MANUFACTURED ENTERTAINMENT :)

or Cliff Notes version of  "How to Freak Out a 6 year old"  :)

1.  While you're in the pharmacy drive-up line, make sure your child has his cute little hand out the window, feeling the

end-of-December dust storm blowing through precious little his fingers.

2.   Make a feeble attempt at cleaning the dirt off your windshield with the water sprayer and wiper blades.

3.  Hit it several times, which will

allow it to shoot up and over the top of the car, and come down on the moon roof AND his little hand.

4.  Wait patiently for the "Hey...it's RAINING!!!!"

5.  Giggle.  :)

Good times for all.  (Especially the Mommy who was bored).  ;)
G

NEW YEAR'S WORD

Kindness is the greatest wisdom.~~Author Unknown

Of all the gifts that I received this Christmas, Little T actually gave me the one that I should be able to use for the rest of my life.

Here's the package that he wrapped it in:

We were delivering a Christmas gift to our elderly neighbor lady, Mrs. S, who is in her 90's.  She LOVES seeing the kids and tells them all the time how much they've grown (which they love...especially Little T)...and ALWAYS has a smile on her face.  We've known her about 11 years and I've NEVER heard her say anything that isn't pleasant.  :)

After we received our hugs goodbye, we were walking out to the car.   Little T was ahead of me and turned around and said...."She's very KINDFUL, isn't she??"       I said..."Yes...she is."   :)

And right then and there.....I found a most heart-warming word to add to my vocabulary and that I could give as a gift to you.  Pass It On, if you will.  We can all use this....daily.

So, since I'm sort of a 'word-nerd', here is my definition of Little T's word....

KINDFUL:  No entries in Dictionary.com...by the way.....

Combination of......

mindful:  
1.  heedful, thoughtful.
kind:
1.  of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.
2. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words.
3. indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often fol. by to ): to be kind to animals.
4. mild; gentle; clement: kind weather.
5. loving; affectionate.

 

KINDFUL: 

1.  To be filled with a loving, indulgent, considerate helpfulness. 

2.  Full of a good-natured disposition; thoughtful, mild, gentle.

My New Year's resolution....possibly the only one I might actually keep....is to take this word to heart and use it and live it everyday. 

I only ask you to pass it on.  If we had a more 'kindful' world.....we could all rest a little easier, right? 

Have a 'KINDFUL' NEW YEAR!!!

P.S.   Thank you, Little T!  That was a well-chosen gift.  Love, Mom

G

 

THE GIFT OF SMILING

Hello to all who read our blog....
I wanted to present you with a little gift that I found at Kohls.   I didn't know all your sizes and I doubt they would've had that many in stock....so you'll have to use your imagination a bit and just 'believe' that it fits perfectly.  :)   
In the New Year....if all I ever do for you is make you smile even ONCE....Happy is the giver.  :)
             

Wear a smile - one size fits all.  ~ G & K

Enjoy.....wear it often.  It looks great on you. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!!!!

but above all .......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!!!

G

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home.  ~Author Unknown

If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine.  ~Author Unknown

Smile - sunshine is good for your teeth.  ~Author Unknown

If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.  ~Andy Rooney

And from my all time favorite Christmas movie.........

"Smiling is my favorite!!!!"~~Buddy (from the movie 'Elf')

MADE IN CHINA???

As our family started the Christmas rounds today.....our first stop was Christmas with my Dad's side with my Grandmother.  We gather as a group, eat, visit and then have 'Chinese Christmas'....first the women, then the men.  (Ladies first, ya know.) ;)  

If you don't know what this entails....everyone brings a present, then they are put in the middle and everyone sits in a circle and you draw numbers to see who picks first and so on.  As you go in order, you have the choice of picking a new present or taking someone elses, until the last person in the game goes...which is always number 1 again, and who gets to choose from everything. 

(P.S.  That was me this year.....I was VERY nice and kept what I had..because I LOVE fuzzy blankets.)  :)

I said all that to say this....... Big T started playing the Chinese Christmas present game with the men this year, because he's 10.  I was going to let
Little T do it also, but as I started explaining the rules to him, he started looking around and said...."YEAH, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY CHINESE PEOPLE HERE YET."  ROFL!!!!

Okay, Little T....maybe next year.   Here's a present for you to open.  Game over.  :)

 

Merry Christmas to all of you.....wherever you travel this season.....

Be safe.  G

SHOPPING FEVER :)

I'm going Christmas shopping today......me and all the other 'last-minute shoppers'... my mental stability after today will be questionable at best......so I need to send out wishes early. 
Have a VERY,  MERRY CHRISTMAS!
G 

WORD PLAY

Okay...this didn't occur in my house.....but I had to share.... :)

I was doing dishes today and heard my 4 year old say very matter-of-factly to her buddy, “This sucks.”  I quickly rounded the corner to see them “repairing” the toy vacuum.   And yes, the part they were repairing does do the sucking….Whew.  ;)

Used by permission from my husband's cousin.....

OR my cousin-in-law?????    

Anyway, Thanks to 'Bird' & 'Lil Goober'!!! 

G  :)

THE MAN BEHIND THE CUPCAKES

In The Wizard of Oz....there is a quote that goes.."Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!!"     Well.....Our 'man behind the curtain' who we refer to as the Cupcake Wizard....is having a birthday today.    This is kinda how he goes about things....with no acknowledgement of his abilities......behind the curtain.  However, without him, this blog probably would not exist. 

He handled the 'cupcake control tower' for us....setting up the blog, training us on how to do EVERYTHING....making sure we didn't 'crash and burn'......which is an on-going process if you know us.  ;)

So....to our Cupcake Wizard and very good friend, Mike......HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!   YOU DESERVE ALL THE BEST...because that's what you dish out to everyone else. :)  Kinda like ice cream.  Okay, we'll have that and cupcakes next time you're around. 

A most delicious 'Happy Birthday' from the Cupcake Factory!!!   Thank you for giving us our 'Ruby Slippers' and remember.....THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!! 

G & K

WITH A CAPITAL "J"

This morning in church 'Mrs. G' presented the Children's message during service.   One of the things that she gave out after the message was a sheet of paper with 'The Legend of the Candy Cane' on it and a small candy cane attached.   Her directions to the kids were..."You can't eat the candy cane until AFTER you've read the story...and if you can't read yet...your Mom or Dad can read it to you." 

Little T IMMEDIATELY brought his paper back to where we were sitting and crawled up in my lap....and started reading me the story...out loud....as the service was starting.   Luckily, there was a video going on at the same time.  He read the complete story....and then..."CAN I HAVE MY CANDY CANE NOW??"    And, yes....he got to have it.  After all, he did as he was asked, right??? ;)

BTW....he LOVES candy canes.  We can't keep them on the tree or he'd eat every one of them. 

Here is a version of the story that he read to me in church.   In itself, it is a great message.  

THE LEGEND OF THE CANDY CANE
A long time ago, a candymaker in Indiana made the Christmas candy cane to tell the real Christmas story.  He chose pure white candy for the virgin birth and to remind us that Jesus is sinless. He made the candy hard so it would remind us that Jesus is the solid rock and that all God's promises are solid.

The candymaker made the candy in the shape of a "J" to remind us of Jesus who came to Earth as a baby and became our Savior.

Then the candymaker added stripes. Real candy canes have three small stripes for the blood Jesus shed for us before he went to the cross and a big stripe for the blood Jesus shed on the cross so we could have eternal life.

Jesus came at Christmas to make a way for us to go to heaven to be with him forever.

And now that we've read the story together.....you should have one too. 
Enjoy!!!! 
G

HEARTSONG

Since K started the subject of listening to our kids....I'll continue it. :)

I wish you had all been in the car with us on the way home from my in-laws tonight.  We were listening to a praise CD...specifically the song "I Will Rise".  That is one of Little T's favorite songs.  He's the one who requests it in the car EVERY day on the way to school.  I think because he has a captive audience (Me) and no one else in the car to compete with him.  He really belts that song out. Actually, when we are ALL in the car together, they all three sing like little angels in a choir.  :)

However, tonight as we on our way home, I was in the front passenger seat, right in front of Big T.  He was singing louder than I've ever heard him sing.  He's usually pretty shy about singing...unless it's his iPod songs.   :)    But tonight, while 'I Will Rise' was on again, he sang every word, in his ten year old boy voice...which is a little hoarse from the cold he has right now.....and while I usually sing that song along with them, tonight I chose to just sit and listen.  And it was well worth sitting quietly and still for a bit...and just listening.  :)

When we got home, he jokingly said "I sing pretty good, huh?"   I said, "Actually....YES...you do.  I was just fixing to tell you that."  <<Big Hug>>

Dance like nobody's watching......Sing like nobody's listening.....  :)
G

"Can I Read To You, Mom?"

     My oldest son is a great reader and even though he is 9 yrs old now, he still loves to read to me.  A few nights ago, he asked if he could read me some of "The Lost Hero".  Now if you know anything about that book, you will not have a CLUE what it is about if somebody just reads you a few pages.  He started reading in the middle of a chapter.  If you know Big B, you know his personality and it will be no surprise that he reads with GREAT expression!  It cracks me up and sometimes I get so busy "watching" him that I forget to "listen" to him.  

     Laying on his bed, I tried to "listen" carefully so I could ask him questions.  Reading along, he came to a sentence that made NO sense.  I asked him to re-read it and again, it made no sense.  I didn't know if I was just not knowing the exact context, didn't understand the story or what so I asked him to explain it to me.  He started explaining but I could tell by the look on his face that he was a little confused as well.  I can't remember what the sentence was, but it had the word "karaoke" in it.  That word did not fit ANYWHERE in that sentence.  I heard him read it several times and finally asked him to spell it.  "Mom, I know the word:  KARAOKE!"  I asked him again to spell it......"Okay, c-h-e-r-o-k-e-e".  I almost fell off of the bed laughing.

     Now we talk about "karaoke tribes" in our house. ROFL!!

Happy reading,

k



"When Mom Is Out of Toothpaste"

    

     I was running a little behind the other morning and went in my bathroom to brush my teeth.  I knew my hubby and I were low on toothpaste but he must have taken the last little bit in his bag to the gym b/c there was no toothpaste anywhere in my bathroom.  I decided to borrow some from my kids and ran upstairs.  The first bathroom is my boys bathroom....ages 6 and 9.   Honestly, I only go in it on cleaning day.  I do not USE the bathroom in there - EVER for fear of sticking to the seat or what might get ON me.  I make them bring their laundry down and do whatever else in there that a Mom would need to do.  Boys can be gross and I personally, don't want any part of that bathroom.  I love my boys, but there is no love lost in their bathroom. 

     My daughter's bathroom is not too much further away but like I said, I was running late that morning and I needed to brush my teeth.  I just took a deep breath and went in.  They have a "Touch 'N Brush" which is a fabulous little tool but there is no way I was sticking my toothbrush in there (who knows what they had done to it!).  So I looked in the drawer where there were several tubes of toothpaste (all missing the lid so it is nice and crusty on the end.)  Then there was a standup "tube" - you know what I mean?  It was still gross looking but had the least amount of "glob" on it so I put a little on my toothbrush and away I went - trying not to think about it and wondering "how gross can it really be?"

     That night at dinner, a conversation about toothpaste started.  Before I could mention my toothpaste adventure from that morning, my 6 yr old said, "You know what happens with my toothpaste?"  I felt fear jump in my throat.  I said, "which one?"   He replied, "The standup tube."  Gulp......."What?"  He said, "I don't know why it is so gloppy on the top but I have to suck on it to get any out and if I get too much, I just try to poke it back in there with my lips."

Gag.  Gagggg.  Gaggggggg.  My dinner was o.v.e.r.

Love being a Mom,

k

 

TAKING A GAMBLE

Today after school, on our way to pick up Coco across town, out of the blue Big T asks me, "What is gambling???"  He asks me about words all the time that he hears, but doesn't quite know what they mean. 

Not sure why this one came up, however.  I proceeded to explain to him what gambling was...different kinds of gambling....gave him some examples.   He asked if it was legal, and I told him 'in some states'.  I also let him know our position on gambling....You know all the general information a 10 year old needs to know.....just not too much. ;)

I'm trying to explain it as thoroughly as possible.  When we finally get to Coco's school (across town....maybe 8 minutes)...He says..."I just set a World's Record!!!" 

I said, "How??"   He says..."I just kept you talking about one subject all the way from MY school to the High School."  And he smiles really big. 

Umm....not sure it's that hard to keep me talking that long.  Do you????  LOL

And...I'm gonna assume he learned something and wasn't just watching his watch the whole time....betting that I couldn't do it.  LOL

I wonder if he won or I did??  :)

G 

WORD OF THE DAY

Alot of my topics come from mealtime conversations....but that's when we can get our kids to sit still long enough to actually talk.  Our meal at the table is pretty much a regular thing, just so we can all sit together for a while.

Another thing that was brought up during our Sunday lunch meal this week, Big T was talking about his music teacher and how fast she types.  Then he was explaining how she learned to type that fast (by helping deaf children).  :)   

As he was talking about this, Little T broke in and said..."That's FLUENCY." 

Me: "What???"  (I was a bit shocked and you should've seen the look on everyone's faces...LOL)

Little T:  "Fluency...it means you can do it really fast.....Fluency is like fast reading."

(Keep in mind....HE'S 6!!  And obviously has an awesome reading teacher!! But I already knew that.)  :)

This incident also reminded me of when he was around 3 and used 'ACTUALLY' pretty regularly when he was trying to explain things.   I never realized that I used that word so much at that time....Actually, maybe I did.  He just reminded me alot.   Thinking back, I don't think that I've ever used 'fluency' in a sentence.  Hmmm....LOL

So...since he's given you a 'Word of the Day' for Monday....use it...have fun!
Be 'fluent' and prosper. :)  There....now I have....sorta.  :)

Blessings for the week......and 'Thank you, Mrs. S'!!!!
G

PLAYING 'KETCHUP'

Today at lunch, Little T headed for the refrigerator to get the ketchup, which of course MUST be eaten on every food.  He brings it back to the table and announces to Big T...

"LOOK....It's on the 1 yard line!!!!! "

For you all without a 'visual' on this...The bottle was almost empty.   LOL

Thought you football fans would enjoy that analogy.   Glad 'flag football' enlightened him this year.  You never know when you need to measure food based on the lines on a football field.

Have a Super Sunday!!

Bumper Sticker Mama

     Just for the record, I do not like bumper stickers on my car.  I don't like anything stuck to it that isn't supposed to be there.  In fact, my husband has been known to remove the dealer emblems just because it looks more "clean".  I don't remember my Mom putting any bumper stickers on her car.  I don't remember my Dad putting any on his cars (he put them on his tool box).  I just don't like the way they look, plain and simple.  They might look okay when they are new, but then they fade and start to peel and then what do you have?  (Back up.....my Dad DID put a small "Jesus" sticker on the upper back window of his truck and the "J" came off so he had "esus" on his truck forever.  I rest my case.)

    When I became a Mom, I even told myself I would not put stickers on my car for my kids....not what school they went to, not what kind of grades they got and even if they DID make the National Honor Society, I would not proclaim it on the rear end of my car.   I would not put one there for religious statement, political reasons.....nada.  Once in awhile I see a sticker on someone else's bumper that I think is funny but still.....not on my car!

   Somewhere along the line, I guess my mind started changing.  My husband is a HUGE Texas Longhorn fan and since I didn't go to school there, I told him to stay away from putting anything on MY car.  He loves the silver "Longhorn" emblem and put one on both of his cars and his boat....fine....those are HIS things and not mine.  Not long ago, he had a leftover silver emblem.  What to do with it  He asked if I wanted it on my car.  Wanted?  Not really, but I do like them.  And it doesn't LOOK like a bumper sticker.....it's like "classy" bumper sticker. haha!  So there it goes, right on the back of my car.  Looks okay.

     Then, someone had the fabulous idea of making magnets!!!  I can do magnets - they can be removed at any time!  My kids picked up on it and since my tailgate is not magnetic, I now have 3 magnets on the side of my car:  one for school, one for football and one for cheer.  Looks like an ad campaign. 

     And last but not least, it happened to me the other day.....I can only call it a weak moment for lack of a better term.  You know how people put their entire family on their car as "stickers" (example:  Christian fish family, stick figure family, a family of flip flops, etc.) well that was right up there with NEVER on my car.  Never, ever.........then I saw it, ordered it, applied it and am sportin' it.......a "TEXAS" family PLUS the dog!  Love it!!  I still can't believe my car looks like it does, but oh well.....you gotta bend sometimes. 

    Here's to saying "never"!
k - The Bumper Sticker Mama

REAL RECORDS

For the past few days, Big T, during our after-school-car-discussions, has been telling me about things he's learned about in the "GENESIS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS".  He's said this SEVERAL times....and I keep correcting him on the difference of GUINNESS and GENESIS.  Then he'll pronounce it "JEN-ESS"......I'm thinking he's not budging on this one.  LOL

However.....now I think that I'm going to stop correcting him.....After all, isn't he absolutely RIGHT??

Isn't Genesis the ultimate 'Book of World Records'???  


Let's start at the beginning.....

Genesis 1:1 :   

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

I think that's probably the greatest 'World Record' of them all, don't you????  Pretty sure no one has, or ever will, top it.   Plus...like I said..that was only the beginning.

So, Big T....go ahead and call it "Genesis".....Your 'mispronunciation' has made your Mom think out of the box a little bit...And that's not a bad thing, is it???  ;)

G 

Star emitting a flare....A world of wonder. † 



NAME THAT COLOR

I love it when I can create a blog around cartoons.....because I love cartoons, that's why.  I will steal the comic section out of your newspaper.   Just so you know.    :-)

I also love it when I can use exact name for a color when I see it....Tomato Red....Mauve....Teal......Grape Purple (my favorite), Barney Purple (not my favorite)....Sunshine Yellow......You know, I'm assuming it's 'girl stuff' and the 'matchy-matchy' intuitiveness that we're born with that some are not.   

For our 'male' readers....you can throw 'RED' around all you want, but if you use different shades of red on your clothing when you dress, you'll look like a mosh pit of bad color choice.  Just sayin'.  And they'll say..."Hey, who dressed you???"   And if you say "My wife." .....ummm.....'Liar, liar, pants on fire.'  :-)   (Oh...that would be 'Fire Red'...so, yeah...See what I mean???  Don't mix 'Blue Red' with that.   Gross!)  LOL

So, go out....learn your colors.....ALL of them.....not just the PRIMARY ONES.   Pick up a color chart at the paint store if necessary.  Or pick up a box of 72 count Crayolas and color a picture creatively.  You might amaze yourself and learn some things at the same time.   ;)

Color me coordinated,  :-)

G

BLONDE LESSONS

A couple of things that I learned from Coco this week…….

On Saturday, Big T and Coco were sitting at Little T’s last football game;   Coco was messing with her phone…Big T was doing the same (and of COURSE watching the game.  ;-)   Big T said to Coco in his competitive way, "How many contacts do YOU have?”   Coco didn’t bat an eye.....”Two, why??”   LOL!!!

 (Hint:   See, because she doesn’t wear her glasses often, and…umm…never mind.)   J

Also, yesterday, we were listening to the radio on the way to school.  The DJ was playing a game with his co-DJ’s.   The question was, “What is the only other country that celebrates Thanksgiving?”  

Coco: “TURKEY!!!”   And I started giggling.  LOL

(I can’t remember what the answer was and I don’t really care….I’m going with Turkey also. J )

Okay..that’s all I have for now.  I’ll be back later, I’m sure. 

Have a ‘light-hearted’ evening!!!

G

P.S.  Published with permission from my 'brilliant blonde baby girl', who has the ability to make up 'blonde jokes' on the spot...and can laugh at herself also. ;-)

NO 'CHAOS' ALLOWED TODAY! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, K!!!!  

"Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of

'you' to the world.” ~ G

Your Birthday Breakfast, Madame Cupcake. :)

"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." ~Lucille Ball



K...remember?  This was taken yesterday.  ;)

(K is the second one from the left....G is at the end of the 'chicken' line.)



Have an AWESOME day!!!!   We're still the 'Spring Chicken Princesses' as far as I'm concerned.

Love ya!  G

A DEFINITE TREAT

Today when I picked up Big T from his school, he was discussing everyone's costumes...whose was cool.....what all of his friends wore.  They had a school wide contest and the costumes that were considered the 'BEST' got prizes.  

Big T, after he took off his scary skull mask, said, "Yeah, but I didn't win anything....(but in a more excited voice....)...But you know what was REALLY COOL?   ALL the special needs kids got prizes for THEIR costumes.  THAT was pretty cool."  :-)

Okay...so after Mom felt her heart swell to twice it's size....I asked him a few questions about the costumes they had on.  And he explained what each one of them had worn.

So, T, do you wanna know what I think is REALLY COOL?   The fact that you took the time to appreciate that it was really cool that they ALL got recognition.  

Big T......Thank you for MY Halloween treat.  

I love my kids with all my heart!!!!

MOM~G

TeaCupCake

My friend, Debbie, just sent me this picture - cutest teacupcakes EVER!!