My Beautiful Day

It's Tuesday again, and if you've been following my blog for awhile you know that I am participating in a review program sponsored by BlogHer and Kellogg's.  They are giving me the chance to give away a $100 Visa Gift Card to one of YOU - all you have to do is visit my review blog and follow the instructions at the bottom of the post.  Happy day!! :)

Today I told Colin that my back is sore, so he told me to lay down on my side and he would rub it for me (a.k.a. run his hands up and down my back). The conversation that followed cracked me up: Colin: Does that feel good? Me: Yes, thanks buddy Colin: Is it super soft? Me: Is what super soft?   Colin: My hands! Me: Yes they are! Colin: That's because you make me put Dove on them all the time! Oh the things he says never  cease to amaze me!! :)

I used to be in love with Twitter.  No joke.  I loved that I could instantly pick up my phone and use the browser to see what everybody I love was doing.  I loved that I could put my computer next to me on my dresser while I was folding clothes on my bed and have long conversations with friends via tweets, only feeling frustrated that I had a character limit that I could use per tweet!  I used to love to update my Twitter status and let the entire world know what I was doing. Used to.  I definitely used to. Now, however, I have deleted my Twitter account and am likely to never sign up again.  You see, I never went so far as to have everybody's Twitter updates sent to my phone via SMS text messages, as the texting plan I have for my phone is very  minimal and I would have exceeded my allowed number of monthly messages in just one day had I linked my Twitter account to my phone!  Due to that, I was resorting to continually checking the computer ...

I know you're all familiar with the phrase, "When it rains, it pours".  I've been thinking of this phrase recently, as someone very dear to my heart has had one heck of a storm pouring in her life as of late.  The irony of this is the fact that she was the one who most often comforted me during the seemingly-never-ending journey of trying to have a baby.  She was the one who told me not to accept what the doctors told me, to truly rely on my faith and trust in God that He will provide that blessing in His perfect timing.  Now, as I sit here at 31 weeks pregnant (okay, well 30 weeks and 6 days pregnant), I can't help but think back to how right she was.  How important it was for me to truly stop looking at the natural, stop focusing on the storm that was raging around me, but instead to turn my face toward Heaven and focus on my Creator who does have my life in His hands. The hard thing about that was the fact that it seemed like too much.  "You don't kn...

Just a quick update on life, pregnancy, kids and all fun things related. - I am almost 31 weeks pregnant and am growing quite a bit.  My brother, Tory, confirmed this by telling me I'm starting to look huge (thanks Tor .. you're the best!).  I didn't mind, I know he meant it lovingly!  :) - All of the kids are finally getting into their back-to-school routine and seem to be enjoying it.  Claire is in 7th grade, Iain is in 5th grade, Ellis is in 4th grade and Colin is in his second year of preschool (we enrolled him when he was three).  I am absolutely LOVING the structure that our new schedule holds! - Iain and Ellis are both in fall soccer and are enjoying it!  This hot-flashing pregnant woman is enjoying it as well, as it hasn't been too cold to enjoy their games! - I have successfully reached a point where it's impossible  for me to go through the day without getting something or another on my shirt.  Either I'm a lot more clumsy in my ...

"I am by no means a morning person." This is a quote that I have been known to say quite frequently.  I don't enjoy waking up early.  I'm typically still rather tired and don't want to chat with people or have to do anything but crawl back into bed.  I've always assumed that I was not, in any way, a morning person ... until recently.  You see, on Tuesday of this past week I got up around 6:30am, got ready and started my day by 7:30.  We were having someone stop by the house early in the morning, thus the reasoning for me getting up early.  The catch is that Tuesday was quite a productive day for me, which is surprising! Fast forward to this morning.  My eyes opened at 5:20am.  Once again, I decided it made more sense to get up and get ready for the day since I was already awake then to try and make myself fall back asleep and risk having a groggy day.  So, after allowing myself some time to truly wake up, I got out of bed and was ready fo...

Want a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card?  Visit my review blog for a chance to win, sponsored by Kellogg's and BlogHer!! I know I've been absent from blogging, but I do promise to return to the bloggy world again soon!

By definition, I am: - A child of God, saved by grace and growing in faith each and every day. - A wife to the most amazing man I have ever known. - A step-mother to four absolutely fantastic kids. - A mother-to-be to one little boy who loves to kick! - A daughter. - A sister. - A step-sister. - A friend (thanks for the reminder Shawn!) :) - A homemaker. These are things that I know are facts about myself - these are the things that help to define my identity.  While there are many other things that I know about myself, they are not necessarily as defining of who I am as they are potential character traits.  Those things include: - Quick to love unconditionally. - Quick to forgive. - Overly anal about (oftentimes very stupid) things. - A perfectionist, though nowhere near perfect. - Occasionally too hard on my kids, forgetting that they, too, are not perfect and sometimes forgetting to allow them to just enjoy being kids. - A lover of laughter. It is these...

There are times in my short-lived parenting life that I realize I am learning the importance of parenting with compassion, especially when it comes to disciplining.  Last night was a prime example of the need for more compassion and understanding.  You see, Monte and I were out on a date night (can you say "Costco here we come!"?) and Claire was watching her younger brothers.  All was going well until my cell phone rang.  Due to the fact that we were in an extremely loud restaurant at the time, I had to step outside to take the call.  It was Claire calling me because she had a situation on her hands that she didn't know how to deal with.  See, Iain and Ellis had some friends over (strike number one: no friends are allowed at our house if there isn't an adult at home), and she said that they were all downstairs in the boys' room (strike number two: definitely no friends allowed in the house  when there are no adults at home) making prank phone calls. ...