» Confessions http://www.mommytopics.com Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:12:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Gratitude for the Second Half of Summer http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-the-second-half-of-summer http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-the-second-half-of-summer#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:25:52 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=257

Summer has been so fun and such a needed break from our regular schedule. Our summer is a couple weeks past the midway point and while my mind has begun to start planning for the coming school year, there are plenty of summer days left for simplistic and spontaneous fun. This week I am grateful for…

307. summer’s second half

308. berry picking

309. blueberry pie

310. raspberry pie

311. scones

312. the backyard

313. joy that comes from a child catching her first lizard with her bare hands

314. rest when there is pain

315. a second parent to take over when I can’t function

316. nurse practitioners

317. antibiotics that work

318. healing

319. vehicles that fit the whole family

320. warm breezy evenings at the playground

321. gearing up for soccer season

322. pink cleats

323. being married to the Coach

324. seeing a boy learn to build with hammer and nail

325. libraries

326. trips to the pool

327. Legoland

328. the Zoo

329. summer family flicks

330. pet rocks

331. glitter crayons

332. colored pencils

333. paint

334. strawberry lemonade

335. smoothies

336. iced coffee

337. planning for the coming school year

338. exciting new books

339. getting organized

340. planning field trips

341. ordering supplies

342. glitter

343. shopping online

344. glue sticks

345. home school conferences

346. home school friends

347. vacation days still ahead

348. time for more fun

holy experience

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-the-second-half-of-summer/feed 8 Gratitude for Relief from a Very Long Drought http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-relief-from-a-very-long-drought http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-relief-from-a-very-long-drought#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:21:22 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=251

279. unexpected rain in Summer

280. dark skys

281. incredibly beautiful lightning

282. surrounding thunder

283. the scent of dry dirt drenched

284. new seeds planted

285. little helpers

286. God’s faithfulness

287. endurance

288. a downpour of new hope

289. prayers answered after a long desert journey of questioning and quiet

290. a new job for my husband after a very long season of uncertainty

291. lessons learned through difficult trials

292. growth

293. the melting away of fear and doubt

294. clear skies after storms

295. provision

296. my husband

297. our marriage

298. supportive family

299. a tremendous church

300. Vacation Bible School

301. those who give their time to teach, encourage, and love my children

302. book club

303. gleaning from others

304. rejoicing

305. a new season

306. looking to the future with a smile

holy experience

Have you read these other posts yet?

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-relief-from-a-very-long-drought/feed 4 Wordless/Works For Me:Wednesday – Best Sign… EVER! http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/best-sign-ever http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/best-sign-ever#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:56:48 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=246

(Sign we saw hung on a Toy Vendor’s booth when we went to the San Diego County Fair)

*While you’re here visiting MommyTopics, check out this quick-to-enter GIVEAWAY by Surfer Dudette, and this Summer Family Fun LINKY.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday and Works for Me Wednesday

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/best-sign-ever/feed 8 Happy Homemaker Monday http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/happy-homemaker-monday http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/happy-homemaker-monday#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:52:22 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=234 I love this post idea and Link Up from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom!

hhm

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Currently at 9:30 a.m. here in Southern California, it is 68 degrees and partly cloudy. A high expected today of 85 degrees and a low tonight of 60 degrees.

Things that make me happy:
Jesus, my husband, my kids, Coffee, books, and inspiration

Book I’m reading:
I’m always reading multiple books at any given time: Currently, “The Overton Window”, “The Christian Atheist” and “The Underground History of American Education”

What I’m enjoying on TV:
I watch a lot of Fox News and in the evenings I am partial to mindless reality shows

On the menu for dinner:
Turkey Burgers

On my To Do List:
I have mountains of laundry to tackle and seeds to get into my garden… I know, I know… It’s so NOT spring anymore… I’m behind, but still determined!

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
I’d like to try a Coconut Cream Cake

In the craft basket: My journal, new colored pencils, a glue stick, and the Spring Issue of Life:Beautiful

Looking forward to this week:
Gardening with my kids, a trip to the San Diego Zoo with family, and simple summer days

Tips and Tricks:
When your kids get the hiccups… even babies 6 months or older… squirt their mouth full of whipped cream. They love it! And… the hiccups disappear instantly… it’s amazing! And it has helped me stay on schedule with nap times and bed times for many years.

My favorite blog post this week:
Well… the week has just begun, but I was certainly impressed this morning with Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and her amazing Spongebob Cake… plus she cracks me up!

Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):
I love Our Homeschool Home’s Mingle Monday link up!

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

My favorite piece from a Sidewalk Chalk Festival I visited yesterday

Lesson learned the past few days:
Gardening… when you’re severely challenged at it like I am… makes you so much more genuinely grateful to the Lord for your food. My meal time prayers of thanks have never been so sincere as I have truly acknowledged what a miracle it is when someone can get a seed to grow something edible… I’ve yet to do so myself… but I have hope for my future!

On my mind:
Getting off the computer and onto my day with kids, laundry, and whatever else comes my way

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Isaiah 55 – the whole chapter is amazing, but imparticular…

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not My ways.”
This is the LORD’s declaration.

9 “For as heaven is higher than earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven,
and do not return there
without saturating the earth,
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,

11 so My word that comes from My mouth
will not return to Me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please,
and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Be blessed today friends! Thanks for visiting.

Have you read these other posts yet?

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/happy-homemaker-monday/feed 3 Gratitude for Life Outside http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-life-outside http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-life-outside#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:09:45 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=232

Let’s be clear.

This is not my garden.

It’s my mother’s.

But I am, working on mine.

I hope to have pictures of something lovely from it… eventually.

This week I’ve spent a lot of time outside, contemplating soil, seeds, crops, critters, sun, water, and what a miracle it is anytime something actually grows in the ground.

I’m thankful to the Lord for…

261. having fun together as a family

262. seasons

263. the ability of fruits, vegetables, and flowers to reproduce

264. living on a large piece of land with dirt, grass, trees, space, and possibilities

265. a community of the kindest blogging gardeners who have surrounded me this past week with comments of encouragement

266. that seeds are inexpensive and easy to come by

267. the natural inclination of children to want to plant something

268. the elation in four year olds that comes from making mud

269. that most things which become dirty also easily become clean

270. how when the body becomes still and calm, the soul follows

271. finding proof in the existence of lightning bugs and that little kids really do collect them in jars … I knew it. I just knew it.

272. the wonder of the night sky

273. the moon

274. NASA

275. the sun

276. cupcakes

277. life outside

278. faithful farmers who provide food for the rest of us

holy experience

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-life-outside/feed 0 Fair Fun – Rides and Games http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/fair-fun-rides-and-games http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/fair-fun-rides-and-games#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 07:01:40 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=229

Everyone knows that for kids, the whole point to a Fair is the rides.

Our County Fair in San Diego has two separate areas with different rides, at opposite ends of the Fair grounds. One area is called Kiddieland and all the rides are geared towards ages 3 – 11. The other ride area is called, the Fun Zone, and that’s where all of the insane rides are.

We ventured into Kiddieland early in our day because we knew we couldn’t keep our little hopeful ride-goers waiting for too long.

I’m  pretty sure this ride was there when I was small enough to go on it. If not this exact one, then something very similar.

Talk about a slide! Wow!

My adventurous four year old rode this one twice.

My eight year old was done with it after the first try. I don’t think he liked the “climbing up so high” part of it.

The Fun Houses were always my favorite as a child. Both my kids liked them too, but they wished they were more intricate and took longer to go through.

And then there was this ride.

This ride was not in Kiddieland.

This ride cost $80 to go on and once you were done, you would receive a DVD of your terror stricken face while on the ride, to be embarrassed with over and over again when your friends and family put it on at gatherings, to mock you.

No thanks.

And then there was this.

This, I will never understand.

The Fair is also filled with games.

Bananas seemed to be a popular prize option this year. Nearly every booth had some kind of banana or monkey.

There were also a lot of these body pillows of $100 dollar bills.

There is something sort of unsettling about picturing small children and teenagers cuddling up at night with a body pillow of a $100 dollar bill.

Maybe that’s just me.

Is it just me?

And I sure don’t remember electric guitars being a prize option when I was a kid. When did that happen?

I saw one girl getting in line for a roller coaster with one of these in her arm. I wonder if they fall apart when you strum them?

They looked real enough. But I’m no expert.

The problem with playing games at the Fair is that they cost too much.

We let each of our kids choose one game to play, so both of them and my husband played two games total.

It cost us $18.00.

My husband won one of those light brown monkeys pictured above.

The kids were really excited about him.

But he definitely isn’t worth $18.00.

I liked these.

I thought they were pretty cute.

I don’t even want to know how many times you had to win a game and trade up your prizes to get one.

Whenever they hang a prize up high, you know it’s not win-able on the first try.

When ever I go to the Fair, I like to save the Fun Zone with all of the crazy rides, for the night time.

Sure…

That wiggly slide looks pretty neat just like that.

But…

This is what I’m lookin’ for when I go the Fair!

There is something magical and amazing about the Fair at night with everything all lit up.

Just looking at this picture, I can almost hear the music and the crowd and all of the excitement.

I actually used to ride these things when I was a teenager.

Now I just like to walk by with my kids and watch everyone else who is riding them.

The one thing my kids were excited to do in the Big Fun Zone was go into the bigger Fun Houses. They went into this one, and another one that they really loved called the Moscow Circus.

Now this I would still ride.

I didn’t last week because we had the kids with us and they didn’t want to go, and my one year old was of course to small to go, so it just didn’t work out.

But I love this ride.

Ah the Fair. It’s my friend. My dear old friend.

More games. More prizes. More lights.

There’s even a log ride at the Fair now. I thought that was reserved for Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland. Wow!

What will they think of next?

I’ve done this ride twice in my life.

I don’t plan to do it again.

It just doesn’t make sense to go that high up and then careen toward the ground on purpose.

No sense at all.

This one was fun to watch.

Every time they started it up the air would fill with smoke from a smoke machine, just for dramatic affect.

And then higher and higher it would swing into the air like a pendulum, while the disc full of people spun.

Even the food places look more magical at night.

The Gingerbread Shop always looks magical… but at night… when it’s all lit up… it looks amazing!

And last, but certainly not least…

The ride voted “Fair Favorite” by my 8 year old…

The Crazy Mouse Roller Coaster.

He loved it!

My four year old sobbed in the stroller as my hubby and my son rode it, because she wasn’t tall enough to go on.

It did look like a lot of fun.

It’s a typical little roller coaster, but you sit in these round cars that look like barrels and as they go along the track they spin in circles.

My eight year old highly recommends it!

And I highly recommend you plan to take your family and visit a Fair this Summer.

If it’s anything like My Fair, you wont be disappointed!

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/fair-fun-rides-and-games/feed 2 Fair Animals http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/fair-animals http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/fair-animals#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:00:52 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=228

Every year the San Diego County Fair offers all kinds of ways to get discounts on Fair admission. I’ve learned to check the website well in advance so I can figure out the least expensive day to go.

Adult admission tickets are regular price $13.00

Kids 6 – 12 are $7.00

Kids 5 and under are Free

But…

Our local grocery store was selling $3 tickets to the Fair for the first Tuesday, which also happened to be a day when Kids Get in FREE, so our family of 5 got in the gate for $6 instead of $33.00.

And once you’re inside there are so many things to see and do for FREE.

One of our favorite things to go and see at the Fair is the farm animals.

We saw cows. Lots of big, beautiful, lovely cows.

These two cows were HUGE! Prize winning cows I guess, because they were in a special pen in the middle of the arena. Just look at the size of that cow’s head compared to the person walking up next to them. Huge… just HUGE!

And this picture just doesn’t do this cow justice. I wish I had a better shot of her next to some cows standing up. She is an amazingly tall cow. Her legs just seemed about a foot longer than any of the others and she seemed to tower above the rest.

My husband called her “Cow-be Bryant.” We all laughed. We’re corny that way. Maybe that’s why we like farm animals so much… cuz we’re “corny”. Get it? I’ll stop.

We saw lots of pretty little sheep and they were “bah-ing” and “bah-ing” all over the place. It was really funny to listen to them. We got to pet them too. Well… I got to pet them. Dad was a bit nervous about letting the little ones approach the sheep. I guess they can be kind of unpredictable. They were nice to me though. No incidents with the sheep to speak of.

And there were these sweet piggies.

Pardon the picture of the hind quarters. I just thought they were so cute cuddled up sleeping together. It looks like possibly a mommy and her baby, but I don’t know for sure. I didn’t speak with them, I just took a picture… of their hind quarters.

That was my kids favorite part about these two. They giggled their little heads off staring at pig bums. See… the fair can be fun and educational.

And then there were the hens and roosters.

Oh my!

I could have spent hours just looking at and photographing the hens and the roosters.

You see I have this thing for chickens lately. I’m obsessed. I want some.

No roosters, just some beautiful, egg laying hens.

Do you know why in the grocery store, some eggs are brown and others are white?

Do you know?

Do you?

I do.

White eggs come from white hens and brown eggs come from brown or red hens.

Did you know there are also hens that lay blue eggs and hens that lay green eggs?

I want one that lays green eggs.

Then we could have green eggs and ham!

If I had my way I would build some chickens a home in our backyard like this.

And I would buy little baby chicks just like this.

My aunt, you know the one who is the expert gardener and answers the gardening crisis hotline… she is getting chicks.

I’ll just have to go and visit her’s until I achieve my dream of having some of my very own.

Look at this beauty!

Wow!

Incredible.

Picture perfect.

And look at this one!

I didn’t know a chicken like this even existed before I came to the Fair. Do you see her beak peeking out of all those feathers? You couldn’t see her eyes anywhere. She was like the sheep dog of chickens. There were several more strange and beautiful chickens there that I wanted to take pictures of, but the kids and my hubby were like, “Enough with the chickens already. Let’s find some rides.”

I obliged them.

I’ll see you next year chickens, and I’ll stay a little longer then.

There were llamas.

There was even an elephant giving rides.

But man…

I miss those chickens.

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/fair-animals/feed 2 Gratitude for Family and Fun http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-family-and-fun http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-family-and-fun#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:37:52 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=221

We’re off to a great start for Summer.

During our first week of Summer Break from Home School I cleaned the whole house (it’s entirely destroyed again now… except for the inside of the microwave… that is still sparkling), we’ve been to the Fair, we’ve gone swimming, we enjoyed a Homemade BBQ Rib feast with family on my Aunts porch in Point Loma, we’ve had cousins from Oklahoma staying with us for a great visit, and I’ve been in the kitchen baking and decorating treats.

I’ve so needed this Break from our typical daily school schedule and I’m enjoying our time off immensely... I have a feeling this Summer is going to blow by quicker than ever.

I can remember as a child and as a teenager, the Summer always seemed to drag on, and on, and on, and I would run out of things to do. I can remember being bored constantly throughout the Summer and just waiting for a moment when I finally had somewhere to be and something was happening.

I long for days like that again without plans and constant demands. I think this Summer I’m going to have to “plan” some “unplanned time” and see if I can actually get bored.

Boredom…. ?

Ha!

Wow! I’m just now realizing how long it’s actually been since I’ve felt that feeling. Boredom. Huh.

There’s a very good chance with everything I have to do, and everything I want to get done, and how NOT boring, but rather cherished, any down time I have is, that I may never experience boredom again.

My gratitude to the Lord for everyday miracles continues here, and this week I’ve been reminded how thankful I am for…

244. fresh raspberries

245. laying on warm cement, eyes closed, nowhere to be, after coming out of a cool swimming pool

246. napping in the warm sun

247. sublock

248. enjoyable minutes that seem like hours

249. pizza spontaneously at 2 o’clock in the afternoon just because

250. tossing typical schedules out the door for a season

251. hammocks

252. the American Declaration of Independence

253. laying on blankets spread out in the grass

254. sweet tea

255. swing sets

256. songs that conjure such strong memories of wonderful Summer days from the past that for the duration of the song I feel sixteen again

257. after a day lounging at the pool or beach, getting showered, dressed, and ready for fun… at 6pm

258. the County Fair

259. after the sun has gone down and Thrill Rides light the night sky, rhythmic music makes you want to move your feet, and the smell of hot fresh funnel cakes summon you to taste

260. Lightning bugs… even though I’ve never seen one, I’m glad they’re out there somewhere… waiting for me to discover them still

holy experience

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/gratitude-for-family-and-fun/feed 2 Sweet Gratitude http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/sweet-gratitude http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/sweet-gratitude#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:46:33 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=217

Today my list continues.

Today I praise with purpose.

Today I am grateful to God for…

225. lollipops

226. baby kisses

227. books poured out in me replacing wrong thinking with truth

228. breakfast for dinner

229. Cotton Candy

230. when something breaks and my husband knows just how to fix it

231. epic films that make history come alive and improve my perspective of the past

232. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

233. His willingness to perform miracles

234. courage

235. late sunsets

236. sleeping in

237. the smell of fresh brewed coffee… anytime… anywhere

238. deep blue Morning Glories

239. song

240. gentleness

241. grace

242. forgiveness

243. a sure, infallible, inerrant, inspired, beautiful, glorious, line of truth

holy experience

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/sweet-gratitude/feed 5 Summer Is So Close… We Can Taste It! http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/summer-is-so-close-we-can-taste-it http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/summer-is-so-close-we-can-taste-it#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:14:14 +0000 admin http://www.mommytopics.com/?p=211

This is our last week of Home School before summer break!

We are sooooooooooo ready for a break!

I thought that Memorial Day marked the first day of Summer, but I looked it up online and learned that the true, official first day of Summer for the United States is really always on June 20 or 21 when the sun is farthest north at the Summer Solstice. So officially we still have a few weeks until Summer begins, but it is so close… we can taste it!

We recently visited our local fruit market and it was filled with beautiful ripe delicious summer fruits that looked and smelled so good!

We’re gettin’ ancy to have some time off from indoor academics and to get outside and enjoy a summer filled with less structured days planting a new garden, swimming in the pool, painting, picnicking, barbecuing, and taking day trips to fun places.

I’ll be hosting a Blog Hop on Tuesdays this Summer where you can show off all the fun things you and your family are doing to keep life fun and interesting this Summer. Click here for Blog Hop Info.

With a season of change on the horizon, there is so much to be grateful for…

189. fresh fruit in all of it’s many varieties

190. planting a seed and watching it produce something amazing

191. dramatic change in daily schedules which makes life less redundant

192. warm dry days with cool breezes

193. shady trees

194. lady bugs

195. butterflies

196. singing birds

197. that the sky is blue

198. white fluffy clouds

199. beautiful sunsets

200. porch swings

201. longer days of sunlight

202. shirtless, barefoot, happy baby boys

203. days when perfect weather allures you to find any reason to stay outside

204. picnics

205. noses and mouths covered in ice cream

206. Popsicle juice dripping from chins

207. swimming pools

208. family dinners outside

209. summer reading

210. family vacations

211. day trips

212. lakes

213. rivers

214. beaches

215. mountains

216. forests

217. zoos

218. aquariums

219. water slides

220. smoothies

221. corn on the cob

222. sweet cold watermelon

223. shish-ka-bob

224. pineapple

I’m lovin’ that Summer is almost here!!!

What kinds of things are getting you all excited and grateful for Summer?

holy experience

Related Posts

]]> http://www.mommytopics.com/confessions/summer-is-so-close-we-can-taste-it/feed 3