I just caught Colin with the toilet plunger.
IN HIS MOUTH.
Excuse me while I hyperventilate for a minute over here.
(deep breaths, what-does-not-kill-me-makes-me-stronger, deep breaths…..)
On the bright side, I now have a new grossest parenting moment. Yipee.
"Mom, when can I get my ears pierced?"
"You want to get your ears pierced? Since when?"
"I want to wear pretty earrings."
"Well, when you get your ears pierced they use something like a needle to make a hole in your ear."
"Oh."
silence.
"Nevermind."
And that's the end of that conversation.
*****
Husband: "The best thing about going to Disney is that you're so crazy that won't let me plan anything. All I have to do is show up."
*****
"Mom, you make better pancakes than McDonalds. And its HARD to make better food than McDonalds."
SIGH
*****
"Mom, when I grow up, I'm going to buy shoes."
*****
"Not only do I have PINK EYE, but I'm out of Splenda! UGH! Could this day get any worse?"
"Way to keep it in perspective, Mel."
And that's why I love my friends.
*****
"Boys are so gross."
"But they're cute! Colin is cute! Daddy is cute and he's a boy."
"Daddy is NOT cute."
"He's not?"
"No. He's a handsome, dansome prince."
This recipe is from our dear friends who are fabulous cooks. I LOVE this. It is – no exaggeration – one of the best things you will ever eat!
Carnitas
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or country-style pork ribs
6 garlic cloves, halved
1 orange, zest of (cut into wide strips using a vegetable peeler)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
sea salt
1 tablespoon canola oil (optional) or safflower oil (optional)
12 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
guacamole
salsa fresca
black beans
Cut off any big pieces of fat from the pork and put them into a wide,
heavy saucepan or frying pan. Cut the pork into strips about 1 1/2
inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Add the pork to the pan with the garlic,
orange zest, orange juice, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. The meat should be
in a single layer, if possible. Add water to barely cover the meat and
bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover
partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has
evaporated, about 1 hour. If the meat is not yet fork tender, add a bit
more water and continue cooking.
Uncover the pan and continue cooking the pork until all the fat is
rendered and the meat is browning in the melted fat, 10-15 minutes
longer. There is usually enough melted fat in the pan, but if
necessary, add the 1 tablespoon oil. When the meat is brown and crisp,
using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a colander and let any excess fat
drain away.
Immediately transfer the pork to a warmed serving bowl. Accompany with
the warm tortillas to make tacos: slather each tortilla with the
guacamole and the salsa. Serve with the beans and/or rice on
the side.
"It’s
one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go
through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no
limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us." Oswald Chambers
I've been challenged to ask myself whether I taking to heart Colossians 3:23: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Is my focus directed towards gaining the approval of my Heavenly Father – and not my peers? Am I willing to do little jobs that no one will notice? Am I serving my family and friends with a joyful heart? Am I truly thankful and content?
I don't think
that I always see my 'everyday life' as something that brings glory to God. After all, I'm fairly sure that none of my personal
'mountaintop' experiences with God have involved laundry. Every so
often, caring
for my family melts into a never ending list chores: cleaning
up mess after mess, changing diaper after diaper, doing load after load
after load (after
load) of laundry…
My attitude about these responsibilities, glamorous or not, is important. I
am doing what God has called me to do at this time in my life – caring
for my young family. It may not seem important to many people. It may
be considered "not working." (Ha!) But this is where I am. And I have
been given a big responsibility that involves thousands of little
responsibilities. I am building our home and our family, shaping the
lives of my children by my attitudes, by my words and by my example. My
faithfulness to my family and God is crucial. To my children. To their
faith.
Because my faithfulness brings Him glory. And that is all I am called
to do.
Our children, Lord, in faith and pray'r, we now devote to thee;
let them thy cov'nant mercies share, and thy salvation see.
Such helpless babes thou didst embrace, while dwelling here below;
to us and ours, O God of grace, the same compassion show.
In earthly days their hearts secure from worldly snares, we pray;
O let them to the end endure in every righteous way.
Hymn, entitled Our Children, Lord, in Faith and Prayer
This week, I'm just sharing a few little things on my wish list. I've been perusing the interwebby-shopping all week getting outfit ideas for the Disney Social Media Moms conference next month and I have found a few gems that I had to share.
Feel free to buy any or all of them for me. Just because you love me.
Oh – and I must tell you that Jo-Lynne introduced me to Privos. They are AMAZING. I'm deciding between this one and that one or these for Disney. But these are too cute. And these. And THESE! If you're looking for comfy shoes, give them a try! They are totally worth the price – I was doubtful until I tried them on myself. Now I'm a believer! (And check out 6pm.com – you can get cute Privos for 50-70% off!)
And speaking of 6pm.com, may I introduce you to this little beauty? And this little number?
So we decided to shop for car insurance.
We have had basically the same policy with the same agent with the same company for almost 10 years and we've been pleased with our service. We had to make a claim or two, during our string of hit-and-run accidents between 2004-05. (One of the hazards of living across the street from a bar! Yipee!)
Anyway, we decided to shop around a little and see if we could save some money. After seeing a commercial, I went online to a very heavily advertised company that rhymes with "Agressive" and discovered that they offered a policy with twice the coverage for almost $200 less for a 6 month policy.
What? That couldn't be right.
So I called our insurance agent to ask about it and see if they had a competitive offer. And after convincing the lady that I had a 'real quote' not from a no-name company, she then proceeded to tell me that there was a new type of policy that would probably save us lots of money and that we were seriously underinsured now that we are homeowners.
I'm sorry, but isn't the point of having an insurance agent that they would let you know about things like "being seriously underinsured" or telling us about "new policies that will really save you money"? I would imagine that our signing up for a homeowners policy would indicate that we were buying a home and would therefore need the increased coverage she insisted we need.
Insurance shopping is annoying. I would so rather be shopping for something fun. Like boots.
This morning I put Ellie on the bus as usual. (Well, sort of as usual, seeing as we missed the bus o n Tuesday.)
Every morning, she gives me a big kiss and hug as the bus approaches, runs up on the bus and gives the bus driver a big high-5, sits in a seat and turns to the window, where she waves to me until she is out of sight.
But this morning she didn't wave.
She just sat down and started gabbing with her friend, without even glancing back out the window.
And my heart broke, just a little.
I had no idea when she asked for help opening her piggy bank that this is what she had in mind.
She did this all on her own, wanting to help the little boy her preschool
supports who lives in Haiti because "his house shook a lot and fell down and
I want to help him because I have a house and toys and a piggy bank."
