Author: Melissa

April 6, 2013

finding peace

I’m having a lot of anxiety lately.

I’m a planner. Its the Type A in me. I even make spreadsheets for vacations. Multiple spreadsheets. Clothing spreadsheets, activity spreadsheets… everything printed out and organized in a folder. I’m super fun to travel with, really. (Its completely genetic, too. My mom and sis are the same way. You should see it when we go on vacation together. EPIC.)

So the fact that we have a moving van booked for a day in June, yet NO IDEA where that moving van will be going to is really getting to me.

I’m trying my best to believe what we keep telling our kids.

That this move is a great adventure. That everything will work out. That there is a home for us. That God is taking care of us.

But some days, its hard to believe the words coming out of my mouth.

Especially when we call to make a bid on a house and find out it sold hours before. Especially when we find a house that fits exactly what is on our ‘Dream House” list and have to watch it slipping out of our grasp. Especially when I have to tell the moving company, “Actually, we don’t know where you’ll be moving us to.” Especially when my daughters are disappointed about a house and ask questions like “Why wouldn’t they want to sell us their house? We would love it and take care of it!” and we have to explain that its about money, not who wants it most. That one is a hard lesson to learn, even as an adult.

I’m just praying for peace. For a house that we can love, where we can raise our family, where we can be part of a community and share with people around us. Praying that I can believe the things I’m telling the kids.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

April 4, 2013

area secure

Melissa

Colin comes running into the room, sliding to a stop.

Points his gun around as he slowly turns in a circle.

Says: “AREA SECURE.”

And runs out.

He watches out for me.

April 3, 2013

wordless wednesday: spot the problem

Melissa 2 Comments

April 2, 2013

LYSOL Healthing Initiative

Melissa

Well, its sick season around here. I feel like practically everyone we know is sick with something. They’re just dropping like flies! Luckily, we missed the stomach bug that ripped through the girls’ school these past few weeks. I’d like to think that my crazy cleaning habits have helped keep us healthy!

I’m a little insane about germs – I freely admit it – and I’ve passed it on to my kids who know to wash their hands, carry sanitizer in their lunch boxes, help around the house by disinfecting the light switches and door knobs with Lysol Wipes… We’ve got our cleaning routine down to prevent germs from invading our house. We’ve had years when we just couldn’t shake stomach bugs or colds – disinfecting, as opposed to simply cleaning, is KEY to keeping my family healthy. So I LOVE how LYSOL is introducing the concept of Healthing – a new idea centered on keeping families as healthy as possible, by looking beyond just cleaning and ensuring that the proper steps are taken to stay well.

Some of my favorite tips from Lysol to help you Healthing around the home:

Know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting! Both are important components of the Healthing process and LYSOL^® has products that can help with all related tasks. While cleaning and organizing is certainly important, killing germs on commonly touched surfaces can lower the risk of spreading bacteria and viruses between members of the family.
Start with the basics – wipe down easy to reach surfaces and then move onto the little nooks and crannies.
Use a disinfectant product, like LYSOL^® Disinfecting Wipes, to help ensure you’re killing germs as you clean, and think beyond the usual places. Be sure to clean even the smallest surfaces, such as light switches.
Don’t forget to disinfect places that you don’t see or think about often, like the door knobs, cabinet handles or sink drains
Remember to practice proper hand washing as well after you clean, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer. Hand washing is the single most important thing you can do to prevent illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Be sure to follow Lysol on Facebook to get great tips on keeping your family healthy!

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for LYSOL^®. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

March 27, 2013

how many cousins can fit in a photo booth?

Melissa

March 26, 2013

weekend wedding

Melissa 1 Comment

This past weekend we went up to Connecticut to see these two crazy kids get married.

HOW gorgeous is the girl my cousin snagged? She looked amazing and it was such a pleasure to see her join our family!

We had a fabulous time at the party – dancing the night away!

Well… most of us danced the night away…

March 21, 2013

life is too short not to have the ice cream

Melissa

If you’re wandering around Philly…

And you pass one of your old haunts…

Even though its snowing outside, you just have to stop in. And order an old favorite… Mile High Apple Pie!

a la mode, of course.

The Mile High Apple Pie won. We tried. We really really tried. And we just couldn’t finish it…

March 20, 2013

because grace is spelled with an exclamation point

Melissa 3 Comments

Amazingly, you can pick out Gracie’s name even on a wall with every single kids in school’s name on it. There may be more than one Grace.

But there’s only one Grace!

March 19, 2013

more ways in which i am totally on the ball

Melissa

I called the dentist yesterday to make an appointment before we moved. Luckily, they had an opening for the very next week. Yay!

I asked the receptionist, “Can you just check when I last came in? If its less than 6 months, my insurance won’t pay for it.”
She checks… “Um, you were last here in August 2011. So you’re good.”

WHOOPS! How did I forget to do to the dentist for like 2 years? I really, really honestly thought I went last summer! Guess not. Maybe I should call my doctor. Wonder when I’ve been there last…

***

The other day, I was so on the ball. I got up and decided I was going to put dinner in the crock pot. (Don’t you LURV the crockpot? Come home and dinner is done!) With this recipe, you have to brown the meat and veggies before you cook them. So I threw the meat in the microwave to defrost while I helped the kids pack up their backpacks and get on the bus. (I was just SO on the ball! Look at me multitasking and everything!)

I had SUCH a busy day – meetings, lessons, work, craziness…

Around 1pm I suddenly realized something.

Have you figured it out yet?

Yup. The meat was still sitting in the microwave.

Well done, Mel. Well done.

March 18, 2013

home tour

Melissa 1 Comment

Since our house is on the market is just about as clean as it has ever been – like ever – I thought I would share pictures before it becomes normal again. (Do we really have to take those bags and bags of stuffed animals out of storage? I think some things may get “lost” if-you-know-what-I-mean.)

Anyway – here’s our house!

Come on in!

When you walk in our front door, you’re right in our living room. I love our living room! Thanks to IKEA slipcovered furniture, these couches are in surprisingly good shape. People always ask me where we got our curtains. They’re from Target. I’m sure you’re shocked!

And our fireplace… I really REALLY hope our new house has a fireplace. We love family fire night – we have a big fire, pop popcorn and sit around playing games and reading.

This is our dining room – notice the lack of homework papers on the table. Thankyouverymuch.

And our kitchen! I remember when we moved in – my old kitchen had literally 2 square feet of counter space. No exaggeration. This felt like I was cooking in a mansion!! I still love our kitchen – the peninsula is perfect for the kids to pull up chairs to bake cookies or make pancakes on Saturday morning.

And this is our family room. Normally home to approximately 3 million Legos! We fixed it up about 18 months ago, with the new couch that replaced the college futon and new pillows and curtains.