Mama Was a Church Lady

Years from now I want my kids to know about their mommy.  I want them to know that when we moved to new communities two different times, I went out of my way to meet people and join groups and get them involved with other children.

When we made our home here in Central IL, the best thing that I did was join a mom's group at church.  I was afraid at first that it was going to be too "churchey" for me, but my fears were set aside after I met the ladies and went to a few meetings.  They were pretty non-denominational and focused more on parenting and relationships and community service.  We watch each other's kids, make meals for new moms, arrange playdates at the park.  I made some great friends and found some great families to hang out with that had kids of similar ages.

And every once in a while we get together outside of church to do other church lady activities, like sorting food at a food bank, going out for dinner or having a few drinks together.

And on some occasions we decide to do cultured activities like wine tastings, book clubs, movies and concerts.  Because we're cultured like that.

Years from now I want my kids to realize that their mommy could go from teaching Sunday school in the morning to going to a Snoop Dogg concert at night.  Both activities were technically "church related", but the main lesson to take away from this is the fact that their mommy has many layers.

And some awesome church lady friends : )

Five Minute Friday: "Still"

Since I began reading blogs I have seen writers do this thing where they "link up" to other bloggers who are all sharing on the same topic for a day.  Sometimes it's photography, home organization, fashion, recipes, crafts, holiday decorating .... other times it's parenting or family-related.  For the last few months I have seen a link-up that has intrigued me called "Five Minute Friday".  Each week a one word writing prompt is given and you are supposed to set a timer for 5 minutes and just write.  Whatever comes into your mind.  No editing, no pressure.

I've decided to give it a try.

Normally I separate my own personal "writing" (if you can call it that) from my family blog, but 'ya know what?  I kind of think that something like this belongs here, in small doses.  Like 5 minute doses.  Because, after all, the whole point of this blog is to record our family history and give my kids something to look back on and read when they're grown.  And how cool would it be if every kid could read a bit of their mom's heart and perspective all those years later?  To really have a chance to know her, or who she was back when she was just a mom doing her best to survive the days while cherishing them?

I would personally love that.  So I'm going to do it.  For my kids, as much as for myself.

: :

"Still"

I still haven't gotten my hair colored like I've needed to for about a month now.  The bathroom still isn't finished being cleaned.  There are still things in the dryer that need folding.  I still have scaffolding set up in the upstairs hallway to paint the bare walls.  I still need to finish school supply shopping.  I still have to get those landscaping estimates.  I still want to have a garage sale this summer and go to the museum and take the kids bowling.

I still should.  I still have to.  I still need to. 

But what do I really need? 

To BE still. 

To find the time and the ability to just be still and soak in the stillness.  To be able to sit silently with myself, relax and listen to the little voice inside of me that guides me.  To think about God's will and ask Him for guidance.  Because if I did, I'm quite confident that He wouldn't mention any of those things listed above.  I think He'd tell me that I'm doing a great job.  The best I can.  That my kids are happy and healthy and enjoying their summer.  That we deserve to spend this carefree, relaxing time together because the summer will be over before we know it.  Perhaps the last summer of me being a stay-at-home mom to three little kids who love spending time with me. 

I think he'd remind me that those things will all still be there tomorrow.  Or next week.  Or next month.  Or next year.  That I can still do them all, in time.

Yep, I'm pretty sure that's what I'd hear if I could just be still enough to hear it.

My new phone!

Those that know me well or have talked to me in the last 6 months have surely heard about my cell phone dilemma.

In December, after about 15 years of owning the cheapest, crappiest cell phones, I upgraded to a Smart Phone.  I got a Droid Incredible (for free!) and instantly fell in love.  I could now call, text, check email, go online, get directions ... the possibilities were endless and I was discovering new apps every day.  Music, recipes, books, there was nothing my new phone couldn't do!  Except swim.

You see, sometime around March I was doing dishes (my first mistake) with my beloved cell on the counter next to me.  The phone rang, I reached to answer it, and in one fell swoop the phone landed in the sink full of water.  I quickly sprang to action, grabbed the phone, turned it off and took the whole thing apart drying it the best I could.  I submerged the entire phone in a bowl of dry rice for 2 weeks as I had read online, hoping to draw out any remaining moisture.  Alas, my phone was dead.

I won't even go into the drama that ensued when I learned that I didn't have insurance on the phone and that water damage voided out my warranty.  Countless phone calls and visits to Verizon stores got me nowhere.  I was stuck with a broken phone for the remaining 21 months of my 2 year contract.

Every so often I still try to convince Verizon to give me a new phone.  I shop on eBay and Craigslist trying to work up the nerve to buy a refurbished phone, but am to scared of spending money on a lemon.

Then one day, in my very own house as luck would have it, I stumbled across a cell phone store that I had never seen before.  They had 3 models of phones on display that I thought might be the answer to my prayers.

There was the "Verizon Mattell" model with a sticker price of $230.  It came with a QWERTY keyboard, touch screen and text ability.

 On the pricier side was the "Verizon Flipphone".  At $300 it cost more than the Mattell and seemed to have more basic features.  No keyboard that I could see, unless it was a slide-out.

On the cheaper side was the "Verizon Woodgin" at only $100.30, but that phone seemed to be priced low because of it's apparent issues.  No keyboard, and the numbers even had a backwards 4.

I decided on the Mattell for $230, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I was sure to get insurance on that baby! 

Children's Discovery Museum: Kara and Jack

Jenna went to spend a couple of days alone at Grandma and Pa's house, so Kara and Jack and I set out to do some "little kid stuff".  The weather has been SO HOT lately that it's hard to be outside, even for swimming!  We decided to head to the Children's Discovery Museum where kids can do the kind of things that mommy would never let them do at home. 

Case in point:  the painting area.

It's brilliant, really ... and I've considered setting one up in our backyard.  Just giant plexiglass windows, paint, water bottles and squeegies.  The kids had a ball painting, erasing and making a giant mess.  But not in my house : ) 

And mommy got to sit outside of the painting room and take pictures from the other side:

Ominous Skies

We've had very little rain here in Central IL this summer, despite the fact that the northern 1/2 of the state has been setting records for the largest amount of rainfall ever recorded for July.

This week we've had a couple of late afternoons where the sky fills with crazy clouds, strange colors, and even some small funnel cloud spottings.  Nothing ever touched the ground, not even a drop of rain.  But the sky sure looked ominous and pretty cool!

Soccer: Jack

This summer was also Jack's first time signing up for parks and rec classes.  He (we) chose to sign him up for t-ball and soccer.  The thing that Jack liked best was that his "best friend" Caroline from preschool was also in both sports with him! 

Soccer consisted of a few weeks of practice on Monday and Wednesday nights, teaching the kids some fundamentals of the game.  After a few weeks of that it was game time!  The kids had 3 Saturday games scheduled and I took some time off of work the first week, eager to watch them play. 

The pictures below pretty much sum up how Jack "plays soccer".  He giggles, laughs, chases and goofs around with Caroline.  Neither of them seemed to have much interest in the actual game of soccer ... just the game of being silly with each other.

listening to the coach, getting positions assigned

it might look like a kiss, but they insist that Caroline was just telling him a secret : )



more secrets as the game goes on elsewhere on the field




Jack and Caroline on one end of the field, hanging out, while the game goes on about 100 ft. away



Chasing and laughing, oblivious to the game despite the coach behind them

Needless to say, I'm not sure if soccer is really going to be Jack's game.  But one thing we know for sure?  If we do sign him up for soccer again, we're going to have to make sure that he and Caroline are on different teams : )

Tennis: Jenna

This summer Jenna chose to take the same hip-hop dance class as Kara and also signed up for tennis for the first time.

Since it was brand new to her we showed up on the first day with a new tennis racket, not sure what to expect.

By the end of the first lesson she already knew the difference between forehand and backhand, and had some success getting each type of shot over the net.  As the summer progressed she got better and better.

Our only complaint was that it was super-duper hot this summer and this park in particular had ZERO shade.  But all in all I think she had a good experience.  I look forward to playing tennis with her as the weather cools off a bit, and I'm hoping that she likes it enough to continue lessons : )

Soccer: Kara

This summer was Kara's first time playing soccer, and she loved it!  Well, and hated it too at times.  But would we expect anything else from our little Kara?

She chose to sign up for soccer and a hip-hop dance class through the park district this summer.  She LOVES hip-hop dance class.  Most of the time.

We went shopping for shin guards and soccer socks.  Bought some athletic-type shorts.  And Kara was excited.  Until the first day came.  She was hesitant and unsure, but she went out there and practiced with her team.

The remaining session were hit-or-miss.  Sometimes she refused to go out on the field at the start time, other times she ran right out and got started.  Those were the nights she usually decided during a water break that she didn't want to continue playing.

In her defense, it was a pretty hot summer.  And she did try something new.

Not sure if she'll want to sign up again next session, but with Kara you just never can tell : )

Door County, day 5

Our last full day in Door County was a busy one!  We started out the morning at Johnson's Fun Park for a little mini golf.  Jenna had great form, Kara tried to be patient and set up on each tee, and Jack .... well, he played like a 4 year old : )

Other than being there to play golf, carry drinks, keep score and have fun, mommy was also there to take some pictures ... and I got some cute ones on the mini golf course!

Next up was go-cart riding.  Each kid had a turn riding with mommy or daddy.

After our rides we headed over to Little Sister Bay for an outdoor lunch on the lakefront at Fred and Fuzzy's.

After lunch we headed further north to Ellison Bay, played at a park, did a little shopping and took the long scenic route back home.

We stopped at Europe Lake where daddy remembered sailing his first sail boat as a kid.

Finally, and probably my favorite part of the day, we stopped along the road at the edge of a field of wildflowers.  We just had to get out (or send the kids out) to get some pictures.  It was truly stunning to look at.

Door County, day 4

Took a walk into town to shop at the book store and stopped for some photos along the way. This is at the lighthouse on Ridges Road, down the road from Grandma and Buck's cottage.

Later in the day we had the Hume family over for a visit since they were in Door County for the 4th this year too!  Our kids loved playing with Annie and Janey, as always : )

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