June 30th. Yeah!! My crazy-busy month is almost officially over.

Now the fun, (and I mean fun) begins. This is the first time in my life that I've had the summer to spend with my boys without the distraction of employment, whether it be at the office or doing daycare.

Mitchell commented yesterday that, "Mommy, you spend a lot more time outside at the acreage than you did at our other house."

"Yes. I do. It's more fun here. It's easier to be outside here." I replied.

We have all been spending lots of time outside . . . working. But I'm loving this work. Although the weeds never seem to cease growing, it's actually fun to be "tidying up" the outside. I can't say that about the inside of my house though--it's pretty messy right now. But I'll clean it up later.

On Monday my dad is coming over to help Wayne work on our basement renos. We have to put in new drywall 2 feet from the floor up around the perimeter of the basement, due to ground water seepage as well as our sewage backup which occurred a few months back. Once the drywall has been re-installed and the mudding and sanding is complete, I get to paint! I've chosen a color called Denim. It looks just like it sounds, so no explanation is needed there. After the painting is done I get my new flooring--a maple laminate which I love.

Although I am grateful that we are able to recreate the entire basement, I'm a bit frustrated by the fact that we have to do this. The flooring prior to the water problems was pretty nice. The room was totally functional and we were living in it just fine. Now it must change. Not because I want it to. But because it has to.

Oh well. Such is life.

My Five-Year-Hair-Plan

I used to think ponytails were a cop-out. Let me clarify. My hair is currently closest to the longest it's ever been. (My picture on the sidebar was taken 6 months ago and my hair has grown quite a bit since then). I'm so happy that it's finally growing despite the painful course of stress it's had to endure over the last 10 years (see my RAD posts for more info on that statement).

I've been wearing it in a ponytail for two days now and I'm loving the fact that I can actually do this. My thoughts on ponytails have changed in the past while. I used to see women with ponytails and think to myself . . . Oh, bad hair day. They had to resort to a ponytail. Or . . . Oh, she didn't have time to do her hair today so all she can do is wear a ponytail. Well, I now fit into those categories and understand the whole ponytail thing. I understand that when your hair is longer, it may actually take more time to get it perfect if you resort to trying to style it with a rounded brush (to straighten it) or a curling iron (to, obviously, curl it). But a ponytail is so much easier to "do". There's no styling involved. That's the beauty of it.

Usually by this time in the summer I'm ready to cut all my hair off and go bald because of the heat. But now that I'm able to wear a ponytail, I don't find myself getting as hot, because I can pull all the hair away from my face and neck and get it out of the way. Beauty.

My plan is to grow my hair as long as I can until I'm 40 and then I'll decide at that point whether or not to cut it short again. I'm turning 35 in August, so that gives me a good 5 years to get super-long hair. (I guess you could call it my Five-Year-Hair-Plan). I've never had super-long hair. When I was a child I had super-short hair. My mom said it was easier that way. And from her perspective, I can see her point. After all, I was the youngest of 5 girls, plus I had one younger brother that she was caring for. Why on earth would she have wanted to make me look feminine by giving me long hair? She had my older sisters to do that with. No, I'm not bitter. I just want a chance at having long hair.

Interested In Reading More?

I've noticed that I've had quite a bit of new traffic passing through my blog recently, and I just wanted to let my new readers know that I have another blog, which is private. My other blog chronicles my journey as the stepmother of Thomas, who is now 16 years old. Thomas was 6 years old when I married Wayne and, without going into great detail, being his stepmother has been a challenge. Thomas has Reactive Attachment Disorder as well as some other psychological issues, and My Life is RADical addresses (mainly) his RAD diagnosis.

I've been posting on this topic since the middle of April, and I try to add a new post each week. These posts are sort of like my "testimony" as the mother of a RAD child. My current readers have been very supportive and urge me to keep sharing my story. My primary reason for the blog is to educate people on Reactive Attachment Disorder from the perspective of someone who has experienced it first-hand.

If you would like to have access to my other blog, please go to View My Complete Profile on my sidebar (to the right) and from there, click on e-mail at my profile page. This will connect you to my e-mail address, and all you need to do is send me quick note requesting that you would like to read My Life is RADical. Then I'll send you an invitation. I'll need your (Google) e-mail address and that's about it.

I hope you will join me as I continue to share my story. What I share is very honest and real; probably shocking and scary to some. But being the stepmother of a child with RAD has been so much a part of my life that it has made me into who I am today. If you want to know the real me, it's worth the read. For new readers, "getting the whole story" will take some time. There are 17 posts prior to today's. I highly recommend that you go back to my archives and start from the beginning. Everything will make a lot more sense if you do that, rather than starting with today's post and working backwards.

F.Y.I.
Today's post on My Life is RADical is entitled, "My Kid is RAD: Part 11-- Another Nervous Breakdown, a Death and a Good-bye".

Don't Dis Your Mama!

Yesterday's post spurred me on to write on another topic concerning my boys . . . and that is the matter of respect. There are times that I feel I do not get the respect I deserve from them and it is very frustrating to say the least. I very often will ask myself, Where did I go wrong? Are other mothers feeling this way too? Why does it seem like mine are the only children in the whole, entire universe not obeying their mother?????!!!!!!

There are days, many days, where I feel I'm getting the short end of the stick. Wayne intervenes whenever possible, but the boys conveniently behave better when their dad is around than when he's not. Go figure. In any case, I've developed a strategy that seems to be working.

We now have a "Bad Attitude Chair". This chair is in our dining room/living room area and has been specifically designated as the chair of discipline. As soon as the boys raise their voice to me, try to argue with me about senseless things, argue with each other, or are just basically not obeying, they have to sit in this chair. The first time Ty had to sit in the chair he managed to move it across the room from one end to the other, just by wrenching his body while in a state of despair. And I mean despair. He was so upset over the fact that I made him sit in this chair--he was on it for a very l-o-n-g time because he wouldn't calm down. Eventually he did calm down and once he carried out the criteria to leave the chair, he was a much happier, cooperative, agreeable boy.

The criteria required to leave the chair is as follows:

1. Calm down; regain control. Crying and carrying on will only lead to a longer time on the chair.
2. Depending on the offence, the time limit on the chair varies. I don't think the boys have realized this yet, but the sooner they cooperate with me and get on the chair and the sooner they are calm and quiet, the sooner they will exit the chair. (I do, however, have a minimum 5-minute time limit that I've set no matter how quickly they calm down).
3. Once they've calmed down and have had time to reflect on what just happened, they are allowed to call me over, explain to me why they were sent to the chair in the first place, and apologize for their behavior. Not that my kids are in total control of their lives (they're not--that's what parents are for), I think for their ages (6 and 7), but the fact that they determine the length of their stay on the chair pursuant to their behavior while on the chair is beneficial. They are actually being held responsible for how long their discipline lasts based on improved behavior.
4. This all ends in a huge hug and "I love you."

I'm no perfect parent. But since this is working for me, I thought there might be other moms out there who could benefit from my experience of using the "Bad Attitude Chair". Since implementing this strategy, Ty's been on the chair twice and Mitchell's been on it once. And believe it or not, the level of respect seems to have increased considerably. While the boys don't enjoy the chair, they seem to understand the importance of it and maybe have even begun to consider how to avoid sitting in it.

My Own Personal Wonder Years

This month has been really busy. But it's been busy with my boys, and that makes the busyness all worthwhile. I feel so privileged to be able to attend field trips with my boys; to help out at their track-and-field; to volunteer in their classroom; to be casually employed where they go to school; to watch them play sports; to see them revel in our great outdoors; to attend birthday parties with them; to plan parties for them.

I am so blessed! I almost feel guilty for being able to have shared this month with them in such abundance. Not all moms have these opportunities. Next year will be much different for us, since Ty will be moving on to grade one and therefore will be at school every day instead of just every-other-day.

Wayne and I watched an episode of The Wonder Years this afternoon before he had to go to work and I cried when it was over. The name of the episode was Mom Wars, and it was about Kevin and his mom "letting go" of each other. Well, it was about Kevin being frustrated by his mother's "mothering" of him, and her having to come to terms with the fact that her baby son was growing up. I saw so much of myself in Norma Arnold (the mother) and could totally relate to her feelings. I have a tendency to do that. I get emotionally involved with the characters on T.V. shows or movies. It's ridiculous, but I've always been this way. Remember The Littlest Hobo? Well, I even related to the dog in that show! I was always crying at the end of The Littlest Hobo. I felt sorry for Hobo because he never knew where he'd be going next, where his next meal would come from, or how much he was loved and appreciated for his acts of heroism.

Anyways, not that I want to go off on a tangent about T.V. show characters, but watching The Wonder Years made me nostalgic for my boys' youth. They're not that old yet, but I'm already dreading the day that they "grow up" for good. Do you know what I mean? I'm not dealing well with this now . . . how will I ever face reality in the years ahead? And believe me, I certainly do not want to be an overbearing mother to my adult children, unable to cut-the-apron strings so-to-speak. But I can't help but feel a bit sad today as I reflect on how my boys are growing up so quickly. Ty's had tremendous growth this year in his ability to "let go" of me. Mitchell's getting better and better at that concept all the time. And although Thomas and I have not experienced a deep mother-son connection, he is still so dear to me and I see him branching out and growing up too. He has a job for Pete's sake! I didn't have a job until I was 18 years old. He's only 16 and he's already working.

Before Wayne realized I was crying as a result of the show, he said, "Honey, do you think you could learn a few things from this episode?" Oh, could I ever! And once Wayne did realize how much the show had affected me, he just held my in his arms and let me cry about how sad I was that the boys have to grow-up. I would imagine that in the years ahead of us he'll be required to do this a whole lot more!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

A couple of posts back I referred to the large number of weeds invading our acreage. Fortunately, this week I've been able to tackle some of them. In the whole scheme of things (i.e. our 17 acres) I've made an eensy, weensy, teeny, tiny dent in our weed problem. However, I started doing something about it, and that makes me happy. No, thrilled. And believe it or not, weeding was actually therapeutic for me. And it was a time of bonding for Ty and I. I was hoeing . . . Ty was picking up the weeds and piling them up to be destroyed later. Mitchell missed out on this because he was at school, but he's helped out other times and really seems to enjoy it. Now, if only I had 7 more kids we could really get somewhere with this mess! Just kidding.

Thanks, AMY!

I received the Blogger Reflection Award from my blogger friend Amy yesterday. This is what she had to say about me (please note: I feel kind of stupid posting what someone else said about me, but I think I'm supposed to include it prior to announcing my recipients of this award):

Kimmy: I felt an instant connection with her. We are still getting acquainted, but I knew we would be friends. She's fairly new to Blogville so be sure and stop by and say Hi! She's open and honest with her feelings. I like that. I feel comfortable sharing my struggles with her and know that she understands. I'm never judged by what I say, only encouraged. I know she prays and is concerned just like a friend would be. Just by reading her blog you can tell what a huge heart she has for others. She's a committed mom and I enjoy reading about her boys. She shares what she is learning from her devotions and books she is reading. You never know if one of her posts is exactly what God wants for you that day! I would love to meet Kimmy. I have a feeling I would be welcomed with open arms.

Please follow these rules. I am allowed to choose five (and only 5) who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted me in some way, and have been a Godly example to me. Five bloggers who when I reflect on them I get a sense of pride and joy… of knowing them and being blessed by them.

So here, in alphabetical order are my choices:

Amy: Laughing Through The Tears. Amy nominated me, which means she's received this award from someone else as well. But really, Amy, how could I not nominate you back? You are an incredible woman. I'm not exactly sure how Amy and I got connected in Blogville, but I think it had something to do with a contest I entered at Christian Women Online. Amy left a comment after my blog entry so I checked out her site, and well, the rest is history. We began to e-mail because we had some similar interests, and I now anticipate reading her blog everyday. It's one of my favorites, because the name of her blog truly sums up who she is. Despite physical hardship, Amy continues to laugh. She seeks God for her strength and He is her source of help and hope. Amy, thank you for all the heart-felt comments and prayers you have sent up on my behalf. You are very special to me and I'm grateful that God led me to you in this unique way. Enjoy your double-dose of fame as you accept this award that you are oh-so-worthy of receiving. Blessings to you, my friend!

Becky: Just a Little Smoother in Your Hand. I've known Becky in "real life" for quite some time. She and I worked at Bible camp together many years ago. She was a really good friend of my brother's and so I have had the privilege of actually knowing this blogger face-to-face. We don't see each other in person very often (actually, never), but reconnecting with her via blogging has been a huge blessing to me. Becky is very fun. Her enthusiasm for life and the world around her is contagious. Her blog is about real life . . . pains and struggles, joys and triumphs. Becky has passed on lots of encouragement to me through her blog and comments, and I am thrilled to pass on this award to her. Hers is one of the first blogs I had ever read, and in some ways I can give her part credit for my inspiration to start my own blog. She's also a huge Grey's Anatomy fan and I love reading her posts pertaining to the show. Thanks, Becky! You are one-in-a-million!

Carol: Song of Joy. Another blogger that I know in "real life". Carol was my best friend in high school and I have many fond memories of our years together. We don't see each other that often, but when we do, we reconnect instantly. I think that's partly because of our blogs . . . we can connect effectively because we've been reading about each other on a regular basis. Carol is an example of true perseverance through the testing of her faith. She's faced tragic loss only to come back a conqueror. Carol is a dedicated friend and is a great listener. Her blog is written from her heart and she writes on various topics; whatever is on her mind, really. She too was an inspiration for me to start blogging, and in the beginning of my blogging days, I'm sure she was one of the few people who actually read what I had to say. Thanks, Carol. You brighten up my life!

E-mom: Chrysalis. One of my first "random" selections from Christian Women Online led me to this amazing lady. She always amazes me with her informative and well-researched posts about modern topics that spark interest and many times, introspection. I love checking out E-mom's blog because I know that I will come away from it a better person; a more knowledgeable person. At the end of her posts, E-mom always asks her readers a question regarding what they've just read. I have received just as much insight from the comments left by other readers as I have by E-mom's posts. And something I truly admire about E-mom is her ability to reply to every comment left on her blog, and I think she comments on almost every post of mine she reads as well. I'm thinking . . . when do you have the time to do this, E-mom? You're amazing. I've been so encouraged by this woman of God and always look forward to reading what she's got to say. Thank you so much, E-mom. Huge hugs are being sent your way!

Kristy: The Most Exciting Thing We've Ever Done. Have you ever wished you could meet face-to-face the people you've come across in Blogville? Well, I have, and at the top of my list is this great lady! I don't even know how I came across her blog, but I'm so thankful I did. Kristy is such an example to me in the way of Godly living. Her attitude towards life blows me away. She strikes me as being truly joyful. And I don't just mean happy. She has the joy of the Lord in her life and it emulates from everything she does. Her blog inspires me, but her friendship, care and concern are what I've come to appreciate about her the most. We've only been connecting a few months and I hope to continue for years to come. Kristy's blog is a place for her to write about her up-and-coming adoption of Ellie Grace, as she and her husband and children await for their referral from China to make this dream a reality. My prayers are with you, Kristy, as you continue to pursue this dream. Thanks for being such an encouragement to me through your blog and especially through your comments. May you experience God's fullest blessings in the days to come. Sending more joy your way . . .

I Don't Believe It!

It's been several days since I've posted anything. This is abnormal for me. But I've been really busy with stuff on the acreage, stuff with the boys, stuff with . . . stuff.

I can't believe it, but I really have nothing to say. I must be in a blogging brain freeze or something. I'm not inspired to write. I just spent the last 2 1/2 hours writing my RAD kid post on my other blog and now my brain is fried.

Maybe inspiration will come to me in one form or another over the weekend. Sorry to disappoint you, but I've got nothing else to say right now.

Unbelievable. I know.

June as a Fly-By

This month has been (and continues to be) a very busy month. It seems that just yesterday Wayne and I were planting our garden, waiting in anticipation for everything to sprout. Well, sprout it has, and we're well on our way to what we hope to be a great harvest. With this being our first real try at vegetable rearing, I was a bit skeptical that anything would actually emerge from the seeds we planted, but here we are, 3 weeks later, and the garden is doing well. So are the weeds, unfortunately, which seems to be where I should be spending every spare moment of my time these days . . . tending to the weeds and ensuring a good crop of vegetables. But, so much of my time has been demanded elsewhere this month. Here's a run-down of what I've been up to and where I'm still headed in the month of June.

The beginning of June was spent finishing up the garden planting. We celebrated my nephew's 18th birthday on June 3rd, followed by Ty's kid's birthday party on June 4th. June 5th was Ty's actual birthday, and of course we couldn't let that day pass by without another party. On June 9th Thomas came to visit us for the day and on June 10th we celebrated another birthday of one of our favorite 2-year olds, Daniel. Somewhere in there I volunteered at the school for a day, and on June 14th was Mitchell and Tyrone's Track and Field. I was a group leader for Mitchell's age. On June 16th Mitchell had a ball tournament. Mixed throughout the 2 weeks just described, Mitchell also had 2 ball practises, 3 ball games and 4 soccer games. Yesterday was Father's Day, and a great time was had by all celebrating that occasion. Today the school brought in a musical group (HOJA) to perform for the kids and community members, which I attended. Tomorrow (19th) is Awards Afternoon at school. Ty also has a birthday party to attend after school. Wednesday evening (20th) Mitchell and Tyrone, together with their classmates are having a Drama Nite for their parents. On Thursday (21st) I'm working. On Saturday (23rd) we've been invited to two weddings (although we've opted not to attend either). On Sunday (24th) my niece and two nephews are getting baptized. On Monday (25th) I'm going on a field trip with my boys to watch Shrek 3 and have a picnic in the park. On the 26th I've got a meeting to attend in the afternoon. I get to go on another field trip on Wednesday the 27th to a lake and waterslide, and on June 29th is Grade 12 Graduation at our school. We also attended (or will attend) church each Sunday, with ministry involvements in each Sunday except 2 of them. Talk about a full life!

After putting that all down in written form I now understand why I am feeling tired. But I've enjoyed everything now behind me and look forward to all that lies ahead for the rest of this month. I'm so thankful that I am able to participate in activities at the school with my boys. They think it's great and so do I.

Now, if only those weeds in the garden would take care of themselves!

Animal Dads: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Reflections on My Dad

Okay, before I begin with my "Animal Dads" segment, I must pay tribute to my own dad, Reuben. My dad is turning 79 this year, and I'm turning 35. That means he was 44 years old when I was born, and as I was growing up, many people mistook me for his granddaughter rather than his daughter. I'm thinking that must have been mighty embarrassing for him at times. I have no recollection of him with any hair color other than gray or white. I sort of resented the fact that I had an older father until I moved away from home and could appreciate his wisdom and experience a whole lot more. My dad is the best dad in the whole wide world. He worked hard for his family when I was growing up, and still does. . . . even at the age of (almost) 79, he does the circuit around the homes of his children and helps them with renovations, yard projects and entertaining the grandchildren. My dad is funny without trying. Our family has been known to laugh hysterically for extended moments over comments he makes or things he does, when he isn't even trying to be funny. Playing the game Balderdash with him is particularly hilarious . . . his definitions are priceless. My dad is a man of God and I know he prays for each of his children, their spouses and grandchildren consistently. He is a source of encouragement and unconditional love. He is accepting and generous. I love my dad!

To My Husband

At this time I must also pay tribute to my husband, Wayne, who, despite many hardships in parenting Thomas for many years without the help of a wife, continues to amaze me everyday with his dedication and devotion to his family. He works hard for us so that we can have our needs met, plus more. He's fun, spontaneous and full of stories. He's interested in his boy's activities and spends time with them, doing things they enjoy. And he teaches them in the ways of manhood whenever possible.

Thank you, God (my Heavenly Father), for blessing me with an earthly father and a husband, both of which I am so proud to call mine.

Now, onto the ANIMAL DADS segment of my post. I hope you enjoy this!

Animal Dads

Most animals never even see their parents! Many never meet their fathers and some never meet their mothers, either. Some insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles hatch from fertilized eggs and face life completely alone. When animals are raised by parents, it's most often the mother who does the rearing. But we found some unusual animal dads.

Catfish: A father sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch. He will not eat until his young are born, which may take several weeks.

credit: Daesaeng Corporation

Cockroach: A father cockroach eats bird droppings to obtain precious nitrogen, which he carries back to feed his young.

Duck: Most male ducks live as bachelors, but the ruddy duck of North America helps care for his young.

Earthworms: Since earthworms have both male and female sex organs, every earthworm can be both a mother and a father! Animals that have both male and female organs are called hermaphrodites.

Frog: The male Darwin frog hatches his eggs in a pouch in his mouth. He can eat and continue about his business until his tadpoles lose their tails, become tiny frogs, and jump out of his mouth!

Monkey: Marmosets are tiny South American monkeys. The fathers take care of their babies from birth. When the marmoset is born, the father cleans it, then carries it to the mother only when it needs to be nursed. When the baby can eat solid food, the father will feed it.

Penguin: A father Emperor penguin withstands the Antarctic cold for 60 days or more to protect his eggs, which he keeps on his feet, covered with a feathered flap. During this entire time he doesn't eat a thing. Most father penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their babies to hatch. Afterward, they feed the chicks a special liquid from their throats. When the mother penguins return to care for the young, the fathers go to sea to eat and rest.

Rhea: Rheas are large South American birds similar to ostriches. Father rhea takes sole care of his young. From eggs to chicks, he feeds, defends, and protects them until they are old enough to survive on their own.

Sand grouse: A father Namaqua sand grouse of Africa's Kalahari Desert flies as far as 50 miles a day in order to soak himself in water and return to his nest, where his chicks can drink from his feathers!

Sea horse: The male sea horse has a pouch in which the mother lays her eggs. The father then looks after the eggs for about two months, until they hatch and leave the pouch. He continues to protect the young until they are able to live on their own.

credit: John White

Siamese fighting fish: When the mother lays her eggs, the father catches them in his mouth, then drops them into a nest he has prepared. He guards the nest and protects the baby fish when they hatch.

Wolf: When the mother wolf gives birth to pups, the father stands guard outside their den and brings food to the mother and pups. As they grow, he not only plays with them but also teaches them how to survive. Wolves continue to live together much as human families do.

Credits to: www.factmonster.com

My Mission: Contentment

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned
to him and to which God has called him.
I Corinthians 17:7 (NIV)

Same verse, different version:

Don't be wishing you were someplace else
or with someone else.
Where you are right now is God's place for you.
Live and obey and love and believe right there.

I Corinthians 7:17a (The Message)

I've been thinking a lot about contentment lately; being content with my place in this world; being content with who I am; being content to to just let life happen in the here and now; savoring the precious moments of each day. After all, today may be my last day on this earth. Not to sound morbid or anything, but it seems that lately I've been reminded of the brevity of life. God is the only one who knows how many days on this earth I've been blessed with, so I'd better make the most of the ones He's given me.

My best friend just gave me Max Lucado's latest book, Every Day Deserves a Chance. It couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. The book has 10 chapters and I've got a little more than 10 days left in the school year before my boys will be home all day during the summer holidays. My goal is to get this book read prior to that phase in my life beginning.

I've only read one chapter of the book and I've already been challenged in the area of being content.

As quoted from the Every Day Deserves a Chance by Max Lucado:

"Saturate your day in his grace.

"I tell you in solemn truth," replied Jesus, "that this very day you shall be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43 WEY)

Entrust your day to his oversight.

"Give us day by day our daily bread."
(Luke 11:3 NKJV)

Accept his direction.

"If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself.
You must take up your cross each day and follow me."
(Luke 9:23 CEV)

Grace. Oversight. Direction.

G-O-D

Fill your day with GOD. Give the day a chance."

Cool Dessert

I made this dessert recently for a party. It was so easy to create (the boys could have done it themselves) and sooooooooooooo delicious! Try it sometime this summer. It's sure to be a hit!

ICE CREAM SANDWICH DESSERT

1 box ice cream sandwiches (24 pack) 1 lg. container Cool Whip Chocolate sauce in a squeezable bottle 1 Skor (or other favorite) chocolate bar Layer bottom of 9 x 13 in. pan with ice cream sandwiches. Next, layer with Cool Whip. Repeat layers. Top with crumbled candy bar. Squiggle chocolate sauce over top of dessert. Freeze until time to serve. It helps to take the dessert out of the freezer about 5 minutes before cutting.

David: A Man After God's Own Heart

In our family devotions right now we are in the thick of King David stories. I'm not sure about the rest of the family, but I'm eating this all up. I can hardly stop myself from reading ahead in The Bible Story book, just so that I can find out what happens next. Of course, I know what happens next most of the time, but it's been a while since I've read through II Samuel and II Chronicles where David's life is recorded.

I've been following along in my own Bible (for personal devotions) as we read from The Bible Story book. Not that I don't trust the accuracy of the devotional book. I do. And it has got the stories down pat. But I like to read it from my Bible because sometimes the wording is different and it brings out more of the key elements applicable to an adult when I use the "real" Bible. And of course they couldn't possibly include every one of David's stories in the children's book.

What I've been totally impressed with is that David tried to seek God in all he did. Well, of course there were errors in judgment and bad decisions at times, but after all, he was human. The way David's life is portrayed in The Bible Story series is that he went to God as his final source in all decision-making. I found this particularly interesting in the sense that he'd ask God whether or not he should fight with a certain group of people, and God's reply was "Yes, fight, and you will win". Imagine going into a war with another country, knowing you will win even before you start!

I face battles in my life everyday. They may be physical battles; spiritual battles; emotional battles; battles for my time; battles for my mind. They are all around me. I'd like to think that by my asking God about these battles, His reply to me would be "Yes, fight, and you will win". Of course I know that one day, God will defeat the enemy completely. I look forward to that day and anticipate when I'll be able to meet God face to face and live in Eternity with Him.

Our pastor often challenges us to think about how we want to be remembered when we leave this world. What would we like our epitaph to say? I'd like mine to read: "Kimberly . . . . A Woman After God's Own Heart."

High expectations? Yes. Easy to do? No. But I'm trying.

Updates

So, sometimes I write about things on my blog and then don't follow-up with how certain issues are progressing. Today's post will be an update on some of those things.

1. Mitchell does not chew on his clothing anymore. Actually, since the day I told him he wouldn't be able to drive our quad if he kept chewing on his shirts, he quit. Cold turkey. Just like that. I am so proud of him!

2. We were not approved for the insurance claim we put in as a result of our sewer backup in our basement a couple of months ago. Water seepage was occurring in other parts of the basement and the adjuster said that all of our carpet and wall damage was a result of that (which isn't covered in our insurance policy). Unfortunately, this isn't true (although we have no way to prove it) and we are on our own to remedy the problem. We've removed the drywall and carpet as suggested, but now are waiting to continue on with this project until we have the financial resources to do so. Our basement is a mess and not very livable at the moment.

3. My friend Sharla should be returning home from the hospital sometime this week. Last week she underwent skin grafting to help seal up the incision spot from her five surgeries. She's still got a long road ahead, but at least she'll be able to be with her kids again. It'll be 2 months this Wednesday since her baby was born and this whole problem began.

4. I've resigned myself to put the whole "Should I look for a permanent job?" question on hold until the summer holidays have come and gone. We'll be okay financially for the summer months (I think) and it makes absolutely no sense for me to look for work now because then the boys will have to be in daycare full time for the summer and I definitely don't want that to happen. I want to savour each moment I have with them over the holidays. They're growing up so fast and I don't want any regrets.

5. A while ago I said I'd have to put my blogging life on hold for a while so that I could focus on something else . . . well, that's on hold now until the boys return to school. Wayne and I are working on creating our own on-line business and it is a very time-consuming process. It's been hard to accomplish much of anything since Ty's only been in school every-other-day this year. On the days he's home I don't accomplish much at my computer. Next year he'll be in grade 1 and at school everyday, which will give me 6 hours a day to work on this. I'll keep you posted once we've got everything up-and-running.

6. My "porcupine" dogs are doing fine. B.J. is completely free of any quills, but Roca still has one trapped underneath his eye, which is trying to fester its way out. The vet said this is normal and will take some time. But otherwise, he seems to have recovered quite nicely from the porcupine incident. And thankfully, he's avoided all possible encounters with nasty quills!

7. I'm feeling a bit better. This weekend was very busy for us, but I managed to get some rest on both Saturday and Sunday. I'm still not feeling 100%, but since the boys are both in school today I'll actually be able to have a short nap this afternoon.

I think that's about it! Have a great day!

Two Quizzes

QUIZ #1

*My answers are in italics.

Name the 5 wealthiest people in the world.
*Bill Gates *George Bush *Hugh Heffner *Donald Trump *??
*these are mere guesses and I suspect I'm wrong with some of my answers.

Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
*I don't even know what the Heisman trophy is.

Name the last 5 winners of the Miss America contest.
*I have no clue.

Name 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
*Marie Currie and other than that I don't know.

Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
*Tom Hanks *I can't think of anymore.

Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
*The last decade? Hmmm....I couldn't even tell you who won last year!

How did you do? (I personally didn't do too well.) Few of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

QUIZ #2

List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
*Mrs. Burak *Mr. Berg *Mr. Doerksen

Name 3 friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
*Anita *Julie *Daphne

Name 5 people who have taught you something worthwhile.
*Reuben (my dad) *Elizabeth(my mom) *Wayne (my husband) *Thomas, Mitchell & Tyrone (my boys) *Les (my boss at my former workplace)

Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
*Wayne *Anita *Tammy

Think of 5 people you enjoy spending time with.
*Wayne *my boys *my family (all 27 of us!) *Anita *Julie (this list could go on for a LONG time!)

Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
*(King) David *Moses *Joseph *RAD Support Group Moms (there are over half a dozen of them!)

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

I found the above note/quiz in my church mailbox today. It was addressed to me from our church's Children's Minister. She ended the quiz by thanking me for "investing in our kids" at church through the different ministries I'm involved with at church. I thought it was very thought provoking and I needed to share it with all of you.

I posted my answers to the questions just for the fun of it. Doing the second quiz took less time and less thought than the first one. Our Children's Minister is right. Every person I mentioned in the second quiz is a person who cares about me. They've invested some part of themselves in my life and I'm a better person because of their investment.

I'd encourage you to think about this and participate in the quiz as well. It was a great exercise for me to contemplate the important people influences in my life over the years. Now I'm going to have to start sending out some thank-you notes!

Aches and Pains

Somewhere, somehow, I have obtained several minor illnesses. Or perhaps it's just a bunch of symptoms that equal one nasty flu. My stomach is hurting. My head is throbbing. My throat is sore. My nose is running. My body is aching. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep the day away.

However, I can't. I've got too much to do and places to be.

This weekend is pretty busy so I don't see much reprieve there either.

Hopefully I'll be better by Monday. I don't anticipate blogging before then, simply due to the fact that I likely won't have time.

I hope you have a great weekend out there . . . wherever you are!

Window Art

Tyrone received this book for his birthday from Wayne and I. He had seen it at Costco a couple of weeks ago and asked if it would be a possibility for a birthday present. Sure, we told him we'd consider it. Two days later I returned to Costco to pick up the Window Art book he wanted (there was another one with a different cover). Yesterday he received this gift and this afternoon he and I began our Window Art adventure.

It was so fun! The suggested age for this book is 8 and up, but Ty is a little bit ahead of most six-year old boys when it comes to arts and crafts, so I thought it would be alright for him. And it was. He needed some assistance with his project, but it was minimal. The great thing about this is that I wanted to do this craft just as much as he did (maybe even more).

Patience is required in order to do this particular craft. Tyrone isn't known to be the most patient child in the world, but I was truly amazed at how well both he and Mitchell exemplified a level of patience I didn't know either of them were capable of. Ty told me that this was a good craft for him because he was hoping to become a more patient person. This will definitely help with that.

The following is a promo for the book Window Art, as provided by Klutz, a company known for their crafty products. I checked out their website today and I was amazed at all the craft ideas they have to offer. I'll definitely be investing in more of their products in the future.

Trace. Squirt. Peel. Stick. Making beautiful works of Window Art couldn't be easier. Twenty different illustrators created more than a hundred pieces of easy to trace art. Window Art features a new pallet of great colors including two with sparkly glitter and large scale projects incorporating small pieces that can turn even a sliding glass door into a window art masterpiece. It's simple. It's satisfying. And with glowing results, what more could you want?

My Kid is RAD - Part 8

If you're here to read today's post on Reactive Attachment Disorder, you will need to visit my other blog, My Life is RADical. However, that blog is private, so please leave me your e-mail address in the comments section and you'll be on your way to access my posts on RAD. I need to authorize you to enter the site. FYI . . . your comment will be moderated, so only I will have access to the e-mail address you provide me with. The rest of the world will not.

Have a great day!

Happy 6th Birthday, Tyrone!

Today my baby turns six years old! It's hard to believe that this once cranky, difficult, intense infant has become such a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He's still intense (i.e. when he loves he really loves, and when he's angry he's really angry), but his teacher always comments that he's always got a smile on his face. I guess that's not the norm. But really, Ty is such a lovable kid and I'm SO blessed to have him!

The pictures are from his kid's birthday party which we held at our acreage yesterday. There were 9 kids in total, ranging in age from 5 - 9 years old. I was thankful for a beautiful day weather-wise, and for the massive amount of space we have now for kids to play. The kids had lots of free play time, as well as some structured games and a treasure hunt all over the yard which led them to the cake and presents. I think everyone had a good time. But I will say this: 9 kids together at this age results in a lot of tattling! My ears were tattled off by the time the party was over. But it was well worth it. Ty was so thrilled with his party!

Today we're having Grandma and Grandpa over for supper and on the menu tonight is Ty's favorite food--lasagna. We'll also be having baked corn, Caesar salad and garlic toast. For dessert we'll be having chocolate fudge self-saucing pudding cake with ice cream. We LOVE that stuff!

I adore my son. I love making him happy. And I feel so blessed and honored to call him my own. God is good!