Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

I heart faces: "Bundled Up"

Parental Rights

Hey everyone!  I  wanted to share this with you.  If you want to continue to have the right as a parent to make decisions for your children you definitely need to check out this website (parentalrights.org) & sign the petition.

From the parental rights website:   

"The right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children has been recognized and upheld for centuries. But the tide is turning in our nation. Today, parental rights are coming under assault from judges who deny or refuse to recognize parental rights. Adding further danger to the child-parent relationship, international law which seeks to undermine the parental role is advancing on the horizon. Together, these threats are converging to create a “perfect storm” that looms over the child-parent relationship. 

The only solution to the approaching attack on the child-parent relationship is a constitutional amendment securing the rights of parents to raise their children. Only a constitutional amendment will ensure that federal judges protect the fundamental right of parents to raise their children. And only a constitutional amendment will override international law that seeks to undermine the parental role.  

Key Senators have been promoting U.S. ratification of this international treaty since early 2009. If ratified, the UN-CRC would radically alter the flow of power in the United States, taking away the authority of parents to decide matters pertaining to the lives of their children, and giving that power away to the United Nations. An 18-member international panel would decide what is best for American children and, hence, for America's future."

So PLEASE  go to the website: parentalrights.org-- research it and SIGN the petition if you would like to continue to make choices regarding your children's education, medical care, religion, & everyday behavior. I also highly encourage you to spread the word to your friends, family & blog readers.

Menu Planning

Thanks to inspiration from The Frugal Girl, I have started menu planning in hopes of cutting back waste, cutting expenses, cutting preservatives, minimizing mealtime frustration & improving our grocery shopping efficiency.  I have had a bad habit of waiting until about a half hour before a meal and then scrambling to come up with something...this resulted in extra trips to the store, spontaneous fast food meals, & ample frustration on the part of me and my husband.  Russ has been suggesting for years that I plan meals but I just didn't want to...my stubborn streak comin' out, more than likely. *wink*   But after reading The Frugal Girl's blog I found the inspiration I'd been lacking and decided to try it.  Now the challenge is to make it last.

I've almost completed the first week and I have next week's menu already planned out & my shopping list made.  This week was fantastic!  We barely bought any groceries at all because I planned the menu with the intent of using up some of the stuff we already had on hand.  I always get a thrill out of using stuff up & I love the challenge of conserving money but the biggest benefit that I noticed this week was the lack of energy I had to put into thinking about food.  The amount of time I spent preparing food went up significantly but was far less stressful than the time I usually spend just thinking about the next meal.  Seriously.

I suppose part of the reason for this has to do with my relationship with food.  I hate food.  I have never had to worry about counting calories or gaining weight...I hold the belief that I have a extra fast metabolism (may not be the case but...)  I often can eat as much as a man and then turn around and be hungry again in 2 hours.  If (as was often the case) I go too long without eating, I begin to display symptoms similar to that of a hypoglycemic.  I become ridiculously weak, sometimes dizzy, emotionally unstable & completely incapable of making any decisions.  So, as soon as I finish a meal I begin wondering when/what I'm going to eat next.  If I go too long without making a decision about the next meal, I have my melt down and then physically am incapable of making that decision which leaves my husband in a pretty bad position.

It took awhile before he or anybody in my family really took my meltdowns as a physical problem.  For a long time I think they thought I was just being a brat but I think they are finally convinced that I really can't help it if it gets to that point.  So...all of that to say that this menu planning is a long needed relief.  This frees me from the daily burden of wondering if I'm going to have something substantial to eat by the time I'm hungry again.  I have all the meals already decided a week in advance...so I can have all the ingredients already purchased in advance and I can just go into the kitchen and start cooking...no thinking involved!

I hope that this is something that will be a routine in my house for years to come.  Encouragement is welcome!

Happy Birthday to my Daddy!

Today is my dad's birthday. I think he's pretty special.

When I was a little girl, I used to love curling up on his lap...

Playing on the floor with him...

Watching him work...

And sharing special treats.

My daddy would sing to us & read to us.

He would take us sledding, fishing, & horseback riding.

He is a good dad and he is a good Papa to my girls!  He takes the time to make us feel special.  He shows us respect and taught us responsibility.  And most importantly, he loved us and introduced us to our Heavenly Father.

Thanks Dad for everything!  We love you!  I love you! 

Cute things my kids have said

I don't want to forget some of the things my kids have said...these are a few that I posted on Facebook and wanted to document before they have been lost.

March 10, 2010:  Eden says (matter of factly) "If we fall apart, God will have to fix us." 

February 16, 2010: Jasmine observed to me today, "If we climbed up the trees we'd probably bump the sky, actually."

January 13, 2010:  Eden says that I can't be a ballerina because I already growed up and turned into a mom. Darnit! :)

January 11, 2010:  Eden said she dreamt about fairytales; trying on shoes and dresses and makeup! What a girl I have!

January 7, 2010:  Good to know: Eden just told me that even when I hurt her feelings she still loves me! 

January 7, 2010:  Eden just told our friend Jeff that caterpillars go into a racoon and then come out a butterfly.

December 24, 2009:  Eden was in bed and randomly said to me "I don't want to be a teenager mama." I told her that she didn't have to worry about that for almost ten more years and she replies..."I just can't stop worrying about it."

December 7, 2009:  Eden said, "The Earth went to sleep because it was tired."

November 22, 2009:  At supper after saying a nice little prayer Eden ends with "And help us not to die. And help us not to get ugly. Amen."

November 5, 2009:  Eden says she loves her daddy as big as a tornado on top of a robot!

September 30, 2009:  Listening to the girls sing "This is the way we share! This is the way we share!"

September 3, 2009:  Eden spent the last hour referring to herself as 'the puppy'. Right now 'the puppy' wants daddy to read her another story & 'the puppy' wants him to leave the light on because, "the puppy is scared."  She came to me crying earlier because she asked for water & daddy gave her a water bottle. "Puppy's don't use straws!" Daddy eventually gave in and let her lap up water from a bowl on the floor! Oh the things we let our children do!

July 23, 2009:  The girls have successfully tracked, captured & imprisoned a junebug in a plastic easter egg.

May 15, 2009:  Going on "baycation" as Jasmine calls it! 

 

Reflected Faces

I Heart Faces: "Jump for Joy"

'One Lovely Blog' Award

I received a blog award from Personalized Sketches and Sentiments!  

The Rules: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So--I enthusiastically pass this award along to the following bloggers!

Fits and Giggles of the Hawaiian Heldts

I Should Be Folding Laundry 

Photographying Life... All The Days Long

Raising Redheads 

RockinLifeMyWay

Timeless and Treasured Photography

Traveling Down the Tracks of Life With D & H

The Frugal Girl

The Inadvertent Farmer

Kristen Duke Photography

Jess no Less

4 the Love of Family

That's my life

Coloring Outside The Lines 

The Lutz Loop

I Heart Faces: "Hilarious Outtakes"

This week at I Heart Faces the theme is "Hilarious Outtakes" and we're allowed to post up to five photos instead of the usual one. While browsing my photos for this week's entries I realized that Jasmine, my sister & my mom are the people in my life that are always good for a funny look! Anyway...these are five of the photos I came up with. Hope you get a giggle! Please check out some of the other entries over at their website...there are a LOT of funny photos this week! (In case you need a laugh!)

A sister is a friend you can't get rid of...

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of.  You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.  ~Amy Li

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

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