I actually DID something I pinned!!

So. I LOVE Pinterest. I mean, like, "if I could I'd marry it" kinda love. I am an idea kinda gal, and it is THE place for ideas. The problem I have with Pinterest is the same problem I have in life...taking those ideas and putting them into action. Well, tonight I put feet to an idea! YEA, ME! :-) (hey, when it happens so infrequently we have to make our own cheering section.)

Now, before I go on I do feel the need to say this isn't the ONLY thing I've pinned that I've done, but it's the only thing I've done that I've pinned that I took pictures of and decided to pat myself on the back for. Yes. I am blatantly asking for pats on the back. Moms sometimes need that, don't we? Ask for people to pat us on the back (figuratively) because we may be feeling like all that we're doing really isn't adding up to much...even though it really is...but we just feel that way so we need pats on the back? Well, that's what I'm doing. Sooooooooo, pats on the back are welcome!

Okay, so what did I do? I would love to say I organized our entire home and put together a place for everything and everything in it's place, then put together t-shirt quilts for both boys and put together a menu plan for the next month so we won't eat out during the month of October. I would love to say that. It's not what I did, though. Nope. Nothing nearly quite as pat-on-the-back worthy. What I did was.....

Put together Instant Oatmeal packets.

W O W!!!! Are you proud of me?? Isn't that amazing??? I mean, come ON! I did something I pinned!!!

Oh, I crack myself up. Yes, I really do wish it was something more exciting. Maybe I'll work on that. But for now....

Here's my uber exciting post:

Some of you may be asking why I even did this. Well, let me remind you I have two boys. Two boys my DH and I are raising to be adults, not lifelong children. This means I am training my boys to be more independent in caring for themselves on a day-to-day basis than depending on me or DH to do it for them. Therefore, I want to make mornings as independent for them as possible. (another way to read this is: I hate mornings and can barely function so I try to get my boys to do as much for themselves in the morning as possible. *grin*)

A few years ago the boys saw this:

in the store. They were so excited to eat dinosaur eggs that we decided to try them. They REALLY liked them, so we bought some more. Then I realized that the box of 6 packets was lasting....maybe 2 days. Why? Because growing boys like to eat. At more than $3.00 a box, and a box lasting 2 days, that really gets expensive. So I stopped buying it. The boys, however, still wanted it, and we'd splurge every once in a while when it went on a really good sale. It didn't stop me from groaning about the cost, though, so I decided to look for other options. 

Enter Pinterest.

I bought this: 

and some black, white and purple ghost candy sprinkles (those crunchy decor things for cupcakes), and gathered my brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and measuring utensils as well as some plastic ziploc bags (I used the 4x6 kind that zip at the top so it's easier to pour out of). 

I decided to put it all together in a larger measuring cup before pouring it into the bag, and I decided to go with the 1 cup serving due to the amount of packets of Dino Oats they would eat in a morning. This way they just need one bag and it's all good.

 I measured my 1 cup of oatmeal into the measuring cup:

Then I added two teaspoons of  brown sugar (I limited the number of teaspoons of brown sugar due to the added candy sprinkles):

Sprinkled a generous amount of candy ghosts over the whole thing:

Then I sprinkled a little bit of salt over it all (difficult to see 1/8 tsp of salt over all that, but it's there):

I then stirred it gently. Just enough to mix it all up: 

Then came the fun part ~ pouring it into the bag:

I didn't do a very good job of making it all into the bag. :-(

On the first one I simply used a sharpie to write out the directions. It didn't take me long to figure out that would be too time consuming and might rub off, so...

I made up labels in Microsoft Word, printed them out, cut them out and used scotch tape to adhere them to the bag so they're protected. (I could've used the adhesive labels, but this works just as well)

(notice I made a point of letting them know they did NOT need to add anymore sugar!)

In some of the packets I sprinkled cinnamon in there, too. I labeled them as such so my non-cinnamon child would know he wouldn't want to eat that packets. 

Then I put them all together in an organizing basket that will go on the island for them to grab each morning. 

I do realize it's a rather silly little thing to get so excited about, but I know my 7th grader eats breakfast at 7:20 am and doesn't eat lunch until 12:50 pm. That's a long time to go for an almost 13 year old, so if I can help him stay "full" longer I'll be helping him AND his teachers. AND, because he has ADD, I can feel much better about knowing exactly what is going into his breakfast. For my 5th grader it's an added little treat for him because he is a total "Acts of Service" kinda guy so my putting together oatmeal packets for him to enjoy each morning is like a kiss to the soul. It's also a treat to me because I know my boys are eating (somewhat) healthfully when I can't get my brain to do much more than figure out how to get downstairs without falling down them. 

So, what have YOU done from Pinterest lately? (yes, I know some of you are TOTALLY going to show me up!! Go for it!! =)   )

Things I Wished I'd Known (or Believed) as a New Mom

1) Although flexibility is a beautiful character trait to have in this world, not giving your child any sense of routine can reallllly mess them up when they get to middle school and have to take charge of their time plan. 

2) It may not seem like you have time to read because the kids are little, but if you start early and make it a part of your day that for 20 minutes you will each spend time in your chairs reading (or looking at books) it will be much easier to keep that going as they get older.

 3) TV is not a great tool. I highly recommend you don't get cable or anything like that until the kids are much much older...like, out of your home and on their own older. (I grew up in a home where we didn't ever have cable...we had 3 channels and a VCR years after they came out, and to this day I don't feel like I missed out on anything. Even growing up in the time of MTV's debut and all those cable channels...don't believe I missed a thing!)

4) Learning HOW to do something happens by DOING it, not by reading about it or researching it or joining an online group that talks about it. Although these things can help, the skill is honed in the doing of it. So...if you want to be a great Mom and you feel the need to read about it do it. Then put the book down, turn the computer off and get in there and interact with your child to learn how to do it.

5) Dr. Pepper (or any sugary sodas/pops)and Pregnancy really seem like a good idea...until you learn how the brain works and wish you hadn't.

 6)Teach your kids how to learn from you when they're younger...even if they don't want to. If you have a strong-willed child then look for a way to train them to learn. It will be hard. It will truly REALLY stink. It will be harder than you ever thought possible. It will be worth it.

 7) That child who does so well in playing by himself? It really is a great trait, but be careful not to think this means they're self-sufficient in all things. There will come an age when that trait could push them into themselves to protect a tender heart and you need to be able to be their safe place. Take the time to enter into their alone time and join them there. Don't change what they're doing, just ask if you can play with them and just BE with them. It will make those later years much easier.

8) When an older Mom tries to offer you help ~ even if it seems more like nosiness ~ smile and thank them and file it away. Moms need to be needed and our greatest desire to help someone else's life be easier. Who knows? Maybe that help you didn't want is exactly what you'll need later.

 9) Laugh. Laugh a lot. Laugh some more. Delight in your children and teach them to LAUGH.... A LOT! 

10) As your kids grow up give them chores to do as soon as possible. TEACH them how to clean their room when they're toddlers...model it and have them help you...gradually let them be the ones to do it and show you how to do it. Doing this will save so MANY headaches when they're teenagers and get overwhelmed because they have so much stuff.

 11) Don't have so much stuff.

 12) Seriously. Get rid of the stuff.

 13) I can't say that enough...GET RID OF THE STUFF!!!!

I know there are so many more things, but as I'm sitting here thinking about my soon to be 13 year old and my 10 1/2 year old these things came to mind. It's true what they say...time really does fly, and what you wish you'd done today will soon be the regret you have tomorrow.

Well, unless you do it today.

 So?

 Do it today!

We shouldn't have to say goodbye to children

This morning I drove my oldest son to Middle School like I do every morning. I prayed over him and over our school on the way, and couldn't get over that "ugh. it's Monday." feeling. As I was leaving I noticed a news crew across the street from the school. I noticed that the Crossing Guard looked like he was talking to them, and the thought crossed my mind that I was hoping they were doing a "feel good"/"good neighbor" story on him because he is always so happy to see the kids when they walk to school each morning. I drove home with a smile on my face and a prayer of thanks in my heart for people who are willing to invest in our kids. I got Micah going and off to the bus, and Scott left for the airport for a short business trip. With a quiet house and a very busy week behind me I decided to take a moment and get caught up on my Facebook posts. As I scrolled down and read my eyes caught the name of my son's middle school in a post from a news source. I quickly jumped right to it and read as my heart dropped to my knees. Yesterday an 11 year old boy was riding his bike downtown and he ran into a city bus that was making a right turn. He went under the bus, and when the authorities got there they found that his left arm had been severed in the accident and he had already lost a lot of blood. He died in the hospital later that day. They shared his name. Ben Fulwiler. It rang a bell and I started thinking about conversations CJ and I had last week when he mentioned Ben's name. I couldn't remember the exact conversation, and it bothered me wondering if he had mentioned Ben when we were talking about a kid who had been expelled for smoking pot, or if it was something different. A nagging catch told me, no, it was something different...something closer to him. Either way, I knew Ben was someone CJ knew and my Momma's heart pounded into the unsteady pattern of wanting to comfort my child. A friend whose son is also a good friend of CJ's called and she had the brilliant idea to look in our elementary yearbook to see if Ben was also a student at our elementary school. As I looked at the picture it all fell into place. Ben wasn't in CJ's class last year, but they did have advanced math together and I interacted with Ben a LOT during my times of being in the classroom helping. He had a ready smile...a quiet disposition...a sweet personality. Ben was difficult to really know as he had a bit of a wall around him, but it was difficult not to like him. I enjoyed and looked forward to being in that class. All of the students made that possible, and Ben was definitely in the group of reasons I enjoyed being there. I decided to head up to the school at lunchtime and just see how CJ was doing. I checked him out at the attendance office, then walked in to the cafeteria to get him. I didn't see him, but he saw me and came up to me with red-rimmed eyes and a somber spirit. We walked to the car and decided to just go get a coffee and talk. Ben had become a better friend to him this year. Middle school does that, doesn't it? You don't have just one class of people, but multiple classes, so those who are in the most classes with you tend to be better friends. Experience and all, y'know? Ben was in CJ's three core classes. When I picked him up CJ had just come from Humanities and they had spent the entire hour with the counselor talking about Ben and grief and how to handle the pain. CJ's comment was, "even my teacher was crying, Mom." (Do they realize just how much our students grow in our hearts?) After letting him cry and holding his hand and just being there with him he decided he wanted to go back in and finish it out with his friends. I walked him in, checked him back in and left with a heavy heart for our students. A school should not ever have an overtone of quiet and grief in it (except on report card day! :) ), and the 6th grade lunch room definitely did. I came home, busied myself and went back to the school to play "parent protector" for the students in case there were news crews again. Not to shove cameras away, but rather to ask them respectfully to not try to talk to the kids about this and let them grieve. Thankfully there were no crews, and I came home. I turned our corner right behind CJ's bus...saw his red shoes hit the pavement and waited an eternity for the bus to shut off it's flashing red lights and move out of my way so I could get to my son. I looked at the group expecting him to be walking and talking to his friends...probably about Ben. I wasn't expecting what I saw. His friends were walking...quietly, somberly...and ahead of them, alone and with shoulders heaving, was my CJ. As I pulled up I noticed he wasn't just crying quietly, he was literally sobbing. Immediately my own tears popped and my voice caught as I tried to yell his name and get his attention. I was on the phone with Scott at the time ~ how helpless he felt being far away and unable to do anything for his son. As CJ got in the car I handed him the phone and he said, between sobs, "Ben was my best friend, Dad!" My heart lurched again...and again...and one more time for good measure as I realized the conversation I couldn't remember earlier was about Ben & CJ and how they worked together in science and math and humanities. Ben was interwoven throughout my son's day...and now he was gone. We got to our house and he went inside while I stayed outside to continue my conversation with Scott. Both of us just sat in silence. I mean, what do we do? My parents never had to deal with a friend of mine dying. I never had to deal with anyone other than an acquaintance or two my age dying from a long-term illness, and anyone I did have close to me passed at a ripe, well-lived age. How do we handle the sudden, unexpected death of my son's classmate and friend? I jokingly said all those aptitude tests I took from 9th grade on that told me I should be a Funeral Director (number 1 or number 2 ~ EVERY. TIME. ~ not joking) will come in to play here, I suppose. We chuckled and reminded each other God is here and has a plan....and we'll just let Him guide us through this. It's been difficult. It's been sad. We've shared tears...and smiles...and lots of hugs. ...and we've been reminded that in our pain God offers us opportunities only if we're willing to take them. Each morning we pray that CJ and the rest of his small group members would be courageous in their faith. This is an opportunity to practice courage as his classmates wonder what happens when we die. CJ tends to think Ben was an Atheist (yes, my heart broke again), but I pray he cried out to the God he knew deep down was there in the middle of the end. I pray, too, that CJ and his classmates who love the Lord are bold enough to share the confidence in death that comes from knowing this world is not the end! I pray and encourage him to not be afraid to ask the question, "what happens when we die? Where will you go when you die?" and have that conversation about knowing that Jesus Christ died for us so we could have life. Life is short...and we have no idea how long we have on this earth. How are we living? Are you bold in your faith? Are you confident enough in the very One who says to be strong and courageous to stick your neck out and share your faith with those in your life whose hearts matter to you? I have a son who is wishing he had been. Don't let someone in your life pass on to an eternity lost because you didn't want to offend them.

Good Girl

As I had hoped, here's the mp3 of Lisa Whelchel's "Good Girl" No, it's not on par with the great music that has gone down in history, but it's great fun!

	Lisa Whelchel - Good Girl .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

the Facts of Life

When I was a teenager I loved watching "The Facts of Life" on TV. My favorite character was Jo, and my favorite character to love/hate was Blair. I was thrilled when I discovered a cassette during a day at the local Christian bookstore with my Mom. The cassette was by none other than Lisa Whelchel. I listened to that tape over and over and over again, and this was one of my favorite songs. My other favorite song was called "Good Girl" and maybe I'll post it, too, but for now enjoy true '80's Christian pop. (yeah, I know what that means, but I'm not a musical snob, and this song helped cement the deep-seeded belief that God's love is bigger than I could ever imagine.)

Download this mp3 from Beemp3.com