of his first game Tuesday, May 3!!!

We got the schedule yesterday, and it looks like now it's official...we'll be living at the ball field! Thank goodness we only have one child playing! One week we have THREE games, plus church on Wednesday. That means we'll only be home one night that week...and it just so happens to be the night before we leave out for a trip to the Buffalo River with our Sunday School class! What a summer it's gonna be!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Living Proof Live - Beth Moore in Little Rock, AR

I had the pleasure of attending a Living Proof Ministries Live event on April 15 & 16, 2011! I was in good company with roughly 8,500 "siestas" attending from 22 states. But, Arkansas was a strong presence as 6,600 Arkansans welcomed home one of our own, Beth Moore who grew up in Arkadephia, Arkansas.

I traveled from my hometown in Searcy, Arkansas with my sister and four dear friends from church. It is about an hour drive from here to North Little Rock's Verizon arena. We decided to get a hotel room so that we would be near the event for the early Saturday morning arrival. We left town and headed for the big city. We arrived at the Peabody Hotel where we checked in and had the car parked in valet. The great thing about the big city is that you can ride a trolly or catch a cab and you don't have to bother with parking because whoever had the brilliant idea to put the arena where they did surely did not think of the lack of parking that would result!

Our view of the stage.

We were fortunate enough to have a hotel very close to the trolley rail that runs through down town North Little Rock. It's a beautiful ride, and we enjoyed getting from our hotel to the arena via the trolley filled with many other women who were doing the exact same thing. When we got to the arena, the lines were long to get in, but the attendants did a fantastic job at getting folks in at a speedy rate. Since we just had purple arm bands and no tickets, the line moved very quickly. There was no assigned seating for this event, and there are both upsides and down sides to this, fortunately for us we got great seats, in the third row right by the stage!

Once we had taken our seats, I took a minutes to look over the study guide we were handed as we walked in the door. It was neatly organized with plenty of room to write notes from both Friday night and Saturday. I was very excited about that, as I am a thorough note taker.

This was my first time to attend a LPM Live Conference and to say I was excited could perhaps be the understatement of the century. I have taken my kids to many shows at the Verizon (formerly Altell) Arena and I can sense the anticipation and excitement on their faces as they wait for Disney's Princesses on Ice, or Monster Jam to begin. I felt those same butterflies in my stomach as I knew that I was about to embark on a life changing event with Ms Beth Moore and company!!

Tisha and Travis Cottrell

The Praise Team came out and the voices angelic voices began to fill the stadium along with the powerful accompaniment of music and immediately we were on our feet singing praises to our Lord. It was moving and I was almost instantly in tears. All I could think was, this is only a small teeny tiny drop in the ocean compared to what Heaven will be like!! Can you imagine it, being there singing praises RIGHT TO our Lord. As my hands were lifted and I sang to the top of my lungs, I could only imagine how wonderful that must have sounded to Christ the King to hear so many people (mostly women) singing praises in his name. WOW!! As a small town Baptist church girl, I am not used to hearing so many voices in unison. It was something, I tell ya!!! Travis Cottrell was amazing, and I don't remember the names of the girls and guy who sang with him, but they were awesome as well, and when they were leading us in song, I was sad to hear it end. I could have seriously have listened to them for days!!! I did have the pleasure of meeting him after the show. I purchased his a book and cd and he was nice enough to autograph both. Of course I didn't miss the opportunity to have my sister snap a photo with my Iphone!

Now, when Beth came to the stage she was ready to go as the Travis Cottrell and the praise team had her just as pumped and ready to go as she did the rest of us!! Beth's message came from II Timothy 4. Along with many other things, she gave us

7 Ways to Fulfill ~~Your~~ MY Ministry:
1. Adopt a succinct (concise) life goal.
2. Acquire the appropriate tools. {II Tim 4:13}
3. Endure the hard for the sake of the good. {II Tim. 4:5}
4. Embrace the necessicity and complexity of community.
5. Accept God's willing and healing.
6. Entrust yourself into a divine "so that...". {II Tim 4:17}
7. Always and forever, come what may KEEP THE FAITH!!! {Heb 11: 6-7}

There were so many other great quotes I wrote from Beth from both Friday and Saturday, I thought I'd list a few here:
"Good mornin' Pudens."
"Trying to do what God has called me to do with focus in an A.D.D world."
"We have to learn the art of pure perseverance."
"Be bold and stouthearted."
"We do not compete in the body of Christ!"
"If you do not have control of your mind, who does?"
"Immunity from community means no ministry." - II Tim 4: 9-15
"Restoration isn't always in agreement. We're still here 'cause we're not all complete."
"Baggage attracts baggage."
"We are meant to live in community but we will go through seasons alone."

Taken at the Flying Fish

When we left the event, we had the daunting task of trying to find something to eat at 10:00. We ended up choosing The Flying Fish. I had a hamburger and fries (yes, at a fish joint!!). The burger was char grilled, like Burger King and I am not a big fan of that taste, but the funnel cake and nachos that I had at the arena weren't enough to tie me over 'till breakfast. So, I ate it without too much complaint. ;) The other girls had fish, shrimp, and even crab legs. They seemed to enjoy their entrees. So, I guess it's a recommendable place if you're in the River Market.

The Arkansas River as we walked across.

Friday night was such an amazing time that I surely did not want it to end! She did give us homework as well. Thankfully I am an early riser, so I got up early Saturday morning and did mine after I had my shower.

On Saturday morning, we all got up early in hopes of getting close to the same seats we'd had on Friday night. We had coffee at the hotel and I grabbed a blueberry muffin to eat on the way. We headed out of the hotel and to the trolley station. When we were there we checked the schedule only to find that we had to wait until 11 to catch a trolley!! By this time, if we'd have waited for valet to get our car, and then drive over in traffic we'd never get good seats. So, someone (she shall remain nameless!!) suggested the quick walk over to the arena. It was a few blocks, but the weather was NOT as Spring like as it had been earlier in the week. I had worn short sleeves, capris, and flip flops. Needless to say, the view of the Arkansas River over the River Bridge was beautiful but it was VERY cold!!! Once we got off the bridge and in between buildings it wasn't as bad. I hope the girls that had to walk across that cold water weren't too upset with the one (who shall remain nameless) who suggested we walk across to the arena. It didn't seem that far or that cold when we were talking about it!! ;)

Saturday's message began by a quick walk through the crowd. She came up right where we were sitting and asked a few questions of women around us. One lady named Sherry stood up and talked about how she was having a double mastectomy on the following Monday. We cried with her and prayed with her. I wish I had her phone number so I could check on her. She has weighed on my heart since the event. Sherry if you ever read this, I hope you are doing well...and that you know that there are siestas out there who love you and pray for you!! There was more praise and worship music and lots of fun. The message was great and I could not even come close to summing it up here. But, just know this...if you are in trials and tribulations in your life, you are facing them for a reason. It's your "so that..."!! You face those trials SO THAT...some day you can help someone else in the same situation, some day you will be stronger, etc. You may NEVER know your "so that" but just know that you will make it through! You will NEVER be alone. GOD is always with you.
The #1 thing that the enemy is after is your faith!! Never let them steal your joy...your faith. Always keep your faith!!!

If you ever get the opportunity to go see Beth Moore live, I would highly recommend it!!! I was changed after hearing her amazing testimony and uplifting message. Ms Beth, if you ever read this, THANK YOU for all you do and continue to do to Fulfill YOUR ministry!!! I love you, Puden!!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Severe Weather in Central Arkansas

Living in central Arkansas, there are a few things you can be sure of and one of them is the weather. Tornadoes will occur in the springtime. One thing you can never count on is when and where. We knew we had a severe risk of bad weather yesterday. We rushed through dinner and baths so that we could be prepared for the worst while we prayed for the best. I have learned that my middle child, who is now five has my nervous tenancies about storms. Shelby, the oldest who is now 8 is a lot like her dad. She's pretty laid back and usually falls asleep once we seek shelter in the hallway. The youngest just thought we were playing games as we gathered pillows, blankets, flashlights, cell phones, and the likes.

As our favorite weather man was warning folks in our town to turn up our television and seek shelter in a safe place I know my son could sense the nervousness in his mom even though I try to hide it. I don't usually do a very good job of it! He was nervous as well.

Once we were safe in the hallway listening to the live coverage, my son asked if we could pray. Praying seems to calm him, and it was a great distraction from the heavy rain and wind that was beginning to fall outside. After we prayed, he said, "Mom, if you die in the storm, I just want to die with you. I couldn't live without you!"

Praise the Lord that the storms went all around us (once again!). Prayer is powerful not only to calm nerves, but to calm storms as well. There were many in the state that were not so lucky. Our prayers are going out to those around the state who have lost homes, property, and lives. Thank you so much for all of the great weather coverage from the local news stations, and Facebook Friends who kept us up to date on the weather around the state. If you have a spare minute, please say a prayer for those who were affected by severe weather/tornadoes in our state and that the threat that we have today will diminish!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Conversations with Emily

Emily Grace

My two oldest children attend school. Tyler is in Kindergarten and Shelby is in 2nd grade. Emily goes to a daycare/preschool. We have always just called it "school" for her too because that makes her feel like a "big kid". Most days she is very excited about school as she enjoys the activities, songs, and she loves her teacher(s).

One particular day this week, Emily found herself in the midst of one of her frequent "terrible twos" melt downs and she informed me that she was not going to school today. When asked her why, she said that school was out today and then she proceeded to point to the sign out front of the school. This particular sign says the name of the daycare center. Of course Emily had decided that this sign said otherwise. She then informed me that this sign said, "Do not go to school today"!

Yes, folks my two year old daughter can now read signs and if you tell her otherwise,

be prepared for the melt down!

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Breakfast for Seven - With A Smile!

25 years ago yesterday, I became a big sister again! My mom gave birth to a set of twins, one boy and one girl. I remember the excitement when my mom brought them home from the hospital. They were so tiny, especially my brother. Now those 25 year olds have children of their own. My sister has three kids and my brother has one. I was fortunate enough to get to keep all four of them last night. Keep in mind that they are all under the age of five!!!

The biggest kid was asleep on the couch!

I had seven children at my house overnight. I had to make three meals for them, and I am tellin' you what...I don't know how the Duggar family does it. I am not even kidding. It was quite a chore. Cooking, cleaning up, and then cooking again was the theme of the day. Bath time was a pretty long drawn out process as well. But, all in all we had a fun time and I am so very blessed to get to spend time with them. They live a few towns over from us, so we don't get to see them a lot and that's very unfortunate.

When we finally all got out of the bath and got hair and teeth brushed, they decided that they wanted to lay down and watch Disney's Tangled. It is a great movie!! Our entire family loves it. We have watched it several times over and it's a hit with the boys and girls alike. Maximus is one of our favorite characters, but Pascal is pretty funny as well. Most of the kids fell asleep watching the movie. When I went to bed after turning it off, only one remained. I just left the television on the Disney channel and I am assuming he finally fell asleep. He was one of the first ones out of bed this morning!

For breakfast, we had pancakes with fresh strawberries and bacon. Making food for 7 children and two adults can be quite a challenge and I must admit not something I think I'd want to do all of the time! But, I was up for the challenge today. In fact, once breakfast was cooked and we moved on to the plating of the food, I decided to be a little creative and the kids loved it! What do you think?

Pancakes with a smile!

Breakfast for Seven!!!

I am so very blessed and I am grateful to my sister and brother for lending me their children for a night so that I could spend time with them. We had a wonderful time and I am looking forward to doing it again real soon! I hope that they both had a wonderful night with their spouse and enjoyed their birthday. I know we sure did!!

Monday, April 04, 2011

Three (not so little) pigs!

Should have thought a little more about having THREE kids. ;)
This is what happens when they fall asleep in the car and want to be carried in.
Thank goodness daddy is big and strong.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Spam - A Thorn In My Side

There was a time when I lived for comments, I would check my mail, stats, comments every few minutes. I wanted a high PR ranking, I wanted to be a top blogger. I wanted everyone to know my name. Then along came child number 2 and 3. So much for that idea! I no longer have time to sit down at the computer and visit other blogs so why should I expect them to visit me. Frankly, I don't. I have contemplated shutting down my blog on several occasions, and then I realized that the whole reason I began blogging in the first place was to document for my friends and family the goings on of my family...the good, the bad, and the extremely crazy! I had a realization that nothing else really mattered.

Sure, I am like a lot of other "mommy" bloggers. I like to do the occasional paid post, or product review but I am surely not making a living from it. There are those of you that are, and that is great! I have three kids who I have to haul around to and from school, a business to co-manage, church, family, and frankly blogging just doesn't fit into my schedule much anymore. I do facebook a lot simply because it is quick, mobile, and I can do it on my phone while I'm waiting in the parking lot at school, in the doctor's office waiting room, or even sitting on the toilet (oh, come on - you know you do it too!!!) I have connected with many bloggers there and still keep up with them.

This blog is loaded with comments these days, but not the kind of comments that one would hope for. They are SPAM comments. Thankfully my spam filter catches most of them. A big part of them are inappropriate content for this blog! But there are those that occasionally slip through. You know the kind - "Nice blog", or "Great post". You even get some that will actually leave a comment that might half way look like they read the post. But, the thing is...IT IS STILL SPAM!!! It chaps my hide and I can't stand it.

People are being PAID to leave spam on your blog!!! Did you know that??? It irks me that THEY are making money by leaving comments and back links on MY blog. It doesn't fly with me and spammers beware that your comments WILL be deleted from this blog so don't waste your time or mine!!! Don't think you are going to get a free ride from this blog. It ain't happening...not now, not ever!

*steps off soap box and puts it away*

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...already in progress.

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Happy New Year, My Friends!

Just wanted to take a minute to update 'round here. First of all we had a marvelous CHRISTmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. The Crosby Baptist Church Christmas Play was a huge success and I just want to say THANK YOU to all of my friends and family who came out to support the hard working cast. It was a lot of work, and so worth it to have so many people come out to watch!

Shelby was a little girl shopping at the mall with a group of friends. She was interviewed by a TV Newscaster who was looking for the true meaning of Christmas. They were on their way to church to watch the Christmas play. They invite him, and after his interviews which included a crabby old man, teenage girls, little girls, and even the shephards with their sheep (who also stole the show), Mary and Joseph, and the three wise men. It was a great show.

Tyler was a sheep, and I sang the song, Emanuel (God With Us) by Casting Crowns.

We spent the holiday with our family and it was truly a blessing. The kids are growing up so fast! Emily really enjoyed opening her gifts. She was excited when it was FINALLY time to open them. She was the most excited when she opened two little baby bottles for her baby doll! It was the cutest thing. She screamed loudly over it and the big things she just threw to the side! The kids got guitars from Santa and hubby got one from me. He wants to learn to play and I must say that he has enjoyed it and it seems like it has been a favorite gift of the kids as well. They have all been sitting around the house making the most ~~dreadful~~ beautiful noise.

Brien with his new guitar.

Emily kissing her new baby doll carrier.

Tyler was excited about this zhu zhu pet!

Shelby got some zebra striped shoes!

Oscar was licking his lips when he realized that Santa had left him a gift!

2011 brings lots of wonderful joys to us, the most of which Emily seems to be potty trained! We have been working on it this week while we were home for Christmas break and she has been diaper free (with the exception of bed time) for the entire week! We are so proud of her and she's been doing great. I can't wait to tell her teachers at daycare when she goes back on Monday!!! She has been doing excellent and is so excited that she is a big girl now.

We rung in the new year last night at home. We watched Dick Clarks' Rockin' New Year. It has become tradition with us to turn it on and fall asleep watching it. Our kids are just too young to make it 'till midnight and unfortunately Brien and I seem to be too old. But, we did manage to DVR it because I wanted to see a specific performance. New Kids on The Block with Backstreet Boys, otherwise known as NKOTBSB!!! I was excited when I got to watch it this morning. I felt like a little girl watching them. I knew every song and sang along to every word. I will admit that I am a bit partial to NKOTB because I grew up listening to them. I was a little too old to be smitten when BSB were at their peak. The two will be touring together in 2011, but unfortunately they will not be coming anywhere close to me, so last night's performance will have to suffice. It was a great one and surely put a smile on my face!

Did you get a chance to watch? Dick Clark did make several appearances on the show and was even shown at midnight kissing his wife. He still looks the same, but I did get teary eyed when he was speaking. I guess he will do the show forever because I think he will live forever. I was trying to explain to Shelby that Dick Clark used to be a lot like Ryan Seacrest is now. He did EVERYTHING! I think that Seacrest has big shoes to fill but does the job quite well. What did you think of last night's show? I wonder if anyone watched that other show with Carson Daily? I flipped over one time and they kept cutting to Ryan explaining that there were two shows being filmed within arms length of each other. It was rather comical.

At any rate, no matter how you rang in your New Year I hope that 2011 will be the best of years for you and yours!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!!!

The Black Family Christmas 2010

From our home to yours, we wish you the very merriest of Christmases. May the joys of the season fill your home. My prayer is that each and every one who reads this realizes that they are truly blessed and that Jesus is the reason for the season. No matter how many gifts are under the tree, or even if there is a tree...remember that the father sent the son to be the savior of the world and this was the greatest gift of all, for YOU!

Monday, November 29, 2010

The Day I Became A Mother

On this day eight years ago I gave birth to my first child. I became a mother for the first time. I must say that it was one of the happiest days of my life. The others being the day I gave birth to my second and third children, and the day I wed my husband. I have many blessings in my life, but by far my family is my most cherished. This morning as I was fixing Shelby's hair I explained this to her, that 9 years ago I was not a mom. Just a wife! Her response: "That's creepy!"

Shelby was born in 2002 the day after thanksgiving, or black Friday as it is commonly referred. She was actually born ON her due date which is a very rare occasion. Thanksgiving was good. I ate more than my fair share of dinner. My sister in law made her famous SPICY mexican chicken casserole. I ate WAY too much. I was up a big part of the night thinking that I was just having indigestion from the casserole. I could drink water and get heart burn at this point. So, anyhow I was up doing e-mail playing on the internet (I hadn't discovered the wonderful world of blogging as of yet) and I started having a few mild contractions. I dismissed it later as gas pains.

My sister and I had big plans to go to wal-mart for the "Blitz" sale. They had a Christmas tree half price. Since I had thrown away my old ratty one the year before, it was VERY important to me that I get a tree for my soon to be baby girl. She must have a beautiful tree for her first Christmas. I was up around 4ish. I woke my sister up and we got ready for the adventure. I also woke hubby up because he had not been hunting all year because he was afraid he'd be in the stand when I went into labor. So, he got all his gear gathered up and headed to the woods as we headed to the battle grounds of wal-mart!

We were there about an hour before the sale actually started. We headed back to where they had the trees wrapped in black shrink wrap. We found our place and prepared for that moment when the shrink wrap was to be cut and we'd grab ours and proceed to the the check out counter. While we were waiting, we made friends with the folks around us. They helped us time contractions that started out at 10 minutes apart and quickly progressed to five minutes apart. Lots of the women there were concerned and told me that maybe I should go on to the hospital. I know that was just a ploy to get me away from the trees so they could have them all to themselves!!! Anyhow, when the time arrived they cut the shrink wrap from the trees and the nice people that were timing contractions with me turned into demons. There were people climbing on top of people and big Christmas tree boxes flying over my head. My sister helped me to get a box into our cart and we got outta there. That was the first and ONLY time that I have ever been stupid enough to go to a Friday after thanksgiving sale! We made it to the hospital. Hubby made it there, although when we called him he was hysterical. He came straight from the deer stand to the hospital. He was fully dressed in camo when he arrived by my side at the hospital.

Little did we know that we'd be there for a while. At 5:02pm our first little bundle of joy arrived after a long 10 hours of labor. It was worth every hour, every minute. I would do it again in a heartbeat for her. If someone is out there reading this that does not have children, you cannot understand the love that you can have for another human being. Children are the greatest gift that God can give us. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and I always will. But, the love you have for your children is so different. I look at them and think to myself, WOW I helped to create this life. How in the world could I have had a hand in something so perfect!? (Then they wake up, but while it lasts, it's a good feeling)

So, on this special day, I hope that my daughter Shelby has the bestest of birthdays! You are special and always will be special to your family. I love you to the top of the moon and back, sweet girl!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankful

This time of year we are all reflective of the things we are most thankful for as we gather with friends and family who we either care deeply for or are forced to be cooped up with for a specific amount of time and pretend to have an interest in their lives. Either way, I know that we all have lots to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving holiday. I of course have MANY!!! Since I have been neglectful of posting here as of late, I thought I'd post some things for which I am thankful. They are in no specific order.

- First and foremost I am thankful that God sent his Son, Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Without him, I would have NONE of the following things to be thankful for!

- I have a wonderfully loving husband who is honest, humble, truthful, and loves the Lord, his children, and his wife.

- I have three beautiful and healthy children who also love the Lord, and their parents.

- I have a house that is heated and cooled, safe and there is a warm, comfy bed to lay my head at night.

- I am blessed to be in a wonderful church surrounded by loving, caring, giving, God fearing Christians. I cannot imagine being anywhere else. I truly love each and every member of the church that I attend (Crosby Baptist...HOLLA!) and I love serving alongside them in the name of the Lord.

- My sister, Mandy who is strong in her Christian faith. I love her so much and I don't think she knows how much I look up to her. Although this is figuratively speaking since she's shorter than me, her advice and wisdom has always meant so much to me.

- I live in a free country where anyone can say what they want about anyone or anything. Where I can worship my god freely! Although sometimes people are a little too extreme with that right and hurt others in doing so, it is a right that many of us take for granted on a daily basis.

- Coffee...I don't know where I'd be without it some days!!!

- Teachers - I have been blessed that my children have had wonderful, caring teachers and I am so thankful for their dedication to my children.

- My Friends, especially my B/F/F for 20 years, Becca. She recently started her own blog to document her journey with diabetes. You should check it out. :) Single White Diabetic dot com

- Family (not already mentioned here)...wonderful sisters (in-laws), brothers (in-laws) etc. They all hold a special place in my heart and I appreciate what they do for me and my family. Even though we may not see each other daily, know that I do love you and think of you daily!!!

- Drive Throughs - car wash, fast food, dry cleaning, etc. They are great for mother's with children.

- Pay at the Pump - same concept as drive throughs...when you have to fill up your gas tank and have three children, the thought of getting them out to go inside to pay for gas will make you drive OUT OF YOUR WAY to find a pay at the pump station. In the end you WILL save money due to the fact that if you take them into a convenience store they WILL want something.

- My mother-in-law is wonderful. I love her to pieces. She lives closer than my mom and is more involved in the upbringing and lives of my children. For that I am eternally grateful. The lord has blessed me with her and I could not be more grateful for that!!! Don't get me wrong, I do love my momma, but in her absence Momma Martha sure fills the void.

- My nieces and nephews. I have quite a few...too many to name. But, I sure do love 'em all to pieces. I don't get to spend nearly as much time with them as I'd like to but I do love and appreciate them.

- My voice. The Lord has blessed me with a talent and I am so proud to use it to glorify his name!

- Facebook - although these days it seems like it drags me away from blogging (and sometimes other things I should be doing) I am thankful that I can keep up with friends and family via FB.

- Soldiers our the backbone of our freedom...I am thankful from the bottom of my heart for their sacrifices: being away from their family during holidays such as this and those who pay the ultimate price for our freedom!

- The sound of my children. MOST of the time I am very thankful for this...some days I have to stop and remind myself how much I should appreciate their sounds. ;)

- My straightening iron (for my hair). Seriously!

- Internet!

- A small business that is staying afloat (barely!) in this horrid economy! (Brien Black Plumbing 501-230-6492!!!_

- Christmas is right around the corner. I love CHRISTmas...celebrating the birth of a KING!!!

- Cell phones which can be VERY annoying at times say when you're at the doctor's office and have to listen to other people's conversations, or driving behind someone who is not paying attention to the road...they are a great tool to have. I have lost an Iphone and Blackberry to my 2 year old daughter this past year and I am using a "dumb" phone instead of a smart phone. I am NOT happy about it. But, so goes life. Until it's time to renew the contract, that's what we'll do!

- My Canon camera! I have captured so many priceless moments (like this one) with it...and I am so happy with the purchase of it. Please note that she was NOT wearing skates...just trying to help Emily walk under the Limbo stick. Yes, she did have a black eye because of the fall. Thankfully she turned her head or she probably would have broken her nose.

...I have so much more to be thankful for, but it is time to head out to church so I will close for now. I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Feld Entertainment Presents Illuscination

I am happy to tell you that "The Circus" is coming to town! I refer to Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey as "The Circus" because there is no other like them. We've attended many Feld Entertainment Productions including Disney on Ice, High School Musical on Ice, and Monster Jam! They never disappoint. We're always amazed at the amount of work and time that goes in to these performances. It's great family entertainment and I'll have to admit that most of the time I think that I enjoy the show as much (okay probably more!!) than the kids.

Beginning on Thursday, December 2 and running through Sunday December 5, 2010, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Illuscination, a fantasy-filled world where thrills, wonderment and unbelievable magic intersect with the outlandish fun of the circus. Illuscinator, and host of this all new Gold edition, David DaVinci along with performers from all over the world invite audiences across the U.S. to join them on a mystifying adventure where they will witness eye-popping illusions and thrilling circus acts all at The Greatest Show On Earth® at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.

DaVinci, who set a world-record in 2007 with a free-diving card trick, thrills audiences with eye-popping illusions and mind-blowing transformations, all mysteriously interwoven throughout the show. Circus goers’ eyes will be transfixed on the center of the ring as they witness international acts that astonish and amaze Children Of All Ages. These unbelievable acts include, Viktoriya and Widny, the Empresses of the Air, who execute a never--before-seen extreme hair hang, the KungFu Kings who combine mixed martial arts with mind-boggling strength to twist solid metal poles around their bodies and dive through hoops of razor-sharp sabers, blindfolded! Anton and Alex, The Barons of Balance, reveal amazing agility as they effortlessly leap from one thumb-thin low-wire to another. Flying high and flipping furiously on the teeter board and the Russian bar are no other than the Salsations!

The action at Illuscination begins an hour before show time at the All Access Pre-show FREE to all ticket holders, where you can meet Ringling Bros. performers and animals, learn circus skills and start creating a lifetime memory for your family before the show even starts!

You can reserve your tickets by clicking this link to the Verizon Arena Website and click on which day and showtime you prefer. Tickets on opening night will be only $11 and kids tickets for every performance are only $10!!

Thank you for your interest in this post. If you plan to leave a comment to links or photos about elephant cruelty or the likes, please note that it will be deleted so do not waste your time or mine.

*Please Note: I will be given tickets for my family to attend this event in exchange for posting this information for my readers as well as reviewing the show after we attend. No other compensation has been given to me or any other member of my family. Any claims made my Feld Entertainment or Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey should be validated by those companies as I am not responsible. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not been influenced by any outside source. To read my full disclosure policy, you can do so by clicking here.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Labor Day Invasion of Blood Suckers

Picking seed ticks (teeny tiny newborn ticks) from my two year old daughter was not how I'd envisioned spending my Labor Day, but that's just how I spent a big part of my afternoon.

Brien bought a new automatic corn feeder and decided to take it to his deer camp today to set it up. The kids and I chose to tag along because we had a free day. We were on the go all weekend with birthday parties so we took the opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. Even Oscar the wiener dog tagged along with us. Everyone was excited for a road trip followed by adventures in the woods. All three kids were excited. Of course, 2 year old Emily was just excited because the other two were. Tyler has a bit of "buck fever" like his father, so he's super excited to get back out in the woods and look for signs of deer, etc. Shelby just doesn't want Tyler to be doing something without her, so I think that's why she takes such interest. Don't get me wrong, she loves spending time with her daddy, but being hot and mostly being outdoors is just not her thing. She's more of a shopper than a hunter, and she gets that from me!

Tyler took the opportunity to scope out the land and check for signs of deer and turkey. He took his gun, of course just in case. (Don't worry, this is a toy gun!!!)

Of course while Daddy and Papaw were putting together the feeder, the girls followed Tyler down the path. Emily and Shelby were enjoying their time together exploring.

Unfortunately, the results of their exploration were the previously mentioned seed ticks.

Brien and Ray were working hard to get the feeder put together. It has an timer so that you can set it to distribute the corn automatically for a set amount of time. Brien forgot to take his game camera, but hopefully he can get it up there sometime this week so that he can get some digital photographs of what's feeding.

We all managed to make it home a little weary and exhausted, but I think we're finally tick free. Oscar has the monthly medication that keeps fleas and ticks at bay, so he's fine. After checking one another like monkeys, I think we're all okay!

So, how'd you spend your Labor Day?!

Monday, August 30, 2010

How Do You Get Gum Out Of Hair?

Saturday morning I had the opportunity to get out of the house without any children. As a busy mother of three, I rarely have that kind of time..."ME" time! On this day, I got to enjoy my time shopping. No, not the kind of shopping you might think. I didn't get to pick out a cute new outfit with matching shoes. I got to go grocery shopping! Is it sad that I get excited because I get to go to Wal-Mart alone?! That's exactly how exciting my life really is.

While I was at Wal-Mart, my husband kept all three of the kids. I don't think I had been gone for 20 minutes before I got a phone call from him asking:

"How do you get gum out of hair?"

Yes, of course I told him to try peanut butter and ice. I finished my shopping wondering how bad the gum was and whether or not he'd gotten it out.

When I returned home, I think Shelby had a half a jar of peanut butter on her head. The good thing is that most of the gum is out of her hair. Apparently her brother was trying to blow a bubble and he blew the gum into her hair. It was that shredded gum,, the "baseball" gum given to him by someone...the same someone who gave the kids ducks and chickens at Easter. Needless to say, she no longer has gum in her hair and Tyler no longer has a pack of birthday gum.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tyler's Birthday Party

A great time was had by all on Saturday for Tyler's Pirate Pool Party in celebration of his 5th birthday! Of course the cake was made by my fabulous mother-in-law. It was pirate, and when they carried it in the house, I realized that she must have used one of the kids as a model for the cake. It spanned the width of my kitchen table!!! She said that once she started it just kept getting bigger and bigger. I think that easily happens when making a salad or Thanksgiving dinner plate, but a cake?! Anyhow, we did not have enough guests to consume this monstrous cake but it made for a great conversation piece and will forever remain on our minds as the most "awesomest" cake EVER!

The kids had a great time with their pirate attire. Instead of party hats and blow outs, we purchased bandannas and eye patches.
Photobucket

Of course there was lots of swimming on the agenda but we also had a fun time whacking the pinata. I was a casualty of standing a bit too close when it burst open, a pack of sweet tarts popped open and hit me, but it made for a great "action shot"!
Photobucket

Tyler got lots of awesome gifts, like a new beta fish and tank. Of course this came from the uncle who always brings something to feed for every occasion. Remember the dreaded baby chicks from Easter?!
Photobucket

He got a Nintendo DS that he'd been asking for and was very excited about that.
Photobucket

He also ended up with $40 that he spent yesterday on handcuffs, (another!) play gun, and a truck and trailer with some sort of construction equipment on the back, a trackhoe, backhoe, or something of the sort.
Photobucket

All in all he had a wonderful time. We didn't have as many guests as we normally do, which I'm sure might have had something to do with the 110+° temps but we still had a beautiful time! Thanks to those of you who braved the heat and celebrated his special occasion.

Search This Blog

Mail Me:

My Daily Reads