Requesting help from veteran moms!

We had an interesting situation arise here earlier this morning - one of our daughter's dress-up skirts was cut, and both kids said the other one did it. Obviously, one of them was lying (yes, I am a master of the obvious! :) so I didn't want to get carried away with punishing the innocent one. So how would you handle this?

What I did: both kids went to time out, both continuing to proclaim the others' guilt. I spoke with each of them separately, reminding them that lying is wrong and makes God sad. They both sat and occasionally tried to convince me that it was other one - I told them I didn't want to hear anything until one of them was ready to say, "I did it." After about 15 minutes, the fuzzball 'fessed up (which I had suspected, as the cuts were awfully jagged for her skilled bro to have done it). I had her apologize to her brother for getting him in trouble, and then he got to choose one of her toys to become "his" for the day, plus she was then disciplined for both cutting and lying about it.

I know this is only going to get harder. Too bad I don't have Solomon on speed dial...

Friday Funny

I think I met this guy at Wal-Mart earlier this week!

Triumph!

I need a dress. And well, frankly I don't enjoy clothes shopping much right now. Those cute little empire waisted, "floaty" numbers look adorable on the size 2 mannequins and teenagers, but transform this short, overweight 34 year old into a lumpy, dowdy mess. Oh, and have I mentioned that I was hoping to find something that would work for both a memorial service and a wedding? (I know, not exactly setting myself up for success...) I've been looking around for a couple weeks now, whenever I have spare moments and find myself in a store that has clothing - but nothing has caught my eye. I decided to get serious in my search, so I headed out on Monday evening, optimistic that I'd find something. I tried on over 20 items. Many of those were, "I'm not quite sure about this one, but maybe it will look better on." Ha! I did discover that those shiny bright prints do a lovely job highlighting the silver strands in my hair, though :) I was even open to a blouse that would coordinate with a skirt I already had, but just couldn't find anything.

I headed out again on Tuesday night; I got a later start than I had planned, but was hopeful as two different ladies at MOPS that morning had recommended TJ Maxx. I made three treks to the fitting rooms, and emerged with 1 "this will work if I can't find anything else" dress. Debated about purchasing it, but decided to just go ahead and put it back. It was 8:40 at this point, so rather than going to the other store on my list (which was 10 minutes away, and closed at 9:00), I headed to Wal-Mart to pick up the spark plug that hubby needed. Well, as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw "Dots" a couple stores down from Wal-Mart. Now I've walked by this store several times, but never actually gone in as the items I could see through the window just didn't seem like my style. They were still open for another 15 minutes, though, so I figured I'd take a quick look around. And surprisingly, I found 2 things that were worthy of trying on: a purple wrap dress, and a B&W print. Wrap dress was OK, but I wasn't thrilled. At this point, the sales clerk has chirpily reminded me that they'll be closing soon, so I hurriedly pull the 2nd dress over my head. Wow. I actually like this one! Cap sleeves. Squared neckline with just a bit of shirring (and no, I don't look 6 months pregnant). Hangs nicely, and has a bit of sheen without crossing over into scary, shiny land. Ding Ding Ding - we have a winner!! And it's been marked down to $20! I plunk down my cash, finish up at Wal-Mart, and head on home. Wonder of wonders, hubby even likes it!!

It's definitely not something I would normally have been drawn to, but I am happy with it. And I already know how I'll be accessorizing: simple black cardigan and flats for the memorial, funky black beaded necklace and heels for the wedding. All of which I already own. Hooray! And here's a little sneak peek:

And now back to my knit shirt and jeans. Hey, they are stain free!

Recipe Time

I wanted to share the recipe for the coffee cake I took to MOPS yesterday. It's absolutely scrumptious, and super easy, too (sorry, but I don't remember where the recipe originally came from). I'd love to post a picture, but my pan came home empty :)

Cinnamon Coffee Cake
1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix (4 serving size)
4 eggs
1 c water
1 c vegetable oil
1 c packed brown sugar
1 Tb cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, pudding mixes, eggs, water, and oil, and mix until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts. Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x13 pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter, and sprinkle with the rest of the nut mixture. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 325 and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes.

Experiment with different pudding flavors, add chocolate or butterscotch tips to the batter, and/or use a different nuts in the streusel. Yummy!


And want to be a supermom with a well-stocked freezer? Check out some awesome freezable "smoosh" meal suggestions here!

Tuesday

Just thought I'd check in. Our family continues to be busy - but then what's new?! :)

It also seems as though every woman I know has recently commented that they're going through a "dry" time. Tasks are being accomplished, but without passion. The family is being cared for, but it's simply a matter of fulfilling duties. Not quite sure why this is the case, but it does seem that Satan is doing his best to drag us down... I know I've been writing quite often about the fruits of the spirit and being Christlike, but I'm struggling right now. As I was driving to MOPS this morning, I had on a Rich Mullins CD, and was singing right along with "Hold Me, Jesus."

Hold me, Jesus, cuz I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't you be my Prince of Peace

I need to cling to Him, and rest in His peace. Whether I'm up or down, He's my constant. Not my hubby or a family member or a good friend, but my Savior. I know He's provided some amazing people to minister to me, but that's not where I'll find my strength.

Lastly, I stumbled on a bit of encouragement in an unlikely place (an article about being "ready" for marriage) and wanted to share these words from Candice Watters:

The purpose of our lives is not to self-actualize, but to bring glory to God. How we feel about our looks, or weight, or job, or social life, or any other measure of success on any given day is, in the scope of eternity, irrelevant. Does God want us to be full of joy? Yes. Is that joy dependent on your self-image? Thankfully, no. His joy and peace are among the fruit of the Holy Spirit. They come by giving thanks in all circumstances, praying without ceasing, and cultivating the Holy Spirit's activity in your life. None of this hangs on what kind of "self-image day" we're having. Though I know in my life that the more I practice these spiritual disciplines, the more irrelevant my externals become.

Excellent reminder.

Friday Funny

The Banana Test
There is a very, very tall coconut tree and there are 4 animals: a Lion, a Chimpanzee, a Giraffe, and a Squirrel, who pass by.
They decide to compete to see who is the fastest to get a banana off the tree.
Who do you guess will win?
Your answer will reflect your personality, so think carefully . . .
Try to answer within 30 seconds


Got your answer?
Now scroll down to see the analysis.









If your answer is:
Lion = you're dull.
Chimpanzee = you're a moron.
Giraffe = you're a complete idiot.
Squirrel = you're just hopelessly stupid.

A COCONUT TREE DOESN'T HAVE BANANAS.
Obviously you're stressed and overworked.
You should take some time off and relax!


(thanks for the laugh today, Jacki! :)

Oh, how I long to be good...

Good Mom vs. Me

Fun little read - I love her honesty and I can SO relate. I'm really feeling like the lousy wife/mother these days for a variety of reasons, and need to keep my eyes on Jesus so that I can move back up, rather than wallowing in my little self-made hole.

...Maybe instead of trying to be more like Good Mom, I could begin to let Jesus be Jesus in me...

Amen.

On a side note, I know that I'm trying too hard "on my own." That's not where I'll find the answers. I made a little door hanger this past week that you can see here. So far it's been a good reminder.