Will I Ever?

Trust my kids enough to brush their own teeth?

Think cooking is worth all the planning, shopping, preparation, and dishes?

Know who I was created to be?

Have a winter bedspread and a summer bedspread?

Know how great my God is?

Fully realize that without Jesus I AM NOTHING. That apart from Him I can do nothing?

Clean my ceiling fans?

Have arms like Kelly Rippa's?

Be able to get Zoom Whitening?

Not feel tired?

Make an impact in this world?

Disgrace my family and my Savior?

Have faith enough to move mountains?

Get a rose tattoo?

Sleep in past 6am again?

Get used to getting up before 6?

Vacuum out my car?

Stick with my New Year's resolutions past Valentines Day?

Be able to do a real push-up?

Make the chai tea I bought 6 months ago, serve it in a dainty teacup, and sit on the back porch sipping it?

Be more interested in eating on nice dishes rather than paper plates?

Realize that my heart is wicked and easily fooled?

Get it together?

Be OK with not having it all together?

Change the layout on my blog?

Friday's Midnight Madness

How come my sister can take her kids and my kids (7 total...7 and under!) to Super Target BY HERSELF, do her week's worth of grocery shopping, buy all the kids an Icee, buy herself a Starbucks, and everyone comes home in a good mood; while I, on the other hand, have been brushing my teeth for two days with Sparkle Fun Kid's Crest toothpaste because I am too scared to run into CVS by myself with 3 kids? Seriously, she could do that with her eyes closed, and I am getting anxious because I only have enough Sparkle Fun left for the morning brushes tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the day. I have done this enough times to know that there will not be one dry eye(including mine) when we are finished. Here's what I am anticipating:

I will be carrying the carrier (because the carts are too small to set one on and Annie can't sit in a cart yet), and the boys will be walking and holding hands (because I can't push them in a cart while carrying Annie's carrier). The boys will stay holding hands for all of 10 seconds when one of them spots the Valentine candy and darts off. I will struggle a bit to keep everyone corralled with me while I quickly grab the toothpaste, but I'll manage it. The trouble always comes at the checkout, where the man in front of me will be asking the cashier a 101 questions and then will check his receipt and realize the cashier forgot to give him his 1% cash back. The cashier will explain to him that he forgot to use his CVS Extra Care card. At this point, I will begin praying for patience as the man asks the cashier to void everything and start over so he can use his Extra Care card and get his 1% cash back. I am now contemplating whether we can just brush with baking soda until the boys are back in preschool on Tuesday and I can come back then...all the while I am still holding Annie's carrier and giving the boys the quit touching the candy and get by me NOW look. The boys will come to me for about 15 seconds while the cashier is waiting on the manager to do an override so she can ring up the man in front of me again, and then Jack will run off and Max will quickly say, "I'll get him" and chase after him. I will wait for approximately 15 more seconds, start getting very anxious, and then begin debating whether I take the carrier with me to go chase after the boys and lose my place in line, or do I leave Annie and the carrier in line to save my spot in hopes the boys are just around the corner? As the next 5 seconds tick by with surmounting panic and anxiety, I will quickly ditch the toothpaste on the candy display, grab the carrier, run after the boys, give them the You are in BIG TROUBLE look, and usher everyone to the car. NO DRY EYES.

I think we'll just go with the baking soda........

random questions

Please comment...I want to hear from you:

1. Do you twitter?
2. Do you do both (blog and twitter)?
3. If you're married, would your spouse ever hire you as his/her secretary (assuming he was in a job where he needed one)?
4. Would you ever take in a homeless family (particularly one with 3 kids under 4)?

Just a little curious tonight.

I'll answer first to be fair:
1. No
2. No
3. NEVER :) Chris loves me till death do us part...but that would be the death of me.
4. Definitely!! For sure...without thinking twice!! FYI: Did you know that we have to be out of our house in less than 3 weeks and we have yet to find another place?

random thoughts

I'm just about to climb into bed after an exhausting but wonderful Sunday.

A few random thoughts tonight:

1. I love my church...I love the people, the worship, the teachings, the pastor, the energy, the breakfast bar...all of it. The best thing though, is that people show up expecting (not hoping or wishing) God to show up in a huge way..and He does...EVERY WEEK.
2. I will never go to Super Walmart again on a Sunday afternoon. Actually, I don't think I will ever go there again any day. It was a futile attempt to save money so I can stick to our new budget :). I'd rather not eat. I hate that place..Super Target it is from now on.
3. Our worship Pastor and his wife came over for dinner and discussion tonight...I honestly think our kids ate a dozen cookies each, and then they washed 'em down with some hidden candy they found. I seriously need to get better at multi-tasking (talking, thinking, and watching the kids would be a good place to start!)
4. We did have a great conversation though...I think we solved the world's problems...or at least Hallandale's. Do you think our kids' teeth is too big of a price to pay for that?
5. I am so thankful for my gym membership...it guarantees me a shower everyday :). Should I feel guilty when the childcare worker asks me what part of the gym I'll be in in case they need to get me and I respond, "The shower"? :)
6. My man rocks...he hits husband, dad, and pastor out of the park....I love him....

Random thoughts

Sorry for the prolonged absence...I will spare you my excuses, but know that I have plenty :)

• It is cold in South Florida this week!! I am not kidding we have been wearing hoodies all week...Right before I moved here, I gave away every piece of winter clothes I owned except one maternity hoodie.....I know....call me stupid, but I figured it's MIAMI, surely I won't need winter clothes. If you see me regularly and have been wondering, NO I AM NOT PREGNANT...I'm just cold!
  
• I am nervous for Max tonight. He has a thanksgiving program at school tomorrow and he's Squanto. I don't know what he has to do for the program, but the last time he got on stage he looked so miserable it just about broke my heart (I really thought he was going to vomit right there in front of everyone). I hope he does well...he wants so bad to be on stage...but it makes him very nervous. I keep telling him to look for me and just talk like he is talking to me. Chris keeps telling him, "Max, you have to feel the fear and do it anyways." :) Isn't that hard? To let go and watch while you allow your child to wrestle through their fear because you know it will make him stronger?... Makes me want to puke with him.

Here he is at his last program: Doesn't he look pathetic? And trust me, this is the best picture, I deleted the others...it killed me just to look at them.

• I stink at shopping alone. Since moving down here, I have learned this the hard way. I regret that I have spent many hours trying on hundreds of things in malls only to return home empty handed. It is so frustrating. Well, tonight, I could not take putting on one of my 5 shirts that actually fit again. So, I ran to the mall while Chris stayed home with the kids. This time I was on a mission. I had only one hour and a small budget. I went right to an associate in Express and said, "OK, here's the deal...I have this coupon, this much money, and I usually shop with one of my 3 sisters or mom, but they aren't here....and I need help. Desperate help....and honest feedback." She looked at me like I was crazy, but she obliged and help me put a few cute things together.

Monday night ramblings

Do any of you have a hard time thinking of titles for your blog entries? This truly has to be the worst part about blogging for me. I love everything else--except trying to think of a stupid title. I always seem to come up with a corny "oh my goodness that is so stupid and if I let people know my mind is this corny they will never read another post" title almost immediately. The problem is, that corny title just keeps floating in my head and blocks me from thinking of another title that will help me save face. Any suggestions?

Anyways, the point of this post before I rabbit trailed was to tell you that I am flying with all 3 kids tomorrow by myself (again--I know.) and to ask for your prayers--I am a little nervous.


Back to my topic on blog titles: I was going to title this post: Oops, I did it again, but decided I would rather save face :).

Which brings me to this conclusion: You know what one of the best things about moving to a new place or starting a new job is? You have complete control over letting people know how weird you are. You know how you feel the first time you screw things up and the real you comes out? All those hopes of being a "new, sophisticated, quiet person" (that's always my dream at least--sophisticated and quiet) are over you just want to kick yourself. Yeah, well--I'm kicking myself a lot lately.

Random thoughts

Update: The kids and I made it home safe (and I'm still sane...I think). As we approached our gate to board the plane, guess who was waiting for us? Ms. Anne--the sweet lady who helped me on the way there. She kept her word and was waiting to help me with the kids, and she even brought gifts for the boys. She was truly an answer to prayer. Thank you, Father, for Ms. Anne and for reminding me once again that you always provide. You are good to me.

How come Chris and I always seem to be reading the same book at the same time? This is seriously getting old...I really wanted to curl up in bed and read a chapter or two of IT (I know that that a book title is supposed to be underlined-right?, but I can't seem to get my computer to do that--frustrating.) before falling asleep, but he obviously had the same agenda...so I am blogging about nothing instead.

I need to read a parenting book next...Any suggestions?

Church rocked today. It was so amazing to see so many people leave at the end of the service, rush to Publix, and then return with loads of bottled water and canned goods for the people of Haiti who are without power and even homes right now because of the hurricane. Keep praying for them.

How come it took me until my third child to learn how to really enjoy a baby? I hate that I always felt stressed or strapped to a schedule with my boys to the point where I didn't enjoy their early baby days like I do Annie's. I could just sit and hold her and watch her smile all day.

What is it about a computer screen that you can be beyond exhausted when you sit down to check your email one last time (because you are delaying brushing your teeth and washing your face --all because you are too tired), and then for some reason as soon as your eyes focus in on the screen you get this second wind?.....before you know it, you are wide awake and spend 2 hours on the computer!..Now it is almost midnight, and I still have to brush my teeth and wash my face before I can fall into bed...the good new is, my book is free to read now--Chris is out like a light. I will read one sentence and be asleep...the difference between computer screens and book pages.