This time it went too far

Reposted blog entry from April 6, 2008

I don’t plan to go grocery shopping only once a month. I just tend to wait until my fridge looks like Mother Hubbard’s before I break down and perform the dreaded task.

This morning my fridge held 2 eggs, a bag of shredded mozzarella, a head of cabbage and various condiments. Even though I had no bread or milk, I wasn’t worried. We still had some canned soup, dried pasta, frozen veggies and a bag of chicken breasts in the freezer. (I’m sure there’s got to be something you can make out of sugar, flour and salt too, right?)

But after I went to the bathroom this morning and discovered a little too late that we were COMPLETELY out of toilet paper, I realized this had gone too far. Some things just won’t wait until you feel like dragging the kids to the store.

I know there are support groups for shop-a-holics, but is there any help for me?

 

"Where’s the Beef?"

Herping

I chose the house we are renting in Alabama mostly based on the fact that there is a creek that runs across the back of the property.  And as I had hoped, the kids were in love with it from the day we moved in.

 

Weekend before last, the kids and I went down there again.  I had brought a bucket and trowel in hopes of bring back a few ferns for planting, but when we got to the creek, we quickly discovered an abundance of tadpoles, frogs, and little fish that needed catching and subsequent transportation to their new home on our deck.  Of course the kids were more than happy to provide them safe passage with my bucket.

 

 

(Don't tell anyone, but I think I may have had more fun that the kids. :))

Way too cool!

Reposted blog entry from Apr 7, 2008

Since my husband has been gone [to USAF Weapons School], I take random videos of parts of the kids lives so that he can still feel a part of what’s going on here. I took a video last month of Daniel reading his bedtime story and posted it on YouTube so my husband could share in this precious time.

Yesterday, I got an email from a friend of the author. The author saw the video and was touched and wanted to get into contact with us. Here is a copy of the email. I believe the friend who sent me this email is the Mary Bloom that the author wrote about in another one of her books. Way too cool!

~
Date: Mon Apr 7 07:28:32 2008
From: Mary Bloom
To: Wendy
Subject: Copy of Aliki’s Email

Hi Wendy,

This is the note she sent to me originally to me, my response and then her response.

Please send her a note when you have time,

Mary Bloom

~
From: aliki brandenberg
Date: April 6, 2008 3:40:02 PM EDT
To: Mary Bloom
Subject: RE: What a way to start my day today!

Hi Mary,

Tim found it., I loved it. I loved that patient mother, doing all the right things. I loved that little boy fidgiting, trying so hard, and the questions he asked. I loved when he said "what’s aware"? his mother let him read the answer. I loved looking into their very private reading time together, behind my back. I loved that it wasn’t an ad for the book, that it was about READING TOGETHER. I have to get me a video name (and new address?) I wish I could write to them. xo

~
Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2008 21:06:22 -0400
From: littlebrowndog
Subject: Re: What a way to start my day today!
To: alikibrandenberg

How did you find it. It’s amazing to see since it shows you first hand how important your work is.

Mary Bloom

http://marybloom.com

~

On Apr 5, 2008, at 1:22 PM, aliki brandenberg wrote:

What a way to start my day today!

~
From: Ham4ut
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2008 23:01:34 -0400

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRQZ6ghz9DE
Click on this link for a surprise!
 

Livestock

The other day I joked that when I call myself a crunchy mom, it has less to do with watching what we eat and more to do with watching where we walk.  Seriously, my kids can take the house from tidy to trashed in 60. Our floor is not to be walked in the dark (sometimes not even in the light).  Little toys will either meet their doom, or possibly cause you to meet yours.

My mother has often told me of when my brothers and sister were younger and how no matter how much she cleaned, she could not keep her house tidy. The house could get and stay perfectly neat until the kids got home from school. Then a sweater was thrown over the back of the couch. Shoes were kicked off in the middle of the floor. School books and papers were tossed on the counter. Crumbs were scattered around the table and chairs left out from an after-school snack.

Expressing her frustration to God while she sat with her Bible during prayer one day, she turned to Proverbs 14:4, which says, Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. (KJV)  Or as applied to her situation, If you didn't have children, the house would stay clean: but the life and love children bring is worth not having a clean house. She was quite comforted by that thought.

I am not so enlightened.  When I read that verse, I think to myself, Exactly!  Like bulls in a china shop.  They are animals and the house is only clean when they are not in it!