Swagbucks?

Friday, December 5, 2008
I read about a program today on the internet called Swagbucks. It seems like a cool program - and I got Cody to look at it to see what "the catch" is since usually with stuff like this there's always a catch, but he said it looked like a fair deal to him.

The nuts and bolts of the program to me was that if I set up an account then they will give me "bucks" in their program whenever I run internet searches for things. I do a lot of searching on the internet - yesterday I searched for a few different movie theaters to see their show times, I searched for hotels in San Antonio, I searched for info on a Christmas present for Cody, and more - and that's just one day. So if I can get some sort of reward for doing what I already do, why not give it a try?

The program also gives you bucks whenever you shop online or recycle your cell phone or lots of things other than just internet searching - that's just the main feature that caught my eye. It took me a second to set up the account and install their search tool bar, but I'm already on my way to earning a Starbucks gift card so Kate and I can go get some more hot chocolate - or maybe a Barnes & Noble gift card for a new book - or maybe a new gadget for Cody... you know how I LOVE a deal!

So when you have a minute, go check out Swagbucks here and let me know how it works for you!

Target Pepsi Deal

Thursday, December 4, 2008
PEPSI ...something for everyone
This week Target has their Pepsi products on sale - when you buy five 12 packs of Pepsi products for $15 and they'll give you a $5 Target gift card to use on your next transaction. Taking the gift card into account, you'll be getting the five 12 packs for $10 which makes each 12 pack only $2 each - and that's about as good as it typically gets on coke prices. You can buy any of the 12 pack flavors Pepsi makes: all the colors of Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Root Beer, and a few versions of pepsi cola.

The only limit to how many you can buy is how much energy you have to lug around all those 12 packs, the patience of your child, how much room you have to stockpile 12 packs at your house and/or how much space you have in your car! Go forth and save.

Nativity Set Toddler Wisdom


Kate has really enjoyed playing with her nativity set this week. I've walked her through the Christmas story several times with the little people and she's starting to understand it better than ever before. Typically when she's cleaning up her toys she lines up every animal and person at the very front of the manger so they can all "look at Jesus". But yesterday when I came back into the room I saw the people and animals in the second picture's configuration.

M: (Trying not to laugh) What are the little people doing that aren't by the manger?
K: They're looking at the tree.
M: Why are they looking at the tree?
K: They can't see Jesus - they're tired of looking for him. They want to see the tree.
M: Why did you put the shepherd boy on top of the tree?
K: The people put him there.
M: Why?
K: They want to look at him, not the angel.

Kate was undoubtedly just playing with toys, but the wisdom in her small statements resonated in my heart. I love my Christmas tree, the lights, the music, the movies, and all the other fun that comes with the Christmas season, but in the midst of enjoying the red and green glitter and glam, I want to try extra hard this year to find ways to keep my eyes (as well as the eyes of my child) focused on the true reason for the season.

Unselfish Love

Tuesday, December 2, 2008




I love how much Kate loves life. Her feet (and mouth!) only have two speed settings: fast and faster. Unlike her more cautious friends, Kate seems to leap first and think later. In many ways, zest for life and thirst for adventure are great personality traits, but they're also a bit risky when you're too young to understand concepts like gravity, danger, and pain causing potential. The pictures above are samples of just a few of the results of Kate's adventurous lifestyle combined with her lack of coordination in these first two years. After multiple fingers were slammed in doors, run-ins with the fireplace, nightstand injuries, and so many other things, you would think a girl would learn not to rush into precarious situations, but my girl will not be deterred from her life of fun by a few mere trips to the emergency room or doctor visits.

Whenever Kate started moving and it became evident she was a very accident prone child, I became her shadow at every turn to catch her before she jumped. I can't even count the number of times I've been in the right place at just the right time to rescue her from an almost certain impending ER visit. Until just recently, I thought doing this was good parenting - that I was protecting her, saving money on co-pays and insurance deductibles, and most importantly helping guard her against pain.

But as Kate approaches her third birthday, I'm starting to look at my response to her behavior differently. I'm beginning to realize I can't follow her around forever. She needs to be given freedom to do more without me as she gets older - and for that to be a possibility I need to find ways to teach this impulsive toddler how to navigate her world more wisely. So I've decided to try to afford her more freedom by backing off when she's doing semi-unsafe things (semi-unsafe = you will probably fall, get a bump or bruise, and need a mommy hug, but not break a bone or need stitches, facial super-glue, or staples). The mommy in me will never back off when it looks like she's going to really get hurt, but in the little things I can step back and give her a chance to learn to make better choices in order to build her self confidence - and my confidence - in her balance, brains, and coordination to accomplish the task at hand.

Today in the bookstore such an opportunity presented itself. Rather than asking for help, Kate decided she needed to move one of the step stools over to one of the circular rotating book shelves because she wanted a book on a shelf she couldn't reach. But I didn't get up to stop her or solve the situation for her by just getting the book down myself like I normally would have - I just tried to calmly advise her with words that I didn't think what she was doing was safe. As has often happened lately, she chose to go ahead with her plan to get the book on her own.

I looked on the scene holding my breath: she somehow managed to pick up the stool that probably weighed as much as she does, staggered it over near the shelf, climbed on top of it, and stretched on her tippy toes to reach a book on the very top shelf with the tips of her fingers while holding onto the unsteadily tilting wire book rack with her other hand. When she pulled the book out and climbed off the stool she proudly ran over to show it to me. When I saw the title she'd been straining to get her hands on I couldn't help but laugh out loud:
Little Miss Naughty Good Fairy Adam Hargreaves, Roger Hargreaves Paperback EASY FICTION ENGLISH 9780843121223 PENGUIN GROUP USA JUVENILE FICTION BOOKS
I know it was the wings and wand - not to mention the pink and purple colors - that drew her to this book rather than the title, but what an ironic choice for her current "terrific two" state... especially since her momma had just asked her not to do what she was doing! But the way she was able to safely get the book made me see that some of what I've been looking at as naughtiness is really just her becoming more and more of her own independent and self sufficient little person.

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact Kate is already old enough for me to need to learn how to let her occasionally experience pain that can result from the privilege of independence so she can learn, grow, and be able to more confidently handle bigger hurdles that will come later in her life. I want to protect her from every kind of pain and to do everything possible to shelter her innocence and keep her safe. Yet I think me being her protective shadow is inadvertantly hurting her because I'm not affording her opportunities to learn how to be as independent as she can be (for her age) which in turn would give her the self confidence she needs to hopefully grow up and make those wise choices I want her to make in life!

But where does a momma draw the line around what is a safe parameter for independence and where dependence is still required? It didn't look like she could break her arm falling off a step stool, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have happened. There are definitely lots of black (sticking metal in electrical outlets) and white areas (being allowed to walk on her own while staying close to me in public rather than strapped in the stroller) where the choice is very clear, but there are also a lot of gray areas in our day to day life where it's hard for me to discern whether I need to step back to foster independence & confidence or jump in to rescue from frustration or a struggle.

Stepping back at age appropriate moments and letting her make her own mistakes has been very hard for me these last few days, but I know I need to try my best to figure the balance out because I think that's big part of me becoming a successful parent for Kate. But why is it so difficult for me to do that when I understand it's what is best for her? I think part of my desire for her to not experience the pain that comes with independent choices is due to the fact it deeply hurts my heart to see her struggle (especially when I can fix it) - I can't express how desperately I want to rush in, save her, and ease her pain as quickly as possible. But I must choose to love her more unselfishly and understand it's not about me - so she can be free to learn to live a stronger, more self confident, and wiser life even if some of those lessons need to be learned through unavoidable struggles, pain, or frustration.

Understanding this concept from a parenting viewpoint gives me a fresh perspective on the struggles God allows in my life. He loves me so wisely and unselfishly that He gives me bite size opportunities at just the right time so I can grow in confidence, strength, and wisdom to be better able to tackle the bigger things coming in my life. Giving me chances to grow and learn new things when it's uncomfortable and hard isn't the mean or uncaring punishment I've often seen it as when I've been looking from the vantage point of a low valley of struggling. It really is yet another example of the sort of love that's patient and kind, not self seeking or easily angered, that keeps no record of wrongs, and the kind that always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (1 Cor 13). I want to make every effort possible to love Kate and others with an unselfish love that puts their needs above my wants.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on Kate's more independent new life adventures. I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting ride for all of us!

Thankful Living

Monday, December 1, 2008





We had another great Thanksgiving this year! Kate has loved helping Mamaw in the kitchen since she was a baby - and Mamaw is always kind enough to let her "help" while she's trying to get dinner ready. Each year she's enjoyed whatever part of Thanksgiving dinner that she was developmentally able to eat, but this year she seemed to really enjoy her feast!

The art of being continually thankful is something I'm trying to achieve this year and the Thanksgiving holiday really renewed that desire in my heart. The four or five years before the joyful ones pictured above were extremely difficult for me. Everyone goes through the hill and valley rhythms of life. I've been extremely blessed these several years since Kate's was born to have so many more hills than valleys - but the season of life just before Kate's arrival was unfortunately an opposite type of blessing.

Looking back I can see that time of testing, frustration, and soul weariness as a "blessing" because of all I learned, how my relationship with the Lord deepened, and how those valleys shaped who I am today - as well as how they undoubtedly affected my ability to more fully appreciate my current "hillier" days. But, to be honest, while I was going through what seemed to be an endless stretch of valley after valley I felt discouraged, abandoned, depressed, alone, helpless, and so many other overpoweringly devastating emotions.

In hindsight I can clearly see how much life I missed because I allowed myself to be debilitated by painful emotions. I missed the chance to share in the joys happening in so many lives around me. I missed opportunities to develop relationships and/or maintain several of them. I missed all the little blessings in our lives that are there if we take time to look around us and thank God for them (like waking up in the morning, the weather, that perfectly timed traffic light that kept us safe from an accident, a genuinely caring friend, etc).

Without any hint of pessimism, I feel that it is fair to predict that this current season in my life of abundant hills with few valleys will not last forever. So I need to find ways to learn from the mistakes I made in my last season of many valleys so I won't be tempted to repeat them.

The most profound idea I've stumbled across to remedy my problem is found here: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:6). What specifically blew me away about this much quoted passage was when I heard someone say that scientists have proven it is literally physiologically impossible for our brains to be thankful and anxious or stressed at the same time - we were given a key piece of information on how our bodies were designed to be at peace in that verse. (Because I just heard this fact in passing, you'll be glad to know I googled it and one of the sources backing the reliability of the idea is here.)

Based on that fresh understanding, if I can find a way to fill my days - whether they be spent on the hill or in the valley - with thankfulness, then there won't be any room in my heart or mind for anything but peace... and who doesn't want more peace and less stress? To take it one step further, if I'm living in peace I'll be able to be more mindful of the needs of those around me, to be a better wife/mother, and to not risk a repeat of the sad existence I let myself sink into during my last valley season of life. A dear friend of mine who is currently enduring her own set of valleys reminded me tonight that the birds don't worry about tomorrow so why should we? There's no reason for my stress and anxiousness, I just need to cling to the truth and be thankful!

So now that I can clearly see my goal, I need to find concrete ways to achieve it - because what good is a new understanding if I don't put it into practice? I want to actively take steps toward more continually thankful (i.e. rarely anxious) living. I want to someday see annual pictures of me like the ones of Kate's past Thanksgivings above where you can see an obvious forward progression of growth and maturity as the time passes. So I commit to giving thankful living my best shot each day. And next time I'm going through one of those inevitable valleys, I give anyone reading this permission to ask me what I'm taking time to be thankful for and to hold me accountable to grow and not regress!

There was a lot written and said this past Thanksgiving week about what we're all thankful for, but my question for the blogosphere tonight is this: how do you express your thankfulness for those things?

The Sharpie Triumph

Sunday, November 30, 2008
I love Sharpie markers about as much as I detest raw chicken. Sharpies are good for SO MANY things: writing, decorating, labeling, and more - while raw chicken is dreadful for SO MANY reasons: germs, slimy-ness, constant need of fat trimming, and more. And today both my love for the Sharpie and my hate for the raw chicken grew...

Kate was sick this morning, so instead of going to church as planned we dressed in our sweats and headed to the good ole Care Now to see if they could help the girl. I knew we would probably be there a while (even with the Web Check In feature), so I decided to get our lunch together and throw it in our trusty crock-pot before we left for Kate's appointment so we could have it ready when we got home.

Cody loves chicken and rice of any kind - and since I stockpiled chicken, broths, and soups last week because of all the pre-Thanksgiving food sales it was simple for me to throw together ingredients... except the perpetually formidable chicken. After struggling to slice off the slimy fat and cut the boneless skinless breasts into smaller portions I slid the chicken into the crock pot, turned it on, and started to clean up the germy chicken slime residue.

As is my custom after wrestling the fat off my chicken, I got out my bleach spray and started squirting it all over the counter, sink, sink knobs, etc trying to wipe away all traces of the poison from my kitchen. I must have gotten a little overzealous with the need to cleanse the counters because I few minutes later when I sat down on the couch I noticed my new black sweat pants were starting to turn a light shade of orange in a line and a few spots across the thigh.

It only took me a minute to realize what had happened and curse that stinkin' chicken. But, a little bleach stain wasn't going to get in my way of leaving ASAP to get Kate to her doctor... cue the superhero music: and my trusty black Sharpie jumped to the rescue!!

At each stoplight on the way to the doctor I carefully colored those pesky bleach stains black with my Sharpie. By the time we made it to the office, my pants were practically as good as new. The black Sharpie colored spots weren't an exact match to the black pants, but they looked so much better than they would have if I'd left them their light peach hue.

So I found yet another use for my trusty Sharpie markers today. And, the good news is that I have about 15 shades of Sharpie, so if this happens again there's a good chance I'll be prepared! But if anyone reading this post should choose to remedy a stain with a Sharpie rather than a Tide Pen or some other more conventional method, I recommend the removal of the clothing item before coloring commences... but under extreme circumstances when one is forced to color clothing directly on the body, try your best not to be shocked when you experience some permanent marker bleed through on your skin!

(Side note: Kate was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection as well as pharyngitis at the doc. They gave her an antibiotic and told me to keep advil and cold medicine in her system for the next few days to help ease her fever, pain, and other symptoms. She'll be all better soon!)