Swine Flu?

I've been impatiently awaiting Dr Mercola's take on the Swine flu, and he says what I expected. Take good care of yourself. You'll be fine. As long at the govenment doesn't force you to take poison. :)

If you crave...what you need is...

Kim posted this today. Love this kind of thing...

Weekly Update

1. Oh.My.Goodness. We had one of those nights last night. It all started when Nick and I decided to watch Casino Royale (James Bond) at 9:30 after the kids were in bed. We made popcorn. He fell asleep about 30 minutes in, but I of course had to finish the thing. So, they did the things they normally do in Bond movies, tortured and killed a couple of women, almost poisioned Bond to death, you know, the usual. The movie ended at midnight. Then, I got up to grab something to eat and Hannah started crying out in her sleep. Remember, I'm already trying not to be spooked. I went in her room, talked to her about her bad dream and was rubbing her back, when suddenly she sat straight up, screamed her head off, and flailed like she was terrified. I guess she hadn't really been awake? She then ended up in our bed where she kicked and played until probably 3 or 4 and finally asked to be put back in her own bed. The only good part of this story is that Audrey got out of bed at 8 and I put her back and told her to stay there, and they did. Until 10am!

Moral of the story: don't watch yucky movies, particularly until midnight. Not sure how that affected Hannah, but it sure didn't make my life easier. :)

2. Another first fitting tonight. Holly's text to me was, "Oh, man, this dress is pretty." I don't know that Holly has EVER said that about her own work... We also just consulted about this dress. Neat, huh? She's in her mom's 20's style wedding. :) Illustration by the talented Wendy Clum!

3. Pregnancy update: Still feeling good. Had a weird experience last week that turned out to be nothing and I'm very grateful. If I get too hungry I start feeling a little like gagging. Morning sickness set in at 6 weeks with my other two, and we have arrived at that point... It's gonna be great. :) Nick walked up behind me chewing on some chocolate the other night and I almost threw up on him. Heehee...

4. Keeping coming across scammers on Craig's List while I'm looking for houses. Email for info and they write back with these elaborate stories about how they got moved out of the area and now must have all your info before they tell you where the key to their empty house is so you can rent from them sight unseen. Um, yeah. So far I have restrained myself from writing back with some variation of, "Die scamming scumbag!" Ahem. Click delete. (Must be that Bond movie again. ;))

5. Maeve's open house is Saturday the 2nd. We have an event set up on Facebook. If you know anybody who needs a dress (I guess we've moved into formalwear also at this point) tell them to come! Feel free to stop by if you'd just like to say hi and see our office too. :)

6. I'm determined to start packing this week. The past two or three moves, I have left everything to the last minute (imagine that!) and have been packing the day of the move. This time, I'm packing and labeling everything, and then I'm taking the kids and going to my parents' for the day while the guys move stuff. So there! Now if we can just get into the house we love...

Alright. I suppose I should go do something more productive. :)

Sorta Tagged

I was reading Flo's blog tonight, and she tagged everybody to take a pic of themselves RIGHT NOW and post it. Although I have serious doubts about whether or not you can just tag EVERYBODY (according to the unwritten rules of blogging-ha), I just got home from a date. So, here I am.


I tag Christina, Bek, Staci, Irene, and anybody else who wants to join in. I'm off to go whiten my teeth now... :)

More on Gluten

They just keep finding more and more effects of gluten on the bodies of people who are intolerant. If you or a child or loved one has ongoing health issues, get tested for gluten intolerance. It could totally change your life for the better!

Weekly Update

Good morning friends,
I need to start blogging more consistently again. I miss you all!

1. Saturday night we got home from a date, and Hannah proceeded to have a really bad allergic reaction to something. Our best guess is that she rubbed her face on Daddy's cologne and reacted to that. She was covered in hives and couldn't stop crying. I gave her some Benedryl and was about to walk out the door to the ER with her when she was suddenly OK. Do any of you natural health people know anything about fragrance allergies? It is a Burt's Bees cologne he was wearing, but it does contain limonine and linalool, which we did a little research on and they don't sound great.

2. Since we all didn't get to bed till after midnight Saturday, we stayed home Sunday. I hate missing church, and we were supposed to go to a BBQ also, but I guess you gotta know when to quit. Audrey and I both slept till after 11.

3. We got about 16 inches of snow out here Friday and Saturday. It is a muddy, slushy mess now, but we're supposed to have 70's this week so at least it won't last long!

4. While we were home Sunday we put together Audrey's new toddler bed. She is thrilled with it, and Hannah's been putting her to bed and bringing her stuffed animals and her blankie and sippy cup. It's adorable. When I got up this morning, they were sitting side by side in the chair in the living room, sucking their fingers. They're still there, almost an hour later, while I make breakfast. SO cute! :)

5. The house we like is still on Craig's list! We talked to the landlord yesterday, and he's only received one other application. They can move in before us, but they haven't turned in an application fee I guess. This house is 2200 sq ft, on 1/2 acre, and only about 2 minutes further from town than we currently are. I'd have a totally separate piano studio to teach in, along with too many other things to list! My God shall supply all of my needs, according to His riches in glory... If it's where we're supposed to be, God will work it all out. But I really hope it's where we're supposed to be! :)

6. Um, we're having another baby. I'm still smiling about that. :)

Announcement

We thought about waiting a while to share our news, but seeing as how I'm about as good at keeping my own secrets as...oh...a piece of glass! (I CAN however, keep other people's secrets just fine! :)) We figured we'd just broadcast it so you can be excited with us!

We are thrilled to be expecting our third baby, due sometime near the end of December.

Weekly Update

1. This is what our Easter Sunday looked like. I was too mad about the snow to try to get in on the pic. Well, not really...but kinda. :)

2. After two trips to Denver, we got our latest gown finished. Lesson learned this time: have a professional seamstress at every fitting, even the ones we're SURE will be final. Running a business is not for the faint-hearted.

3. We found a house we love east of town. It has two living areas, a sunroom (I could have plants to my heart's content), a separate laundry room, a master bedroom with 5-piece bath and walk-in closet, two other bedrooms with jack and jill bath, and it's on 1/2 acre, fenced, with a huge deck. And it's amazingly in our price range. We may still be too far out from our move date to be able to get this one, but we sure like it. At least it's reassuring that we've been able to find a handful of houses that we like and would love to live in.

4. Our sweet Hannah turned 4 on Saturday. She had a very eventful day! My family came over for cake (coconut flour cake with strawberry icing - turned out delicious!) and presents. Then we had a quick nap and headed to church to see the children's version of the Easter play - The Crown. Hannah asked to go forward at the invitation and she prayed the prayer to receive Christ! It was very precious to me, and we've had lots of terrific conversations since then. After that we went to the mall for one more present - a Hello Kitty at Build-a-Bear that she's had her eye on for a couple of months, and then headed home to make pizza for dinner. I can't believe my baby is 4!

5. Sunday we woke up to heavy, wet snow falling. Welcome to Easter in Colorado... Nick shoveled 4 inches before we left in the Jetta, and by the time we got back it had piled up so much on our dirt road that the Jetta got stuck when we turned onto it. Nick was somehow able to rock it out of the hole we were in and get us home safely! Then we took the Jeep to my parent's house for lunch. :) Ham and potatoes and green beans. Yum. I ate waaaay too much. Fun to be with all my siblings together. That's kind of rare these days...

6. I am so grateful for the power of Christ's resurrection in our everyday lives. God is daily teaching me more about what it means, and I'm amazed.

7. Lastly, I'll leave you with these pics of our girls in their Easter dresses, just because they're cute! :)

Weekly Update

1. Looked at a house that seemed like it would work for us this week. It's a 3 bed, 1 1/2 bath in BF, on 2 1/2 acres. They had totally redone the whole house - new carpeting, paint, everything. Then we we walked in, the owner had just lit up a cigarette. Ew. Seems like since everything is new though, it might air out ok. They want an outrageous deposit, and the rent is now $100 higher than they told us when we looked. I'm thinking this one's another no. Although maybe it'll still be there May 1st when we can actually do something serious, since the deposit is so high? There is nothing else in our price range out here at the moment, so we'd have to move into town if something didn't come up. God will guide us!

2. We've been staying home a lot lately so I can work. God has totally provided a way for us to save money to move. I am so amazed by the way He provides for us.

3. Starting another dress this week, and get this - we scheduled a consultation with someone who wants a gown plus all her bridesmaid dresses! Whoa. We could have our hands full the next few months. Our next goal is to consistently get to two dresses per month. We're on our way!

4. My littlest sister has decided she's going to Riverside, CA to college in the fall. Sniff! She's 10 1/2 years younger than me, and is just the baby of the family. Can't believe she's really going!

5. Hannah turns 4 on Saturday. I keep grabbing her, holding her like a baby in my arms, and asking her how she got so big. She says, "I just growed." Yes, she did.

Well, I better get to it. Have a good Monday!

So you wanna work from home (Or better titled, what NOT to do)

As a business owner with a couple other internet-based jobs on the side, I'm learning a thing or two about how to make working from home, work. Because I'm a mom, most of this is going to focus not on how to set up your office, etc. People have written about that a lot. What I want to talk about is how to do it without driving your family nuts. Feel free to contribute. I've learned (and continue to learn) most of this the hard way - by doing it wrong sometimes. :)

1. Do not use working from home as an excuse to get addicted to being on the computer nonstop. Internet friends will never be a replacement for real-life friends, no matter how much you think you like each other. Something I am always extremely careful about is connecting with guys online. Protect your marriage! Be cautious and ruthless with online connections with the opposite gender! Every person has flaws, and your husband is the only one "meant for you" now, no matter what your circumstances. Don't allow yourself to be deceived in this area. It will ruin your life, and the lives of your family members.

2. Do not let your house get out of control while you work. Everybody needs breaks, so pick up for 5 minutes during yours. Here's where a supportive spouse is invaluable. Our house got out of control this week, but Nick helped reinstitute the pre-bedtime pick-up-the-house-time. If everyone will help, it's not so bad. Doing Flylady-esque routines every day helps too. If the dishwasher gets started before bed every night, breakfast is easy and you're ready to work when the time comes. If you have to spend the first hour of your day cleaning, it slows everything down.

3. Don't forget to focus on the kids. After all, that's probably why you're home, right? I make it a goal to read with my kids at least several times a week. Doesn't always happen, but it remains a goal in spite of failure. We sit down at the table together for breakfast, and I specifically make eye contact with each child as we talk. If they need something from me and I tell them "just a minute," I try to make sure it's really just a minute.

4. You know that whole thing about how cool it is to be able to work in your pajamas? Don't. You feel like a slob, you look like a slob to your husband, you're more cranky with your kids than you need to be (get them ready too - it's so much easier to relate well to a kid who looks cute and has their hair done!), and if something comes up and you need to leave the house, it takes forever to get ready. This one is super hard for me. I'm really working on it. Take a shower and do your hair and makeup. You'll be happier.

5. Set daily goals for yourself. How many hours do you HAVE to get in? How many would you LIKE to get in? You'll usually fall somewhere in the middle.

6. Take a Sabbath. You are not your family's provider and neither is your husband. God is, and He does a great job. Even He took a day off. This is not a law that He will strike you down for disobeying, it is a gracious provision for your sanity. Thank you, God, that you love me so much that You tell me to take a day off. My identity is not tied up in what I can produce. If any of this sounds foreign to you, read The Rest of God. It'll change your life.

7. In certain situations, set "office hours." Our bridal business can take over my life when I let it, and it always seems to be an emergency. We have hours when we have asked our seamstresses not to call. This is harder to do with my internet work, because if I don't do it when I have available time, I just don't seem to get to it. Still working on this one...

8. Write everything down. I have a whiteboard on my fridge that is a catch-all for the household tasks I think of while I'm doing something else. That way we remember to pay our rent, send mail and stuff like that. I keep a running grocery list there, too. There is more info than you can keep in your brain, so write down the things that you can't forget. My advice? Don't write down everything though - it's too hard on you!

I'm sure there are things that I've missed. What can you add to this?

A good reminder

Loved this today...

Winner!

Oh, by the way...

Meg is the winner of the School Days Photo Frame! Thank you so much for all of your input! The unanimous consensus was to offer the free shipping, so we're working on that now! Meg, let me know if you'd like the taupe, blue, or pink version of the mat and send me your address and we'll get it shipping to you!

Thanks again!

On Parenting

I never thought I'd be a lenient parent, but we had a discussion about Santa at our small group this week that started to make me feel like one in some ways. :) Confession: my kids watch Disney Princess movies, bad guys and all. We talked them through the scary part once or twice and now they remind each other that Prince Eric comes to the rescue, and they are excited to see how it turns out, each time. We tell our kids about Santa, and probably will do the Tooth Fairy too. I let my kids jump and climb on the furniture often sometimes. There are times when you're 2 and you're coloring, and the most convenient position is on top of the dining room table. Plus, with 11 months of winter around here (not that I'm frustrated;), they have to be able to play somewhere! If they want to run around and it isn't hurting anybody and their noise level isn't higher than the general roar, we usually let them. The exception to this (that comes to mind) is restaurants. People often tell us they are amazed at how well our kids behave at restaurants. We require them to sit still and keep their voices low, and they have had lots of practice since we like to do that as a family.

But my kids know how to pray for each other and us. When someone is sick or hurt, they usually ask to pray before Nick and I even think of it. We require them to be kind to each other, no exceptions. They love to read Bible stories, and specifically ask for ones about Jesus. The way we eat is very strict, out of necessity. They say please and thank you. They love to help put away the silverware and their toys. Hannah is working on making her bed and does it with joy. The girls love to pile in the rocking chair with me and read books for 45 minutes at a time. They love to sit at the piano and bang and sing. Hannah's even making up her own songs already.

It's fascinating to me to see the contrast between families, and I (don't miss this part!) wholeheartedly believe that what God has told one family to emphasize may be completely different for another family. We are currently reading Grace Based Parenting, and have been mostly challenged by it in the area of understanding God's unconditional love to us, the parents. Only after understanding God's love can we pass it to our children. He doesn't love us based on our performance, but based on Jesus' sacrifice for us and the perfect holiness in God's sight that we receive through faith in Christ. Incredible.

What about you? What are your non-negotiables with your kids? What things (that other people might be strict about) do you let slide?