Sneaky and Ornery

No this is not my normal 8AM-Joy thing I like to do on Fridays, but I had to share a couple of funny stories about Sneaky and Ornery.  
Wow do they ever learn quick!!!!
Yesterday Matthew came in from outside to tattle on his brother for the umpteenth time.  I have no idea at this point what it was about, but I told him to tell Ryan to come see me. 
Shortly after that Ryan comes in and says,  "Momma, did you really make a chocolate cake?"
Yep, you guessed it.  Matthew went back out and told his brother I made a chocolate cake just to get him in the house to get in trouble.  And Ryan fell for it!   Sneaky!
OK a week ago I just so happened to walk in the backyard to check on the boys.  They had been eating Popsicles.  Matthew proceeds to tell me that his brother had been throwing his Popsicles sticks over in the neighbor's yard.  Our backyard---neighbor's front yard.
I said, "When...just now?"
Matthew says, "All the time."
Ryan just smiled.  Ornery!
I could not believe it! For weeks now they have been eating Popsicles.  There is no telling how many have been thrown over the fence!  Well I made him go around to their yard and pick up every Popsicles stick he could find.  If I remember correctly there were about 5-6. 
When asked why he did it he said, "Well an invisible monster made me do it."
Ornery!

It's ordered!!!!

BAM!  It has been ordered and I am now feeling official!  I ordered the boys' homeschool curriculum this morning!!!  I will be using My Father's World and adding history.
This is the curriculum and history I will be using.

http://www.mfwbooks.com/

http://www.bfbooks.com/s.nl/it.A/id.453/.f?sc=18&category=854

Thanks to my SIL, who has been homeschooling for many years now, who told me about these little history books.  They look like amazing books for the boys to begin learning about Early American history.


I am really getting excited now.  It seems real knowing the curriculum is paid for and on it's way.  It is all coming together now. And daily my head is filled with new ideas for crafts and FUN!  The beauty of homeschooling is the boys will not spend eight hours primarily stuck in a classroom.  I mean for crying out loud this is kindergarten. 
Charlotte Mason says it best.  Which by the way we will transition to her style of teaching beginning first grade.  Side note:  My Father's World combines the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview and international focus.
Anyway here a couple of wonderful quotes from Miss Mason describing what is appropriate for younger children during Home Education.(we are doing way more than what she suggests for this age.)

"Tommy should be free to do what he likes with his limbs and his mind through all the hours of the day when he is not sitting up nicely at meals.  He should run and jump, leap and tumble, lie on his face watching a worm, or on his back watching the bees.... nature will look after him and give him promptings of desire to know many things, and somebody must tell as he wants to know; and to do many things, and somebody should be handy just to put him in the way; and to be many things, naughty and good, and somebody should give direction."

"Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things, and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experiences."

Love CM!  But that is a whole post in itself.  I'll save that for later.
Excitement is in there air!!!  It's ordered!!!!!

Pray for Ashley

I am so sad this evening for a family that is facing some very hard decisions and being put through what I would never wish on anyone.
I have been following a blog for about a week now after reading about it on a friend's blog.  It is about a little girl who could use our prayers RIGHT NOW.  No, I do not know her, but our Heavenly Father does.
I am still learning her whole story, but from what I have been reading it sounds like she is in liver/bowel rejection.  It is really bad. 
I find myself first thing in the morning checking on this blog to see how Ashley Kate made it through the night.  And then I sit and cry.  It is heart breaking to imagine what this child is going through, but I read on and PRAY!  I pray for this Mom that is living a nightmare.  And I cry for this Mom.
I pray for Ashley and her whole family tonight.  They need a miracle.  And I find myself asking, "Why, dear God?"  I know we should not question what he has already planned out, but it is hard when you read about something like this.  I know his plan is an amazing one.  Right now all I know to do is pray.
I am asking you to pray for her.  And attaching the link to her blog.
http://ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com/

Cleaning!

As I prepare for starting homeschool I am struck with the thought of, "How will I clean my house?!"   I have 2 choices as I see it.  After we do school or to spend my Saturday mornings cleaning.  NO thanks on the Saturday mornings!!!  I will probably do it on Fridays and use my little helpers.  The boys are more than willing to do a few things around here to help.  And yesterday they vacuumed their rooms for the first time!!!  They were very excited about doing this, but quickly learned how heavy the vacuum really is, but they tried it.  And want to do it again.  It's a start!  Next week I'll see what they think about cleaning baseboards......can you see the BIG happy smile on my face?!

Yesterday we continued on with the "cleaning" theme and have started the Laundry Room Consequence(a.k.a Clean Your Heart). 
I found this on a homeschool blog,  http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/
and loved the idea!  Even if you are not a homeschooler she has some GREAT ideas!   Not just about discipline either!  Check her out.
Anyway the whole idea is to go in the laundry where things go in that are dirty...right?  When they come out of the laundry room they are clean.  We will practice the very same thing, but with our hearts.  You sin and it is time to clean your heart. Go into the laundry room, ask God to forgive you, to make your heart clean again and look at the smiley face until you mean it.  Come out with a clean, happy heart.
I was going to use the printable page she has on her blog, but the boys were not crazy about it because it was a GIRL.  So I will do my best to make a new one with a little boy praying. 
We did get the chance to use the Laundry Room Consequence yesterday.  I don't even remember what happened, but Matthew was off to the laundry room.  He came back outside and told me he talked to God.  I said, "But you are not smiling."  He said, "Because I don't mean it." 
We'll work on that part, but he was very open to trying it.  And over time my prayer is that they will learn to truly want to clean their hearts when they sin against one another.
Stay tuned for Cleaning with The Fontenot Boys 101.

Heaven

"When are we going to Heaven Mommy?"
That is what Matthew asked me this morning just minutes after getting up. 
Heaven is something the boys talk about often.  Apparently it is some place they are very anxious to see. 
I explained to Matthew there were two ways to get to Heaven.......explaining it in a five year old way.

1. When God decides he wants you to come live with him.....when you die.
2. When Jesus comes back and takes all his people to Heaven with him.

He said, "I think it will be when I am 100......a grandpa."  He says that, but wants to know what it is like today. Right now!  They are so curious about this place called Heaven.  I know as a five year old it is hard to wrap their minds around the thought, but somehow they understand it.  Well not somehow......they truly have the Holy Spirit living right now in their hearts. 
Ryan came to me one day and said, "Momma, when will we see Jesus?"  And on the same day, at a separate time, went to his Daddy and asked the same thing.   He said he "just wanted to be with him."
Totally LOVE for their Heavenly Father.  And I will do everything in my power to keep that love growing!!!!
What a glorious day that will be when we get to Heaven!!!!!

"Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God;  believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.  And you know the way to where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:1-6

Simple Pleasures

I love being able to go out in the mornings and cut these HAPPY little flowers.  What a JOY to have them scattered around the house to make me smile.  Yes, flowers make me smile.   And they are smiling back at me too!  Life's simple pleasures.  God's simple blessings. 

8AM-Joys of being a Mom

My 8AM joy today is more about the little things the boys say, but it is pure JOY none the less.
Yesterday I made blueberry muffins.  By last night there were 2 left. The boys devoured them!! Ryan wanted more, but I insisted we save the last 2 for Daddy.  Well Brant never ate them last night so this morning they were fair game.
When I offered them to the boys for breakfast Ryan immediately ran to the kitchen.  But my sweet, tender hearted Matthew said, "Wait a minute.......I want to save one for Daddy." Oh that just melts my heart.  I just knew Ryan would also want to give his muffin to Daddy.  I asked Ryan and without hesitation he said, "NO!"  A boy who knows what he wants.

OK, have you ever done something that you regret?  We all have and usually learn from it......I hope.
Well thanks to Money Saving Mom, http://moneysavingmom.com/, I have been on a kick to save money by using coupons.  I had this great idea to change from my current  hair color(that I have been using for over TWO YEARS!)to a new one because of this great coupon that would save me $5.  I am already saving because I think it is crazy to pay someone to color my hair when I can do it just fine.  Well, until last night.  Anyway what I mistake.  As it was processing I could clearly see this was not going to be my usual light brown color.  Not even close.  Brant was gone, but the boys were here.  Warning: FIVE year old boys are very observant!
I wash the color out, blow dry my hair and am freaking out.  I come out of the bathroom and Ryan says,
"Your hair is RED!"  Then Matthew says, "Its.....kinda orange with rainbows."
Well GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!  I have red and orange hair with RAINBOWS!!!!!!!
I am not paying money to have it redone so I am going to play it off as if I did it on purpose.  I do like change after all.  It really is not all that bad, but I could have done without the comments from the boys.  Talk about a complex!  Gotta love the things your little boys say.  One of the many JOYS of being a Mom!
Have a great weekend!

Things are changing!

Don't you love the feeling when things start changing around you?  Seriously!  And change is good for us.  It forces us to grow and makes us much stronger!!!
Yes, I'll admit sometimes it is scary, but I get excited when new things happen.   I miss that part of working in corporate banking......I was always forced to make a change.
Changes are happening around here weekly and somtimes daily!
For instances BOTH boys are wearing underwear at night!  NO Pull-ups!!!!!  Just another little part of saying, good-bye to the baby stage.  Kinda sad, but it is SO exciting to see them grow up.
Growing up means they are doing more and helping more. 
Cleaning up their rooms though is a different story.   It's funny, Ryan does it without being told numerous times, but Matthew does not even know where to start.  I have to physically stand in his room and give him ideas of where to begin.  In Messy Marvin's defense, I mean Matthew's defense, he always has the messier room.   Ryan gets it done super fast, but I always have to go check exactly how he cleaned up.  I think my younger sister, maybe older too, cleaned like Ryan.
Things are changing when it comes to mealtimes too.  They want to help make it!
Yesterday they both decided they would make their own sandwich for lunch.  Matthew went to the fridge, got out what he needed and then climbed the shelves of the pantry and got the bread.  As a proud Momma I had to let go and forget about the mess they would make in the kitchen or to themselves.  That is the only way they will learn to do things.  I have to just let it happen.  They were SO proud for being a BIG boy!  And they discovered when "they" make it, it taste so much better!

Also yesterday I started cleaning out the school supply closet.  As I started rearranging things to better suit me(the TEACHER!!!)I stopped and realized exactly what I was doing. 

I was preparing for "our homeschool!!"  Talk about things changing!  I am SO anxious to see how things go.  How our days will transpire, the fun we will have, the knowledge the boys will gain(and me too!)and the closeness our family will experience.  The clock is ticking........it will be here before we know it!!

While we are talking about school starting, I thought I would tell you that Brant is also going to school!! He is taking classes in order to take the state exam to get his license to be a Real Estate Home Inspector.  

He'll be starting a new business hopefully by year's end or by the new year. 

Say a prayer that God will open doors for this business if it is all in His will.

See, I told you things are changing around here!!!!!  Call Brant if you want more details.

Is it strange?

Is what strange you might ask???  Is it strange being a parent and deciding what is best for your child?  Strange, as in deciding that homeschooling your children instead of sending them to a government run institution is best? Boy let me tell you......we have had all kinds of responses from this decision.  But truly the bottom line is, Ryan and Matthew are gifts from God to US, me and Brant, the parents-HELLO!  So I think we have the right to decide.  And that decision does not make us weird!   Homeschoolers are weird you know.......so thinks "the world".  Anyway.....moving on.
There are many different reasons parents decide to homeschool their children.  I use to ask people what made them decide to homeschool and realize now.....it really doesn't matter.   I know for us we have several  reasons.  And my personal reasons differ from Brant's, but one thing we absolutely agree on is........they are gifts from God first and foremost.  He entrusted these precious gifts to us to raise the very best way we can.  Part of that, for our family, means to raise them in a Godly home and environment.  We feel strongly that public school could not do that. 
As I share with people that we will homeschool the boys I am amazed at the reactions.  Yes, I do get great encouragement from some friends and family,  but for the most part I can tell people think we have lost our minds! 
So I am going to share a few of my biggest pet peeves about homeschooling.  These were taken from The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List.  You can read all  25 at the link below.  I have picked my very favorites.

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html


********************************
1.  Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean,  and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now.  Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun.  Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly.  If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

2. Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials.  I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children.  If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest,  maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.

3. If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he would learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot.  Don't be shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

4. Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool", we never leave the house.  We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.

5. Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?"  Even if the idea that my child might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart,  plenty of kids who go to school don't get to go to the Prom.  For all you know, I'm one of them.  I might still be bitter about it.  So go be shallow somewhere else.

6. Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!"  Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified.  One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

7. Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.
*******************************

No, I am not bitter about homeschooling yet.  But I do get angry about the way people view families who decide to homeschool.  We did not come to this decision overnight.  The boys were less than a year old when we started really discussing it.  We have had five years of thinking about it and praying to God for guidance.
So, you tell me, Is is strange?

Look how big!

Not sure if you remember the post where I told about the acorn that fell from our Burr Oak tree and had started growing, read about it here, http://thefontenotslife.blogspot.com/2010/03/nature-in-our-own-yard.html.
Anyway wait until you see how big it is getting. In the link above is a picture of it back in March.
Come Fall we will move it to it's own pot and continue to watch it GROW!!!!

 

Amazing!

If you read my blog often you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE nature!!!!  It is such a blessing from our creator.  And I am thankful for all he has given us and continues to give us daily with NATURE!!!!!
The pictures below are absolutely AMAZING!!!!  Enjoy!

Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow!!!!!

School at 6:30AM on Saturday?

Why not?  If you are up this early you might as well be learning right?   Even if it is a Saturday.
They(Matthew more than Ryan)are so excited for school to start.  And it will not be long!!  We sat on the floor this morning after doing the letters and talked about how our days will go.  I could feel the excitement growing as I told them about some of the freedoms we will have with homeschooling.  I was getting pretty excited too!!!
The most exciting part for the boys was all the talk about days we take school on the road.  We plan to call it......auto schooling.   Learning on the go!
Anyway this morning was a nice, relaxing time of learning, talks of homeschool and coffee milk(for the boys.....mine was much stronger!)
School at 6:30AM on a Saturday can't get much better than this!

8AM-Joys of SUMMER!

When I was younger summer always meant Vacation Bible School!  And Lord willing it will be something the boys associate summer with too!
This is the last day of VBS so maybe it is not joy after all.  BUT I thought I would share some pictures of how much JOY the boys have getting ready to go to VBS!
It is has been a fun week full of FUN, surprises and great teaching about the "real" race.  I just love our church and the wonderful people in it.  Our covenant family.  And I am so glad I decided to help with VBS!  It was the first VBS for our church. And I know without a doubt next year will be even bigger and better!!!
OK now for the two JOYFUL racers!

                                                                  Day 2

Last day of VBS!

Matthew already asked me if next summer we would go to VBS!  YES!

Never grow tired

The boys have so many books and the collection continues to grow.  Right now I know I want to buy about 20 or more books that I plan to use when school starts. And with those I have no clue if they will be books that we will love or books we will read once and then they just sit on the shelf.  
Last night I had the pleasure of reading to them, what I like to call "special books", before bed. 
These two books I just never seem to grow tired of reading.  Maybe because of the "special" message in the books.
Both books keep the boys attention no matter how many times they have looked through them or had me read them.  And the boys understand both books and their message from God. 
I highly recommend both. 
-You are Special by Max Lucados
-Fool Moon Rising by Kristi Fluharty

http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Special-Lucados-Wemmicks/dp/1581348940/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279071031&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Fool-Moon-Rising-Kristi-Fluharty/dp/1433506823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279071126&sr=1-1

You have some favorites?  I would love to hear about them.

Bored and life is not fair!

I knew it was coming and knew it would not take long.  Matthew is bored!  Can't you tell by this picture?  I mean how long can a little boy sit still resting his foot?!  This is not a child that likes to sit and watch TV.  He would much rather be outside playing, riding his bike, digging in dirt and many other FUN things. 

This is going to be a L   O   N   G week. 

And then the, "It's not fair! Ryan gets to do everything I can't!", started yesterday afternoon.  I also knew that was coming.  We have tried to scare him with the, "They will have to cut off your foot if it gets infected" bit, but it still does not shut him up about things not being fair.  I held him as he cried because he so wants back on that bike.  He understands I really think, but that sure does not make it easier for a five year old.  

It's just NOT fair!!!!!!!

Thank God for VBS!  It was a good distraction for him yesterday.  He did great!  He is a trooper that is for sure.  At one point yesterday I saw him practically running with Ryan and their friends dragging his hurt foot.  And after he was tired enough to sit still for a while. The afternoons are the hardest.  We need distractions!!!  So I assume the rest of the week I will be busy coloring, drawing, painting, reading, playing scary castle, making crazy creatures, swinging him, holding him, hopefully taking a nap with him(wishful thinking) and whatever it takes to keep him OFF that bike!

I will NOT be bored and sometimes life is just not fair!   

P.S. Even with the toe issue 3 nights with NO Pullup!!! Real big boy underwear. 

 I am so proud of Matthew!

 

A trip to the ER

OK anyone with a weak stomach just go ahead and leave now.  Otherwise keep on reading and check out the pictures!
Today started out as our typical Sunday and ended with stitches and XL crocs.......I'll explain. 
The boys were outside playing today after church when Matthew fell off his bike.  When he fell the handle bars on the bike came down and chopped his toe nail OFF!  Well almost.  It was barely hanging on when I got to him and there was lots of blood.  He was screaming and freaking out!!!!  Once Ryan saw the blood he was too.  Brant took one look at it and knew this was not anything he could "fix". 
So the words came from his mouth and both boys started crying.  Yes both.....Ryan was so concerned that his brother would have to get a shot.
Yes we had no choice but to go to the ER.  So off we went to Cook Children's ER.
The handle bars usually have that rubber grip thingy, but not boys'.  It is so worn that the metal is exposed.  That is what fell on his toe.  Middle toe, right foot.
We were seen immediately.  I couldn't have asked for nicer nurses, doctors and staff.  Very quick and took great care of him and us.
So they gave him the shot.....in the toe......yes he freaked!!!!!  And then they started working on the mess.  Once his toe was numb they were able to better see what exactly had happened.  It was not pretty.
His toe nail was completely removed.  There was a small cut under so he had to have a few stitches.  After a nice trim to the toe nail it was reattached to the bed with a few stitches as well.  He never even knew what was going on.  After a big bandage and a rainbow popsicle we were good to go.
OK the crocs.  Tomorrow is VBS week.  He was pretty bummed about not being able to go and insists he can do it.  The doctor said it would be OK if Matthew is OK with it, BUT he MUST wear closed toe shoes.  When you see the bandage you will understand just how big of a shoe we needed to get him.  So we left the ER to shop for BIG shoes.  We found some and as of right now are planning to go to VBS.

This is the pretty picture and right after they gave him a shot.

Toe nail has been YANKED! You can see the small cut.

Toe nail waiting for reattachment.

All stitched up.

And this is why we need BIG shoes!

He went to bed fine and was not complaining of it hurting.  I went ahead and gave him Motrin just in case.

  I pray he does not wake up in pain.  The morning will tell more of how the day will go.  He really does not want to miss VBS.  We'll just have to see how things go.  He will not be able to run and play like he usually does and I am sure will be extremely bored!  No swimming and NO bare feet outdoors!  My boys never wear shoes outside!  We can't take the bandage off until Thursday.  Pray it heals well and quickly!!!!

It was gross and very scary for him(and brother!!), but ended just fine. 

One of many trips to the ER...I am sure.

8AM-Joys of being a mother

This is just total COOLNESS!!  And I don't mean temperature.  This is just one of the many joys of being a mother.  Maybe some of their coolness will rub off on me. 
Happy Friday everyone! 

The Race is ON!!!!

That is actually the theme for Vacation Bible School next week, but the race here is to see if I can get everything done before Monday.  Busy, busy, busy, but it will all be worth it to see the children's faces as they learn about the real race. 
You know the race where the goal is to press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Everyone who finishes that race will win!!!!!  Once they start following the One True Way, they can run the good race and finish a winner.
While the race is going on next week I may find it hard to post everyday to my blog so I'll fill you in on some "stuff" now and attach some cute pictures.

Matthew lost his first tooth the other night.  Literally lost it......we think he swallowed it.  He was pretty upset about that, but seems fine now.  He looks so cute with a missing tooth!

Words from Matthew to Mommy.........we are driving down the road the other day and I was eating a banana.  I was done and tossed the peel out the window.  For the birds of course! 

Anyway,  Matthew says, "Mom, you should not have thrown that out the window.  By doing that the world will not be a brighter place."  I love being told by a five year old the wrong I am doing to the world.

And then there is Ryan and his latest hang up with his cowboy boots.  He wears them all the time!  Sometimes he rolls out of bed in the mornings and his feet go straight into the boots.  Seriously! 

 My favorite getup is his underwear, brace shirt, brace and cowboy boots!  He rides his bike dressed like this too.  Although we do sometimes make him wear a shirt and shorts.

Today Brant and the boys were going to Home Depot and this is what Ryan had to wear. 

The backpack has his computer in it.....you know in case Brant takes too long shopping.  Or there is a long wait checking out.  He can take that little laptop out and instant entertainment. 

And then he has his cellphone(old phone-no battery)in hand so he can call me if he gets bored.

The backpack is part of the boot getup.  Usually when he wears his boots he has his backpack on.

And the sunglasses may be a new addition too.

He thinks he is so cool!

Words from Ryan while shopping........he spots a Momma and her baby.  They are straight ahead of us and Ryan blurts out, "I don't like babies!" 

Oh God help me!!!!! 

***Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

Hairy Green Supreme

As I have been trying to eat better I decided to try something new.  Thanks to a friend from church I am now adding GREEN to my smoothies.  And I can't even taste it.  The greens I am starting out with are organic baby spinach and organic kale.  This beauty below was my breakfast today.  Just the name made me smile, but made the boys say,  GROSS!  Not gross at all if you like kiwi........hairy skin in all!!!!
Give it a try or come up with your own green smoothie. 
It will be fun adding the spinach to the boys' strawberry-banana smoothie this morning to see if they taste it.
Here is the Hairy Green Supreme.......................

3 handfuls of Organic Baby Spinach(I only used 1 handful to start out)

1 Kiwi-HAIRY skin and all!

1 cup pineapple

1 frozen banana

2 cups water

Enjoy!  Eat well.....LIVE well!!!!!!!!!!

Taking a nap?

I guess a weekend of getting to bed late finally caught up with the boys.  This afternoon I tried to get them to lay down on the couch with me to take a nap.  They would not hear of it and before I knew it I was asleep.  I woke up to find this.
What awesome pictures!  Sleeping little BOYS!!!!!

Now the question is.......how long do I let them sleep?

Worry

I am so glad this weekend is over! Two late nights for the boys and meltdowns each following day.  Bedtime was almost on time this evening, but we will get it for sure tomorrow night.  As I look towards the next two weeks I am faced with busy times.  Something we just normally do not have.  I make a point of NOT having too much to do in any given week.  We just don't "roll" like that. 
But I have made commitments and I will keep them! 
OK so I must keep them which then that leads me to WORRY about how it will all come together. 
How will I manage to do all the every day stuff AND all these other things I have committed to do?!?!   
I start to feel anxious, nervous and WORRY sets in.  I start to think how can I get out of this?! 
Thank God for my July 4th reminder in my daily devotion.  It was like God had this all planned(and yes I know he did!)out for me to get so overwhelmed regarding the next two weeks and BAM!
*******"HELLO!......I can handle all this", says God.*******
I love it when he throws something right out in front of me! 
Anyway I thought I would share it with you instead of me rambling on and on about my worry.  Because God knows I have a ton to share and really just need to turn it over to HIM!
Maybe you are worrying about something too........hope this helps.

http://www.myutmost.org/07/0704.html

P.S. Don't "worry" I am never too busy to post on my BLOG!!!  ((wink-wink))

Random thoughts from 5 year old BOYS!

If you know us you probably know we are not mean people.  Brant tries his best not to get in fights in public.  And as far as I know he has never been in a fist fight with our neighbors.   And I don't think there are any Youtube videos on the web of him fighting when he was younger.  And he is not one to watch trashy movies that have lots of fighting and talking mean.  The Borne Trilogy not included.
So where does number one(Ryan)get this from??
I overheard him talking to Matthew yesterday as they were watching Super Why.  This is a cute little show on PBS that teaches spelling.  All the episodes take place in story books.
Yes they were watching TV.  It was brace time for Ryan and super hot outside so I let them. Now there!
Anyway this particular episode had Sleeping Beauty in it and they could not get her to wake up.  The characters were trying different things to try to wake her and nothing was working.
I then hear Ryan say, "Why don't you just KICK her?!?!"

And then my sweet little number two gets up this morning and informs me about the birds singing that wake him up in the mornings.
He continues to say, "I don't even know how the birds know how to sing without music papers."
He is so smart and will probably be making the birds sheet music today to leave out for tomorrow.  The random thoughts that come from his little mind amaze me!

And those are random thoughts from 5 year old BOYS!