The Robots are Invading


The Robots are Invading
Originally uploaded by Chavaneth
That title and pictures really have nothing to do with this post, except it was taken today because it is a snow day.
As a matter of fact, this is our third snow day. Thankfully the first day the kids were out of school, my office was closed - but the second day my office was open and school AND daycare were both closed.
Chad is good - no he's GREAT with the kids alone but I think two kids stuck in the house ALL day was too much for ME much less Chad :-)
I really had to go to work - we have our annual production meeting Friday and the notebooks weren't ready. So what to do? I decided to make it "Bring Vanessa to Work Day" and she punched holes and organized papers and carted around trash and drank apple juice and ate chocolate. Several people commented on how good she was. She never once asked to go home. Even though I had told her "just a couple of hours" and the notebooks ended up taking 7!!! hours.
Now - for a little background - I have always been of the philosphy of being open and forthcoming with my kids. We use the actual terms for anatomy. So there is no confusion at the doctors office or with other grownups - which is all well and good until your 3 year old starts yelling in the middle of wal-mart "my vagina itches! my vagina itches!" That moment I did wish I had told her it was called a yooha or some other benign word! :-)
Back to yesterday - we are sitting in the conference room at my office - I am adding spreadsheets to the notebooks and Vanessa is drawing a picture of Jamaica (she is going to be an artist when she grows up and she is NOT changing her mind!) when a co-worker walked in and said hi.
She asked Vanessa if she was getting paid for all of her hard work? Vanessa said "No. Mama said all I get is apple juice."
Co-worker "well thats not too bad a deal"
Vanessa "i wanted money"
Co-worker "what would you spend your money on?"
Vanessa "a new brother"
Co-worker & I laugh nervously since this is not what we were expecting.
Co-worker "are you wanting to replace the older one or the younger one?"
Vanessa "the younger one"
More laughing.
Vanessa "Or I will just tell my dad to give me one of his seeds and I will put it in mama's food so she will eat it and get pregnant"
Silence.

My 100th Post!!!


Ethan has been having some ‘episodes’ where his legs hurt so bad he can’t stand or walk and he won’t let me touch him. After the last episode that went on for almost 6 hours I took him to the Dr the next day. She went down a long list of possibilities – from growing pains to leukemia. WHAT?!
One of the things she mentioned was an allergy to gluten. After going home and researching gluten allergies I decided that was definitely what was afflicting Ethan. I bought him Gluten free Oreos (which he would not eat) and Gluten free bread (which he would not eat). He ate bananas and yogurt for days. Then he went to his dad’s house and ate Gluten like it was going out of style. He had no episodes. He was having no adverse reactions. So I decided that was not the culprit.
But for a week I told Ethan he couldn’t eat that or this because it had “Gluten” – so now he is paranoid about everything! Here is a conversation we had in the car driving home from daycare last night. Ethan is my quiet genius. Only 4 but he plays big and he thinks big too!

Ethan - can i have a pb&J when we get home (his staple snack)

Mom - yes of course

Ethan – does the bread have Gluten?

Mom- yes but it’s okay

Ethan - so i'm not allergic to Gluten? (it happens to be an extremely cute word for a 4 year old to say)

Mom - no i dont think so - have your legs been hurting?

Ethan - tickling

Mom – oh no - they have been tickling?

Ethan - no- they dont hurt- they tickle - and they didnt do it at naptime (it usually happens when he lays down)

Mom - oh good. that means you arent allergic to gluten

Ethan – what did the dr say is wrong?

Mom - i dont know? maybe you are just growing so fast and thats why they hurt - er i mean tickle

Ethan – but is that what the dr said?

Mom - yes thats what she said

Ethan - well i was starting to think i was turning into the incredible hulk

Mom - oh. well. it could be that too

Two fer....



Today the Tulsa World published a great picture of our new President and his family! And the annual Roe V Wade ad was published by the Oklahoma Religious Coalition! Very exciting day!




Joy Joy Joy Down in my Heart


Although I have never been a true OprahHead - I have always been a subscriber and faithful reader of O Magazine. Monthly I see myself or a friend in every article I read. I used to keep every magazine as "reference" but recently I have stuck to my three month rule and started recycling regularly. Luckily almost everything is archived online so I peruse past issues that way. :-)

I believe I have found a jewel. Besides a pair of Vera Wang shoes I HAD to buy - I think this is the reason I have been reading O all of these years - to find this course. It is called Awakening Joy - and you take it online over 10 months. There are suggestions and guidelines and tips and tools all to promote joy in your own life. There is no guilt, no pressure and absolutely no failure.

One of the components the author suggests, is to have a Joy Buddy. Someone you can share your learning process with - so - go to the website. Read it - see if it resonates with you like it has with me. If so - let me know! I would like to start a Joyful Buddy "group" - where we meet once a month to talk about the assignments and our experiences. There can be 3 of us - or 30 - married or single - any age, any stage - i think it could be life changing for anyone.

The course starts in February -so i will announce a Joyful Buddy gathering soon! I hope you will be there!

Day at the park


Ethan Swinging
Originally uploaded by Chavaneth
This weekend, my gaggle went to Bartlesville on Friday night and my nephews stayed with me on Saturday night - it was so nice because I ended up going to dinner with Justice, Stephanie and Aiden - we had a great time. Eating dinner at Biga and drinking EXPENSIVE martini's at Keo - then off to play guitar hero at Aiden's humble (not so much) abode.
Saturday I took the kids to the park and almost convinced them we were staying the night there. We stopped at the dollar store for movie snacks and ate dinner at Coney Island (am i the only one that thinks it STINKS in there?!) Then we used a Christmas Gift Card at Marble Slab on Riverwalk and explored the river!
Sunday we gathered up all of our "movie snacks" and went to Mall Cop with Wendy Savanna and Ray! They had tried to go the night before but it was sold out - luckily there were only 15 people in our theater! Riverwalk ROCKS!
I hope you see how much fun we had in these pictures! This weekend exchange should become a monthly tradition! :-)

I'm not waiting anymore


How many people read this site? My mom? A cousin in Jersey? I think that's it. And honestly I have to remind my mom to read it.
So mostly I post here for me. And the gaggle. They feel like rock stars when I post a picture and especially a video. They love it. So - except for the short hiatus when I had life-threatening, mind altering spinal surgery - we have kept this site going for a year. It's definitely been fun.
This year I think it is going to take a new turn. The same postings (at least 4 a month per my "TO DO" list)but also a few more personal touches about what hilarious things the kids said. Maybe there will be a mention or two about me taking myself too seriously and freaking out when the kids don't answer the phone for 20 minutes. Cuz that is just how we roll. Some moments I am insane. Sometimes I think my children were put here to show me what hell would be like.
"mamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamaaaaaaaaaamaMAMA!!!!"
But hopefully most of the time we will make you smile and laugh and wish you were part of our daily little world.
Happy 2009! I know wonderful things await!!!

NYE Fun for all!


What a beautiful bride
Originally uploaded by Chavaneth
This year was a calm, stay at home type New Years Eve event! A few ladies over - some wine - some food - and a board game called "Would you rather?" We had a great time! I finally had to kick them out at 1am! Those ladies party HARD!!!! ;-) Here's to an amazing 2009!

Self List


This is the most difficult for me to write. And the most personal. But here it is - all out in the cyberworld for my 3 regular viewers to see. It's more of a personal accountability to write it and post it and follow up with the list - as with all of the lists, I will update as I go. I will post a new blog about completing an item, as well as link it from the original lists!
So here we go! Oh ya - and I went a little over 50 this time!

1. act confident
2. attend 6 activities with friends not in 'regular' circle (Joined a Bunco group. I only knew the hostess. How many times can I go and it still not be my "regular" circle?)
3. attend monthly dinner with girls (Jan)
4. become a better soccer coach
5. become contributor to other blogs (at least 4 posts)
6. begin priorityme workshops (1st one is March 26th)
7. bring lunch 4 days a week to work (doing OK - not great)
8. consume less - document
9. cook dinner at home 5 nights a week
10.create a food journal
11.create a steady second stream of income (no matter how small)
12.develop confidence
13.do not buy more than two pairs of shoes. Throw away equal number. (No shoes in Jan) feb - 1 pair - March -no shoes
14.do not date (successful in Jan)
15.find the good
16.forgive. Move on.
17.go on overnight trip with wendy and no kids MARCH -we did not go far but it involved a hotel, a hot tub, alcohol and no kids18.have meal with neighbor once a month (Jan)
19.join a business organization
20.keep personal bathroom organized (organized it - it's the KEEP part i'm struggling with)
21.learn to maintain my eyebrows myself (have not started)
22.less chocolate
23.let my nails grow March - I let them grow. Long. now they are short again. Work in progress24.look confident
25.maintain a food journal
26.make my bedroom a sanctuary
27.meditate daily for at least 3 minutes (Just started this)
28.meet gina once a month outside of work and monthly dinner (Jan)
29.meet joey once a month (Jan)
30.meet justice once a month (Jan - but now she is gone for a few months!)
31.move more
32.neversaydiet community challenge March - I had actually forgotten about this
33.no more than 6 hrs of TV a week (TRYING!) March - probably about 4 hrs a week! YEA34.one craft with kids each month (post on craft blog)(hated our craft this month. did not post.)35.one hour alone with each kid per week (This has been extremely successful)
36.paint 4 paintings (post them)I have painted one. I will post.
37.participate in at least 9 All Souls activities/services (Jan - Trivia Night. Feb - Sunday Service)
38.participate in kiva (I am!)
39.participate in postcard swap
40.post at least 12 home videos
41.post at least 4 blog entires on family blog every month (Jan)Feb - did okay - March - not so good!
42.purchase less - document Feb- March- went 11 days without stopping in target. this is a record!
43.put grandma's pictures on digital format
44.read Martha Beck as if she were MY life coach (really having fun with this)
45.read regularly before bed
46.see wendy once a month (preferably with no kids - but with works) (Jan twice - once with kids - once with none) FEb and March - saw at least once each month!
47.smile (working on it)
48.start a family craft blog! (Started)
49.start priorityme blog (started) March - started a full-fledged website! www.priorityme.com
50.start the planning process of the first priorityme conference
51.stop regretting past decisions
52.stop using/needing antacids
53.take all meds daily
54.take an entrepenural class In February I attended a 2-day Entrepenural Conference in Norman!
55.teach a non-family member something Feb - I taught steph how to Twitter and set up a Facebook account
56.use at least 4 coupons at every grocery visit
57.volunteer. 3 times with family - 3 times without
58.weigh under 200 pounds (taking this challenge with the support of my church which will help me with #37)
59.who is my authentic self?
60.write 10 essays titled "What I know for sure"

...and raise a family and hold down a full time job...can i do it?! YES I CAN!!!

Our Family List


So my goal was to have each list be 50 items long. Well that isn't quite working out. Some are shorter (i.e. Home List) and some may be longer...we'll see :)
Also there may be some overlapping of items...but since this is my blog and my rules I can make them up as I go along. Overlapping is great! Because we will do ONE thing and get to mark it off of multiple lists!!!!

FAMILY LIST

1. create a craft blog (Jan)
2. mantain family blog (this one!)(Jan)
3. recycle!
4. dress self
5. clean room every tuesday night
6. recycle! (ha i put it on here TWICE! and really close together!!! i'm losing it)
7. keep garage organized (bikes, outside toys, etc) (Jan)
8. put own dishes in sink (Jan)
9. go on family only playdate once a month (Jan)
10. prepare clothes night before school (TRYING! It's SO HARD)
11. prepare backpack night before school
12. start gratitude journal (We did it about 2 weeks. I'll start it again)
13. do at least 1 family craft a month (We did a popsicle craft that was horrible)
14. eat at home 5 nights a week (almost every week!)
15. kids help cook 2 nights a week (more than that!)
16. go to Cara's wedding (vanessa is flower girl)
17. go to Brian's wedding
18. visit angie over thanksgiving
19. have bday parties that cost $100 or less (the first one is in feb)
20. go down 15 different slides (photograph) (we have taken a few pics)
21. write a children's book
22. each person watch less than 6 hours of TV a week (we have cut WAY down! No cable!) ---it is now March and we are well under 6 hours a week
23. each person make a saran wrap manequin
24. each person chooses a person, place or thing and takes 10 pictures
over the course of the year (everyone chose their object...)
25. each person "writes" for family or craft blog at least 2 times
26. start a height chart. mark it in jan, july and dec (Jan)
27. handmake all bday presents to friends and family MARCH-not going so well :(
28. handmake all cards - including christmas
29. volunteer 3 times as a family
30. each person come up with a 3-5 minute story. the other family members
will act it out while we film it.
31. ride on the heartland flyer
32. take the city bus
33. everyone make a personal collage
34. go to 2 free museum days
35. start a family piggy bank (it is HUGE)
36. have dylan and collin spend the night 4 times (Jan - first time!)
37. place 50 hoperevo cards. photograph them. post them.
38. plant a vegetable garden. We did this today!!! 3/22/09
39. go to the library. regularly. do not buy 1 book. (we have gone twice in Jan) March -I still am buying books!
40. have photos made into postcards
41. join at least 1 postcard swap
42. go to zoo
43. interview each other. record it somehow.
44. write a letter to our senator
45. write a letter to our representative
46. learn all of our local politicians.

whew. almost 50! because i AM the decider of this site - I will leave the "add at any time" option open...I will not however add something we have already done :-)

My first list


One of the blogs that inspired me to start this blog was this cute little thing. And Andrea is fond of list making. The kids and I sat down and made a new Resolution list (like we did for 2008) and I will post that one soon - but I also decided to make a few TO DO lists. Not resolutions really because most of them will only been done one time..although some are recurring :-) This first one is the HOME LIST!!!

1. take border off in kitchen
2. take border off in bathroom
3. paint bathroom
4. refinish doors in kitchen
5. replace hardware in kitchen
6. new counters/backsplash in kitchen (stretching it)
7. paint kitchen
8. finish floor in family room
9. paint family room
10. clean ALL windows (inside and outside)
11. start veggie garden 3/22/09
12. clean out shed 3/22/09
13. clean behind shed 3/22/09 - so my mom did it! but it's DONE!
14. trim tree in front yard
15. purge junk (donate/sell/trash) we did the TRASH part today 3/22/09
16. purge clothes (donate/resale shop)
17. organize craft corner
18. organize pictures (make digital if possible)
19. paint bedroom
20. make bedroom a sanctuary
21. fix Vanessa and Ethan's closet
22. paint master bath
23. replace floor in master bed
24. fix my closet


Those are in completely random order. Pretty much as I thought of them. I will consider this Home List a success if I complete 12 of these items by 2010! Wish me luck!!!!