Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

I just love celebrating the New Year! Even though it is just the difference between Thursday and Friday this year, it also is a time to start over.  To try again.  To set goals and try to achieve them once more. I remember celebrating with my dad's whole family when I was just a child.  One year my cousin made homemade fortune cookies for the event.  Almost everyone said they wanted to lose weight, but I think there were other resolutions left unsaid because they were the more serious ones.  Like working on marriages, trying for greater success at work, or other important matters.  It's about adopting a new attitude.  Leaving whatever happened in the past 365 days behind us, opening a brand-new calendar and beginning again. I love The Sandlot , as you may already know.  In the movie, the boys yell, "Do over!" when things haven't gone quite right and they need to start their game back at square one.  All of them understand this....

Here are a few of our favorite books we read with our preschooler: The little Nativity books set Make Believe Ideas, Ltd. These are probably intended for infants and toddlers, but my 4 and 5-year-olds still love these books!  So do I!  They are perfect for little hands to hold and each book tells a bit of the Christmas story.  Each one ends with a Christmas song that brings it all together. (Like "O Little Town of Bethlehem," for example) Dinosaur vs. Santa by Bob Shea Does your preschooler ever pretend he is a dinosaur?  If so, this book is perfect for you and your rambunctious little boy or girl, anxious for Christmas to come. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney We love Llama Llama books - they're sweet and fun - just right!  Here Llama Llama is a preschooler, anxiously counting down the days until Christmas.  He goes shopping, bakes cookies, and makes presents with his Llama Mama in preparation for the big day. ...

Here are a few of our favorite books we read together at Christmastime: Santa, Are You For Real?   by Harold Lawrence Myra Recommended by my husband's family.  Explains the origins of St. Nicholas, how he was a real person who loved Jesus and did kind things for other people.  A good way to "break the news" to older children who are starting to question if Santa is real. The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado A different perspective on the nativity story - a crippled lamb who is left behind when the shepherds took the other sheep to graze in a distant meadow.  This little lamb is first discouraged because he is different and doesn't see his purpose.  At the end of the story, he ends up snuggling up to the newborn baby Jesus to keep him warm.  God had an important purpose for him all along! Christmas in the Big Woods (My First Little House Books) by Laura Ingalls Wilder A sweet look at how pioneers spent Christmas.  This book is spe...

Every year I try really, really hard to get as much done as I possibly can so the week before Christmas is stress-free and lots of fa-la-la-la fun! Every year, I find myself running around like a crazy lady getting last-minute things done and tending to crazy surprises that have popped up to add the the chaos. I had all my big gift shopping done just after Thanksgiving.  I ordered supplies for our church Christmas events at the beginning of December.  So I thought I had everything under control.  Not so, lady.  Not by a long shot. So here I was, today, sweating bullets for my Oriental Trading box to arrive because the party is tomorrow night is the church Christmas party and this momma has got to get Santa's gift bags together and delivered to the church.  My mother-in-law came to watch the kids so I could run to three different towns to do some last-minute errands.  I'm so thankful for her! My husband has been in his own Christmas season rush...

Did you know that Mom vs. The Dot has a YouTube channel? Check it out!!   Click here to check out the Kids' Christmas Worship songs collection!  

This year at Christmastime, we are trying to teach our children about giving and serving.  One of our favorite things to do is look through the World Vision catalog and pick out a gift for someone in need. This year, we chose to send some ducks to people who need them. They've got great videos to watch, and to share with your family to show them what World Vision is about and where their money goes. I asked my children to give $5 each of their Christmas money to join to my contribution so we could buy something together.  They really liked the idea of helping someone out, and we gave just a small portion of what we have to improve the life of another family. Warm fuzzies.  Lives changed.  Can't beat it. Some of the gifts are really amazing - like $25 multiplied x's 12 = $300 in clothes or nutrition or medicines for people in need.  Our kids chose animals because...they like animals!  We picked ducks because we read that chickens sometim...

 This week, we have been reading Judy Moody, M.D. by Megan McDonald. This third-grade-girl wants to become a doctor in the worst way, and everyone knows it.  One afternoon, she was playing "Operation" with Stink, her little brother. You know - the game with the insets for little plastic "organs."  Like the bread basket and the funny bone .  If you contact the metal sides with your tweezers, the nose lights up and buzzes and you're OUT! I liked this game as a kid, but the loud "buzz" was always unnerving.  Almost as bad as the "pop" when playing Perfection (remember - Pop goes Perfection?).  I decided I could make a homemade version of this without the buzzer and it could be just as much fun.  And FREE! First, I tried using a cereal box.  It was way too deep for the kids to reach into.  I tried inserting egg cartons into the "body" to hold the "organs" in place, but it just didn't work. Besides that, ...

I don't do Christmas cookies. Am I the only person on the planet that, when faced with the thought of making Christmas cookies, turns into the Grinch? All I can think about is the giant MESS it will produce and that I will be the one cleaning it up. And the fact that, once the cookies are decorated, they will all be eaten up in 12.5 seconds. I just can't bring myself to do it. I can't waste the effort. I don't have it in me. I love my children and husband dearly, but one thing I cannot do is bake Christmas cookies.  They will not have any Nestle Toll House or Pillsbury perfect memories of rolling out the dough and cutting out shapes with mom. Nope. Instead, it's my husband.  He loves Christmas cookies so much that he has taken over the Christmas cookie making extravaganza in this household, and I'm totally OK with that.  (You may have noticed they are not baking cookies here.  A picture of that would've been nice.  I can...

Any woman who has borne children can tell you. After each child, it's harder to get in shape. Because 1) We have no motivation. 2) We have no willpower. 3) We have children with us 24/7. 4) Muscle tone is a thing of the past. Lately, I have noticed that it has become difficult to sit up straight or stand up straight. This may be due to the 8 1/2 years I've spent hunching over to care for, pick up, or listen to my children.  It's sort of a protective, accommodating hunchy-thing moms do while nurturing their kids.  When that activity is combined with my poor ab muscles that have been stretched apart to their limits three times, it forms what I like to call the: Limp Noodle Core Yes, my core muscles are now approximately the consistency of al dente pasta.  Possibly overcooked cafeteria-style noddles.  Starchy, flabby, tone-less muscles.  And that post-baby pooch.  That's a special item. I remember being an in-shape teenager (oh,...

The neighbors are sending their kids to swim lessons, gymnastics, soccer and art classes.  They eat dinner in their mini-van.  I don't know how they find time to do their homework or laundry, or even talk to each other. But this is the story for many families in our community. We don't do any of these things.  Home.  Homeschool.  Library.  Church.  Walmart.  Grocery store and occasional doctor's appointments.  These are the places we go.  This is what we do.     This may be largely due to our lack of disposable income. But preceding that, my husband and I think this is so good for our kids. They have plenty of free time.  We went to the circus a few weeks ago, so this week they created a circus, complete with carnival games and 3-ring acts.  They get to sleep in as late as they want to every day except Sundays.  I think this is exceptionally good for them, as they are constantly growing and need ext...

 The time I burnt a plastic storage container to the stove because I turned on the wrong burner while doing 10 other things... I just have to blog about For The Love by Jen Hatmaker one last time.  Buy this book - it's perfect.  You need it.  It will make you laugh, it will make you cry.  It will make you dig deep and think about why you do what you do.  Add it to your Christmas Wish List!  Really. Here's some of the good stuff from her book: ----- "The only thing worse than this unattainable standard is the guilt that follows when perfection proves impossible.  Sister, what could be crazier than a woman who wakes children up at dawn, feeds and waters them while listening and affirming their chatter, gets them dressed and off to school with signed folders, then perhaps heads to a job to put food on the table or stays home to raise littles who cannot even wipe, completes one million domestic chores that multiply like gremlins, b...

Friday: Child number one down. With the sniffles. Friday Night: Child number one visits me three times during the night to snuggle.  It is magical and heartwarming.  Not really.  He snerfed all over my pillow.  I'm doomed. Saturday: Child number two has a sore throat.  Needs Tylenol.  No sniffles yet. Saturday Night:  Boy child sneezes directly in my face.  Spit droplets in my eyes and nose.  There is no more efficient method for delivering germs.  This is it. Sunday: Child number two down.  Coughs and snots all day.  I haven't caught it yet, but let's be real here.  There is no hope of escaping this.  The germs are hovering over me like Ziggy's storm cloud. Monday:  I wake up with the throat of a centuries-old firey dragon.  Red hot coals are burning the back of my throat.  I think Dobby snuck in last night and performed an engorgement charm on my nose.  Awesome. I make it through...

After work today, I decided I'd be super-efficient and get my hair cut while I was without kids. I do a little office work a few hours a week and my dear husband stays home, homeschools the kids and gives me time to shop by myself.  Love. In order to be quick, I told the haircut lady I'd skip the hairwashing.  (It costs more and takes more time.  "I don't really need it, anyway," I thought to myself.) So she spritzed me down with water and commenced the haircut. Being the chatty conversationalist, I commented on her accent and asked where she was from.  "Africa." She told me.  How cool is that?  I love learning about people.  It's sort of a past time, I guess you might say.  I don't have much time for hobbies, but I do have time for people. We chatted away, and I discovered she had gone directly from Africa to Alaska.  Whew!  What a different climate!  I asked if she'd ever seen snow.  She said "No.  I was afr...

When I disappear from blogging for days at a time, know that I am with my family.  We are homeschooling.  We are going to see doctors and dentists.  We are at the library, church, or Walmart. Sometimes, ( okay let's be honest here )...almost every time I mention that I homeschool to a parent who sends their kids to school or to someone who is an empty nester, a strange expression and momentary, slightly awkward silence follow.  Most hold back what is ready to burst out of their mouths: "Why in the world would you want to do that?  Are you CRAZY?!!" Yes.  Yes I am. I'm crazy about my kids.  I take pictures and videos of them all the time (like most moms I know).  I buy them foods and snacks that I know they love.  (again, like most moms)  I let them dress in the style that is the most "them." I help them discover and pursue their interests. (yep, everyone does that, too). And then comes the clincher :   I spe...

Dear Day Gone Awry, You and I were getting along so well!  The sun was shining.  I was full of energy and ambition. I was able to clean and organize so many things today.  I put away last summer's clothes.  I mopped the floor (first time in months)...due to an apple juice spill, but still.  That's besides the point.  We went to the library.  We visited grandparents.  It was glorious! I was feeling so good about myself and all I had accomplished today.  As the sun set and I closed the back door, I told myself I would make an easy dinner and check Facebook while it cooked.  I hadn't heard the stealthy "Bwahahaha!  That's what you think!" from you until it was too late! To continue my super-efficiency and awesomeness from the day, I plopped a piece of firewood and some cardboard boxes in the woodstove.  Little did I know that the whipping winds outside were consipiring to blow all the smoke my nice idea for a fire righ...

In the past year, I have learned many things.  About church.  About people. About myself. The most mind-blowing conversation I had about church, and why I go, was with someone who doesn't go to church. Not that anything we discussed was particularly profound. Not that I witnessed to her in a way that brought her to her knees in repentance and lead her to the Lord (although that would've been great.) No - we talked about our kids.  About life as moms. We shared about our roles as a small business owner and as a pastor's wife of a small town church. And our conversation ended with this question: " How do you bring people in?  That was the mind-blowing part. See?  Not earth-shattering. But I've been thinking about it ever since. I've gone to church my entire life.  Went to church camp when I was less than a year old, and every year after until my teen years.  My dad has either been a youth pastor or the head pastor pretty...

Have you ever been through a week when, despite your best efforts, it's crazy busy? What once were seven beautiful blank squares on your calendar now have so much pen ink on them that the white background is virtually covered? I've just had one of those weeks.  And every activity placed on the calendar was a "good" one.  Participating in a church ministry, music practices, manning a kids' activity area for an evening, and a homeschool get-together.  And a doctor's appointment or two.  It shouldn't be too much.  I wanted to do all these things. But here I am, Wednesday evening, feeling BULLDOZED. I feel as though the earth has been moved from beneath my feet and I've been pushed and pushed and pushed and all I can do is go along with it. I set up all the meetings.  I agreed to attend practices.  I had to mentally prepare myself to get through each activity without exhausting myself too much. (This sounds self-centered, but when you have l...

Sometimes in life, despite our best efforts to plan and be prepared, life overruns us.  Plows us over, really. When the homeschool year began, I started out with high expectations.  I always do. Namely, I could teach our two girls and keep the house in ship shape. Eight weeks in to the school year, things have begun to go by the wayside.  I have given in to the "good enough" mentality. Current housekeeping list: Dishes:   Washed them yesterday.  Or two days ago.  Can wash them before dinner tonight.  Or maybe tomorrow.  Mental note: Use more paper plates!! (as if we could...we use them for all three meals some days!) Bathrooms:  There is sufficient t.p.  Can be cleaned next week, or the week after.  I'll just spray a layer of Lysol on everything.  It can wait.  Good enough. Vacuuming:   If I don't let the kids eat popcorn in the living room today, I think we could make it until next week wi...

We are having unseasonably warm weather this week (Hooray!) so we have been getting outside as much as possible. After finishing school, lunch, naps, and a few chores, we throw on our shoes and dash out to a local park.  I don't know how it has been in your house, but these cold days are killer on our sleep schedule!  My 4-year-old boy has come in so many times to visit me at night in the last 2 weeks, that I could've sworn I was having an out-of-body experience on Monday morning.  Nothing felt right.  My brain wasn't working.  I had a piercing headache.  You know how it goes.  I recalled that was a semi-permanent state when I had newborns.  I feel for my precious friends who have new babies right now.  They are wonderful blessings, but they rob us of sleep and sanity and we have to settle for not having a consecutive train of thought until they turn two or older.  That's just how it goes. Whew - rabbit trail.  Back to the su...

While reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Jen Hatmaker's For The Love , a number of things have occurred to me.  Things I knew but have forgotten.  Things I haven't realized.  Things I should keep in the forefront of my mind. Number one on the list is I have a license to laugh.  To find humour in things.  To find joy in life.  Life is not meant to be drudgery. My go-to release is laughter.  In the most stressful situations, I laugh.  And sometimes it seems totally inappropriate.  Like when my dear hubby was sick and dehydrated with the flu a few years back.  I called a precious friend late at night and asked her to sit with our children while I took my invalid husband to the ER, which she did, because that's what friends do.  Hallelujah! Because he was having issues with our friend Mr. UpChuck, they immediately provided him with a hospital approved barf receptacle. It had a white plastic ring and and expandable blue plasti...

A few weeks ago, as we began another day of homeschool, we heard a knock at our front door.  Half of us were still pajamafied, while the other half of us were dressed for the day.  Good enough to answer the door, I thought. We opened the door to find a dear friend with a bouquet of fresh flowers for me!  She was a mentor mom in our MOPS group back in the day.  What a happy surprise!  She even included a note encouraging me for the beginning of the homeschool year. There's just something extra-special about knowing someone was thinking about me.  When I receive a personal card in the mail, a note on Facebook, or a bouquet of fresh flowers, it pumps up the positive in my day. Later, I found out this same woman went around and shared kindnesses with several other women I had attended MOPS with several years back.  Each of us has at least one school-aged child now, and  we've lost contact with some or all of our MOPS friends. To be encou...