Baby Girl's Birthday

At least she's only 3 so she won't realize how rushed and unplanned her birthday was.  We were on the train for her actual birthday.  We told her it was her birthday, taught her how to make "3" with her fingers, and sang the song.  She was content with that and didn't seem to require any more. 

But I felt guilty.  I hadn't purchased any birthday gifts, did not have a theme in mind, didn't create precious invitations with her picture on them, and didn't have a menu planned.  When Hubby suggested that we simply visit Chuck E. Cheese the night after we got home, I whole-heartily agreed.  I sent a text message to my closest family members the morning of the party.

Baby Girl loves trains and we just completed a train trip.  So that seemed to be the obvious choice for a cake.  She said she wanted her cake to be green.  Trains are typically for boys so I knew I would have to work hard to make it feminine.  By the time the cake was baked and semi-cool, I had less than an hour to decorate it.  I worked as fast as my cramped fingers would allow.  I ran out of icing and had to keep the smokestack in generic ice cream cone form.  It was sloppy, but it was done.  We were only twenty minutes late for the party.   

She had a super time and so did her siblings.  The boys hit the Jackpot on one of the games 3 times!  The staff finally unplugged it.  With 2600 tickets to spend, we left with two stuffed Angry Birds, an inflatable hammer, and a pink "fire" ball.  I've always wondered what kind of people get those big prizes on the top shelf.  (People who apparently figure out the weakness to the Jackpot game.)

I left the mess there (well, I still had quite a mess from the speedy cake decorating job) and came home mostly stress-free.  That's the way to do it!

I'll plan something a bit more organized for next year.  Who knows what she'll be into by then!

San Francisco

I know vacation pics tend to be boring so I'll only share a few.

Baby Girl's first plane ride.   Can you tell how pumped she is?  She wouldn't sit with the Captain to get her picture taken so he took our picture in his seat.  That was my first time sitting in the cockpit of a plane!

The kids really enjoyed watching the seals at Fisherman's Wharf!

We ate dinner at The Stinking Rose.  It was a really neat experience!  If you don't like garlic, you probably won't like this restaurant!

The Redwoods in Muir Woods were spectacular!

I loved this tree at Stinson Beach so I had to capture its photo.

Tuckered out

This is the Bay Bridge, not Golden Gate.  I just really liked the photo.  I may frame some of these to display at home.  What do ya think?

This was taken through the window of a moving train.  I can't even imagine how beautiful the photo would have been if I was standing still and NOT looking through glass.  For some reason, they were not willing to stop the train every time I wanted to take a picture.  I don't understand why...

We had an awesome time and I cannot wait to go back again soon!

Another Stolen Post

Yeah, it's 6:00.  No, I haven't posted yet today.  Yeah, I have so many things in mind I want to post about but don't have the time or mental clarity for any of them right now.  I seriously think I'm still jet-lagged.  How long can I use that excuse?  A month or two???

I'm also trying to get caught up on reading all my favorite blogs from when I was gone.  It's taking forever because all those awesome bloggers keep posting and posting!  It may take years.

Anyway, k posted this about a week ago and I thought it was clever.  So I'm gonna steal it.  (Swiper, no swiping!)  It's a writing exercise that requires a one word answer.  So let's see how I do.

yourself: busy

your boyfriend/girlfriend (husband, whatever): superman

your hair: graying

your mother: aging

your dog: nope

your favorite item: home

your dream last night: performing

your favorite drink: tea

your dream car: Mercedes

the room you are in: dining

your fear: failure

what you want to be in ten years: happy

who you hung out with last night: kids

what you're not: perfect

muffin: cinnamon

one of your wish items: patio

time: flies

the last thing you did: cooked

what you are wearing: plaid

your favorite weather:  seventy

your favorite book: Binchy

the last thing you ate: cake

your life: blessed

your mood: sleepy

your best friend: Hubby

what you are thinking about right now: eating

your car: van

what you are doing at the moment: coughing

your summer: amazing

your relationship status: blissful

what is on your tv: cartoons

what is the weather like: cool

when is the last time you laughed: four-ish

Baby Girl Strikes Again

In honor of her third birthday, I thought I would share some cute things my little monkey has done lately.

Baby Girl can spell her name now. 
"B - I - J - 7."  I'm so proud.

~~~~~

Everything right now is "I know."  But the bad thing is, she doesn't seem to know what I know means.  For example:
-Baby, you're not allowed to chew gum.
-I know.
-Throw it in the trash.
-I KNOW!
(She wanders away, still chewing gum.)

~~~~~

Son #2 wanted to trade in his old DS for an iPod Touch.  He's been saving for a while.  Unfortunately, Baby Girl broke his DS.  Only the bottom screen has been working so they said they'd give him $20 for it.  I thought that for $20, I'll just keep it and make it her Game Boy.  So we've been letting her play with it.  She threw it down a full flight of steps and it started working again.  Go figure.

~~~~~

At breakfast yesterday, Baby Girl had cereal.  Then she wanted crackers.  Then she asked for "Ha-corn."  That is her word for popcorn.  "I don't have any popcorn," I told her.  "Hacorn!  Hacorn!" she adamantly demanded.  "I'm sorry, I don't have any popcorn."  She grabbed my pinkie finger, "I show you."  She led me to the cereal cupboard and pointed at the box of Pop Tarts.  POPcorn...POPtarts...I see the connection now.  She broke her Pop Tart into pieces and then asked to watch "Prince an a Beas."  (Beauty and the Beast.)

~~~~~

She has been anticipating her birthday for some time now.  On her actual birthday, she kept saying it was her cousin's birthday instead.  She said she wanted a cake with fire (candles).  At her party last night, she was most excited about singing Happy Birthday before blowing out the candles.  She sang the entire song to herself.  It was so precious.  Her favorite gift was princess fruit snacks.

She makes like just a bit more pleasant.

What a Day - Update

Today is Tuesday and I haven't found time to sit down and blog until after 9:30 at night.

We arrived home from our trip last evening, dropped our bags in the living room, and headed to my niece's birthday party.  Afterward, we crashed in bed (my own wonderfully, comfy bed) and tried to sleep off the jet lag.

This morning, the kids began their first day of school.  Our district just built a brand new middle school (which both my boys attend) so they delayed the start date to allow time for its completion.  It's gorgeous.  We woke up at 6:45 and Hubby headed to the store for groceries.  Getting home late last night, we didn't realize that we didn't have milk for breakfast or bread for lunch.  I packed lunches, curled hair, ironed clothes, and chauffeured kids to school.

After that, I got a quick breakfast of a donut and hot tea (our daily breakfast in San Fran...if you're ever there, be sure to eat at Happy Donuts!).  I headed out for a chiropractor appointment and then to Target to let Baby Girl pick out her birthday present.  She turned 3 while on the big Choo Choo so she hadn't had a party yet.  Then off to the grocery store again to buy food for the week and ingredients to make her cake.  She wanted a green cake.

I texted my family and said we were meeting at Chuck E. Cheese at 5:00 for her party...sorry about the late notice.  I have a wonderful family who showed up with smiling faces and gifts.

We got home about an hour ago, put the kids in bed, and received some bad news from my parents.  (An acquaintance of ours was just taken to jail for the molestation of his own granddaughter.  How horrid is that?) 

So now I can sit down and tell you about The Trip.  Oh my, The Trip.

It started off great...we flew from home to San Francisco, stopping briefly in Denver.  No problems.  I didn't beep at airport security (hurrah!) and we got seats together on the plane.  San Fran was awesome from Tuesday night through Friday night.  On Thursday, however, my uncle received an email that our train trip home was cancelled.  Again.  We weren't even surprised this time.  We learned through this process that Amtrak is made up of the grouchiest people ever.  I think they're in training for the DMV.  As soon as they hit the maximum grouchiness level, they are promoted to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles.

To make a long story short, we were able to arrange for the train to take us from San Fran to Denver.  There was a break in the rail in Nebraska from the recent crash so Denver was the end of the line.  We accepted that arrangement, although not happily.  We paid over $2000 to purchase air fare from Denver to home.  We lost the money we had spent on our second flight arrangements...the ones from Chicago to home.  If you were wondering, no, Amtrak does not take responsibility for our financial losses.  At this point, our family is at about $6000 for this trip.  Can you imagine what we could have done for $6000?  But when you're stranded on the other side of the country, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Anyway, the train trip was beautiful.  If I wasn't so tired right now, I would post my pictures.  But I haven't even taken them off my camera yet.  Maybe tomorrow.

So, I made it...I'm home.  We didn't crash, we just lost a truckload of money on the deal.  I loved the trip and would have given it rave reviews if it wasn't for the DMV hopefuls and the fact that one of my kids may not get to go to college now.

Good night, all.  I hope the rest of your evening is simply splendid.  (We met some Australian people on the train who were spot on marvelous.  They've got me talkin' all kinds of proper and stuff.  Well, just a wee bit.)

Face Addicted to the Book

Do you know someone whose Face is addicted to the Book?  Facebook, that is.  Are you the one I'm talking about?  Let me describe this person for you.

• You can't have a conversation over five minutes when the person does not mention the word Facebook.
• Any story you try to tell, any news you begin to share is met with the response, "Yeah, I saw it on Facebook."
• This person tells you things about your immediately family that you didn't know yet because they saw it on Facebook.
• This person has friends in different states and countries that they don't even know; they're just Facebook friends.
• Feeding their Farmville animals takes precedence over feeding their children.
• This person knows where everyone is, what everyone is doing, who is vacationing where, and what everyone had for dinner. 
• This person has seemingly no life outside of Facebook.

I have more than one person in my life who fits every one of these examples.  I'm sure you know more than a couple too.  I am finding that I have less and less in common with these people because I don't want to sit around and talk about Facebook all day.  I still value the art of communication. There's nothing quite like sitting down for a cup of coffee with a friend, shooting the breeze and discussing life.  I remember when I used to have hour long phone conversations with my friends.  That ship has sailed.  All conversation is now taking place on Facebook.

Yes, I have a Facebook account.  Sure, I have more than a couple hundred friends.  Still, I rarely sign on.  It's gotten to the point where Facebook totally drives me crazy.  I can't stand the addiction that certain people have to it.  They are neglecting their families and ruining their marriages over it.  I get sick to death of hearing what people are cooking for dinner, what movie they are watching, how their toenail clipping went, and how bored they are. 

Oh my, and then there are the people who reveal way too much personal information on Facebook.  Just the other day, an acquaintance posted, "I wish I was dead."  Now really, what were you trying to achieve by posting that?  Lemme guess, attention?  There would be no other reason to say that.  I would rather people be honest and post, "I'm having a rough day.  Would you all please give me some attention right now?"  This same person posts personal information about her kids running away from home and committing crimes.  Lovely.

When I first joined Facebook, the majority of the posts were funny.  People didn't say anything unless it was worth saying.  That's not the case any more.  It's too handy.  It's right there.  It's too easy.  Whatever you're feeling, whatever you're thinking is so easy to post on Facebook to be shared with your 800 closest friends.

If you find that you can't go more than five minutes in a day without mentioning the word Facebook, you might have a problem.  My suggestion to you is to take a breather.  Take a break.  See if you can survive life in the real world without Facebook.  Try it for a week.  If you don't explode, you've been successful.  See if you suddenly find more time on your hands for important things.  See if your relationships with those closest to you suddenly improves.

If you couldn't finish this post without checking your Facebook page, you are beyond help.  Well, at least beyond help from me.  I'm just a mom, a wife, an ex-teacher, and a blogger.  What do I know?

I think this is a great time to send out a request to follow me on Facebook!  Ha!  How is that for irony???

Oh What a Day!

Obviously, you all know how excited for vacation I was...I've talked about it almost constantly!  Well, the unimaginable happened.

We were scheduled to leave Monday morning.  My bags were packed, my snacks were stocked.  My laptop was loaded with movies and the kids' backpacks were filled with toys.  I had my final To Do List, which included things like bring the camera, toothbrush, and cell phone charger.  We were as giddy as children on Christmas Eve.

Around lunchtime on Sunday, we got A Call.  A Bad Call.  Amtrak had cancelled our trip because of this:

My aunt, who is taking the trip with us, called me sobbing.  Sobbing!  I had to break it to my kids that we weren't going on the Big Choo-Choo.  Talk about utter disappointment!  We all stood as if frozen in time, unsure of what to do next.  We had a flight TO Chicago and a flight home FROM San Francisco.  What good was that going to do us? 

My uncle immediately got on the horn with Amtrak and tried to fix things.  They offered us the same trip a week later.  That was no good because it was the kids' first week of school and Hubby had to go back to work.  He doesn't have a normal kind of job where he can switch vacation.  He picked this week nearly a year ago and that's that. 

My kids were fighting tears but I told them we would find something to do.  We had flights to Chicago...we could go there but just couldn't get back home. 

My uncle was on the phone for a little over four hours while my aunt and I paced with nervousness and tried to decide if we should continue packing, along with intermittent crying.  Eventually, he got our trip turned around.  We would fly to San Francisco on Tuesday evening, spend only two days there, and take the trip back home.  It was less than ideal, and there were change fees involved, but it was something.  So now we had Monday and part of Tuesday with nothing planned but I was OK with it.  At least we would still get our train trip.

Who knows, maybe there was a reason we weren't supposed to be on either of those flights or on that train.  Obviously, you've seen what trains can do.

I'm writing this post a week ago while still anticipating the trip.  I hope I'll return back to tell you all about it and won't end up sitting on a sideways train.

My 10%

I don't know why I felt the need to blog about this but maybe someone needs to hear it.  I know that not everyone who reads this blog believes like I do.  I am not trying to push my beliefs on you; I'm just sharing what's in my heart today.

As a Christian, I have seen people who feel that paying one's tithes is optional.  I had some friends who always paid their tithes...."if there was enough left over."  I think some people don't understand the purpose of tithe paying.  Maybe their church doesn't talk about it much.  Maybe they didn't have tithe paying parents as role models.  Maybe they do understand the importance but they just don't have enough faith to see how it will work.  Are you one of these people?

Going back to the friends of mine...the husband was raised by a single mother.  They didn't have enough to go around.  They attended church from time to time, but it was more to seek help from the church than to have an active role.  This man has come a long way since then.  He married a beautiful woman and had two children.  He wasn't able to go to college but had always had a descent job.  They rent a house in a nice neighborhood and are relatively happy.  But money has always been tight.  While talking with my husband about tithing, the man mentioned that he believes in tithing but doesn't always have enough left at the end of the month.  Adding up the numbers, it just doesn't work out. 

My husband, surprised by what he heard, explained to his friend that he was doing it all wrong.  You don't pay your tithes if you have enough left.  You pay your tithes first and have faith that God will provide all you need.  If you don't have faith, why would God bless the tithe you pay only sometimes?  This friend and his wife changed the way they did things.  They wrote their tithe check before they wrote checks for any other bills.  Their marriage problems diminished, they could suddenly afford a new car, and they found true happiness in the church. 

Another friend of mine told me she always paid her tithes but did it grudgingly.  She wasn't a cheerful giver and felt bitter about giving 10% of her income before taking any for herself.  She said that she received a revelation one day - something snapped and she finally got it.  She changed the manner in which she paid her tithes and said that life changed for the better.  They never struggled financially, but when they became cheerful givers, God blessed their lives in ways beyond explanation.

If you are not giving your 10%, you are cheating yourself.  God wants to bless your money.  He wants to enrich your life.  But if you don't trust in Him and have the faith that He will see you through, He can't work in the ways He wants.

If you want to be a successful tither and see God's blessings in your life, remember these tips:

• Be a cheerful giver.  Thank God that you have money to tithe on.
• Tithe first.  Before you pay the electric bill, cell phone bill, or cable bill, pay your tithes.  It demonstrates your faith.
• Tithe consistently.  Don't miss a week.  You're only cheating yourself.
• Pray that God will bless your tithe.  You don't always get to see where it goes or what purpose it serves, but your tithe is going to further the Kingdom of God.
• Teach these things to your children.  Start at a young age.  If they see you tithing, they will learn that it's a part of life that requires no questioning.  Encourage them to give 10% of any money they make.  Seeing my kids put a dime in our tithing envelope thrills me to no end.  Start them off on the right track.

Even if you must answer anonymously, tell me- are you a tither?  Do you "get it?"  Is it something you struggle with or does it come naturally?  If you recently began paying tithes, how has it changed your life?  I'm interested in hearing what you have to say!

Getting Ready

Very soon begins our family train trip across the country!   Along with my family of six, my aunt, uncle, and 16-year old cousin (their nephew) will be joining us.  I simply cannot wait!  We've been planning it since February and it's hard to believe it's finally here.

I am a list maker.  I've been making my Choo Choo list for over a week now.  If I don't work from a list, I will forget so many things.  We will be leaving the house around 4 AM so I definitely won't be thinking clearly.

Camera charged, memory card clear - Check!
Half of my closet squeezed into a small carry-on bag - Check!
All my liquids packed into the one giant suitcase we're paying to check - Check!
Travel documents printed - Check!
Movies loaded onto my laptop for emergency boredom situations - Check!
Running shoes packed, in case I feel the need to jog down the beach - Check!
The rest of my family's things ready - Um, definitely not Check.

I still have a lot to do.  I started with myself first to try to figure out what we're actually going to need.  It's hard to comprehend that we're going to California and it will actually be colder there.  Something's just not right with that thought.  So I've packed a t-shirt for each day and different cardigans I can throw on top when I remember how chilly 60 degrees feels.

I love taking trips but planning them makes me absolutely crazy!  I will be thinking of you all while I'm seeing this for the first time:

Remember that show Full House?  That's what I always think of when I think of San Francisco.  They showed a shot like this in the opening credits.  That's back when the Olsen twins were cute and not...well, I'll just keep my mouth shut on that one. 

In a Perfect World

A while back, a wonderful Blogger wrote a post called Someone, Somewhere.  It made me stop and think.

At various points of my life, I have been down in the dumps.  Haven't we all?  Many times, this depression-of-sorts is related to jealousy.  I see people in my life who seem to have it all together.  On the outside, they appear perfect.  They're never late.  They're kids are always dressed in a perfectly coordinated Gymboree outfit (with accessories) and it doesn't have orange Cheeto powder smeared all over it.  Their hair is perfect; their clothes are more expensive than mine.  Their house is perfectly clean and looks like a page in the Pottery Barn catalog.  Their husband has a perfect job and finances aren't a worry.  Their car is perfect and doesn't have old french fries on the floor.  They cook perfectly balanced meals that Paula Deen would envy with a plate of perfect cookies on the counter for dessert.

I see these Perfect People and I wish I was them for just a moment.  Then guilt overwhelms me for ever thinking such a thing.  My life may look perfect in their eyes.  Maybe they wish they could let the clutter in their house wait for just a moment while they sit down to write a blog post.  Maybe they wish they had a house full of running, playing children because their life gets a little boring with only one quiet kid at home.  Maybe they look at my gorgeous, tall husband and wish their spouse had a fun sense of humor like him.  Maybe they envy the way I can juggle so many different balls at once, even though I feel like I'm always dropping one.

Someone, somewhere is always jealous of someone else.  No matter where you are in life, someone else always has it worse.  Always.

Someone, somewhere has a perfectly clean Pottery Barn catalog home.
Someone, somewhere just found out they're losing their home.

Someone, somewhere has a kid in gifted classes who will get a full ride to college.
Someone, somewhere is looking at their young child dying of cancer.

Someone, somewhere just cooked a gourmet meal that could be in a magazine.
Someone, somewhere is hungry and doesn't know when their next meal will be.

Someone, somewhere has a picture perfect family surrounding them.
Someone, somewhere just found out their child was abused by a family member.

Someone, somewhere just got a promotion and will never have to worry about money again.
Someone, somewhere has all the money they need but their wife and children just walked out on them.

So if you're that someone, somewhere who is down in the dumps today and looking at all the lemons life has given you, try to think of that someone, somewhere who would gladly trade places with you.  Your problems may be much more manageable than that someone, somewhere.