What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I was up stairs putting laundry away when I hear my oldest son running up the stairs.  He busts into my room laughing so hard he can hardly talk.  ”Mommy, Maveric is giving himself a bath and doing the dishes.”  So I run down stairs as fast as I can ( trying not to kill myself as I dodge the shoes and toys my kids seem to always leave  on the stairs).  He likes to play in the sink so I thought he had just spilled water all over the place…..

NOPE the little bugger pushed a chair over to the sink, climbed inside as if it was his own little tub (fully dressed I might add) turned the water on and was having a ball!  How can you not smile when this is what you see…. Oh this little guy wears me out!   Now if I could just get him to really wash the dishes and put them away

And if you are wondering yes that is sheet rock on the walls… we are in the middle of a VERY long kitchen remodel you can read more about that here.

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My Kids Say Such Silly Things, learn more click here

I was making Bread Sticks with my girls.  The bread had been sitting in a warm oven and had doubled in size.  It was time to punch it down… which is my girls favorite part.   They poke their fingers in the soft warm dough and giggled with delight as they watch it fall.

 6 year old: Gross it looks all flabby

4 year old: Ya it looks like Mommies tummy

Mom: Thanks girls …

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Mom: Who was playing with my camera this morning?

Children: Not Me, Not Me, Not Me

Mom: So no one played with Mommies camera

Children: Nope

Mom: Well guess what, one of you took your own mug shoot….. Guess who

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What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

One of my goals this year is to teach my children to love service.  I do service in many ways almost daily but I do not always involve my kids … or explain to them why we are doing something.  If you look for ways to give back or serve you will be surprised how many opportunity’s  come your way.  Saturday  was our families day to help clean our church building that we attend every Sunday.  Waking up on the weekend and going to clean is not always my idea of fun, but my kids were super excited that it was our turn again. (Matt was at work so he wasn’t able to come.)

Matt’s Sister came to visit so I had an extra pair of hands to help me get the kids dressed and in the car.  We were doing good on time but I did not want to be late.  On the drive there I talked to the kids about service, what it means, who we were helping  and why we were cleaning the church.   Just then I saw a man on the side of the road with his hand is his pockets just standing there with no coat on. My first thought was dumb kid…. where is your coat!  Then I realized he didn’t have any shoes on either, and his feet were covered in mud.  Back in the field behind him I spotted his SUV up to its axles stuck  in the mud.

I was in a hurry to get to the church on time so I drove past thinking I am sure he has called for help and someone is one the way to help him.  Plus I am bit leary to stopping to help a total stranger with my kids in the  car.  But something was different this time, and I quickly turned around to go see if I could help him out.  I pulled up and realized this was not a man.. but a teenage boy.  I asked him if he had anyone on the way to pick him up, he said no.  So I asked him if he wanted to use my cell phone and call someone, once again he said no he just moved here 2 weeks ago to live with his sister and did not have or know anyone to call.  I then asked him how long he had been standing in the cold, and he said about 20 minutes.  He tried to flag people down to help at first but then just gave up….

My heart sank this poor boy had been out in the cold for 20 minutes and no one had stopped to help him.  I teased him a bit about being in his PJ’s and not having shoes.  I told him I could give him a ride to his house, but he said then he would be stuck there and still not be able to get his SUV out.  I then told him that we were going to clean our church and I was pretty sure we would be able to find someone with a 4×4 to help pull him out.  After talking a bit I realized he went to the the same church we did when he lived in Wyoming, so he hopped in my van and off we drove to the church with a muddy stranger aboard.  While waiting for help to come he pitched in and helped us clean windows and sweep.

It was a good lesson for me, often we are so busy on our journey to “do good” in this case clean the church that we drive right past opportunities to help others.  But I am pretty sure the Lord would rather have me help one of his children in need, instead of having spotless windows at church.  Once back in the car on the ride home it felt good to once again talk to my kids and discuss how we were able to do random acts of service.  As my little ones would say ” Mom, it was fun picking up that Muddy boy and helping him get out of’ the Mud”

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4 year old~ Mom can I have a Chicago for Breakfast?

Mom (with her back turned cooking at the stove)~ what?

4 year old- A Chicago… they are so yummy!

Mom~ What are you talking about, you can’t eat Chicago that is a place.

Only then do I turn around and see her holding an avocado… Honey that is an avocado NOT a Chicago.

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What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I was busy trying to get dinner done, I told my kids they needed to grab a bag and get all the trash picked up in the toy room before dinner.  They had been working on art projects, but it looked more like a paper factory exploded.  I heard lots of laughing and so I assumed not much cleaning was being done… but I was not expecting to see this….

Mom we are trash…. and we picked ourselves up.

Lol they were so proud of themselves .

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Any of you want to guess where I was and what I was doing?

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Why is he looking guilty, and what is on his feet?

He loves to try and get himself a bowl of cereal… but never fails, he dumps the WHOLE box right on the floor.

Someone should invent Child Proof boxes of cereal …but I am pretty sure that would mean most adults would not be able to open them either…lol.

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Our kids performing the Nativity Scene at grandma’s house last night. Mckeely was Mary. Matthew was Joseph, and Maleeya was the angel.

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This year end we have had to restrict Maveric. His milk habit has gotten out of control!

LOL

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My kids are still little so they are SO excited about Santa, and they are trying really hard to be good cause they know his elves are watching them.  So I decided to have a little fun with them and let them get a special secret message.

For this project you will need white paper, a white color crayon and water colors….. and children who believe in the magic of Christmas

While my kids were are at school I took normal paper, and used a white color crayon to draw a Christmas message for each of them.

I then put the paper back in the pile as if it had never been touched.  When the kids got home from school they wanted to paint…. so they started to paint as normal…..TILL they started to notice something was hidden on their paper.

As they painted they unveiled hidden images.  They were so confused as to how they got there.

 My kids decided it MUST have been Santa’s sneaky little elves playing a trick on them.

It was so much fun to hear them giggle and laugh as they painted.

Try this “thrifty” fun project with your kids!

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What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Christmas time is my favorite time of year.  Even as a little girl I would start thinking of gifts I could make my family months in advance and have them wrapped and waiting.  I made my share of homemade hot pads, macaroni necklaces and a whole bunch of other “useless” items.  Yet my Mom and Dad would open them with delight and thank me for  the wonderful gift.  I quickly learned the warmth and joy in the power of giving to others.  Sure I was just like other kids and wanted gifts as well…. but also looked forward to giving.

So each year we take our little ones shopping.  We have a talk about the meaning of Christmas and tell them to think about what would make the people on their list happy.  They buy a gift for Mom, Dad and their siblings.  We take them to the dollar store to shop, since they don’t quite grasp the concept of the dollar value of an item.  Our main goal is to teach them to forget what they want… and think of others.

It is rather funny to watch their little eyes dart around and store and see what they pick out.  We try to help them select a gift but  let them make the final choice.  It is a great learning tool,  as they are not always thinking about why someone would want  or need a gift instead….  They just like the way it looks.  Like my 4 year old daughter was SURE Daddy need this 4 piece funnel set… but then finally picked out the 150  q-tip box… ” My Daddy woves (loves) to queen (clean) his ears… lets get him this”

It is neat to hear the conversations turn from ” I want”  to “lets give”.  They  come home and wrap their gifts.  It is so fun to watch their faces and see they find joy in giving to others.

How do you teach your children the Joy in Giving?

This is post here for the do’s and don’t of Dollar Store shopping!

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My Kids Say Such Silly Things, learn more click here

4 Year old: Mommy can I have a pickle

Mom: Ya I guess

4 Year old: Can I have the willy (really) big ones, they’s (they are) my favoirte

Mom: Ok, just do not eat to many or you will get a tummy ache

Mom goes back to her computer to get some work done…. 4 year old sits at the counter, singing a song while happily eating some pickles.

4 Year old:  Mommy, vese (these) pickles make me so HAPPY.  Some day we should plant a pickle garden.  That way we can have soooo many pickles… and den (then) share them with all our neighbors.  Then they would all be SO HAPPY too.

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2 Kids…2 Minutes….Need I say more?

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What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I am blessed to be able to work from home.  But it is also hard some days to get my work done as I still have all the daily tasks or chores to do as any stay at home mom.  Much of  my work it is done when my kids are taking naps or in bed.  But they also see me at my desk a few hours a day.  How do you explain to a 1 year old or any child for that matter that Mommy has work to do?

It can be a real challenge making sure that each of my 4 children get enough one on one time.  Making sure they know just how precious they are, and the joy they bring me.  Sure I tell them to take their dishes to the sink, or to pick up their socks, or change their clothes. But sometimes the more important words or moments fail to find time in our busy everyday life.

Maveric my 1 year old will grab his blanket, and then come push on my legs (or if I am sitting at my desk,  push me and my chair across the room) saying Mama, Mama.  This is his way of letting me know he needs a little time with me.  Yes some days it drives me nuts as I am busy trying to make dinner and the last thing I want is a 1 year old clinging to my leg.  But the older I have gotten, I have learned just how fast they grow…. and to snatch them up, love of them (even if it is just a few minutes) and know that in the moment nothing else could be more important.  But even I have to remember and make that choice everyday.

I invite you to  have a few Mommy Moments this week

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It is just his size, he will spend half the day in there if I let him.  Banging pots and pans, and having lots of fun.

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Little Maveric is  just like his Daddy and loves Jamba Juice.  He was beyond excited when we gave him his own little cup  full of Jamba. He  ran off with two hands firmly grasping his “yumms” till he tripped.  Instead of letting go of his “yumms” his little nose landed right on the straw (thank goodness it was not his eye).  It gave him a  little cut… But he never let go of his cup…till it was empty and happily in his tummy.

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What is he climbing for?

The evidence is all over his face

Ahhhh Granny’s candy bowl….

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What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Look what I  found …

At first glance you would think I have a mouse problem at my house.

  See the little hole in my bag of coconut….

But then the knife laying next to the bag, makes you think this is a different kind of pest…

Oh and the Teddy Bear Tea Cup on a pink plate….

Oh it is all coming together now… I don’t have a problem with mice….

I have CHILDREN!

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