Every day, when I open my browser, my blog is looking back at me. I put it there to remind me to write. And most days, lately, I just stare back at my blog, not knowing if I have anything of value to write.

Between being busy with different activities, enjoying time with family and friends, and renovating our house, I don't feel like I have time to write, most days.

Our funny stories happen, pass us by, and go unrecorded.

Any spiritual insight that I'm able to glean from reading or discussing goes undocumented because I just don't take the time to flesh out my thoughts on the computer. (But remind me sometime to tell you about our "costumes"...  That's something to chew on.)

And, truth be told, I'm wrestling with a few different things.  I usually feel fairly put together, even when I'm bumbling around like a goofy-faced ignoramus. But not right now. I would really like to have a waffle-brain. To compartmentalize everything that's swimming around up here. Instead I just have a jumbled mess of material that tangles into the next thought and I can't always make sense of it.

That's it. Nothing clever to wrap it up. I'll weed out the junk and come back when there's something interesting to share.

Fun Moments

A couple snippets from the last couple days.  I want to write these down so we can remember them and laugh at the fun we had.

Geeks

Girl, looking over my shoulder at an article about "geeks": Mom, what's a geek?

Me: Um, well, someone who doesn't just do what society tells them to do. They do what's interesting to them.

Girl: Oh, okay!

May we all be geeks in this house.  (I don't think there's any fear that we won't be!)

Colonel Mustard

I was reading to the kids recently about the War of 1812. I read this phrase: "They mustered troops to defend the fort." My kids, listening, dissolved into fits of giggles as they imagined the yellow condiment being sprayed all over some British soldiers.

Of course, we paused for a vocabulary lesson.

For the Weary Mom

For me...

For me on those days when I struggle to keep my cool.
For me when I find myself yelling.
For me when I am being lazy.

Today I choose to be purposeful.
Today I will listen to each child.
Today I will listen to what is important to them.
Today I will pray and ask God for patience instead of retreating when I've had it up to here.

I will not yell... I will respond with kind words.

I will not bark demeaning words... I will build them up.

I will not ignore their words... I will listen, and really hear them.

I will show them that they matter to me.
I will show them that they are loved.
I will be the mom that they need me to be.

For them.

Today.

Start happy

Wise words from my eight-year-old today:

"I think we're going to have a good day today,

because when we start happy, we end happy."

Nothing new under the sun

The kids were reading the biographies of "kid reporters" on a news site that they visit. My daughter read one reporter's favourite movie, Dodgeball. "What's that movie about, Mom?

Her older brother jumped in with a grin and asked, "Is it a movie where we watch other people play Dodgeball for an hour and a half?"

I started explaining, "Well, this one group of people has a gym and another guy wants to take it from them and he has a lot of money so he can do that. So they have to enter a Dodgeball tournament to win the money to keep the gym."

My girl interrupted by stating authoritatively, "The Muppets."

"Huh?" I wasn't sure where that came from

"So... It's The Muppets, but about Dodgeball. Right?"

Yep, I guess so.

There really is nothing new under the sun.