Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

It was a gorgeous, blue sky day in Western Pennsylvania and I had some shopping to do! My dear husband gave me a total green light to go shopping last weekend - he took the kids out to play with his Lego collection for the afternoon - they would be quite content. I desperately needed some new spring/summer clothing, so it was time to go for it ! I have been waiting for a good opportunity to go to the mall since Christmas, gift cards burning a hole in my pocket.  Today was the day!  Armed with my purse, gift cards, and sunglasses, I hopped in the family van ("Trusty Rusty," as I like to call it) and zipped over to the mall. I was on top of the world! Then I arrived at the mall.  Now, mind you, I shop for clothes at the mall about twice a year and sometimes not that frequently (if that could be considered in the "frequent" category).  So I was thrilled to be able to putter around, looking at whatever I wanted to without any children clamoring for snacks, ...

Have you ever watched "Call of the Midwife?"  It's a BBC production we discovered recently on Netflix.  In Series 2, there is an episode featuring a woman who was expecting a child, already had 8 children and couldn't afford to feed another, then attempted to end the pregnancy at home.  At the same time, the small, poverty-stricken section of Poplar was putting on a baby show.  After this episode - showing the extreme difference between valuing life and trying to end it as if it were nothing, Sister Monica Joan (an older, possibly senile old woman) said something profound. "When did children become so valuable?   When did they become precious?" I immediately think of our children.  I love these little people with all that I am.  I would do anything to ensure their success in friendship, in athletic or artistic endeavors, and in life.  We want our children to succeed, to do well in life. And to know Jesus as their personal Lord and ...

Yes, our beloved couch of 11 years has met its' demise.  We have been through sippy cup spills, potty training accidents, sticky lollipop fingers, chocolate smears, and popsicle drips.  We have lost our remotes more times than can be counted in the cushions or our favorite piece of furniture.  We have snuggled and watched movies, been nursed back to health, and had kids' jumping-off  contests (when mom and dad weren't looking). It's a part of our family history! Our couch graced our first apartment, pristine and micro-suade soft and new.  Then came Aryn, whom we snuggled, fed, and watched grow from infancy to toddlerhood.  Spit-up, sippy cup drips, and rice cereal hands began the couch transformation process. *Note: Did we really look like this in our pictures?  Well...here we are! When we moved to our first house, this piece of furniture went through potty training, a baby with serious colic issues, chocolate smears, and washable marker...

This week, I have tried to include a lesson or story about Easter every day during breakfast with my kids.  I have read Bible stories, shared detailed devotions, and personal stories of what I thought Easter was when I was a child. The goal of this time together is to share the Great News about Jesus Christ with my kids. My almost 8-year-old, who asked Jesus into her life at age 2 1/2, was drawing Easter pictures today.  I was so proud of her recall and artistic ability as she diligently depicted the events leading up to Easter on construction paper eggs.  We were making decorations to hang in her Sunday School hallway, and she is always willing to draw pictures, especially if they will be displayed.  So she drew a picture of the tomb with the stone rolled away and the women who were walking there to take care of Jesus' body on Easter morning.  Oh how precious! And then I spotted the giant purple Easter bunny just down the hill from the tomb.  Here...