Life At The Circus

Look who's facing forward now! (Yes, I know she's been legal for 2 mths now, but I read somewhere it was technically safer to face backwards as long as possible, so we delayed turning her around). Her response, "Hey! Where'd my brother and sister go?  Now I have to stare at the back of Mommy and Daddy's head!" Check out 5 Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesdays. Come back on Friday and read a guest post from my SIL!  (She's gonna give you an inside look at the circus life from outside perspective)!

The Steelers play the Ravens on Monday Night Football tonight on ESPN. We are so psyched!  It is probably my favorite game of the year.  If there's anything I enjoy watching more than the Steelers win, it's watching them win against the Ravens.  Here's hoping for a good game!!  Go STEELERS!!!

Ya know I love holidays...we go all out with food, clothing, decor and not just for Christmas.   I'm sporting the leprechaun hat for St Patty's day, serving up enchiladas and corona on Cinco De Mayo, and partying it up on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I was quite proud of myself this week when I finished buying my kids their Halloween costumes.  I mean it isn't even October yet, and we've got the Spiderman, Princess, and Lady Bug bought and hanging in the closet. Now I didn't say anything to you all on JULY 3rd when I was shopping for last minute cookout food and saw candy corn for sale at Giant. I am not exaggerating, my mom can back me up on this, she was with me.  HELLO... Halloween candy BEFORE the 4th of July?!?!? But, I can't keep quiet about this.... As the kiddos and I were searching Target for trick or treating pumpkins we found Christmas lights and Christmas cards on the aisle across from Halloween decor. We were just in the first week of fal...

Last week in our Catechism Class , I taught the kids the song " This Little Light of Mine. "  We talked about how we can let our lights shine and how we can hide our light.  We played a game where I would name some actions (like obeying your parents, or hitting your sister) and then the kids had to say if that action let their light shine or covered it up. (They got to turn the flashlight off or on when it was their turn to answer the question). This week before and after preschool my son and I have discussed this.  I reminded him that when he goes to school, he needs to think about letting his light shine.  This afternoon my son said to me, "Mom, I let my light shine today."  I asked him how, and he said, "I sat criss cross applesauce when my teacher told me to."  I affirmed to him that obeying his teacher is definitely a way to let his light shine.  I plan to carry this further and have this discussion throughout the day, especially during the now c...

Our two year old as gotten quite attached to her baby doll.  She mothers her in all sorts of ways. She reads her stories at nap time. And arranges a spot for her (and almost every one of her stuffed animals) to sleep beside her at nap time. She gives her a nebulizer treatment because she had a bad cough. She even started potty training her this week!     I must say I am enjoying watching her in this stage. 

    Today is my husband's grandma's birthday.  Sadly, she isn't here to celebrate with us as the Lord took her home this past February.   I think of her often and miss her.  She used to love to bump heads with our kids.  She'd lean forward so their foreheads touched and say, "bump."  My youngest will do it from time to time with me and every time I think to myself, "Grandma would have loved that!"  When the family's all together and I'm serving dessert I can almost here her say, "Hey that's too small a slice!" Certain frilly, pink dresses that the girls wear or bows in their hair remind me of her as I know she'd love them.   And anytime I take the girls out without their socks or shoes on I can hear her scold me as well!  Every time this song comes on the radio, I think of Grandma and Grandpa and every time I hear it, the tears come to my eyes and start trickling down my face. They left a rich legacy for their family ...

I gotta confess from the start, this is not quite Wordless. As I was tidying up the house during nap time this week, I found this in my kitchen.  I bent down to pick them up and decided to snap a quick picture first.  Because some day, my kids will be grown and in school, and I won't find half dressed baby dolls lying on the floor beside toy guns with my vacuum attachment stuck on top to turn it into a light saber.  And when I sit alone in my clean and quiet house waiting for my teens to buzz in the door between school, and jobs, and sports, I know I am going to think back to these days (you know the ones with toys covering the floor, and Cheerios in the couch cushions)  And I will miss them, immensely. So this picture is to remind me to cherish these fleeting days and to savor the time by playing baby doll, and ball, and army, all while cooking dinner and tidying up the house. For less words and more pictures, check out 5 Minutes for Mom for Wordless Wednesday...

A few weeks ago my hubby and I were shopping for a big purchase.   We aren't the type to make big purchases on the fly.  They require lots of research and thinking and looking and more research then finally purchasing.  Cameras, cars, computers, TV's... they're all the same drill.  But with three kids under 4, it's not quite as easy as it used to be.  We made two trips to the store in one weekend and I totally felt like a traveling circus.  As my husband tried to talk to the salesman and look at various models, I kept my eye on the kiddos and wondered why in the world I even bothered to come.  It wasn't like I was really able to concentrate on anything other than my 2 and 4 year old playing catch with my daughter's purse and my one year old running in the opposite direction from the other two, continually.  When I was called in my by hubby for consultation, I did so with a bucking bronco in my arms and the other two bouncing around....

Those of you that have read my blog in the past, know I am all about keeping it real...so, this week I'm taking you behind those closed doors and showing you what I don't typically share with anyone. Our Master Bedroom The bedroom is supposed to be a place of calm and relaxation...where you can rest...a place of rest and rejuvenation.  I read somewhere that you should decorate it with things that are sentimental and special to the two of you, a place that is yours as a couple.  OK, so I do have some sentimental wedding and honeymoon mementos hanging in the room, but the place was FAR from a sanctuary of rest and relaxation.   To be honest, our room became the place we stashed things before company came over (hence the CLOSED doors).  Our paper trail had gotten OUT OF CONTROL.  The piles on my counter would get stashed on top of hubbies dresser when I was tidying up.  When his dresser got out of control, the stashes flowed to his dresser drawers and e...

Incase you missed it, mark your calendars for next year...this past Friday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept 19th).   I told you in my About Page that I like to celebrate holidays...you can see that I wasn't kidding!  The kids were looking forward to the big day all week long!  Daddy came home from work at lunch to join us for the mid day festivities. The first thing on our agenda was to "raise the jolly roger up yonder pole!" (atop my son's sailboat bed).  We then ate our pirate cuisine...chicken right on the bones (aka drumsticks) with cannon ball snack puffs and pumpernickel bread (because pirates love pumpernickel my son said, but really the truth is he LOVES pumpernickel and since it was a special occasion, I treated him)!  We also ate shark fruit snacks (b/c they were the most piratey fruit snack I could find).  My son has become an "expert" on pirates through various library books over the years.  From them we've gleane...

Our church has a catechism class for 4-9 year olds that meets weekly on Sunday evenings.  This year I will be co-teaching my sons class on the beginning catechism.  Throughout the course of the year he will work to memorize the first 48 questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.   I am really excited about this because the catechism provides an easy way to teach and remember vital Biblical truths.   For example here are the first five catechism questions.   1.  Q. Who made you?       A. God. 2.  Q. What else did God make?      A.  God made all things. 3.  Q. Why did God make you and all things?       A. For his own glory. 4.  Q. How can you glorify God?       A. By loving him and doing what he commands. 5.  Q. Why are you to glorify God?       A. Because he made me and takes care of me....

My son had his first soccer game last weekend.   I couldn't have been a more proud mom on the sideline as I watched him play.  He grinned from ear to ear the entire time he was out there.    By looking at these pictures you'd think he was the star of the game.  (of course in my eyes, he was) Check him out as he blows past the other team and heads for the goal. Now, if you're a soccer mom you know that at games played by four year olds, you don't get shots like this.  Kids travel in huge packs swarming around the ball like a swarm of bees. Pretty priceless pictures, huh? Now for those thousand words... This was my son's first soccer game.  EVER.  He'd had one practice before this.  So, the concepts of the game were lost on him. When the coaches stopped the game due to someone falling down, my son didn't realize that meant they were no longer going for the ball. You can see the huddle on the ground on the left and on the right you see my son and a few others...

We took the kids to the county fair last week.   Being the suburbanites that we are my kids don't get many opportunities to see livestock up close and personal, so we make a point of going every fall to see the cows, ducks, chickens, goats, sheep, and pigs.   Since we don't exactly live in the country, it's not quite as big as I'm sure some county fairs are, but a fun learning experience none the less. This year I saw something I'd never seen before.  A calf nursing.  And as I looked over at it I thought to myself how I could relate with that poor mama cow as the life was being literally sucked right out of her in front of the whole world.   But then I watched the little calf head but it's mama as he nursed.  REPEATEDLY.  My husband laughed because he said my mouth just hung open and it was quite obvious the feelings of sympathy that were running through my mind.   My nursing days are through for now, but I'll think twice before c...

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My husband was grilling burgers for dinner the other day.  I had set the buns out on the counter to defrost earlier in the day.  I'd also set out a stick of butter because I planned to bake cookies this weekend and knew I'd need the butter to be soft.  I had seen my 2 year old daughter over by the counter asking about the bread, but I didn't pay that much attention.  When I went to give the buns for my husband, this is what I found.   Nice, huh?  Anyone want a slightly mauled buttered bun for their burger? Ah, the joys of dining with toddlers. 

My kids have a fascination with poop.  (Have no fear no pictures included in this post)! Every time we change our baby's diaper, the older two want to know if it is poop and if it is they want to see it.  As odd as it is to us, it seems like an easy and harmless enough wish to comply with that my husband and I know "don't throw the diaper into the pail until you've held it up for all to see."  I am not a mom that laughs at her kids pain.  I consider myself to be somewhat of a softy tender hearted.   But today, I did have to turn my head to hide my chuckle as I listened in on my husband and son's conversation. Son crying Husband:  What is wrong? Son:  You didn't let me see the poop (ok for real he isn't just whining here... REAL tears are streaming down his face) Husband:  No, you were in the room when I changed her diaper, I held it up and called for anyone who wanted to see the poopy diaper to come see Son:  But I didn't ...

This Thursday I began a new year of Bible Study with an organization called BSF .   One of the biggest reasons I chose this study over others is that it has a children's program unlike any other I've seen.   My kids will be going through a preschool curriculum based on the same study I will be doing.  I am so excited about talking with my older two children about what we are learning each week. The topic for this year is the life of Moses.  As I read through my lesson this week on the overview of Moses's life, I found myself challenged.  Moses was described as a man of faith, prayer, humility, and courage.  One thing that my lesson pointed out was that he did not seem to posses this traits at the beginning of his life, but he learned them as he walked with God.  I am so excited as I start a new year, hoping that in May I can look back and see where the Lord has helped me to grow in this areas as well.  The beginning of fall and "back ...

My son is an individual.  Despite the fact that his parents are crazy football fans and could care less about baseball, he decided when he was about 2 that he loved baseball.  He'd willingly sit and watch it on TV.  We've even Tivoed a few games for him or let him watch portions of Sports Center.  We've taken him to a few minor league games in the past, but tonight we took our oldest two children to their first Major League Baseball Game.   As we drove to the ballpark, my son started singing the song and said, "Come on everyone join me"  So please join us... Take Me Out to the Ballgame Take me out to the crowds (hmm...not quite) Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks ballpark franks I don't care if I never get back Let me root, root, root for the home team If they don't win it's a shame For it's one, two, three strikes your out At the old....ball....game!!!   A good time was had by all.  And the looks on my kids...

My 2 year old daughter loves Sesame Street. Except for this guy.   Every time he comes on the screen, she does this. or this.     The first time he scared her, I came into the room to find her laying face down on the couch crying.  I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Cookie Monster yelled at me!"  I think she really thought he was yelling at her when he was screaming for his cookies. Now every time he comes on, my son will quickly warn my daughter to cover her eyes because Cookie Monster is on! 

Many of you know, that my hubby and I are big Pittsburgh Steelers fans .  Sadly, many of the games are not televised here.    We didn't want to miss the big opening game on Sunday, so we took the kids to Glory Days restaurant to watch the game.  My hubby and I were a little nervous about how well this would go down.  How would we keep 3 kids entertained sitting at a restaurant table for 3 hours?  Thankfully, this isn't just any restaurant.  There are TV's all around the restaurant with speakers at each table.  You punch the number of the game you want to watch, and you can hear your game at your table.  Not only does this mean that we get to watch and hear our game, but it means the restaurant is loud... as in loud enough to cover the sounds of our 3 ring circus.    We all had a great time watching the game (helps when your team is up the entire game and wins 38-17).  My son would proudly wave his terrible towel every ...