Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

Six months ago, my parents-in-law packed up and moved out of their house, ready to begin retirement.  They were told they would be able to move into their newly built house by the end of summer.  The construction company was a bit off schedule, as September, October, and November passed by and the house still wasn't finished.  Finally, the weekend before Christmas, the house was ready! We loaded up the kids and headed over to help them move in.  My dear husband made multiple trips with a U-Haul truck for four days - loading, unloading, carrying.  We were so glad, so relieved that the time had finally come!  We wanted so badly for them to be in their house before Christmas. My husband recently shared a story during one of his sermons:  Growing up as a United Methodist pastor's kid, he moved from house to house fairly frequently, his father being assigned to a different church every several years.  When they'd pack up then set up house in t...

To my readers, The past couple weeks, I have felt uninspired.  I started this blog because I was just bursting with things I wanted to share with you.  A burning desire to share issues that were nagging at my conscience. In part, my lack of inspiration is due to what I'm currently reading.  I usually read anywhere from 2-5 books at a time, depending on interest and opportunity.  Books open my eyes, my mind, my soul.  They teach me how to think, how to feel, how to love, and how to live.  The Bible is my primary inspiration and guide for life.  I am also reading Joni Eareckson Tada's Diamonds in the Dust, 2-minute mysteries, and a homeschool inspiration book (I always read one during the year to keep my enthusiasm fresh!) Last time I visited my parents, I chose to borrow a book that has impacted me tremendously.  Do you remember the phenomenon of A Child Called "It" ?  Everyone I knew was reading this book when it was published in 199...

"Guys With Kids" on NBC - not since "Full House" has a show tried to bolster the image of dads in our culture.  Too bad it's been canceled.  Maybe American moms don't believe dads can do the job. Maybe it wasn't sleazy enough for prime time t.v. I am going to the store this evening, so that means hubby will be watching the children by himself for an hour or two. When our kids were little, I would run around preparing sippy cups and snacks, laying out extra outfits and diapering supplies.  I'd give instructions to my hubby about what he was to do with them during the time I would be gone. I was worried what might happen with our children while I was gone.  Not that they were in any danger.  That wasn't it.  I was worried that my dear husband wouldn't do things the way I   do them. Several years have passed and we've come to an understanding:  Daddies parent differently than mommies and that's okay. Mommy plans stru...

While washing my dishes this afternoon, thinking how little energy I had left to do anything and how much more I have to do before Christmas hits, I was gently reminded me of something Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 The world tells me to rush here and there, getting everything done , and Jesus tells me to slow down and rest.   I think I'll take Jesus' advice today.   I encourage you to do the same! For a busy mom, this may mean leaving the dishes and laundry until tomorrow.  It may mean crossing "Christmas cards" off the to-do list this year.  It may mean bowing out of a Christmas party or two.   Which will mean time to snuggle up with your little ones, talk with your spouse, and look fo...

We love advent calendars! Do you have one this year?  If not, I have a great recommendation for you!! Last year, a dear friend bought us an online subscription to Jacquie Lawson's advent calendar .  My children loved it so much, they played it the entire year! This year, we have purchased the 2014 version, The Winter Market. Here is the sample video for this year: I highly recommend this - ages 2 and up.  It's totally worth the $4.00. I'm especially floored that my 3-year-old boy loves this and will sit and do the activities for 10-30 minutes at a time.  My four and seven-year-old also enjoy this program.  That's amazing! They look forward to checking the calendar every day. This is also another way to help them answer that burning question: "How many more days 'til Christmas?"

Pop a big bowl of buttery popcorn and break out a good movie! It's Friday Family Movie Night.  Yay! For little ones, I recommend Boz's A Wowee Bozowee Christmas .  It's a sweet family film that talks about giving being better than receiving, and the end of the show is a living nativity scene.  Kids hear the real meaning of Christmas and watch young children prioritize giving over receiving.  There are lots of memorable songs sprinkled throughout the feature.  It takes a smidge over 20 minutes, so it's perfect for active preschoolers. For elementary-aged children, I recommend Veggietales Saint Nicholas .  Our beloved veggie friends tell the real story of Saint Nicholas.  Emphasizes the joy of giving, honoring one's parents, working hard, and doing what's right.  This may also give you a springboard into a discussion about Saint Nicholas - how he was a real person and did wonderful things for other people, but Jesus is the real reason f...

Help!!  Company's coming and the house is a wreck. What's a mom to do?  Well... I've got two options . One: Provide Hazmat suits for everyone who walks through the door on Saturday and install caution tape around the piles of boxes, then hope for the best. Two: Clean it up!   Because I am a perfectionist at heart, I will choose option two . But there's so much to doooo!!!  Where do I start? Yep - this is an actual picture of our entryway.  Yikes! THREE EASY STEPS TO A GUEST-READY HOUSE: (Really - you can do this!!) THE LAUNDRY BASKET BLITZ  1.  Round up all empty laundry baskets and place them in the living room.  This is the heart of our living space.  If your most-used room is elsewhere, place the baskets in that room. 2. All pillows and blankets are thrown onto the couch (that's why they call them throws, right?)  They can be folded and arranged later. 3. Toss all shirts, socks, and whatev...

I finally showered and put clean clothes on - it's almost 5:00... p.m. Yep...It's one of those days. I woke up late because I had trouble getting to sleep last night.  My mind was racing with all the things that need to be done this Christmas season.  Sound familiar? My boy came in and woke me up several times before 7:00 a.m.  I finally roused myself and shleppped down the stairs to make him some chocolate milk and popped in a dvd for his viewing enjoyment.  I dragged myself back upstairs and spent the next half hour trying to fall asleep.  My boy returned to announce that he had pooped.  " You need to change me! "  He loudly proclaimed.  OK - forget about falling back to sleep.  After I cleaned him up and sent him on his merry way, I returned to lay in bed.  And - you guessed it - I fell sound asleep.  The next thing I know, it's 9:13.  9:13!!?!  Rats. I have this schedule I try to maintain - breakfast at 9...

My children and I enjoyed making these edible snowmen two nights ago. I was bored with the same ho-hum snacks so I put a little imagination into it, using what we already had in the kitchen to make fun, wintry treats. Ingredients: Nilla Wafers (we use generic) Cool Whip mini chocolate chips Step 1: Take out a handful of Nilla Wafers. Step 2: Slather a dollop of Cool Whip on the top of each wafer. Step 3: Let your kids go to town decorating with mini chocolate chips. Step 4: Enjoy! Feel free to embellish them any way you want - sprinkles, other candies - the works!  I like these because they were so simple and we could use whatever we had on hand in the pantry.  My preschoolers love being included and they could make these all by themselves.  This was a serious score for mama. 

Would you believe it? A cat down the drain. When we first moved into this house, within the first week, our curious toddler boy had mangled the thing that goes up or down to plug the bathroom sink.  I just removed it and threw it away.  No big deal. So we've had a gaping hole in the sink for two years.  What curious boy would not take advantage of such an opportunity? One day, we discovered a tiny white cat figurine down the drain.  From the girls' dollhouse.  I didn't tell them.  It clogged things slightly, but not enough to impede the flow.  We would get to it when we could. Once a week or so, I would look down the drain to see if our friend the kitty was still there.  It had turned brown (I know - EW!) but was still sitting tight. Six months passed and the drain had begun to back up a little more.  After shining his phone flashlight down the gaping hole, my husband spotted a quarter of a bar of soap we had used for was...

At our house, Legos are a favorite!  My husband is a lifetime collector, my kids love 'em, and gosh - you can built SO many things out of them!  Right now, my husband is working on an enormous Lego castle that the kids and any visitors that may go out to the Lego Hall of Fame (aka the garage) "Oooh" and "Ahhh" over.  I once had an elementary kid tell me he wanted to sneak a ride home in my trunk so he could see what was in our garage.  Legend.  Lore.  Cool stuff. So, in thinking about building, the most important thing we can build is our house.  I'm not talking brick and mortar.  I mean building our family from the ground up out of the stuff that matters most . Not the running around to events, practices, rehearsals, recitals, games, meets, and performances.  Not making an "A" or receiving a trophy for MVP.  The real stuff. Lasting stuff. I recently found this wonderful video about building your house on the sand vs. a ho...

A recent visit to our library brought Snap Circuits home for homeschooling fun.  I wasn't sure how well we would be able to build the circuits, but I thought we'd try. Here was our project for today:  (It's a working fan) Here are all three kids engaged and working together (gasp - I know! amazing, right??) Now - I have to say that my kids are familiar with Lego instruction manuals, which made it easier for them to determine what was being shown in the diagrams.  All the parts are clearly labeled, and there is a diagram on the inner lid of the box to help them put the parts back in their proper places.  We built between 1 and 4 projects each day, depending on interest and my 3-year-olds level of involvement. If you are looking for a unique Christmas gift, this could be a really great one for your kids.  Especially if they are mechanically minded.  This particular set was Snap Circuits Jr. 100 .  $21.00 on amazon.com . Or your loca...

Last week, my kids and I visited the hair salon to transform from shabby-looking people to tip-top new haircut people. We do this before holidays - it's what I've always done.  It's what my mom did and what her mother did before her. Does anyone else feel the burning need to get your hair cut before a big family get-together? While there, I realized who exactly benefits most from a visit to the salon.  Do you have any guesses who it might be? As I sat waiting by the kids' play area, I observed an elderly woman having her hair cut and styled.  I noticed when the hairdresser turned her around that the old woman's neck had so many wrinkles and folds (I assume from hard work out in the fields of a farm when she was younger) that she had to take special care to shape her hairline without nicking the skin. I also saw an elderly man sitting patiently, gruff look on his face, in the waiting area.  I assumed this was the husband, whom I assumed grudgingly bro...

WHEN, O WHEN WILL THE LAUNDRY END? UPDATE!! It has been about 2 weeks since I published "When, O When Will the Laundry End?  Load One and Load Two , so it's time for some follow up.                                           BEFORE                                           AFTER I have knocked my laundry workload down to 6 loads a week.  I was shooting for 3 total, but that didn't happen.  I think clothes are too heavy and bulky in the winter - especially jeans.  Maybe I could hit that 3 load goal by spring or summer.  Gotta keep trying. To...

A friend of mine recently told me she would rather face torture than put the laundry away. Yep.  Been there. Here are a few of my own tricks that might help decrease the desire to jump off a cliff when it comes time to put away all those piles of clothes. 1. Drop It Off Take your nicely folded basket of laundry and place it in one of the bedrooms.  Leave it there. Unless there is a small child that will happily unload it onto the floor.  In that case, close the door when you leave the room!  Lock it if possible.  I have a laundry-unloader in my house and lemme tell ya - if there's one thing I don't want to do, it's to refold laundry. 2.  Deliver It Gather one person's pile o' clothes and put them on top of the dresser (or any available flat space in their bedroom).  I usually plop all articles of one person's clothing in one pile as I fold them, then place it in the basket.  When it is time to deliver, I scoop up their pile and pl...

Have you ever gone to wash your hands and the bottle of soap you just bought yesterday appears to be empty? If no one is watching, my four-year-old daughter will use 1/4 cup of soap every time.  I think she just likes how it feels.  And it's fun to pump the pumper up and down.  Have no fear, soap overuse households! Here is a super soap saving solution: Loop a rubber band or hair tie around the soap pump spout several times.  This limits the pump to about 1/4 inch.  This allows just the right amount of soap for little hands.  The rubber band is too difficult for their little fingers to remove, especially when wet. So far, it has been a long-lasting solution at our house.  Woohoo!  Go mom, go mom, go go go mom! ------- If you have enjoyed reading Mom vs. The Dot, please check out (and LIKE!!) my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/momvsthedot   Thank you for your faithful readership! 

After blogging about challenging our children with high expectations in What Would You Do for 5 Dollars (Part One) and encouraging you to raise the bar for their daily behavior in Part Two , I thought it would be helpful to share some information about character training. The Duggars first introduced me to the idea of character training.  They have a wonderful book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting , that describes what they teach their children and the program they use.  If you have ever watched 19 And Counting, you will notice how well behaved their children are most of the time.  This is due to...tum tum tum ta!  Character training! Basically, you are training your children to respond to situations and emotions in a way that honors God.  By using God's Word as the source of knowledge about how to live in a way that pleases God, it places the source of wisdom in its' proper place. I remember attending a Character Counts conference as a high schooler ...

So Phil Robertson's granddaughter took the bait .  She heard his prize offer and she aimed to win.  She held on to that sheep for dear life, and she made Papaw pay up. What did that say to you? To me, it practically screamed "Set the Bar High for your children!!!"  They can do more than we think we can.  We need to challenge them.  As a parent, I immediately think of board games I love to play with my kids because they are "team win" games.  I love these non-competitive games because everyone is happy at the end of the game, instead of crying because they didn't win. Has anyone else trying playing Candy Land with their children, ages "three and up?" It's a nightmare. A sobfest.  At least it is for my 3 and 4-year-olds.  If they win, they do the dance of joy.  If my boy loses, he sprawls out on the floor and cries a mournful, sobbing cry of defeat.  Agony.  The end of the world as we know it. After 10 minutes, I wan...

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I took in some Duck Dynasty with my hubby.  I haven't watched the show in some time, but I always enjoy it when I get the chance. So Phil Robertson was goaded into going to a petting zoo with some of his grandkids.  At the end of the visit, the farmer asked if the kids would like to try mutton busting.  He provided helmets and chaps for safety, then the kids mounted the sheep one at a time and gave it a try. The little boy fell off almost immediately.  Mom said, "Good try.  There are no winners or losers.  You did your best." She gave the same kind of advice to her daughter who was climbing up onto the sheep for her turn.  "Just do your best, honey.  There are no winners."  This is when Papaw Phil stepped in. He said something to the effect of "Honey, there are winners and losers.  It is important to try to win.  Do your best.  If you hold on to that sheep the longest, I will pay you fiv...