Archives for May 2011

Happy Mother’s Day

May 7, 2011 by Amy 2 Comments

It seems appropriate that we finished our adoption training today and tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I’m so incredibly thankful for the wonderful mother I have.

And for all of you fellow younger moms, I can’t tell you how much it means that you are doing what you’re doing. You have a choice minute by minute on how to take care of your kids. And those mundane things matter.

When you choose to fix another peanut butter and jelly, you’re teaching them trust.

When you choose to break up another sibling fight you’re teaching them conflict resolution.

When you choose to say it calmly you’re teaching them respect.

When you choose to kiss your spouse in front of them, you’re teaching them appropriate intimacy.

When you choose to sit at practice after practice you’re teaching them confidence and love.

The list goes on and on. I’ve seen and heard these past two weekend what happens when these little mundane things don’t happen. And it’s not pretty. Not pretty at all. The simple things that can make the biggest difference. Nothing good can happen until after these little things do. So to you mothers, I say thank you for doing all the things that go unappreciated but please know they are the most important things to making your kids productive little people.

And another big thank you to my mother who is the one who taught me how to make a mean peanut butter and jelly. Love you!

iPhone Apps That Save Money on your Cell Phone Bill

May 5, 2011 by Amy 1 Comment

So I don’t know about you but a big part of our budget is our cell phones. And I try to limit the cost first by using texts instead of minutes. But of course I try to save there too by not having an unlimited plan and keeping my text messages in check with a limited texting plan. Here are two apps I use to help:

kik

A coworker clued me in to this app. Each participant signs up for the app and then unlimited text messages are sent through your data plan, not your text message plan. The trick is getting people to buy into it but if you can, it will save both of you text messages.

HeyTell

I tried this app several months ago and it was awful! It was a faux-walkie-talkie system. The quality was bad and delayed. However, they’ve switched it up so your whole audio message is recorded and then sent at once to the recipient. You are alerted just like a text message that it’s there. Again, both parties have to sign up. I love this because there are many times I’m driving and can’t type a text message or it’s just too much to say. Or sometimes you just need someone to hear your tone of voice as well as the message. The girls and I love to just say “hey” all together when Scott is at work.

What other apps do you use to save money on your cell phone bill?

Shower and Linen Closet

May 5, 2011 by Amy Leave a Comment

Updates are obviously slowing down at this point. We have been living in the bedroom since this past weekend. We love, love, love it. I love that it’s big and comfy and we all find ourselves hanging out there instead of the living room sometimes. Finally, I feel like we have a choice where we can all crowd together. And seriously the carpet is so lush I just walk around in there for no good reason at all.

Today the shower grouting will be finished. He has all but the ceiling done and the guys came yesterday to measure the frameless glass. I am SO pleased at how it’s looking.

The other big thing going on right now is the closets! I really wish I would have budgeted more money (or ANY money) on the closets because it turns out they cost a lot! We did get the linen closet finished and I’m so happy to have my CVS stuff out of the playroom closet!

I think we have a tentative plan for the main closet that Scott will be working on today. I really need to get all this STUFF out of here:

So I can put this STUFF in THERE ^ so all these toys can be reorganized (given away *cough*)

Oh yes, keeping it real. These two gigantic messes have been the hardest thing to live with these past two months.

We are getting really close!

American Idol Top 5

May 4, 2011 by Amy Leave a Comment

James – I loved the first one. I’m giving metal a chance 🙂 Second one he was just too emotional and it took away from his control.

Lauren – I loved seeing the confidence and spunk back in Lauren on the first one. The second one was just too far from the original. I missed the high notes and overall she just seemed too timid.

Jac0b – Oh my gosh. Jac0b needs to go home. That first one was the biggest train wreck I’ve seen in months. The second one was better but still not enjoyable.

Scotty – I loved both of Scotty’s. He’s like every single classic country artist rolled into one fantastic performer. I love him.

Haley – I think the judges were way too hard on her first song. I’m not a Gaga fan and I’d never heard that song but I thought she at least sounded good. And the second one? Favorite performance of the night. That was her moment and for that performance alone I will shut up about her going home.

Favorites: Haley and Scotty

Going home: Oh please Jac0b!!

Osama bin Laden and Jesus

May 3, 2011 by Amy 12 Comments

I wrote this yesterday about the Osama news and debated not posting. Well, actually, I chose not to post. I don’t want to be preachy about how people should be thinking or put down someone if they don’t think the same way. But in the end, it’s important that I write. I wish I would have written down all my confusing thoughts on 9/11. And if I’m having these thoughts, someone is likely to too and that connection is important. We need to know we’re not alone. So here you go, all my reactions and questions

About 10 last night I had taken a shower, fallen in bed ready to get some much-needed sleep and checked Twitter one last time. I was intrigued when I saw Obama would be making a speech at 10:30. I debated skipping it after reading some initial guesses on Twitter at the subject. I was honestly uninterested in what had happened in Libya or presidential condolences about the tornadoes. NOT uninterested in the tornadoes or damage, just what he had to say about them. I then saw the name Osama in one of the tweets and well, if that was the news, it was going to be too historic to miss. The speech time (and my bed time) came and went several times and by the time the President came on, it was simply confirming all the details Twitter had already told me. Osama was dead.
It was in that wait time that folks on Twitter and Facebook began reacting that still has me reeling. What exactly should be my response? Christians at large? People at large? I wasn’t celebrating but I was glad it had happened. Not often I hear of a death and say "Good". Can death be good? I’m not sure it was the death that was good but the removal of his schemes and impact. That indeed, is good. But all I could think about was a tweet I read that something to the effect of you kill a hornet, you stir the nest. I feel LESS safe than I did. Suddenly folks would want to retaliate. Would they try to attack on US ground again? Would our troops be attacked? Would other US folks in countries be attacked? I didn’t feel safer at all that he was dead in the immediate future. And really is his death a death of the extremism? No. Someone else will likely rise to power in his place.
Many claim justice was done. He got what he deserved. But didn’t Jesus say you don’t get revenge? Does that mean they should now avenge his death? It’s a vicious cycle and it’s easy to claim death was good when you’re on the killing side.
And what of his soul? Clearly he did evil. But it doesn’t make me happy he died without Christ. It makes me sad that Satan won. That he was able to carry out so much evil through him and yet, in the end, no one won but Satan. He’s separated from Christ. Some would argue we still don’t know if he is in fact separated from Christ. I mean, wasn’t he doing this for God? Maybe in a convulated way he thought he was doing the right thing. Does that "count"? Talk about a hornet’s nest, I know. All I know is my heart’s a little sad that a life was lost to such evil and likely an eternity.
Why does God allow someone to be born who would live a life like this and never know him? I don’t understand at times like these. Did someone miss a chance to tell him the truth? Did we not pray enough?
You’d think his death would bring peace but I think it brought the opposite. I think there’s fear and doubt and confusion. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I should talk to a mother of 9/11 victim and see what she’s feeling. Perhaps to some they have peace.

There’s a lot wrong with that. Just a stream of consciousness with no ending really. But the best thing about this is Lysa posted this urgent message yesterday about lunchtime and it was almost uncanny how it spoke directly to what I had written only minutes before.

Indeed, we are not alone. And we are not just bonded with our fellow man with all our doubts but also to God. He understands all these fears and knows the confusion. He is there to comfort us when all we know to do is throw up our hands and say I don’t know. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. We always can count on him to be never-changing. Steadfast. Loving. Good. Beyond that, I don’t have answers.

This too shall pass but He never will.

Weekend Recap

May 1, 2011 by Amy Leave a Comment

Friday night was a simple breakfast-for-dinner and Walmart trip. I think we were trying to keep it low-key before a big Saturday.

Saturday the kids headed to my parents for the day while Scott and I went to our first of two adoption trainings. If you ask Scott he’ll tell you he was bored out of his mind but I thought it was so interesting, enlightening and terrifying all at once. The purpose of the training is to prepare you for the issues the child might have coming from DSS. We talked about the different types of abuse and neglect, the grief they experience losing everything they know and ways we can help them assimilate into the family. I was heartbroken at some of the stories we heard. Sexual abuse happening even as young as 9 months old without recollection from the child and yet, years later their little brains remembering what happened and causing them to act out. Physical abuse so severe it causes a lifetime of issues. Neglect so bad a child is incapable of trusting anyone. In fact I found it fascinating that neglect can be the cause of this hoarding we are seeing more of on TV.

I can’t tell you how much I wanted to encourage parents and especially mothers that are feeling like their job isn’t important. It’s no surprise but parents are so, so important. Even little things can mean the world.

I also walked away hopeful and yes, scared that we could make a difference in one of these kids’ life. Will we “fix” them? No. But can we give them the stability and love to give them a chance? Yes. There are risks, no doubt; my risk list was long. But I am confident this is what we’re supposed to be doing. Oddly I was energized yesterday. More than ever I wanted to be part of the change we need to see in today’s youth.

Saturday evening Lexi had her first sleepover birthday party. That brave mother kept 11 kids overnight. Lexi had a blast. Emma and I spent some much needed girl time. I made some steaks and got out my china. Sadly Emma didn’t even know what it was. How has she gotten to 8 without knowing? We did manicures and pedicures and a little Mary Kay makeover just for fun. She opted to watch tv over going to spy on the prom goers to see dresses. We had a great time and I can tell her attitude is much improved from days past. With my new work schedule and the addition it has been so much harder to have this kind of time with them. And trust me, it is not lost on me how much harder it will be with a special needs child (not in the traditional sense but almost all children out of DSS are considered special needs because of the emotional and physical issues) coming into the mix.

Today was church and dinner at Moe’s. I stopped by Dani’s new house this afternoon. I am glad to be passing the remodeling torch over to her. I can’t wait to see what she does with her new space. This evening was low key, just eating leftovers, running some errands and paying some bills. It’s going to be a long week with 3 days in the office so I’m happy to have had a low-key Sunday.

As for the addition this week I think sketchy plans are:

Put up shelving in linen and maybe clothes closet
Get doors and drawers for the vanity (I will be shocked if this happens)
Put in HVAC (YES)
Finish tiling the bathroom
Monday we get the template for the counter-tops done and Friday it’s installed
Possibly begin remodeling our old room for the girls. We need to repaint and get the carpets cleaned as well as find two twin beds! Craigslist anyone?

Hope you had a great weekend!