Amendments

Ok, since it's not yet officially 2008, I am exercising my right to amend my resolutions. I absolutely KNOW that I will not post a blog every day, so nix that. :)

Carry on..

New Year's Resolutions

(Copying a friend here)

I don't typically make resolutions, but I'll give it a whirl.

1) To blog daily! (ya right)

2) To make a reservation within the MONTH to take my official certification test that I've been putting off for 8 months now.

3) To start going to bed by 10 pm

4) To start playing a game with the kids at least 2 times a week. I really don't care for children's board games, *sigh*

5) To hip hop my abs at least three times a week and lose 20 lbs.

There, all attainable. Let's see how it goes.

Well burst my bubble.

Yes, it was just a few short days ago that I was bragging like crazy on my sweet 9 year old. That same sweet 9 year old who karate-chopped a boy's glasses while he was holding them last night at church. She thought it would be funny. The children's pastor didn't at ALL agree. *sigh* Does it get easier?

Take a listen

Laken makes me so proud. She is such a little soldier of God, and I just love it. When we hear a siren somewhere, she prays. When someone's crying, she's there wrapping her arms around that person and lifting them up in prayer. She is an ornery little thing, yesireebob, but she's got a really good heart.

She and I were just sitting here listening to some music and I wanted to share her favorite song with you. She sits in here on the bed and just belts it out at the top of her lungs. I just love that girl.

Click the CD! Mercy Me Radio

I've been tagged!!!!

Ok, so I was tagged last night by RDH Mom. This is my first time to be tagged, and it took me awhile to catch on, but here we go!!! :)

The tag rules are:
1) Link the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share 7 facts about yourself.
4) Tag 7 random people and include links to their blogs.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


Ok, so 7 facts about Megs are as follows:

* I pull the hair on the very top of my head when I get stressed. When I was younger, there was even a bit of time when I had a bald spot. :/ It all started when I got chicken pox on my 10th birthday and had one up there on my head. It did some sort of something to my nerve endings up there and it feels awesome to tug on that hair. Strange, I know.
*I take a bubble bath every single night and I can't do it without reading in there. Doesn't matter what I'm reading...the church newsletter, a People magazine, or a good book. Whatever. Just don't make me do it without reading.
*I LOVE doing laundry. I hate folding and putting it up.
*I am a new cleaning product whore. If it's new, I have to have it.
*I am the biggest tightwad you'll ever meet. I prefer to label myself as fiscally responsible, but whatever. Semantics.
*I love A-1 sauce. I eat it on so many different foods...but it makes my tongue raw. :(
*I must walk really weird because I've noticed over the past couple of years that all of my slippers (aka houseshoes in Texas) lean inward after I wear them for awhile. :/

Ok, now to tag 7 more people:

Myanderings

Anglophile Football Fanatic

Tiggerlane, the Neophyte Blogger

lost in the Bible belt

MomUnscripted

Ooh, a shiny pen

And simply because his name intrigued me, Dirty Uncle Mark

Christmas Cards!

Every year I take a picture of my children in front of the tree for Christmas cards. Gavin is only three, so he's usually the one who ends up doing something to shatter the picture perfect Christmas card that I have envisioned. Laken is 9 and has perfected smiling on demand, so she's no problem when it comes to photographs. Sunday night I put the kids in their pjs thinking that it might make a cute Christmas card.

Well, the first attempt ended up in a sort of squeeze-really-hard-type hug.

The second, in abuse. I was snapping pic after pic and imagine my surprise when I found this on my memory card. Ahh, the ornery look on his face says it all as he elbows the heck out of his sis.

We gave up for the night and tried again the following night, everyone all spiffed up in their Christmas sweaters. A little more cooperation and finally, pictures that will work on Christmas cards! Ahhh, my job is done.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!!!!

Teaching and Toilets

So my idea of blogging everyday is failing miserably. I have good excuses, though. Yesterday I had to go shopping. Our toilet broke. Perfect timing, right? Everyone wants to buy a toilet just two weeks before Christmas. Today I subbed in a third grade class. And tonight I'm peeved.

What happened to the good old days when parents actually VOLUNTEERED to help out at school? I realize that everyone is busy these days. Some parents are working two and three jobs, and others don't have the means to actually get to the school to help out during the day. I realize that things come up, and that people have various reasons for not helping. I'm just sick of hearing them.

Tomorrow begins the annual basketball tournament at my daughter's school. She and her teammates are so excited that none of them are sleeping well tonight, I assure you. The first day of the tournament, the school always holds a little pep rally for them. It's cute and the kids really get a morale boost from it all. A note was sent home on Monday asking the parents of the players to please bring in a little something to put into goody bags for the kids. I called the lady who was heading it all up today and she has gotten...and I kid you not....ZERO response from parents. I was in the kitchen up until 11 pm tonight dipping pretzels into almond bark dyed to match the school's colors. I ran to Walmart and picked up bottled dr. peppers for each of the 35 players. I'm contemplating making some popcorn balls in a minute. And all of this after replacing a toilet and teaching 60 third graders today.

I am not asking for a pat on the back. It's my job to help out when I can, and I always try to feel compassion for those who cannot help out for whatever reason. Tonight I am finding it MUCH easier to help out by working in the kitchen until 11 pm than to feel compassion for the slackers, though.

God, grant me the serenity...

Fun Monday~ Favorite Ornament

I suppose this is as good of a time to start posting as any. I saw a post as I was reading someone's blog this morning and it made me want to jump right in to this blogging thing. I've been wanting to try my hand at it for awhile, but I'll admit I am a bit intimidated by it all. Oh well...in the spirit of keeping up with the times, here we go...

My tree is covered with special ornaments. We don't buy perfectly uniformed ornaments in a delicately matched pattern. No, our tree is covered with ornaments from Hallmark that mean something to us. My kids each have a set of keepsake ornaments that show the way from their first Christmas through their 6th Christmas (although my son is only on his 4th Christmas this year so his collection is growing), and after that they get to pick their own ornament each year. My only rule is that it reflects on something of the year; either something they have done or something they are in to. But those are not my favorite ornaments.

I also pick an ornament for my husband and I. We have ornaments that say things like "Parents to Be" and "Our First Home Together," which is a cute little house shaped ornament that opens up to hold a copy of our first house key. It's precious, but it isn't my favorite ornament.

I am on a mission to find the perfect 10 Year Anniversary ornament this year for my husband and I, because there have been times that I definitely didn't think we'd make it this far. But I know that won't be my favorite ornament.

My tree is covered with beautiful and special ornaments, but my favorite is the ballerina one that was purchased 2 years ago this week from the Nutcracker Ballet by one of my best friends, Tonya. She and I took our then 7 year old daughters to see the ballet, and Tonya purchased the ornament for us as we were leaving. Two weeks later on Christmas night, she was murdered by her husband.

Ornaments were always special for Tonya, and she decorated her tree much like I do mine. A few hours before her murder, we were talking on the phone about the wonderful Christmas each of us had just had. We got on the subject of our trees, and she told me that she wouldn't trade her little mismatched tree with all of her special ornaments for anything in the world. I couldn't agree more.

My beautiful Nutcracker ornament will always be proudly displayed at the front and center of my Christmas tree.