Back in the Day

So tonight I was doing the dishes and I caught myself humming. Now this is interesting for two reasons, (1) most people only hum when they are happy, and I HATE doing the dishes, and (2) I was not humming one my typical songs. Usually I hum or sing some of my favorites in the shower, like Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey (I can hit her high notes in the shower, just ask the neighborhood dogs), Mary Mary, Jill Scott, Fred Hammond. But tonight, I heard myself sing "La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, Elmo's World." Yes, we have been watching "Sesame Street". Yeah, I know she's only 9 months old and all the research shows to wait until they are 2 to introduce TV. However, a couple of months ago, LB and I both had terrible colds, and we watched some children's programming. "Sesame Street" kind of stuck, and now she gets so excited over Elmo and the Count. So if we're home and she's up from her nap, we watch it. I have loved Sesame Street since I was a child. Watching it with LB got me thinking about some of my favorite programs as a child. Are you a member of Generation X (born somewhere between the late 60s and early 80s)? If so, walk with me down memory lane. Here's a quiz to see how much you remember. There are no prizes (since all of my money goes to diapers, formula, and gas), but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are THE Generation Xer! :-)

1. ____ and Jerry (Bonus if you can remember what kind of animals they were.)
2. Today his name is politically incorrect, but we always learned a lesson from this big-hearted guy._____ ___________
3. He could get ACME products delivered to the desert, but he could never catch his prey._____ ________
4. An annoying bird with an even more annoying laugh. ______ _________________
5. This cartoon had only one girl! (Hint, not red, not white, but blue) _____ ________
6. Robots in disguise. ______________________
7. This lovable character had a stuttering problem. ______ ___
8. "_________ _____ powers activate!"
9. She could make you tell the truth and then ride off in her invisible form of transportation. __________ __________
10. It was always beautiful here. _______ _____________ ____________________ (Name of the show)
    
11. You probably learned many compound words here. _______________ ___________ (Name of the show.)
12. Probably the cleverest critter in cartoonland. He easily outsmarted a black duck, a hunter, and a cowboy. ____ ___________

How did you do? Post your answers in the comment section. And, what am I grateful for, childhood, and the gift of laughter. God Bless! :-)

Simply Put, I Love This Child

LB turned 9 months last Friday and today she had her 9 month well-baby visit. (I like how they don't call it a check-up.) All is well, and we are very thankful. All day, and even last night I have been trying to think of some eloquent way to convey how much I love this child and how grateful to God I am that she is my daughter. I simply can't find the words to show the depth of my love for her and my gratitude to God for trusting me with the privilege of being her mother. So today, I am grateful to God for enriching my life with my daughter. God is indeed good all the time. God Bless!

Shedding Some Light

My daughter's nightlight went out last night. She cried because she was scared. It's scary when you're in the dark. You can't see. You don't know what's in front of you or behind you. It's scary. I could certainly relate to LB's fears. How often have I been afraid to move forward because I was "in the dark" and "couldn't see"? I don't mean literally. (Although there is that time that I was in a dark haunted house and was sooo scared that, well, let's just say that if LB had been around back then, I would have needed one of her diapers.) Darkness can take on many different forms, depression, fear, grief, guilt. Jesus is the light for all of us. He can see us through our dark times. All we have to do is stay close to Him through prayer and meditation. I once heard preacher Joyce Meyer say that everyone can meditate because if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. Think about it. What is worrying? Thinking about the same thing over and over again. Sounds like meditation to me. I have decided to meditate on God's Word and His promises in his Word. His light will always see us through. Today, I am thankful for the light of Jesus that never burns out. So reader, please "shed some light" on how God has guided you through darkness. God Bless!

Feeling Down? Make a list!

I haven't posted in a while because I have been moping. I make sure to put on a smiling face in public, but I cry often. Let me back up a bit. My father-in-law pasted away in June of 2007 when I was 5 months pregnant with LB. It was an unexpected death and he had been deceased for 10 days when my husband and I found him. My husband was very close to his dad and he has been grieving hard (yeah, I know, like there is any other way to grieve). I have encouraged him to seek therapy or a bereavement group, but his response is that it won't bring his father back. Sometimes I feel like he is mad at me for not understanding exactly how he feels. And I know he is resentful that both of my parents are still alive. Don't get me wrong. He is a fabulous husband and father and I know that my marriage is blessed by God. He is my best friend; we finish each other's sentences and have the same quirky sense of humor. But, things are REALLY HARD right now. I talk to my mother and counselor about it, but I still feel alone and helpless. (I have been in counseling for severe postpartum depression for the last few months. More on this in a later post.) I don't want to mope around, and I don't want to feel sorry for myself. Had this been a few years ago, I would have stayed down indefinitely. Those days are over. God has given me victory over self-pity and depression. So, here is a list of 27 things I'm grateful for. Why 27? It's the 27th day of the month, and it just kind of fits. My list is a mix of big blessings and small ones. Some obviously are more important than others, but they are all blessings, nonetheless.

1. Jesus Christ's ultimate sacrifice
2. God's undying love for me
3. God's patience with me
4. My husband
5. My daughter
6. My mother
7. My father
8. My niece
9. My brother
10. My extended family
11. My friends
12. Mocha Moms (Hands down, the world's best support group for stay-at-home moms)
13. My home
14. My career (Teaching)
15. Target (Good Deals)
16. Babies R Us (Consistent coupons)
17. Dark Chocolate (Tasty and good for you, as long as you don't eat the whole king size bar in one sitting)
18. Ice Cream (Coldstone, mmmmmm)
19. Baby Gates (Oh yeah, she's crawling--fast!)
20. My father-in-law's art collection which now adorns our home
21. Photos
22. California (My birthplace)
23. The Olympics (The best place to see track and field, my favorite sport)
24. LB's new Baby Bible Storybook (Too cute! It has great activities and it's a boardbook, so it can withstand her "reading" it.)
25. Home Depot (They're open late.)
26. Purple Heart (For all they do for our veterans, and they are making a pick up in our neighborhood tomorrow, so they're helping us to purge.)
27. Blogs ( I love reading them and posting to my own is cathartic. Today's post is a perfect example.)
28. Prayer (I had to go to 28 to include this one.) Prayer changes things. How do I know, because it has changed me. As one of my favorite TV preachers, Joyce Meyer says, "I'm not where I want to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be." Prayer changes things. So, please pray for my family.
    

God is indeed good all the time. He is here for us. We will be all right. God is seeing us through. My job is to hold to His hand, remain grateful, be a blessing to others, and pray. So reader, please share what you are thankful for, it's always a blessing to hear about God's goodness. God Bless! :-)

Thank God for Family

I love to spend time with my family. Every year we have a family reunion in Oklahoma. Yes, Oklahoma. My parents are both native Oklahomans and I feel like one. I spent every summer there as I child. I have such fond memories visiting my extended family and celebrating our Choctaw Heritage. I haven't been to my second home since 2005. In 2006, our reunion was in California, also my second home (Go 49ers!!!!), and last year I was pregnant and in the "don't travel trimester". And this year, we just couldn't afford it. I miss my family and my reunion. I was really down this weekend and a little snappy at my husband (I'm sure he would dispute the "little"). It finally dawned on me that I was grouchy because I really wanted to be in OK with my family. So instead of continuing my grouchiness, and believe me I wanted to, I decided to remember all of the good times we've had. Here are some of my favorite OK memories.

• My brother throwing my grandmother's cat on the roof to see if he really would land on his feet. We never did find out, considering the cat never came down. Smart cat.
• My brother and I being the reigning spades tournament champs. Yeah, I know I haven't been since 2005 to defend my title, but as far as I'm concerned, the other tournaments don't count since I wasn't there. :-)
• My grandmother's tire swing. Better than any modern day swing, hands down!
• Riding in the back of my grandfather's pick up truck with my other 10 cousins. I know, both illegal and dangerous, but nonetheless, one of my favorite memories.
• My grandmother's confused dog, who tried to mate with the cat (before the roof incident, come to think of it, maybe that's why the cat decided to stay on the roof. Smart cat.)
• Drinking peach pop. (Yes, pop. Where I'm from it's soda, but as soon as you cross into OK, it becomes pop.)
• The food, brisket, fresh caught fried fish, fried okra, greens, corn, and the deserts, peach cobbler, dirt cake -- complete with gummy worms...I'm getting hungry.
• Watching my uncle and cousin, REAL cowboys practice for the rodeo. They are the reason I love to watch the rodeo on TV. My husband makes fun of me, but he has recently started to watch it with me.
• And lastly, the unconditional love, and the genuine happiness I see on the faces of my family members when we "reunite".

There is nothing like family. I love mine dearly and I am so grateful to God for them. What about you reader? Share your favorite family memories. God Bless.

Good Product, Bad Product

Sometimes it's the little things that I'm really grateful for. As a mom, I've come across some great and not so great products. Periodically, I'd like to share a few products that I'm grateful for and some that I'm not grateful for. Here's a brief list for now:

THANKS!

• Sassy Bathing Visor - This has been such a huge help with washing LB's hair in the bathtub. It keeps the soap and water out of her eyes, and she looks sooooo cute in it.
• Graco Pack n Play - Take your pick. Any design will do. LB happily plays in her playpen while I do chores, or just catch my breath. I know it won't last forever, and eventually she will "escape", but for now, it's great.
• Angelcare Deluxe Movement Monitor - This monitor has a movement sensor that really put our minds at ease when LB was much younger. If there is no movement detected for 20 seconds, an alarm sounds.
• Gerber Onesies - They run small, but make great pajamas and are great for lounging around the house.
• Medela Breast Pump - It's worth the price so that you can leave the house.

NO THANKS!

• Graco Classic Winnie the Pooh Swing - I know all babies are supposed to love swings, but LB has blown that theory out of the water. She has never liked any type of swinging motion. I can't really blame Graco, or Winnie the Pooh for that matter. I just wish we had bought one of those less expensive travel swings, or of course skipped it all together.
• Huggies Diapers - OK, hear me out. I had a coworker with five children who said, "Huggies for boys, Pampers for girls." I didn't listen and bought a mega-jumbo, humongous, extra-large, you won't need diapers for the next 3 months pack of Huggies when LB was younger. I ended up given them to our neighbors who have twin boys. Nothing against Huggies, and if the next one is a boy, then I'm sure Pampers will be on my "No Thanks" list.
• Newborn Sized Clothes - She wore them home from the hospital, and that was it. Start with 0-3, or even 3-6 months. As my mother says, "better too big than too small".
• Wipes Warmer - LB was a fall baby and I didn't want her bum to get cold. When I came in the house with yet another Babies R Us bag (containing our wipes warmer) my husband jokingly said, "Let her see that that the world is a cold place!" We've put it away for the summer, and I really don't think she has noticed. This is just one of those things that is for the parents, not the baby.

Parenting is the only job with complete on-the-job-training, and even though I've wasted some money (OK, waaaay too much money), I have learned a lot, mostly about myself. So, reader, please feel free to add to the list. I'm always looking for a good deal, or for a bad one to avoid. God Bless!

Daddy, Daughter Quality Time

This morning my husband got up with LB so that I could catch some extra zzzzzzs. And oh yeah, I'm extremely grateful for that! I ended up sleeping until 9:00 am. This is simply unheard of. I have not slept that long since before LB was born! Anyway, after my husband took a well-deserved nap, he went out to run some errands and help his mother with some things around her house. As I was playing with LB on the floor (she is trying soooooo hard to crawl), I realized that I had slept through a large part of her morning and that I had missed her, so I picked her up to give her a hug tell her just that. (She of course wiggled out of my arms before our tender moment was over. After all, she had to get back to her crawling practice.) Before the moment wiggled away, God reminded me that He missed me too. Now, I know that God is with me always, and that He will never leave me. But, I have found that I often leave Him. How do you spend time with God? By praying, meditating, and reading the Bible. I'm ashamed to admit, that I have been neglecting time with my Father far too much since my daughter was born. My excuses? I'm busy, or I'm tired. What if God was too busy and tired for me? I would be in SEVERE trouble!! I am grateful for that still small voice that told me He missed me as I was telling my daughter that I missed her. I thought about how much I love my daughter and how I enjoy spending time with her; then I realized that this in only a small morsel of how much God loves me and enjoys spending time with me, His child. I am blessed to be able to spend time with my Heavenly Father whenever I want. I don't have to wait for Him to get home from work, or finish mowing the lawn, or taking out the trash. He is ALWAYS available. Today, I am grateful for that reminder. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend some quality time with my Daddy. God Bless!

The Eyes Have It

A few days ago I had to visit the eye doctor. Normally my mother helps me out when I have a doctor's appointment by meeting me at the office and watching Little Blessing (LB), but she was busy on this day. I thought about canceling my appointment, but instead I decided to do what millions of mothers have done before me. I packed WAY TOO MANY TOYS and an EXTRA HEAVY DIAPER BAG (I actually pulled a chest muscle carrying it) and went to my appointment. I was relieved when both the technician and the doctor were mothers. They were very understanding, and LB was the "Bell of the Ball". It was tough at times, and of course I couldn't hold her the entire time. I don't think she has ever been in and out of the stroller so many times within an hour. But, she was a real trooper. She played with her toys, and some of the doctor's equipment, including trying to break into her desk; she did get fussy, but all in all she was great.

God truly does know exactly what you need. He knew that I needed to build up my confidence in taking my daughter to more places. I was so nervous the morning of my appointment. I was afraid that LB would cry uncontrollably and the doctor's office staff would ask me to leave and never come back. I told myself that I could always reschedule my appointment and return later, ALONE! But of course, none of that happened. Instead, I heard that still small voice say, "Remember I am always with you. You will be fine. You can do this. I did not bless you with this child so that you could neglect yourself". (It has been waaaaay to long since I've had my eyes checked, and I'm a contact lens wearer. I know. I know.) So, I am grateful to God that my mother was busy. I felt true victory. I believe that God wants us to have victory in both big and small things. Often times the small victories prepare you for the bigger ones. What about you, reader? What small victory have you recently won? Share your victories. You never know when it might encourage someone else. God Bless!