WOW! It seems like it's been FOREVER since I had a free day all to myself! It's been so nice today - I didn't have to work or volunteer at Lexie's school or run errands. I had the whole day to do whatever I wanted! So what did I do?
1. Took Lexie to school
2. Ate a leisurely breakfast and read
3. Downloaded pictures from my camera, Lexie's camera and my mom's camera
4. Organized the pictures and then burnt them to discs
5. Caught up on my e-mail
6. Posted to my blog
7. Went for a long walk with Sandy (Boy am I out of shape!)
8. Caught up on some TV (Samantha Who? and Survivor)
9. Ate lunch in front of the TV (I can't remember the last time I did that!)
10. Took a shower around 1:00 in the afternoon (because you can take one whenever you want when you have a free day!)
11. Made a bunch of calls - scheduling appointments, etc. (because I knew Dave would be asking about them)
12. Started the laundry (since I'm wearing my last clean pair of underwear)
13. Started post #2 to my blog - Yay me! :)
Wow! I feel so proud of myself. I'm going to just dwell in all I've accomplished for awhile before I start thinking about the hundred OTHER things I still need to do and probably won't get to today. Like painting and grocery shopping and cleaning the house and putting the clean dishes away and loading the dishwasher and the trunkful of returns I need to do and I haven't even thought about what we're going to have for dinner!!!!!!!
Ooops. I got out of my happy place.
Did I mention I did 2 blog posts today? Hope you're enjoying your Friday.
Friday, April 17, 2009
"Mommy, am I fat?"
Something very disturbing happened a few nights ago with my daughter. She was in the bathroom and she called me in and asked me this question: "Mommy, am I fat?" WHAT?????!!!!!! Keep in mind she is 6 1/2 years old and that the word "fat" is considered a bad word in our house.
I don't know that I really handled it well. I said the first thing that came to mind. "Where did you hear this from? You are 6 years old! You shouldn't be thinking about this! Where did you hear this from?" I know I repeated the last question but I was in shock and angry - I wanted to have her stop watching whatever show she saw it on, or stop reading the book, or stop hanging out with the "friends" that said something...you get the picture.
She assured me she hadn't heard it anywhere. She just looked down at her belly and squeezed it so that cute little rolls were between her thumb and her fingers. Then she said she thought she was fat. Of course this got me boiling again. I felt mad at TV, at society, at books, at magazines - for having my SIX year old daughter already worry about this!!! It killed me to hear her say that she was anything less than what she is - a beautiful little girl.
But I pulled it together enough to tell her that she was NOT "fat." I explained that most of her pants have the adjustable waist because she's so skinny. I also told her I didn't want to hear her talk like that again. Then I hugged and kissed her and she brushed her teeth and got into bed. Meanwhile, in my head...
Did I handle that well? No, I did everything wrong! What should I have said? What is the "right" thing to say? I can't believe she's already worried about how she looks! I thought I was doing such a good job of building her up. What happened? Where did I go wrong? I thought I was teaching her that it's what's inside that's important. That who she IS is more important than what she looks like. What about all those times I've seen her in front of the mirror, primping and preening and I didn't say anything? I should've said something! All those poses she does, pretending she's Hannah Montana, I should've made her stop that. Maybe I should remove the mirror from her room?
But I didn't say any of that to her, instead I just told her that I didn't want her saying anything like that again. (Brilliant right?) Then she lays this on me, "I just said that because I thought you'd laugh Mommy." !!!!!!!!What???!!!!!!
Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But one thing I do know, I'm going to pay a lot more attention to how she looks at herself in the mirror and about what kind of images she sees around her. As her mother, it's my job (for the next 12 to 50 years) to build up her confidence in who she is - inside and out.
Wish me luck!
I don't know that I really handled it well. I said the first thing that came to mind. "Where did you hear this from? You are 6 years old! You shouldn't be thinking about this! Where did you hear this from?" I know I repeated the last question but I was in shock and angry - I wanted to have her stop watching whatever show she saw it on, or stop reading the book, or stop hanging out with the "friends" that said something...you get the picture.
She assured me she hadn't heard it anywhere. She just looked down at her belly and squeezed it so that cute little rolls were between her thumb and her fingers. Then she said she thought she was fat. Of course this got me boiling again. I felt mad at TV, at society, at books, at magazines - for having my SIX year old daughter already worry about this!!! It killed me to hear her say that she was anything less than what she is - a beautiful little girl.
But I pulled it together enough to tell her that she was NOT "fat." I explained that most of her pants have the adjustable waist because she's so skinny. I also told her I didn't want to hear her talk like that again. Then I hugged and kissed her and she brushed her teeth and got into bed. Meanwhile, in my head...
Did I handle that well? No, I did everything wrong! What should I have said? What is the "right" thing to say? I can't believe she's already worried about how she looks! I thought I was doing such a good job of building her up. What happened? Where did I go wrong? I thought I was teaching her that it's what's inside that's important. That who she IS is more important than what she looks like. What about all those times I've seen her in front of the mirror, primping and preening and I didn't say anything? I should've said something! All those poses she does, pretending she's Hannah Montana, I should've made her stop that. Maybe I should remove the mirror from her room?
But I didn't say any of that to her, instead I just told her that I didn't want her saying anything like that again. (Brilliant right?) Then she lays this on me, "I just said that because I thought you'd laugh Mommy." !!!!!!!!What???!!!!!!
Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But one thing I do know, I'm going to pay a lot more attention to how she looks at herself in the mirror and about what kind of images she sees around her. As her mother, it's my job (for the next 12 to 50 years) to build up her confidence in who she is - inside and out.
Wish me luck!
Friday, April 10, 2009
My Review of Tonic Studios 12" Guillotine Paper Trimmer: (30cm) w/Large 12" Base
Perfect for scrapbooking and home office desk tops. Always ready for use without taking up valuable space. The Kushgrip comfort handle features a stainless steel blade for a clean straight cut. A paper clamp with integrated finger guards presses down firmly to ensure paper does not move while cu...
I'm loving this trimmer!
Jenn MI 4/10/2009
Pros: Clean Edges, Cuts Straight, Good Cutting Capacity, Sturdy
I'm a scrapbooker and I've gone thru many different trimmers over the years - the Fiskars personal trimmer, the Cutterpede (green), and the big Fiskars rotary trimmer. None of them gave me a consistently straight cut. In addition, when I would try to cut a sheet of pictures I wasn't happy with how the edges looked frayed (not true with the rotary trimmer).
I have been VERY happy with this guillotine cutter. It seems to be doing a great job so far - even with pictures! I was tempted to give it 5 stars but I'm still getting used to it. I do wish it had marks on the board for normal picture sizes like 4x6, 5x7 & 8x10 but I guess I could make the marks myself. Overall I think this is a great cutter!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Happy Belated Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!
I'm a day late but how cute is this Cat in the Hat!?! (On the white stripes Lexie wrote rhyming words she found in Dr. Seuss books.) 
Our YouTube Video
Just wanted to let you know, our youtube video profile has been added to our Bethany online profile. Maybe this will be what God uses to lead us to our child/lead our child to us. We continue to hope and pray.
(I'm not very happy with the quality of the video/pictures. I used an online company called One True Media which allowed me to do the video for free. Does anyone know of a different program / free online service that would give me a better quality but still be easy to use? FYI - I have a PC.)
(I'm not very happy with the quality of the video/pictures. I used an online company called One True Media which allowed me to do the video for free. Does anyone know of a different program / free online service that would give me a better quality but still be easy to use? FYI - I have a PC.)
Monday, March 2, 2009
I've been tagged!
Okay, so I was "tagged" almost a month and a half ago but didn't realize it. Sorry Stars in the Sky - better late than never I guess. :)
So here's what I'm supposed to do:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
6. Tag five other people to do the same!
So the book that was closest to me was "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (the 3rd Twilight book). I just got it from the library today and I'm only on page 38 so this is going to be really hard for me - I never skip ahead!!! Here goes:
"I don't think you were in any danger."
"I told you I didn't want to fight with Charlie."
"Nobody said that you had to."
I glowered at him. "I can't help myself when he gets all bossy like that - my natural teenage instincts overpower me."
Well, that wasn't too bad. So what are you reading?
I tag (I know I'm supposed to have 5, oh well):
http://wisecake.blogspot.com/
http://americanandi.blogspot.com/
http://homeschoolingonedayatatime.blogspot.com/
http://heckeladoptionjourney.blogspot.com/
* By the way - I just added a new list on the right side of my blog. It shows what I'm currently reading. Okay, so I'm not ACTUALLY reading all of them but I do have them all checked out from the library and I'm attempting to read them. :)
So here's what I'm supposed to do:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
6. Tag five other people to do the same!
So the book that was closest to me was "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (the 3rd Twilight book). I just got it from the library today and I'm only on page 38 so this is going to be really hard for me - I never skip ahead!!! Here goes:
"I don't think you were in any danger."
"I told you I didn't want to fight with Charlie."
"Nobody said that you had to."
I glowered at him. "I can't help myself when he gets all bossy like that - my natural teenage instincts overpower me."
Well, that wasn't too bad. So what are you reading?
I tag (I know I'm supposed to have 5, oh well):
http://wisecake.blogspot.com/
http://americanandi.blogspot.com/
http://homeschoolingonedayatatime.blogspot.com/
http://heckeladoptionjourney.blogspot.com/
* By the way - I just added a new list on the right side of my blog. It shows what I'm currently reading. Okay, so I'm not ACTUALLY reading all of them but I do have them all checked out from the library and I'm attempting to read them. :)
A bad day turned into HOPE
Yesterday started out pretty good. We couldn't go to church because Lexie wasn't feeling well but we made the most of it. The three of us cuddled in bed together and watched a couple shows on Animal Planet. Finally I got up and decided to put the second coat of paint on the living room walls. All went well until I was finishing up the second wall when suddenly I had the saddest feeling. I began to wonder if we'll ever really adopt. I felt so sad I almost started crying but I didn't. Instead I said a prayer that God take away our desire to adopt if that's not what He has planned for us. I asked that He guide us to His will for us, whatever that may be. So I went on with my painting (turned out GREAT by the way), but my heart still felt heavy.
At some point during the day I realized why this day, out of all the days, I was feeling so sad. It dawned on me that on this day, March 1st, I could no longer tell people we'd been waiting "almost 2 years," or even "2 years." We have now been waiting MORE than 2 years! We never thought it would take this long. When we started the adoption process (paperwork, meetings, homestudy, etc.) we told Lexie we might not adopt a baby until she was 7 years old. We said this so that she wouldn't expect us to bring home a baby brother or baby sister the next day. We told her that it would happen when God planned it to happen. But honestly, we were preparing her for the long wait that we really didn't think would happen. We thought, "we're a nice couple, a good family, good parents, certainly someone will pick us soon." Our case worker reaffirmed what we already thought when she said, "Oh, it will happen before THEN!!!" when we told her what we told Lexie. Yet here we are 2 years and 2 days later, still not being choosen.
It's so overwhelming when I think about waiting indefinately. I mean how long can I keep hoping. It's just soooo hard! Yet, I know if this IS what God has planned for our family the wait, any amount of wait, will be totally worth it! I just need to trust God and know that if it's not His plan for us that He will take that desire away from our hearts.
All that keeps going thru my head right now is some bible verse that says something like "those who wait in the hope of God." When I typed that in google I found a website Hope Is Real. Four bible verses really jumped out at me:
Psalm 39: 7 NIV "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."
Psalm 25:4,5 NLT "Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."
Isaiah 40:31NLT (one of my favorite bible verses) "But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
Jeremiah 29: 11 NLT "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
So here I am today, officially waiting 2 years, 2 days and counting, but continuing to find MY hope in GOD.
At some point during the day I realized why this day, out of all the days, I was feeling so sad. It dawned on me that on this day, March 1st, I could no longer tell people we'd been waiting "almost 2 years," or even "2 years." We have now been waiting MORE than 2 years! We never thought it would take this long. When we started the adoption process (paperwork, meetings, homestudy, etc.) we told Lexie we might not adopt a baby until she was 7 years old. We said this so that she wouldn't expect us to bring home a baby brother or baby sister the next day. We told her that it would happen when God planned it to happen. But honestly, we were preparing her for the long wait that we really didn't think would happen. We thought, "we're a nice couple, a good family, good parents, certainly someone will pick us soon." Our case worker reaffirmed what we already thought when she said, "Oh, it will happen before THEN!!!" when we told her what we told Lexie. Yet here we are 2 years and 2 days later, still not being choosen.
It's so overwhelming when I think about waiting indefinately. I mean how long can I keep hoping. It's just soooo hard! Yet, I know if this IS what God has planned for our family the wait, any amount of wait, will be totally worth it! I just need to trust God and know that if it's not His plan for us that He will take that desire away from our hearts.
All that keeps going thru my head right now is some bible verse that says something like "those who wait in the hope of God." When I typed that in google I found a website Hope Is Real. Four bible verses really jumped out at me:
Psalm 39: 7 NIV "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."
Psalm 25:4,5 NLT "Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."
Isaiah 40:31NLT (one of my favorite bible verses) "But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
Jeremiah 29: 11 NLT "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
So here I am today, officially waiting 2 years, 2 days and counting, but continuing to find MY hope in GOD.
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