Do you recognize this number?

1-800-222-1222

Yep, It is Poison Control and I made my first call ever on Wednesday afternoon. My 13-month-old was playing in the kitchen as I was trying to be the good wife and have dinner on the table when my sweet husband came home from work. (Do not be impressed. I can probably count on one hand the number of times that this has actually occurred in our 8 years of marriage!) But I had not cooked in a couple of days and was trying to be domesticated. We have cabinet locks on all our cabinets but our little plunderer can always reach beyond the locks and pull out a prize.

This particular one was the Murphy's Oil Soap (Andi, pretend you didn't read that :)...our hardwood floors are pre-finished and I am going to try the stuff you recommended as soon as I make it to BB&B). Anyway, I saw her holding it and I had raw chicken all over me (I am a FREAK about raw meat touching anything in my kitchen) so I thought I would wash my hands really well and then retrieve the soap. Let me remind you that she was RIGHT THERE THE WHOLE TIME TWO FEET AWAY FROM ME!!!


After I washed my hands, I bent down to get the soap and saw a mother's nightmare. A puddle of it on the floor. Which meant she had opened it and gotten it out. It's the kind of top that pops up...definitely not childproof! I scooped her up and put my nose to her mouth and she smelled like a soap factory!!! Surprisingly calm (for those of you who know me, I am sooooo Type A that nothing is calm....I am really proud of myself at this point) I picked up the phone and dialed the number for Poison Control, which we have had posted on the side of our fridge since AC was little. They were calm also and said it was basically an irritant and might irritate her skin and/or mouth but she would be OK. I am not really sure she even swallowed any of it because to do that, she would have had to turn the bottle up. She can't even do that really well with her cup yet!

I was fine until they asked for her name, age, my name, our phone number, and zip code, and as I provided all this info, my voice started to crack and I thought, "Are they about to call DHR?" Thankfully, no one from social services came to visit and they even called an hour later to check on her...WHEW...what a day!!!




And this is what I found in her crib after her afternoon nap. She had made such a MESS at lunch that I took her outfit off and put her to bed in a diaper only. What was I thinking???

Planting the seed of Gratefulness

I am not a gardener. I do not enjoy yard work. I wish I did because my husband loves it and we could spend a whole lot more time together if I did. His uncle owns a nursery and he used to work on it during the summer growing up. Therefore he knows lots and lots about all kinds of plants. The only thing I have ever planted is some knock-out roses because my friend that owns a nursery told me there was nothing I could do to kill them. (Steve even took pictures of me planting them because he realized it might never happen again). She was right. They were beautiful around our mailbox. Then we moved. So I don't even get to enjoy them anymore!

All of this to say that perhaps my lack of a green thumb parallels why I sometimes feel like a failure when it comes to planting the seed of gratefulness into my five-year-old. I have been astonished lately at some of the comments she has made.

"I don't want to take Daddy's truck."

"I don't want oatmeal for breakfast" (after it is sitting at her place at the table)

" So-in-so has one of these. You never buy me anything." (So untrue)

Just to name a few. But the one that sent me over the edge (and inspired this post) was when we were in Michael's yesterday. We went in looking for a picture frame and I didn't find what I was looking for. So as we're leaving the store empty handed, she sees a mom with her two boys. The mom was letting the boys pick out various items and put them in her cart. My child says to me, "that mommy is letting them buy all sorts of stuff. I wish you were like her."

Heart... broken. I was so shocked that she would say such a thing. I reacted with silence. She knew instantly that she had hurt me. And because I wasn't responding, she told me that I hurt her feelings! What???????????????? After a quiet ride home, I tried to explain to her that we don't just buy something just because we're in a store. I told her that maybe those boys were picking out a gift for a birthday present or a special event or a number of things.

About 30 minutes later, she came to me in the kitchen, hugged me, and said "You're the greatest mommy ever." And I think she meant it. Heart..healed.

We say we try not to spoil our children, but we are so blessed that they are often spoiled unintentionally. I am not the mom that says "if you're really good on this Walmart trip, you can pick out a toy." I am not the mom who lets her pick out something from the (as Steve calls it "impulse buy") section when you are checking out at the grocery store. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying those things are wrong, it's just not the choice I tend to make. And don't get me wrong again. She gets plenty of "stuff" between birthdays, Christmas, GRANDPARENTS, and special events (like learning to swim this summer).

Two years ago we began sponsoring a child in Indonesia through Compassion International . Her name is Vivi and she is Anna Clare's age. They draw and color for each other and send pictures back and forth as we correspond with Vivi's mom. It has been such a blessing for our family, and I often remind AC, "I bet Vivi would appreciate this so much!"

I am trying my best (and in today's society it is so difficult) to instill the importance of morals, values, character, work ethic, and especially, the Fruit of the Spirit into her. I know she is only 5 and maybe my expectations are too high. But soon she will be 13 and then 21 and then one day (God willing) married and raising children of her own. And she really is a sweet child and has such a tender heart. It just breaks mine to see sin begin at such a precious age. My best hope is for our family to stay grounded in God's Word and to pray for His constant wisdom and guidance. And I have faith that if we do, we can plant and cultivate that seed after all.

I may be a lake person after all...

There are beach people and there are lake people.

I am a beach person.

I love the beach and cannot get enough of it.

It is therapeutic to me. I could sit on the sand in the breeze and read for hours

Or just watch the sunset.

I am not a lake person.

I am not wild about swimming in water that I cannot see through.

I am terrified of snakes.

Snakes like the lake....see the pattern?

When I was younger, I used to go to the lake with a friend's family a lot in the summer and never could enjoy it because I was always keeping my eyes peeled for snakes.

This weekend our friends invited us to Crystal Lake.

LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!

The water is beautiful and clear (hence the name).

There is a huge beach with lots of pretty sand.

I actually felt like we were at the beach.

We had the best time. Steve and I inner-tubed (is that a word?) together. We have not done that since our honeymoon 8 years ago. It was so much fun!

AC rode it with her friend and had a blast!

Little sister played in the sand and was so content.

Our friends have had a place there for almost 10 years and have never seen a snake in the lake. This is my kind of lake.

I will gladly go back anytime and am so grateful that we were invited.

Only one major disappointment - I forgot my camera!

So maybe I am a lake person...or maybe I am just a Crystal Lake person.

The Sweetest Song

I recently added music to my blog. I'm not sure why I did because I usually have to pause other people's music to read their posts because I am a "must have silence" reader in order to concentrate. But for whatever reason, I wanted it on mine. Sometimes it's nice to just have it playing. Anna Clare heard "God of Wonders" come on and said "Mommy, I know this song! We learned it in Bible School." So she proceeds to sing it to me and my heart melted! For her to sing, even to me, is a pretty big deal because I am finding that she has some insecurity issues (at 5 years old...what's that about? And if it starts now, what will it be like as a young teen?). But that's a post for another day. Anyway, I think one of the sweetest sounds for a mom to hear is her child singing praise songs about Jesus! So now, when I am on the computer, she puts in her little requests for the song she wants to hear. "Mommy, will you put it on......" And what do you think my response is? "Yes, ma'am I will!"

A Very Special Daddy

To Anna Clare and Owen,
Hopefully one day you will read through this "scrapbook" and on this day I want you to know how blessed you are to have the Dad that God chose for you. He loves us, protects us, and provides for us. He works hard but always makes time to play with you. He loves Jesus and prays that you always will too. He always makes us laugh and is so much fun to be around. I am so thankful for your Daddy and look forward to all that God has in store for our family. Happy Father's Day!

A Good Movie and A Good Rain

My friend Christy and I went to see Made of Honor tonight. I love to go to the movies but Steve and I rarely go because of having to get a babysitter and all that. So I thought a weeknight movie with a friend sounded great. It was hilarious! We were the only two in the theater (or so we thought - when it was over, we saw a man by himself in the back). So we could laugh and laugh and not worry about anyone around us. I will definitely be renting it when it comes out. Minimal bad language (I will never understand why writers feel compelled to throw that in when the movie is just as good without it) but other than that...great. When we came out of the theater, we discovered that it was POURING!!! We died laughing because we had no umbrella and knew we just had to make a run for it. Christy took her shoes off because,believe you me, if someone would fall, it would be her. She tripped in my foyer once holding a giant Circle E candle and busted the candle (and made a nice little dent in my hardwood floor). In fact, when she picked me up tonight, Steve told her not to trip on the dent in the floor on her way out! All in good fun! So we ran for it (I'm terrified of getting struck by lightening so I'm praying all the way to the car) and get in the car soaked and laughing hysterically. I will say, I was so thankful for this good rain (and that I was going straight home due to my appearance).

Mean Mean Jumpin' Machine

To say swimming lessons were a success is a major understatement! We had a wonderful week and it brings me so much joy to see how much she loves it. I am very thankful to her wonderful teacher, Michelle, and to my friends Emily and Kit for letting me know about this amazing resource. Now, if we can only have such great success next summer with her little sister...

Swimming Lessons...Day 2

Not anything like I expected, as in, she JUMPED OFF THE DIVING BOARD 3 TIMES!!! I couldn't believe it! She swam across the deep end of the pool and learned how to come up, take a breath, and continue swimming. When class was almost over, she and her friend asked their teacher if they could jump off the diving board. I was so excited that she wanted to do it on her own (and liked it so much that she did it two more times)! I'm continuing to pray for her safety and that she will always respect the water. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone, and we are looking forward to the next 3 days.

Swimming Lessons...What a Relief!

AC started swimming lessons today. She was pretty much swimming by the end of last summer, but she has very little confidence in the water. And with a toddler to watch also, I wanted her swimming extremely well. I was a little concerned because I had heard some horror stories, but she did great! Her teacher was so sweet and prayed for the whole group before they got started asking God to keep them safe, that they would all learn to swim this week, and blessing their parents for bringing them. Every time it was her turn, she would swim underwater from her teacher to the wall, back to her teacher, and then to the steps. I was so proud of her! She was literally like a little fish all over the pool. Her little sister will definitely be signed up for next summer! My hope is that she will be jumping off of the diving board and swimming to the side by Friday. We'll see...and I'll make sure I don't forget my camera again!