Hi, this is Stacey. Sorry, I can't come to your blog right now, but leave a message and I will return to your life next week!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am trying my best to keep up with my Google reader AND signing up for free stuff at the Bloggy Giveaway. I am way behind with the latter and have some serious work to do in the next few days!!!

So, please don't think I am ignoring you with my lack of commenting! I have either read you and enjoyed it without commenting or I am saving your stories for my thoughts later.

When I can actually think!

Now if you will excuse me, I have to sign up for over 400 more things by Friday!

Stacey

p.s. Yes, my kids are still being fed and loved on this week! And I have even worked and exercised. Playing chase with my kids counts, right?!!

Old School

Over Christmas, I got to ride in the car by myself to and from our destination. We had to take 2 cars so we could take my mom her treadmill I found for FREE!

So, after getting out of range of my favorite afternoon radio program, I decided to dust off the CD bag and see what goodies I could find!

I decided to go with stuff I had not heard in awhile.

Are you ready to for this?

Indigo Girls (college)
Avalon (I love to belt out Testify like I can carry a tune!)

(Yes, I already see the contradictions, but I am just stating the facts here!)

Royal Crown Review (I heard these guys live and met them personally in Florida. I don't know if they are still around, but it is a funky gangster group-think "Guys and Dolls" gangster!)
Julia Fordham (Seriously, if you are prone to depression or slitting your wrists for fun, you may want to skip this one!)
Cake (Again, a little funky, but I love them!)
Avalon (another one)

and finally.....

Rick Springfield

Do I need to say more?

Ok, well how about,

Jessie's Girl

and

You Better Love Somebody

and

I've Done Everything For You

Now the funniest part to all this is that 2 weeks ago, I was riding around with my son in the car while we waited for sister to get done with dance class. He loves to sing and wanted some music. Forgetting what was in my CD player, I pushed the button.

He loved it!

So we rocked out together with Rick and I even caught him playing the guitar solos in the back seat!

Now, how cute is a 3 1/2 year old jammin' with his eyes closed to Rick?!!

Stacey

Bloggy all the time, bloggy all the time, bloggy allllllll the tiiiiime!

I love carnival time and I love that you have stopped by to have some fun with me!

I know your stay is brief today and that you may have trouble finding your way back again, but I wanted to welcome you warmly and make sure you have fun while you are here!

So here I am, sending you bloggy love from my part of the world to yours!



Want some more bloggy love?

I am sooooooooooo excited to reveal my giveaway!

Here are a few hints:

* Anyone anywhere can win!
* When you receive your prize is up to you!
* It's like getting a face lift without the pain!

Ready?

One lucky person is going to receive a....

NEW blog header AND blog layout design!

Yey!!! I am already excited for my winner and I don't even know you yet!

I wish I could show you the great work David and Alli have done for me, but it is top secret and still under construction! You will have to come back on February 11 for the big reveal! Just know they are talented and patient! Amen on the patience! And their prices are so low (including free installation!), you might not even wait until you win one!! Go visit Loudmouth Logos to learn more about their family, their passions, and their work! Tell them I said hi!

I will be gone over the weekend, but look for the winner to be announced on Sunday evening, February 3!

Don't forget to pop over here to find all the other great people and giveaways!

Thank you again for stopping by! Leave some breadcrumbs on your way out and don't be a stranger!

Stacey

Why she may have watched one too many Barbie Princess movies!

Today at lunch, after the waiter had given everyone their drinks, my 6-year old daughter snickered and said,

"If you and Daddy were in love, you could both drink out of the glass."

And just for clarification, I asked,

"You mean like with two straws in one cup?"

"Yes!" "Hee hee!"

Good thing we haven't burst her fairy tale perception just yet!

Stacey

p.s. PLEASE PLEASE come back tomorrow as many of us kick off the week-long carnival! I am so pumped about my giveaway and you won't want to miss all the other great giveaways as well! Check out the link on my sidebar and get ready to have fun!

Y Y Y

is it that the male gender is "ill"-equipped to handle getting sick?

At least the problem starts early so we have fair warning!

Little man started running a fever yesterday. 102.5 to be exact. He was finished with school and was headed to the extended care part when he started crying for me. They said he had been fine all day before that.

Luckily, I was able to escape work quickly thanks to all my co-workers/moms helping me with my clients.

He was pretty pitiful when I arrived; feverish and crying. He cried all the way home and after we arrived. With a little medicine and some liquids, he began to recover.

And of course, when a 3 1/2 year old boy starts to recover, it is back to his typical antics. Running around, playing with his cars, and irritating his sister!

But as I figured, we are dealing with a magical virus.

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

When I checked on him around 11:30 pm, he was burning up again and breathing heavy. Thankfully, he took his medicine before requesting I sleep in his room. He was restless for quite awhile which meant neither of us slept very well.

Of course, this morning, he is fever-free and busily drawing me some very important pictures.

Who knows how long the disappearing fever will last, but I am very VERY thankful it was not any other type of virus. If you know what I mean!

This is actually our first round of sick this year. I really thought we were going to escape it at the rate we were going.

I am really really hoping no one else around here follows his lead!

Sorry, so FF's today. I am too tired!

But don't forget to come back Monday for the party!

Stacey

Gamers

Want to guess what my kids did not get for Christmas?





We do have a few kid-friendly electronics around here such as My First LeapPad, the new ClickStart My First Computer which Santa brought L for Christmas, and A's simple educational computer.

Otherwise, we are either depriving or blessing our children with our own technical ineptness!

I mean look how long it took me to get a digital camera!

And neither of us have anything that requires us to put ear buds in our ears. Although that I am not necessarily anxious to add that to my wish list for the simple reason that I truly believe there is going to be a whole generation of young people with early hearing loss. The studies are already coming out on college-age kids.

Now, let me say, I am not at all against the electronics that are available to our kids. They can hold purpose and fun when managed correctly.

I just get irked watching kids being led around by their parents while their eyes and hands are busy mastering a game. Or when they are eating at a restaurant with them. Or at church! Yep, seen that with my own eyes!

And don't even get me started about kids walking around having conversations with pacifiers stuck in their mouths!

Oops, off topic!

Are there times my kids watch too much tv in one sitting? Yep!

I am just avoiding the electronics overload for as long as I can!

I want our kids to know how to play, use their imagination, develop their motor skills, enjoy the outdoors.

It's about balance, right?

So before you pound on this non-techy gal :), I just want to say, it's all good! No worries! We can all live in peace!

HEY! WAIT! I got off the real purpose of this post!

Weren't they cute enjoying their "gameboys" that they made themselves?!

Stacey

Bon Appetit!

A asked me one day in November if she could cook a meal for the family.

What was odd, is that just a few weeks prior to that, I had been reading about someone's 8 year old daughter cooking her family pancakes.

She had been doing it for TWO.YEARS!

I thought maybe my undiagnosed Mommy-OCD was getting in the way of my daughter's practical development!

So, I said yes.

She planned the menu. And except for cooking the meat, she truly did most of the work. I assisted her in the kitchen, giving practical tips when it was necessary.

I can't say much more than that I was terribly proud of her!

Here was our meal that evening:

Cheeseburger patties; a salad consisting of carrots, broccoli, shredded cheese, and ranch dressing (which i must say was quite yummy!); peanut butter celery sticks; plain celery sticks (for her brother since he HATES peanut butter! seriously, is he my kid?)

Right after they took baths, we dug in to eat!


And with a smidgen of encouragement, she was even glad to leave me with a clean kitchen.


I think I will teach her how to clean bathrooms next!

Stacey

Down and out in Technoworld

Since I just got my first digital camera this past Christmas and I don't even have DVR yet, then you KNOW that purchasing a Insignia Bluetooth MP3 Player hasn't even occured to me yet!

Well, who needs to buy one if you can win it!

5M4M in conjunction with Best Buy are giving one away along with some really great headphones!

Go sign up and maybe one of us will win!

Stacey

Thank you!

I just wanted to say to everyone as a group,

THANK YOU!

Thank you for making my birthday a wonderful day! Thanks to those that trickled in with your good wishes after the party was over, thus helping me make the celebration last as long as possible!!

The day was a good one with yummy cake from my office, a beautiful new butterfly charm for my bracelet, dinner with my family, a new blender with some of my birthday money, Starbucks with a friend, and many, many wonderful calls, emails, and cards!

Oh, the cards! A few made me cry. Others made me laugh out loud!

And a few of you so sweetly lied through your teeth when you said how I totally did not look my age!

But what does age matter anyway?!

It was also a nice surprise to have both familiar and new faces show up here last Thursday! It is always fun to coax everyone out on special occasions!

And I believe someone will be especially happy they celebrated along with me!

Congratulations Jenna! I have a birthday goody bag for you to take home from the party!

Stacey

Enough to make me want to home school!

Well, not really, but I bet just reading that made some of you raise an eyebrow and cock your head a little.

And choke.

My kids' school runs its schedule with our local ISD. I totally understand that because many of those who teach at their school have kids of their own in the public schools.

However, it gets a little frustrating when my children only go to school M/T/TH and the holidays or days off typically fall on the 2 days that I work.

To top it off, I found out just as school was getting started again this month that the kids would be out of school not only today, but also tomorrow!

Seriously??!! Everyone just enjoyed a 2+ week vacation over the holidays!

It always makes me panic because finding childcare stresses me out. I have to work T/Th and this kind of stuff messes me all up.

I guess I shouldn't complain.

All the kids that actually go to a public school in the district have been out since last Thursday when they went half a day. That means they were in school 1.5 weeks and now have off 3.5 days! It has to do with our ill-managed school district messing with the schedule to accommodate "semesters" for the high school kids.

It disturbs me that school districts don't better manage their schedules in a way that is mindful of those families where both parents have to work.

Thank goodness for grandparents!

My kids are staying with his parents a few days to help out with our work schedule.

Stacey

p.s. This is in no way meant to be derogatory towards educators. I loooooooove all my teacher friends!! This is a school district problem.

It's Cooooooming!

Start making your plans to join the fun all next week!

See you there!

Stacey

FRIDAY FUZZY! Long, but worth it!

I am so excited to share this with you!

As you read, if you think you or someone you know would be interested in attending the conference, feel free to contact me with questions. While I am not directly involved in setting up the conference, I will be present and assisting as I am needed. If I don't know the answer, I will find out for you!

Many of you know that I am an occupational therapist. My main focus for over 10 years has been children. Over the years, I have worked with many wonderful professionals, children, and families. My place of employment has been consistent for those 10 years as well.

Hard to believe in a world of constant change, especially with jobs!

I came to my job as a young and eager therapist. I knew my passion was for children. I just needed a chance. God's hands were solely responsible for me finding this place and I consider it an honor and a blessing to be associated with it. I will always refer here and in other correspondence to my employer as my "boss", but you need to know that it is way more than that. This place, my "boss" have been a strong force in my life all these years. It is about loyalty, respect, and friendship for me as well. I say that now for several reasons, most of which are not the purpose of this post today. The reason that it is important right now is so that you will know that where I work is a small private practice. One that looks to empower children and families. One that values families, both our clients and our own. We don't toot our horns with claims of being more than what we are. We simply do what is best for our kids.

Here is my proof. Over the 10 years, I have gone from full-time to 2 days a week, in order to accommodate my family. I was fully supported in that decision by my boss. I have lived 5 minutes away, then 30, now 45 if all the moons line up and there is no traffic! I "quit" for a year to have my first baby, coming back periodically to help when I could. I did it again to have my son. As long as I live in this area, I won't even attempt to work at another pediatric practice closer to home.

Ok! Enough about me! Really I just wanted to give you a little background so you might understand my excitement over an event that is a first for us!!

At our office, we work with children and families dealing with many different things such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and torticollis. However, many of the children that come to see us for either occupational therapy or speech therapy fall into a few main categories; Sensory Integration dysfunction (this has many sub-categories I won't mention here!), Autism, Asperger's, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, Dyspraxia, visual-perceptual issues, and language/speech or auditory disorders.

We use many strategies to work with these children. Not one way is the right way every time. Like magicians, you must be ready with a variety of tricks in your bag. And although there are some treatment strategies or cures out there that we don't particularly endorse for most of our children, we understand that parents need to make choices that they feel is right at the time. Our job is to educate them the best that we can. I won't speak for "we" (although, I believe I am not the only one in our office who has embraced more of this thinking over time.), but I personally have stretched as a professional over the these last few years in terms of the impact that diet, nutrition, and environment have on our children. And while I do not believe these are cures, I do sincerely believe that changes in these areas can have a significant positive impact on our children. I hope you will respect that as my opinion because it is not my wish at this time to create an atmosphere of debate with this post. Discussion maybe, but not debate.

I really do have a single purpose with this post!!

In February, our office is hosting an incredible conference in the Dallas area. This is a wonderful opportunity for both professionals and parents to learn some amazing tools to work with their children. I believe this is the first time these speakers have come to this area. It will allow many who can't make it to the coastal sides of the US a chance to come and learn closer to home.

If you have not heard of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders, I encourage you to get started with a little background.

Here is some great information about the DIR/Floortime Model that they developed. We not only embrace and endorse it, but we have seen what it can do for children and their families.

You can read more about Floortime at the website dedicated to it.

To read more about the particular conference we are hosting, go here, then click to see the full brochure regarding the Dallas conference.

Thank you for enduring such a long post! Thank you for allowing me to feel comfortable in using my place as a forum for getting good things out to as many people as possible.

And I was thinking, if you are interested, I would be happy to start sharing information and ideas periodically that may be helpful to families that are dealing with special circumstances and their children. I had never really intended to use this site as a platform for what I do professionally, but it might be nice to share from time to time in a public service type way!

Happy Friday Fuzzies to all!
Stacey

SURPRIIIIIISE!

toooooo

ME!

Now before you think I am simply tooting my own >choke<38-year old>choke< horn, I am sharing the news because I want to celebrate with you!

Come join the party!

There will be


And lots of



My

will be there too!

Aren't they so cute!!

And I am sure my husband will come home with



It's come & go, so don't be afraid to just drop in and say hello!

In lieu of gifts, just leave a comment.

In fact......

To be honest, that is all I am asking for this year!

I love comments!

From everyone! Yes, even you shy people!

Surprise me!

You may end up being the one surprised! ;) ;)

Stacey

**HUSBAND ALERT! You now have 729 days to plan and execute the extravaganza for my BIG ONE!! Plus, a trip to Greece wouldn't be too bad either!

Whistle while you work, la la la la la la la!

About a month ago, a friend mentioned on online product that I might want to try.

My Reward Board

And since one of my goals is to create a responsibility system for my kids this year, we started our 15-day free trial last week. We still have this week to continue our free trial, but I am pretty sure I will be making the one-time purchase of $19.95 to keep it around forever.

Over the last few months, I have fretted over how to do "a system" for my kids. Since I have a slight tendency to err on the side of perfection, I could just see myself spending a whole lot of time planning, creating, and recreating the perfect system to include responsibilities, earnings, demerits, you name it!

There was bound to be many trees lost as I figured out what worked best.

And looked the cutest!

I was even set to use my brand new laminator for the job at hand.

So I checked it out, and it is true what they say, after just a few days, my kids are excited to be earning their happy faces! They have even been asking to do some of the things on their charts!

Now the week has not been perfect and I am certainly allowing for an adjustment period. Especially for some of the "Behavior" items I added to their charts such as "No whining". For instance, little man had a few sad faces added to his chart for no-no's this week, but I made sure he had opportunities to earn extra happy faces to make up for it.

The system is animated, talks to the kids, and has many features which would have taken me forever to put together myself. Some things you will find there include the "Can Do" charts, the piggy bank, reward coupons, goals sheet, games. There are many options already available to create the charts and reward coupons, but you can also add your own items or make adjustments to the coupons as needed. I love being able to make changes when I need to with a few simple clicks.

You can manage the system straight from the computer. However, since my kids are younger, I also posted a copy of their weekly chart on the fridge for quick reference. Then at some point each day, we go to the computer and they get to see me add all their happy faces to their charts!

In a short time, it has already cut down on the drama around here!

And on that point alone, it works for me!!

I hope you find it helpful too!

For more great tips, go to Rocks In My Dryer.

Stacey

Rumor has it....

you might want to stop by here on Thursday for some special fun!

And in my defense regarding #7, I present this.

If the writer's strike causes indefinite delays, or worse, a complete nixing of the appearances, I will not be held responsible for my actions!

Pencils will be broken people!

Stacey

Thank goodness! An excuse to be random!

I got tagged by Karla (or "Grace" as some may know her!) A LONG TIME AGO at Rose Cottage Lane for this little award going around.

So sorry it is taking me so long!!

Here are the RULES:

* Link to the person that tagged you.
* Post the rules on your blog.
* Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
* Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
* Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Now before I get started, everyone raise your right hand and repeat after me:

"I, ________, solemnly swear to not laugh at, be shocked by, nor hold against Stacey, any of the below stated facts. I promise to continue to visit and support her despite any awkward vibes I may feel after reading her facts. I will not remove her from my Google Reader as a way of punishing her for her random weirdness."

Allrightythen, let's get started!

7 Random and/or Weird Facts About Stacey

1. For 2 years, I would get a new job every 3-5 months.

2. I went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

3. I backpacked in Australia for 2 weeks.

4. I scuba dived at The Great Barrier Reef for 2 days.

5. I have had a body part pierced. (My father loves this one!)

6. I will rearrange/reload my dishwasher if someone else does it wrong.

And lastly, and quite possibly the sole reason for the oath, I give you my never-before-revealed random/weird fact.......

7. I developed a crush on "Pacey" at the age of 37.

Now to pass this along:
(I am trying to think of gals I have not tagged before!)

Mel
(my sweet new friend and a wise woman!)
Kathy
(a cool gal and great resource for green living!)
Staci
(b/c she needs to post more often!)
Shannon
(a real-life friend whose blog i just found!)
Bee
(cuz i need someone to be more random and weird than me-love ya b!!)
Lori
(a wonderful "virtual" friend and woman!)
Diann
(b/c we all miss her and i am hoping to intice her back again!)

"There she goes. There she goes again!"

As most of you know, my sweet baby girl turned SIX last week. That was a hard one for me, but one she was so very excited about!

And in holding fast to my belief that birthdays should be celebrated as long as possible-a day is simply not enough time!-I will share with you the events of her birthday week!

The morning of her birthday, we were a few minutes early for school, so we took a few pictures to get the day started right!


Wish, baby, wish!


She celebrated with her classmates by bringing fruit and cheese, along with stickers for everyone. Her special request was strawberries and I struggled to purchase that $5 package, but she is hard to resist! I added grapes, orange slices, and cubed cheese to the menu for a delicious and healthy birthday treat! She has several classmates with nut allergies and I personally could not bear knowing these kids were indulging on more sugar after the holiday!

Don't feel bad, I am not always a perfect mommy!

She got to order a grape slush from Sonic after I picked her and brother up from school! That is made out of real grapes, right?!!


And the day before, brother helped me pick out a simple cookie cake just to make sure her actual birthday day was pretty special! Oops, forgot to take picture before I removed the candles!


This was a highlight of her day! Daddy ordered some special flowers to be delivered to her while at school! It was funny listening to her tell the story of the delivery! Her favorite part? Getting to sign her name for the flowers! Oh to be a kid again!!


Her "all-girl roller skating party" (Yes, I am quoting her!) was this past Saturday. She did allow 2 exceptions; her brother and her boy cousin! It is a good thing since brother skated all of 5 minutes!

I must be honest here and tell you that this was my first relinquishing of birthday party control. Seriously, I love to plan and host their parties. I love to be creative as inexpensively as possible. And while it was nice to let go some responsibilities and just bring the cake and birthday girl, there were times when I simply wanted to tell that sweet and timid teenage girl to get on with it or move on over!

Some of my family came down on Friday evening, including the cake maker, my sister! For several years, she has assisted her MIL in her cake making and catering of weddings. She is now actually making some of the cakes herself these days as she aspires to sharpen her skills and turn it into a business of her own. After seeing the cake she did for her son last summer, I requested her services for my own birthdays this year.

I put in a tall order, but she did a great job! We kept taking pictures during the process and prior to transporting it, as we were not sure if it would still be standing after the road trip to the rink! And just so you will know, we figured out why we had the leaning skate and she will be perfecting her technique on the next version in February!

Here we have A. posing with the cake in the garage just in case! (Guess it doesn't really matter if I use her name in this post, seeing that her name is plastered all over the cake!!


PTL! We made it!!






Poor girl was winded from skating that it took two breaths to squelch the flames!


A.'s friends once again blessed her abundantly! So many neat things! Lots of artist stuff, a few Barbies, a few Ponies, and her very own first Webkin! Both she and brother have already made many princess portraits with this great Color Wonder Spray Paint Kit!


Once home, it did not take her long to dig into her new Barbie make-up/hair supplies!

(look at that sweet, chocolate-covered face of her cousin!)

To us, she will always be our princess!


Sorry, no action shots! Of her or me! Yes, I did put on some wheels and thoroughly enjoyed it! I wished I had more time, but maybe she and I will make it a girl night at the rink soon!

She had a great week topped off by a great party!

Stacey

** If you live in the OKC or surrounding area and would be interested in a custom cake at a reasonable price, I can put you in contact with my sister. They not only look good, but they taste yummy too! And that is important!

** The song in my title is in my head because I watched A. skate away with one of her friends as it played. I got it on video and I am sure it will make me cry one day.

FRIDAY FUZZIES!

Welcome to Friday Fuzzies 2008!

I have been working on my list in hopes of sharing some great new sites for your reading enjoyment! It was a killer trying to clean out and organize my computer's favorites section. Many sites got scooted over to Google Reader. I have not updated my Blogroll yet. I always like to wait until I present their FF to them.

I am only doing two today, so this will be easy!

The Bargain Shopper Lady
I rediscovered her in the midst of my clean sweep and I am so glad I did! I can't even tell you how many deals I have checked out thanks to her! She has a great site where she rounds up sales, deals, and coupons for you. It is almost like having a personal shopper! She also shares some great sites for low-cost items and coupons. I will be checking all those out as well! I so have to get back on my coupon kick. Go over and find a bargain. Tell her "hi" while you are there!

*********************************************

And in honor of my own little matey who thinks these guys are the next best thing since peanut butter.

Oh wait, he doesn't like peanut butter!

....since broccoli!

Yes, he prefers broccoli!

Speaking of vegetables that are good for us, I would like to introduce you to next recipient of Friday Fuzzy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado....

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
My kids are big fans of VeggieTales and their first big screen movie Jonah was no exception. We have the storybook of Jonah (the movie) and I love reading it with my son as he finishes the storylines. Three year old word tweaking is always entertaining!

When I learned the movie was coming out, I couldn't wait to start talking it up to him. Just this morning as he played some games on their website, he bopped along to the catchy tunes. He has the best facial expressions when he is singing!

The movie is out in theaters TODAY! I hope you will go enjoy it as a family. We need to make sure we are supporting these types of kid-friendly movies.

And don't forget to check out their website where you can win stuff or join their fan club.

And I know you won't want to miss THIS! My kids looked at me a little strange as I jerked my head around to the music. If they only knew!

Happy Friday Fuzzies to all!
Stacey

Fun stuff!

Before Christmas, Christi over at Bon Bon Boutique announced she was have a 50% off sale at her Etsy store Swanky Ta-Da!.

You already know that I love her site where she shares so many wonderful crafty ideas! I had been eyeing her store for awhile and jumped on the chance to get a few things at a great price!

She was so patient with my first PayPal purchase. She even combines all the products for one shipping cost.

Look at my trinkets!


These are her smaller square trays with paper decoupaged in them. One is for next Christmas as I try out my new favorite fun colors together! The other with blue and brown will match my bedroom if I can ever finish it!


These are a wedding gift for a friend's daughter. It was so hard to decide! But I adore the post-it note holder with the metal adornement and stand. And isn't the matching tray too cute!


Another great item I really wanted! This is a framed magnet board you can hang up or set on the counter. She decoupaged the magnet section and included cute magnets!

It was sooooo hard to make decisions because everything is cute!

Her sale ends January 15th.

Head over soon before it is all gone! It's worth it!

Stacey

Tooth Cute!

Over the Thanksgiving break, we discovered that A had her first loose tooth.

So, I kept bugging her to let me take lots of close-up pictures.

I knew it was a race against the clock before this sweet face





turned into this one!



I think she was in a little shock after it actually came out. We had been encouraging her to wiggle it since Thanksgiving, and even more so the last few weeks when we discovered her permanent tooth was already attempting to upstage the baby! At the point I got hold of it last week, it was not hanging on by much. You can tell she is mesmerized by her new look.

Brother was pretty amazed by the whole process too! So much so, he is convinced he also has a loose "toof". And of course, he wanted a gander at the blood!


We are glad to report that we got word to the Tooth Fairy just in time! She is keeping the tooth safe, and in return, left a lovely note of encouragement along with a $1 bill!

As for me, I kept it together. I held her face a lot, told her how proud I was of her, and gave her extra hugs that night.

Ok, so maybe the hugs were for me!

Stacey

Celebrating you!

The moment I had longed for was finally here,


You captured my heart each day of that year.


Running ahead, you tried to catch four


Six found you today and blessed me some more.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY~ You are such a precious girl and I am so thankful you were the first gift God sent to us!

I love you!
Mommy

Teaching your children values- Introduction & Month 1

Two of my goals for 2008 were to help my children (and myself!) learn a value each month, as well as begin to memorize bible verses.

Many years ago, before I even had children, I heard Richard Eyre speak. I loved hearing what he had to say and went on to read several books he and his wife had written. If you don't know Richard and Linda Eyre, I highly encourage you to discover them.

They did raise 9 kids!

They also have another great website called Values Parenting. If you go there, you will find much of the prep work is done for you. If nothing else, it is a great resource to fill in the gaps! I just found the website myself!

Teaching Your Children Values can be a valuable resource if you are looking to begin this in an organized manner with your family. They have done a great job providing stories, definitions, and activities for different age groups.

They have outlined 12 values and worked them into a monthly schedule. I will be using most of the ones they have presented in the book (I am skipping the fidelity and chastity one for now.), however I am rearranging them according to what I feel we are most needing at the time. And we may do some repeats!

Each month, I will share with you the quick summary of what will be on my fridge. Use it if you like or change it up to make it work for your family. The ideas are simply snapshots of activities you can do with your kids. I would encourage you to find this book on Amazon, at your church, or your local library.

One more thing, the activities below are for preschool age children. There are more activities listed in the book for elementary ages and adolescents.


PEACEABILITY

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

* Create a peaceful atmosphere in home
* Set an example & commit to calmness
* Teach by praise

* Calm Couch- a place for child to go if upset, fussy, loses temper
* Repenting Bench- a place for child if fighting physically or verbally; to get off, must tell what he did, repent, ask forgiveness
* Silly contests- who can go the longest without moving or speaking
* Magazine game- identify feelings and when it is ok to have them
* Define temper- create a visual with a pan of cool water (touch it), then have water boil on stove and discuss what happens
* Counting to ten- a strategy
* Harmony game- use musical instruments to demonstrate what is and isn't harmonious; compare to people
* Color game- cut out 2 people shapes (red-temper/impatience) (pastel-control/peace); give situations and describe how each would respond.

* Bible verses (These are the verses I have chosen for January.)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

Be at peace with each other. Mark 9:50

Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart... Colossians 3:15

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:8

Stacey

No really, just one more thing....

I promised Megan and Christy I would tell everyone about this great idea they had! I already spoke of it before here, but wanted to mention them again because, well, it involves free stuff to help you bling out your blog!!

So be sure to head over this week. The contest runs until January 6th and winners are announced the next day!

I will be one of them, of course! :)

I will keep the link over on my sidebar to remind you!

Tell your friends!

Stacey

I'm sorry, the number you have reached is temporarily out of service. Please hang up and try again.

No, you have not reached this message in error!

I am taking a posting break for a few days to manage some bloggy business around here. I will be working on a few of my blog-related goals for 2008, as well as preparing some future posts.

These things take time and I don't want to be worried, wondering at the same time if I am entertaining you with my charm and wit! ;)

I will be back on Monday!

Stacey

Mayday! Mayday!

Does anyone know Tooth Fairy morse code?

We need to get her a message!

Stat!

She has a new little girl to add to her route tonight.

Now if you will excuse me, Mommy needs to go have a tiny emotional breakdown.

Stacey

p.s. more later!

Life Goals for 2008

I may be crazy for doing this, but here I am saying, "Hold me accountable!"

I could narrate in detail the why's of all my 2008 Goals, but I won't.

At least not today.

I know all this is realistic for me, but it will involve buckling down and focusing on my priorities. I have to. They are that important to me.

The resounding theme for my life this past year has been "I have a lot to do!" I don't want to feel that way a marjority of the time this year, especially in the way I felt it this past year. The remorseful thought for my life this past year has been centered around how quickly my children are growing and changing and how I let so many little moments slip through my fingers. And my heart!

I saw this on someone else's post today and it spoke to me as well.



More than anything, I want to make each day count!

I can't do that when I am worried or stressed over silly things too much of the time. Several years ago, I realized and acknowledged that I will go through seasons of my life where my priorities and abilities change. They have to! Unfortunately, I continued to think I could do all and be all; the super woman, the super mom.

That thinking is not truth. It is actually the type of thinking Satan uses to bind many women (ME!) and keep them from being.

Being still.

Being His.

Being for Him.

I know the year won't be perfect. I know I won't be perfect. I know I may not attain all my goals in the way I would like-

100%!

Yesterday!

But I don't want to be afraid to say it out loud and put forth my best effort towards these goals.

I will try to come back and update you as often as I can as I make each day count in 2008!

Health
* Exercise 3 times a week.
(2x/week
* Do back stretches 2 times a week.
* Stretch 5 times a week.
(yes; my general stretching has helped my back.)
* 25 sit-ups & 25 push-ups 5 times a week.
(yes)
* Increase organic and/or natural food purchases to 80% of total food purchases.
(in progress)
* Increase food purchases from local growers, farmer's markets.
* Minimize sugar intake.
(in progress)
* Minimize caffeine intake.
(only necessary coffee-lifeblood!-in morning.)
* Take supplements daily.
(yes)
* Go to bed by 11 PM 4 nights a week.
(probably more like 3 right now.)
* Eliminate 80% of plastic food storage containers.
(in progress)
* Eliminate 80% of "Made in China" purchases.
(trying, but it is stinking hard!)

Faith
* Read Bible or work on a study 4 times a week.
(probably more like 1x/week.)
* Have prayer and quiet time every day.
(prayer yes, quiet time no.)

Home
* Implement and maintain a general household cleaning routine; daily, weekly, monthly.

Family
* Implement a responsibility system for kids.
(yes; gaining momentum with it.)
* Implement a "value of the month" for kids.
(yes; kids enjoy it.)
* Implement a "verse of the week" for kids.
(yes; we have memorized 4 verses at this point!)
* Implement daily quiet time for kids.
* Create a family schedule.
* Spend at least 15 minutes alone with each child daily.
(yes, but only several times a week at this point.)
* Play with both kids together daily doing purposeful (and fun!) activities.
(yes, but mostly on non-school days.)
* Have a special activity with each child individually once a month.
* Read the bible with kids daily.
* Work on academic activities with kids for 1 hour on Wednesdays and Fridays.
(yes)
* Continue monthly coop schedule; 2 Saturdays out, 1 Saturday keep kids.
(yes!)

Organization
* Organize and transfer all video tapes to DVD/CD's.
* Organize all pictures.
* Transfer all pictures to CD's.
* Clean out and organize computer files.
(in progress)
* Clean out/organize and back up all computer files once a month.
* Clean out and organize email accounts.
(MET!)
* Maintain clean and organized email accounts weekly.
(yes)
* Purge and organize office/paperwork.
(in progress)
* Maintain office organizational system monthly.

Internet
* Begin writing paid posts on blog.
* Label and organize blog posts.
(yes, most of them are done; what a pain!)
* Update and reorganize blog categories.
(yes)
* Update blog site or change to new one completely.
(yes! i love my new look!)
* Clean out and update "favorites" list.
(MET!; again, a pain!)
* Learn how to "sweep" online contests quickly.
(i think i found the trick; will update you later!)
* Check emails 3 times a day.
(most days; in progress.)
* Check and read Google Reader in evenings after kids are in bed.(weekdays)
(in progress)
* Work on own blog posts/management 1 hour a day and after kids are in bed.(weekdays)
(much better; in progress)

Hobbies
* Begin and finish Luke's 1st year scrapbook.
* Begin 2nd year scrapbook for Anysa and Luke.
* Begin using current picture scrapbooks.

Financial
* Re-examine budget with husband.
(in progress)
* Develop a plan to maintain budget guidelines for family.
(in progress)
* Develop debt-reduction plan for 2008.
(in progress)
* Be 80-100% debt-free by December 31, 2008.

Work
* Update all work reports.
(in progress)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Stacey