Rush Rush Rush!!!

I'm writing but also rushing, ever feel that way? It's quite interesting actually, you are typing as fast as you can but then end up making so many typo's, which in the end really defeats the purpose of rushing because you have to keep stopping and fixing it. *sigh* Oh well........

The reason I'm rushing is because I have Veronica's kids over again today, they'll be here in an hour and I still want to mop my floors and vacuum the living room. I could have done it yesterday but I was out getting groceries. (I always have an excuse, so don't be surprised lol).

After friday, I have to tell you that I'm preparing myself. I have a FULL pot of coffee waiting for me, and I'm going to eat a big breakfast just so I have the strength to chase after the little one. Yes, I know I know, I'm sure a lot of the SAHM's with more than two kids are probably pointing and snickering at me from the corner, but hey, yeah you back there......we're not all equal and what works for one doesn't for the other right? *hats off to all the moms who have more than two kids*
You have NOW become part of my Hero List.....which includes, soldiers, firefighters, mother's juggling career's, single mothers, oh the list goes and on, don't you feel part of a special thing???

After the kids leave today, I have to get my house cleaned and ready for the family coming in tomorrow. It's not that I live in filth, I don't, and for the most part my house is always clean, but you all understand how it is when family comes to visit, you want things to be nice and make a good impression (whatever that means). So I have a running list of things to do from about 4pm onwards....guess I'll be going to bed late tonight.

While talking to Sarah aka Mrs Blythe, via her comments, I told her that I would share with her the story of how hubby and I met. Some of you already know, but for the others that don't and are interested or curious, just go read this post I made a while ago. Who knows, I may actually shock some of you LOL

For all you Meal Planners or wannabe Meal Planners, you have to go on over to Organizing Junkie's today. She's starting a new feature (which I'm also going to be joining) called Menu Plan Monday in which we all post our menus for that week. I think it's a great idea and will help the beginner MP (meal planners) get started.

Talking about meals, I posted my menus for the next two weeks, over at my food blog "Full Bellies", there's also some new recipes posted for things like "Tres Leches Cake" and "Breakfast Casserole" etc.
Go on, what are you waiting for, get over there and see if you find something to your taste. :)

Ha! You know what I just realized? That no matter how early I start my blog, it still takes me about 2 hours to get this much written....I had no idea that I had to stop so many times LOL
No wonder there's days I sit down and draw a complete blank.....DUH!!!

I have a HUGE to do list today. Wanna see it, hmmm, wanna feel better about your day? I'll even let you sit there and giggle, go ahead and shake your head too and say "poor girl is delirious thinking she can do all that in one day". :)

All the laundry - all 1 thousand loads (not really, but still it feels like it)
Steam clean carpets (ok Emily, you can stop laughing at me now lol)
Run to recycle center to drop off boxes and other trash
Change all the bed linens
Write my Tackle it Tuesday and Treasure Tuesday posts for tomorrow
Run by Housing office (LOL is all I say)
Return books to library
Run to store to get items I didn't pick up at Walmart
Clean upstairs and downstairs bathroom
Wash living room glass doors

You know I could go on, but I'm nauseated just looking it at right now.....especially since I know I have to get all this done AFTER 4 pm. I'm lucky the housing office and the library are still open at that time. Alright, I really have to get going, the kids aren't here yet, so I guess I am going to shift things a bit and get some of my TO DO list done right now. Why save it for later if I can save it for next year right? HA!!! I'm just kidding........why save for later what you can do now.

Have a beautiful day everyone :) Hugs all around, and here ya go, some coffee to keep you happy while you go blog hopping around. Say hi from me will ya....don't think I'll have a chance to do it myself today :(

God Bless,

Is there anything better

than waking up to beautiful sunshine, not one single cloud in the sky, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee???
I'm those kind of people that need my coffee to function, not that I'm walking around delirious or zombie like, but I just don't seem to have my thoughts collected before that steaming hot deliscious coffee hits my mouth. Then BAM, I'm ready for anything.

To better prepare my mornings, I bought one of those coffee machines that are programmable. This way I don't stumble around trying to get coffee started, spilling the prescious coffee on the ground, inserting the filter the wrong way, or even better (this one is classic for me), forgetting to fill it with water. Ahhhhh, coffee lover at it's best. LOL
So now, I get my machine ready every night, turn it on and go to bed, when I get up at 6:30am, there's the smell of hot freshly brewed coffee permeating the air. Perfect!!!

I have to finish working on my menus today so I can get my grocery list ready and head to Walmart. I have my MIL and BIL arriving on Tuesday and since tomorrow I have my friend's kids over again, so they can pack up their moving truck, I won't have time to get groceries. Last thing I want is for family to arrive and have no food in the house, well ok I exagerated a bit, ALMOST no food, there's snacks, but not really much substantial left. I couldn't get by without my meal planning, honestly I'de be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off....maybe not the best description when talking about food (eewww, I am a little nauseated right now).

I'll post my menus on my food blog this morning, so if you're interested you can check there.
Have some recipes to post too, so I'm hoping to get all of that done this morning.

I feel awful that I haven't had a chance to sit down and visit my favorite blogs, it's just been so crazy around here the past two or three days, so don't think I've forgotten about you all, I haven't and will be there either later today or tomorrow first thing in the morning. Funny how addicted you become to reading the blogs, if you go one or two days without doing it, it doesn't feel natural.

I have two loads of laundry to finish today and then I want to get everything cleaned up again. I had my house nice and clean but then the kids came over and of course, just like with my kids, it's as if you're entering a war zone. They really should think about making protective gear for mom's....don't you think??? You know how many times I've stepped over legos, or other small pointy-make-me-want-to-scream-in-pain toys? Or been hit in the head or stomach by UFO's (Unidentified Food Objects), I mean really, what is so funny about flinging that piece of cheese across the house only to hit your poor unsuspecting mother in the eye, and then throw yourself on the ground laughing so hard you can't even breathe. It's not funny.....well actually now that I wrote it down, it's pretty hilarious. LOL

I want to point you in the direction of the Nooma DVD's again. I've mentioned them a couple of times on my blog, but for those of you who have never heard of them, they are just amazing.
My MIL first introduced us to them when she was visiting last christmas, and instantly I was hooked. They're a set of DVD's done by Pastor Rob Bell, and they're only about 15 minutes long, but the messages are so powerful and really make you think. My favorite by far is the one called "Rain".

You the feeling of something happening or things just not going you're way, and who amongst us has not questioned God's location at those times??? I've done it many times, I always say "Where were YOU? You knew I needed you but yet weren't there because if you were there's no way you would let me go through that alone". But that's the thing, he WAS there....he never leaves you alone at any time or during any thing.
Pastor Rob Bell gives us a great example using a trip he made with his family, and a walk he took through the woods with his little son, suddenly a huge thunderstorm hits them and.......well, why don't you just go on over and watch the video clip, you won't be disappointed.

Well I better get that grocery list and menu finished, want to get to Walmart soon so that I can spend the rest of the day just relaxing with the family :)
Gotta get my energy up for all the kids tomorrow, maybe I should eat a whole cow to give me energy? LOL
I agree with what Michelle said in my comments, something to the effect of "maybe I'm getting too old for this, I like peace and quiet and not too much chaos around me" LOL

Have a great sunday everyone :)

Yesterday reminded me why I made the

right decision to just have two kids and not a third. I don't know what is going on but I feel old, and yet I'm only about to turn 32.......make sense?

I had my friend Veronica's kids over the whole day, they're packing up their house to move next week and obviously it's much easier doing it with the kids not in the way. So I had two 7 year olds, two 3 year olds and a 1 year old who just learnt how to walk and is ALL over the house, really fast, my legs couldn't keep up LOL
I had totally forgotten what it's like to have a little one in the house, but you know what? Now I realize why I never had weight issues when my kids first started walking....I guess in a way I was just starting out myself (on the exercise path that is). Woke up this morning and I feel like I was run over by a truck, I hurt my left knee, my arms are killing me and even my stomach muscles are hurting. WHAT?!?!?! Then I get on the scale and it says 134 lbs.....YAY, you know I think I should have Matthew over more often then LOL

But with all the running around and the kids playing constantly non stop with their friends, at 7:30pm, I finally sat down in front of the computer to go on the Tour of Homes.....while I was sitting here doing that, I looked over to the couch and saw this,

How cute is that??? And what exactly was the curtain for??? I'm still trying to figure that out :)
Both kids were out pretty early, no fuss, no whining and no 1000 excuses to stay up....you know the ones right? All of a sudden they're thirsty, they're hungry, they're not tired, there's a special one-time cartoon on the tv, and the list goes on and on.

I have to tell you all that I just had such a blast going on the Tour of Homes, but some of your houses (well most of them actually, if I'm going to be honest) put mine to total shame. I just can't wait to buy our own house, living in base military is great but you can't do anything to the houses, hence the reason why all the walls are an egg shell white.....BARF!!!
I want paint and LOTS of it, all over the house, different colors, different themes, you name it....although I'm sure you've noticed that I'm into the country look, if my kitchen dolls etc didn't give it away, then I'm sure the shelves did. Oh and someone asked about the wooden shelving unit under the sink....that was built by my hubby, these houses come with NO storage at all in the bathrooms, so I asked hubby to build me something and he came up with that, I LOVE it :)

I have nothing planned for today, I did all my laundry yesterday and actually put away Nic's laundry too. I could go work on the back yard, but honestly I don't feel like it. *GASP* I said it, I'm telling all of blogdom that I, SAHM don't feel like cleaning or doing any unnecessary work today. Wow that felt good LOL

You know what I'm in need of though? Some good relaxing time with God. I've been so busy the past week and I haven't had time (forgive me Lord) to sit down for a few minutes and do my devotionals or even have a conversation with him....what's worse? Well the past 3 nights I've fallen asleep without even getting to pray. That's not like me, and it's frustrating and sad at the same time. So if anything, today I'm going to find time to be, just be with Him, talk about my week (though he knows I'm sure), talk about my frustrations, my worries, my happy times too....get some Fatherly Energy back I guess, you know the one, it fills you with smiles and courage and makes you ready to face anything that life may throw your way.

Well I'm off, I don't have a Surfing post today, didn't get on the internet this past week, so I really don't have any new or interesting sites to share. Will be back tomorrow and hopefully will have something more insightful or smart to blog about, my mind is just not there right now.....

Welcome to Casa Sandra!!!!

I just had to steal that name from Sarah over at "Seeking his Glory" LOL

I had mentioned yesterday about how much I love houses and seeing what they look like inside etc., so when I heard about the Tour of Homes hosted by Boomama, I knew I had to participate.
You have NO idea how excited and thrilled I am to be seeing you all, well your houses that is.....I have my hot cup of coffee and my toast and I'm all set to Ooohh and AAhhhh over them.

But first let me welcome you to my house or actually the house we live in at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. We've been here for 8 years and the house seems to be getting smaller, well, maybe we're just accumulating too much stuff, I don't know......but it brings a lot of memories with it. Both our kids were born here, we've had our ups and our downs, celebrated birthday's and holidays, deployments, miscarriages, happiness and sadness. Who knew that so much could be attached to one single place right?

Well come right in to my living room, pick a spot and just sit back and relax. Want a cup of coffee??? A donut maybe??? Did I tell you that I always have donuts in this house? It's my downfall, I just can't help it. This living room has been through so much change too, these are new couches, the old ones were just getting to raggedy to keep around and after having gone through two kids and 4 dogs, well, they didn't survive.

Now let me show you where I make the magic happen (so to speak), my blogging paradise. Wanna see it?? Come on, this way, right over here across from the couches, yeah I have to keep my computer area near the living room so I can watch the kids while I blog or check email. You know how it is, one second you turn your head and the next thing you know they have the dog dressed as Dora. Go figure. So here we are,

Cute isn't it? Well, now you know where the magic blogging happens. Now if we just turn to the left we have one of my favorite rooms in the house, and please don't laugh when I say the Bathroom. I think the reason is because it's become my getaway from the kids. That's the one place I've forbidden them to knock, enter or otherwise inquire about what I'm doing in there. When things get really hectic, I just walk in and close the door for about 10 minutes....(if daddy is home, if not, then the getaway is closed).

Now let's keep going, unless someone has to make a quick stop? No? Alright, now onto the kitchen.....this is where the OTHER magic happens. My family and friends will usually find me in there cooking. It's another of my favorite rooms in the house.

And this is another two views of my kitchen......my hubby built me that bookshelf for all my cookbooks etc.

And this is where we eat, these houses don't have a dining room, just an area in the kitchen for the table etc.

And that is it, that's my house, my little Family Corner in the Universe :) I just can't wait to come check everyone else's humble abodes :)

If you want to participate or take a Tour of Homes yourself, run on over to Boomama :)

If here in the next few weeks you see me

at Typepad or Wordpress or whatever, don't say I didn't warn you. I have just about had it with Blogger and the constant glitches, it's just getting too frustrating for me.
I've been trying for the past 3 hours to get on here, so we'll see how long this lasts. I understand that it's free and really, right now I just can't afford to be paying for an online journal, but I think it's also unacceptable to expect people to just put up with anything just cause it's free.....that's not fair.

Alright, I'm done complaining, see I have no patience to complain or whine, it gets boring fast LOL
But let me just say that this is the reason there was no post yesterday, other than my WFMW which took an hour to get up.

It's crazy hot here today, the temperatures are just not dropping below 100 and usually by 10 am it's already in the 90's. You know what that has done for me??? It's made me lazy. Every time summer is about to begin, I make all these plans, I'm going to walk everyday, I'm going to take the kids to the park every morning....it will be so nice being outside.....and then just like clockwork, the same thing happens. It gets WAY too hot and I hide in the house, not wanting to go anywhere, not having the energy to even run to the store, and the beautiful tan I had just a month ago, is now slowly dissipating.
Oh well, nothing new right???

My mother and brother in law arrive on Tuesday morning, they're staying for two weeks and we're all so excited already. The kids ask me everyday "how many more days until Grandma and Uncle Chris get here?". Needless to say, I don't think they'll sleep much on monday night.
We have a few outings planned for when they're here, one of them is to Twin Falls which is about an hour from where we're stationed. We're going to the Ice Caves and the Shoshone Falls, no sense in going to one and then returning a few days later for the other right?

I'll be taking my camera along and then posting the pictures, so you'll all be coming along with us, in a sense. If you're anything like me, I love visiting new places and seeing the pictures.

Don't forget about The Tour of Homes tomorrow, hosted by Boomama. For details go here. I'm hoping to participate, but tomorrow I have my friend's kids over while they pack up their house to leave next week. I don't think I'll get on the computer much at all, so we'll see.
If you like seeing other people's houses, then this is just what you need. I admit, I have this little obsession with the way other houses look. At night if I'm driving anywhere, I'm constantly looking at the windows and looking inside......NO, I'm not a stalker or a peeping tom of any sorts, unless there is such a thing as a House Peeping Tom...then maybe I'm one???

I just love seeing how other people decorate their houses, I love all sorts of homes, victorian, contemporary, modern, you name it........though I do have a soft spot for old homes and especially Plantation Houses, they are just beautiful.

Can you just imagine living in one of these???

But anyway, enough about houses, I don't know even know how I got started on this.....oh wait, it was because of the Tour of Homes tomorrow LOL

While reading through Boomama's blog, I was once again reminded of Elise and Paul and when I read the post, I cried, yes I actually had tears running down my face because even though I had never met them, they sounded like the perfect love story, the kind of marriage and love that you wish for yourself and your children.

It also reminded me that although my husband and I may fight at times, and have our ups and downs, I really couldn't imagine my life without him. You know when you find your true love and you know when that person just completes every part of you. It's almost like an umbilical cord is formed, just that instead of a birth you get a marriage. We go everywhere together, we love being with the kids and each other and we love everything about our lives, we don't make decisions without the other one and we've often joked about "divorce not EVER being an option". LOL

We often say "as bad as things might get, you're stuck with me, so we either make this marriage work or we're going to be living miserably".....we laugh about it, and we both realize that even though it's said as a joke, it's the truth for us. The love we share is far too great to let it fall apart or to let it sit and become just a comfortable thing.

Anything that is left unattended for long, tends to just wither away, and the same can be said for marriages. You can't just get married and then FORGET about it. It doesn't work that way, if anything that is when the real struggles and work begins. Now don't go running off thinking that I'm saying marriage is too hard, it's NOT, and if you learn the biggest secret of a successful marriage, you'll be just fine. Want to know what it is???? COMMUNICATION!!!
When hubby and I first got married we talked about everything and anything, and then two years or so into the marriage we hit a wall....we stopped communication, we stopped saying exactly what was wrong or what we felt, but all that did was fester inside and lead to some of the nastiest fights we've ever had. So, we got back on track, it's tireing fighting all the time LOL

Again, I feel like I went off on a totally different direction of my initial thoughts, but anyway, you now know how I feel about my husband and about marriage.

I'm off to go do some housework, though my house is clean, I always like having it spotless before visitors come.....you understand don't you???

Hope you're all having a blessed day, stay out of the sun, grab a glass of iced tea and just relax for a bit, or do what I did, grab a glass, drop a few ice cubes in, fill it with coke and then add one or two slices of lemon. YUMMMMYYYY!!! It's so refreshing and really hits the spot.

Works for Me Wednesday!!! July 26

"I want a snack".....Grrrr, anyone else tired of hearing those words???

It seems that every 10 minutes, one of my kids let's me know that they are apparently starving, but not for anything nutritional, for snacks.......after a while of doing this I realized that I needed to come up with a healthier snack than the usual fruit roll ups, bag of chips or cookies. (Their favorites).

This is what my WFMW is about today, what works for me when they ask for snacks.

I had to cut down on all the junk food, so lately they have been really good about eating fruit or even carrots for snacks, but there's days that they want something different and that's where my WFMW tip comes in.

I make Peanut Butter and Jelly Tortillas, or Peanut Butter and Banana ones.
I take a flour tortilla, spread peanut butter and jelly on it and roll it up, then I cut it into slices . For the PB and Banana, I just substitute the Jelly with sliced bananas and then do the same, roll it up and slice it.
They love it and I feel like they're getting a MUCH better snack.

Now for ANOTHER WFMW tip, yes you're getting two for the price of one today.....aren't I the crafty one??? LOL

Blogger has been extremely painful lately and especially when it comes to uploading pictures, I had a few friends ask me how I was able to post pictures on my blog these past few days. Easy, because I know HTML and when you know that you can bypass a lot of the frustrating glitches in Blogger.

So here you are, next time blogger acts up and doesn't let you upload your photos.....upload them to either photobucket or another free host, like Flickr or Imageshack......then come back to your post, click where it says EDIT HTML......next you type img src="URL" but remember to add this < style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">img and this one > after the url" ......and when you click back on COMPOSE, your pic will be there......just click on it and center it if you wish or leave it, and you can also click on it and resize it if it's too big.

Hope this helps all you blogger users, so now, there will be NO MORE excuses for not posting pictures when blogger is not cooperating LOL

If want to join in on the WFMW posts, just head on over Shannon's "Rocks in My Dryer".

I know, I know, I sometimes complain

about the kids and them pulling their usual antics, misbehaving in stores, constantly fighting, and just not plain listening. But seriously, I would rather have all this and more than live a life without my babies. They are what keeps me grounded and sane (though they drive be bonkers at times).

We were heading out the door yesterday and I decided to get some pictures of them, they happily obliged, I guess they're used to the papparazzi coming at them with the camera. I'm just going to milk this for as long as I can, I know pretty soon they'll start shooing me away.

My beautiful babies, just look at those faces :)

This is my Princess Jasmine....you can tell by that look that she's a fiery red head and boy does she have the temper. 

 

Last but not least, my Prince Nicholas....the one full of witty and funny comments. He keeps us all laughing :)

Am I bragging too much??? I really don't want to bore you or even worse, scare you away from my blog. Just wanted to share their latest pics, I'm sure my family in South Africa is thrilled right now :)

It's extremely hot here today, the temperatures have been no lower than 100 the past few days and it's really getting on my nerves. How much heat can a person endure before loosing their marbles??? I must be pretty close, it's to the point where I don't want to leave the house at all, for anything, even milk. Is that a bad thing???

I have all that laundry to put away, you know the one mentioned in my Tackle it Tuesday post below. I've also been trying to redecorate a bit around the house. I don't have the money to pay for expensive things, I just use what I already have.....if you just take something from one room and use it in another, you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes.

The kids have been begging me to go play in the sprinkler out back, so I think it's time to get it set up and let them burn off some energy. Me, I'm going to get back to sewing Jasmine's dresses, like this ONE, and also work a little more on my embroidery. Should make for a great afternoon.....at tall glass of Iced Tea, some sewing and later I'll sit down to write some letters to the family back home, and I don't mean email, I mean pretty handwritten letters, pretty paper, pretty envelopes and the beauty of actual pen on paper. Nothing better than that is there???

May God bless you with a beautiful day,

TACKLE IT TUESDAY!!! July 25

Well ladies, my project for today is this:

Whoever said or thought that laundry for 4 people is not a lot, surely hasn't lived in MY house. This is all the laundry I did this weekend, yes I was a bit lazy last week and instead of doing my usual twice a week laundry, I left it for Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say, I spent the weekend pretty much glued to the washer and dryer.

This is what I'll be tackling today, and I promise I'll post pictures when it's all done.....I COULD cheat and just take all the clothes out and put them somewhere and then take a pic of the empty baskets.....but really, what good would that do, I would just end up with laundry piled up somewhere else in the house right??? LOL
I'll probably take pictures of me putting the laundry in their rightful places, so you KNOW that I'm actually working and not slacking off.

What projects are you tackling today, and are you brave enough to share the pictures with us? If you are, then please, just run, don't walk, over to Janice at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Here we are at another Treasure Tuesday and again I'm eager to share my treasures. My stepmom has told me many times that she loves reading these entries and I've actually brought her to tears......wasn't my intention, BUT they are tears of joy and not sadness, so all is good :)

Crocheted Doilies.......Yes, that's what my treasures are today. Many of you probably think I'm being silly, but really they mean a lot to me.

When I was growing up I remember seeing them all over our house and my grandmother's house, I remember touching them and appreciating the intricate designs. See, the women in my family all have a great affinity for crocheting, something which seemed to bypass me, I can knit I can embroider and I can even do candlewicking, but don't ask me to crochet because I just can't seem to get it right.



For years, I watched them make beautiful doilies, some were given to friends, some were even sold in stores, and I started asking for them and collecting them before I got married. I now have a beautiful collection of crocheted doilies, which I proudly display around my house.

I use them everywhere, in my veggie basket, under my coffee machine and toaster, in the bedrooms on the dressers, or the nightstands.....just everywhere I can think of. As my grandmother's got older, they stopped making them as much, if any at all the past few years, so these beautiful treasures are going to be treasured by me right along with my treasures from last week, my Crocheted Potholders.

What kind of treasures do you have laying around your house? And what beautiful memories do you have attached to them? If you want to join in on the Treasure Tuesday posts, just head on over to Faithful Mommy's blog.

In the toilet????

Ok remember last week I told you that Nicholas accused me of eating his hair gel??? I mean really, I know I have problems with food because I just can't diet, BUT I have not resorted to eating weird stuff like that. LOL

This morning being the Designated Willy Shaker that I am, I was called into the bathroom because he was done. Great, now picture me with this annoyed look on my face and repeatedly telling him that this is NOT going to go on for much longer. He gets up and is standing there getting his underwear back on. I say to myself (yes I talk to myself at times lol) "I need to wash my hair this morning". Out of the corner of my eye I see him quickly look at me and then he says "IN THE TOILET?????". LOL
Oh come on now, this is getting out of hand.....I'm terrified of this kid talking to any strangers about his mommy. I can just see it now....

Stranger - Where's your mommy?
Nicholas - At home, eating hair gel and washing her hair in the toilet.

That's what I have to look forward to. Great isn't it??? LOL
You know I realized yesterday that when kids are born they must have this memo handed out, with all these little things that should be done to annoy parents. Like:

1. If you see your parent pick up the toys, wait until they leave the room and then dump it all out, watch their faces, it's priceless.

2. When handed a juice box, repeatedly tell them you will be very good and keep it in the kitchen, and then again, wait until they turn their backs, run into the living room and proceed to use the juice box as a sprinkler. Remember to turn in circles really fast, and squeeze the box hard.

3. Only hear what they say if it's convenient for you, don't answer if it means doing chores or going to bed, ESPECIALLY going to bed, again, watch their faces, it's priceless.

See, this list just goes on and on. Or is it just my kids that got this memo? I love them to death, but boy can they push me to the limits.

They're being really good this morning, which some people would say "Yay that's wonderful", yes it is, but I always get worried. Why are they being so good right now? Do they have something major planned for later? They know I'm going to the store this afternoon....oh NO, are they waiting for that to act out? I think I watch too much tv, really. It's crazy what your mind will think of if you just let it run for a bit. lol

Blogger is being sensitive today (for lack of a nicer way to say it). I can't get on anyone's blogs and can't comment. Hopefully they will get their act together soon, I'm having blogging withdrawals, need.to.read.my.favorite.blogs..... I'm actually lucky to be posting this right now, it wouldn't even let me in my account earlier, something about they know what the problem is and their engineers are working on it. HA!!!!

ONE DAY AT A TIME, that's what my 15 Minutes Alone with God was about today. The author talks about how we always ask God for guidance for tomorrow or next week or next year, and we forget to ask him for that same guidance just for today. Well I'm guilty of that, I'm usually asking God for help with major things (you know I've mentioned this before), something happening in the future etc. But there's days that I get into bed at night and realize that my TO DO list for that day just didn't get done. I was too busy worrying about tomorrow or the following day.

She suggests making a TO DO list for today and only listing those things that NEED to be done. After a few weeks of doing this you start ranking the activities by priority, start with the most important thing and then let the least important items settle for last, she even says that by the end of the day some of those things will probably even drop off the list.
I'm all for that, and I think I'm going to try that today, I mean really let's get realistic, do I need to sweep and mop everyday, vacuum everyday, scrub and dust and spend so much time on housework??? I am all for a clean house, but I think things should be in moderation.

Father God, I pray for my schedules. I ask for wise discernment in order to gain control of my life. Give me the courage to say "no" to the time wasters and say "yes" to the things that have eternal value. Amen.

I'm having a good day, I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. I can't remember what I dreamed about so I guess it could be attributed to that??? No??? MY hope is that it's still this great feeling of contentement that I mentioned in yesterday's post. Could God be letting me feel this way for longer than a day, maybe to shake things up and make me realize what I've been missing by worrying so much, and by NOT putting things in his hands???
I've been trying so hard for the past few months, and I've gotten a lot better but I still tend to do the controlling thing.....I give Him something to help me with with and then I put him on a timer.

Me - You not done yet Lord? I was really hoping for today.
Lord - No Sandra, I'm not done, remember things are done on MY timing not yours.
Me - yes yes I know, but could you maybe hurry it along a little, just a bit?
Lord - You're not paying attention to a single word I've said.
Me - Oh just give it back to me, I'll get it done faster.
Lord - (shaking his head), my sweet dear daughter, when are you going to learn?

I can tell you that this is how our conversations go. I say I'll leave it up to Him, and then snatch it away real fast, then I sit back and cry and wonder why it didn't work. DUH!!!! But yet, I keep doing it, am I really that dumb or thick headed??? LOL
I'm hoping to really nip this bad habit in the behind.....I know one day I will be able to let Him take my problems without so much as a second thought from me. One day!!!

Well I better get my day started, got a big basket of laundry to iron. Did I tell you how much I LOVE ironing??? Really I do, I get excited just thinking about it :)
I also want to go jump in the shower real quick and wash my hair, NO, not in the toilet....the shower.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Boy what a day............

for the first time yesterday, both my kids did not get to bed before midnight. That's a huge thing for me.....I'm one of those moms that believes in sticking to a schedule, BUT I'm also the mom that let's them stay up late on friday and saturday nights.

Still, late usually does NOT mean midnight. They finally passed out and didn't get up until 9 am, which meant that I got to sleep in, oh in what's been months (mother's day actually now that I think about it). It felt so good to wobble out of bed at that time, but then panic strikes me. Oh NO, half the morning is gone. Yeah, all you late sleepers are probably pointing and laughing at the nutty one. What does she mean half the morning is gone??? I don't even get up before 11am. Lucky Lucky you!!!! LOL

Got up and did all my laundry, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the living room and made breakfast, while hubby mowed the back and front yards and then steam cleaned my carpets. (Yes Emily, AGAIN lol). Maybe I'm just weird like that, but I can't go a week without cleaning mine, there's always a juice box or a popsicle that secretly make it into the living room and then leave nasty spots all over. And have you ever noticed that you have a certain area with all these tiny blobs on it??? It's like, what exactly caused it? A very little person, or some sort of snack that drips in a sprinkler like fashion??? I just don't get it, it's definitely going down in the Mommy's Book of Mysteries.

Spent the rest of the day just hanging out with the hubby and kids. They got to play outside in the sprinklers again.....No, no the hubby, the kids. Although I would have paid to watch him out there playing too LOL
I'm usually on a blogger first thing in the morning and then everything else later, routine, but today I drifted from it and you know what??? The sky didn't fall and the world didn't come to an end. Only thing I missed was reading all my favorite bloggers, but I'll leave that for the morning, it will be the perfect thing to go with my coffee.

Really don't have much left to say today, just been happy and content with everything around me, even the toys on the living room floor. I'm not freaking out or trying desperately to pick them all up. I'm just letting things be right now.
Ever felt that way??? It doesn't seem to happen very often with me, but when it does, it's this overwhelming sense of calmness and happiness. All the worries just slip away and nothing said or seen or heard could get me down. I could attribute that to maybe being in some sort of bubble right now, or I could be honest and realistic and give credit where credit is due. To the Lord, yes, it's Him showing me yet again that if I just stop.....stop the thinking, the worrying, the what if's.....life can be so joyful and so peaceful.

I'm going to relax and to continue enjoying this feeling, and if by tomorrow it's gone, well, then I'm just happy that I got to enjoy it today and will eagerly wait for the next big moment, sort of like a kid anticipating the next big ride at the fair....oh come on you know the feeling right??? Just can't wait for it to happen :)

Hope you are all having a beautiful night and I will see you here bright and early tomorrow morning, cup of coffee in hand and a huge smile on my face.

God Bless,

Ooohhhhhh.......

I'm sitting here eating an Enormous Omelet Sandwich from Burger King. I had never tried them before, it's my first time, and let me tell you "IT'S GOOD". BUT, there's a down side to it, the enormous calories involved. Needless to say, my calorie limit for today has been enormously cut down LOL So much enormous talk, I'm actually feeling sick just saying it.

Thank you all for the great comments and insights on yesterday's post. The reason I brought up the whole psychic subject, is because I have mixed feelings when it comes to it.
I think my main skepticism comes from Psychics who tell you about your future or stuff in your lives, because that to me doesn't really prove that they "know stuff", how do I know that maybe they didn't talk to someone or find out stuff about my life from another source???

What's been confusing me is the fact that some people will flat out deny that there is any way to communicate or even acknowledge people who have passed on. I've had many encounters with it, I've seen things that I DON'T want to see, I've seen my greatgrandmother, I've seen shadows or mists, and have had things happen that I can't explain. Does that mean I'm delving into evil or that I'm somehow not a Christian anymore because I admit that it happened to me???

I think that is the only line that I draw when it comes to it. I am by no means psychic, but why do I seem to be the one seeing the ghosts or spirits or whatever? And most importantly, is it because God allows me to or because the devil is playing tricks on my mind?

You all had such wonderful opinions and views on the whole issue, I actually printed them all out so that I can read them again when I have more time and quiet away from the kids :)

Every saturday morning I go to Yard Sales. It's not that I have something specific in mind, and really I don't need anything else, but I find the whole process of driving there, getting out of the car and just browsing around....a lot of fun. There's always something that catches my eye, but I have to tell you that some Yard Sellers are a bit crazy with prices, you might as well just go to the store and buy it new. For the most part though, I've been lucky to find good things for great prices. Remember my Computer Armoire?

This morning I found this beautiful foot rest, ottoman thing that opens up for storage. I think what caught my eye about it is the pattern and design, I'm from Africa so it was something I really wanted. It was only $10, not bad.

Then right as I was leaving, I saw this candle. I'm obsessed with candles, all different shapes and sizes and different smells. My favorite smell though is Gardenia or anything crisp and clean, like Rainfall or Ocean Mist etc.
I told the lady the candle was beautiful and she said "Yes it is, I actually bought it in Ireland", well say no more, I grabbed it LOL I didn't care if it smelled like trash, just because now I can say I have a candle from Ireland, a place I've always wanted to visit. It was just $1, come on, who can pass that up huh?!?!?!

Isn't it beautiful too??? So there you have it, my Yard Sale finds for this Saturday.

Today we're taking it easy. Hubby and I decided to not do anything around the house or the yard, we will leave that for tomorrow. Usually I would be fighting nail and tooth to do it now, you know how it is, "I'll do it tomorrow", turns into the following week, and then the next and then next month etc. But I can't say I'm feeling that great today, I'm cramping (who knows why), and just want to lay on the couch or mess around on my computer.
What do you say we all do that huh??? Mommy's on Strike this saturday, everyone fend for themselves.

It reminds me of one time that......well before I go on let me just say that with hubby being military and working during the day, and me being the SAHM, I spend most of the time with the kids so it's normal that I would be used to their meals and snacks etc. Now keep that in mind.....I had an appointment somewhere (can't remember now), but as I was heading out the door, I told hubby to give the kids lunch to which he replied "what do they usually have? What do I give them?".
I was so annoyed at the time that I said "Oh I don't know, just throw them a piece of lettuce, that should work" LOL
He was not impressed, but I HAVE noticed that my kids LOVE it when daddy gives them breakfast, I mean who else would let them have popcorn, soda or cookies so early in the morning huh??? I love my husband to death, he just cracks me up, and all joking aside, he's a wonderful husband and daddy :)

Well it's time for me to get off here and go say hi to my fellow bloggers. What kinda friend would I be if I didn't drop by and say hello???

I posted my Saturday Surfing just below, so if you want some cool sites to check out or just want to know what my surfing activity has been like this past week, just go on and scroll down....hopefully some of my internet surfing proves handy to someone else :)

See ya tomorrow, and please stay out of the sun, it's way too hot out there.

Sandra's Saturday Surfing!!!!

You know there's weeks that go by without me even getting on the internet once, well other than email and my blog. But then there's those weeks that seem to bring me the best sites around, and I often sit back and wonder, "why didn't I find that before?".

This week was somewhat in between, I didn't do much surfing but I did find some interesting sites.


My Journey - We have so much in common, and I have to tell you, check out her stamping cards....gorgeous, just wish I was THAT crafty :)

Just Add Water - Great blog too, another SAHM of 3. Go on and say hi, she's pretty funny :)

The Electronic Zoo - This was a great find. My kids love zoo animals and animals in general, and in this site you can look up different ones, and even visit some "real" zoo pages and even look up veterinary services if you have a question about a sick pet.

Roadside America - While looking for some fun things to do when my MIL comes next week, I came across this site. It's pretty much an online guide to tourist attractions and you can even find unusual attractions near your city by using their Map-a-City.


That's it for now, I didn't go to many places and the usual ones I did visit, I already mentioned in my previous posts :) If anything, I'm sure the blogs will entertain you :)

EVER FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE

of a roleplaying game or those MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games lol), with banshees running around you???
No??? Well lucky you, because that's exactly what I felt like yesterday. It was like being transported from the game I play with my hubby online, DAOC.....to the middle of my living room surrounded by my kids.

What is it with young kids and ear piercing, blood curling screams??? You know the kind right??? You're standing there all happy and smiling, then all of a sudden, out of nowhere (unless there's an imaginary killer or a nuclear bomb that you're unaware of), it starts. It never really begins full force, it just builds up, from one scream to this series of continuous HIGH PITCHED ones. You look at their faces and they have HUGE grins. HOW?!?!?! How is that possible, to let out screams like that while smiling, the only time I've ever screamed like that is when a mouse ran over my foot, it was pure terror!!!

So last night for dinner, I made Bacalhau A Gomes de Sa, it's this really deliscious dish made with Cod Fish. I posted the recipe on my food blog, so you can go take a look if you wish :)
Isn't it amazing how eating a certain food can bring up a memory or make you feel like you're in a certain place or a certain time??? That is what happened yesterday, if I closed my eyes it was as if I was sitting back home, with all my family and especially my greatgrandmother, just enjoying the meal and lively conversation.

Reminds of when Curt first met my family. You all know that I'm portuguese and we tend to talk really loud. We could be telling you the weather and it would seem that we're mad or really upset about something. I guess we're just passionate about everything, no matter how big or small. So we're sitting there eating dinner, and dinners at my house always had no less than 12 or 13 people at one table. Everyone is eating and talking loudly and Curt turns to me and whispers in my ear "why is everyone fighting?" LOL
Oh my poor husband, if only you knew what you're getting into LOL

I have housework to do and I don't feel like it. Is that acceptable??? There's no housework police running around is there???

I love my life and I love my job as a mom, but there are days that I long for the times when I had no responsibility, just laying in bed and sleeping until I felt like it, not having to worry about dinner, or bills or my kids being bathed and ready for bed. But then I quickly realize that apart from that little bit of freedom, I really can't remember what my life was before my children. Yes we all want to just run away at times, and be alone, for me it's more of a "I need to catch my breath" kinda thing. Once that happens I'm ready to go again.

I don't think I could just become one of those lazy moms. It's not in me to be that way, I've learnt to be organized and on TOP of things. Do you know that if I sit on the couch to watch General Hospital, the whole time I'm watching it I'm having this mental struggle. "You're being lazy", "shouldn't you be doing laundry", "look the kitchen counters need to be wiped down". It's a sickness I tell you, and please don't think I'm a neat freak, I'm far from it. But I do struggle with allowing myself some downtime, some time to myself, to relax and not worry so much about the house.
Is there a place that offers treatment for the guilty mommy syndrome??? If so, point me in that direction will ya, I really need to go!!!!

I'm about to bring up a very controversial topic. That's just me, when there's nothing interesting going around, I just throw it on out there and watch LOL No, I'm just kidding, but I AM curious as to what you all think about psychics. Do you believe that some people have these special abilities to communicate with the other side? Do you think it's all evil and not to be trusted?
It's a subject that I've watched and read and researched because there seems to be such controversy around it, and very strong opinions on both sides. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground on it, it's either "IT'S PURE EVIL" or "I TOTALLY BELIEVE IT".
So what do you think???? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on it.

And I did it again, I just took a sip of cold coffee.....and though I'm a coffee lover, unless it's specifically meant to be cold, like one of those Frappes, there's nothing nastier than a sip of coffee that has been sitting there while you blab away on your blog. SO, with that said, I'm going to grab some fresh hot one, then sitting back down to visit my blogger friends.

Oh, I have my Everyday Things post, just below, so be sure to check it out if you're interested :)

God Bless,

EVERYDAY THINGS!!!

"...For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11

"If you want any one thing too much it's likely to disappoint. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk..."-- Augustus McCrae-"Lonesome Dove"

I think one of my favorite everyday things is my computer. You may be shaking your head right now and wondering why on earth I would bring that up, but the truth is that without it I would be totally lost.

Being a military family, it means moving, from one place to another, from one state to another and many times, from one continent to another. Right now, my whole family is back in South Africa and I'm here in the States.

Every morning, I am able to get on my computer and email them, or write in my blog so they know what is going on with our lives, and even better, I'm able to call them on the computer and talk as if we were using a phone, use the web cam as if we were standing right there next to each other.

My computer has become my eyes and my ears with my family, and it's one of those everyday things that people take for granted, but not I. It's what's made those special moments even better, allowing them to see my children grow, allowing me to see my nieces and nephews turn from beautiful babies to gorgeous young kids. We've even shared New Year's Eve together, using the webcam, we were able to BE there when the clock struck midnight.
And when my hubby is deployed, it becomes the connection between us, the chats, the pictures of the kids missing daddy and the voice of reason when I'm freaking out over him being gone.

So there you have it, my Everyday Thing. For more simple yet meaningful everyday things, please run on over to Everyday Mommy.

I give up on internet explorer

I'm SO sorry my template is not showing up right for some of the IE users. This is the reason why I even changed it, because it kept pushing my other template to the bottom of the page, and now it seems it's doing the same. What is it with IE and templates????

It's best viewed with Netscape and Firefox, so I think I'll just add that piece of info on the template. Again, I'm really sorry.

I'm waiting for Jasmine to wake up and then I have to head to Airman's Attic to drop off some stuff, then the post office to get my package and then the commissary for some WIC checks. I have to tell you, with all the milk my son drinks, I'm extremely lucky to have him on WIC or I don't know where I would go. I'm sure I could buy a cow couldn't I??? And I did milk one once, back in school on some weird trip......now that I think about it, why did I milk a cow, what's up with that???

I want to take a few moments to wish my dad a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Yes, he's back in South Africa and I miss him dearly, wish I could be there for his birthday, but since I can't, I guess the next best thing is a phone call and being there in spirit.

Dad, I hope you have a great day and eat loads of yummy food LOL Have a couple drinks for me too. May you have a many many more birthdays and hopefully with me nearby. I love you!!!

You know what I've come to realize these last 8 years of marriage??? That men really don't know what they're doing. Well, hold on, let me rephrase that.....Men really don't do things to annoy us, they just think differently!!! THERE, better, don't want to go upsetting my hubby or the rest of the male population in the world.
The reason I say this is because things that may seem just common sense to me, seem really complicated to my husband....he's an extremely smart man (seriously), but there's stuff that makes me shake my head and think "Oh COME ON". Ever feel that way?!?!?!?

Don't believe me???....here's a few examples:

The trash is overflowing:
Me - Gotta be taken out
Hubby - Wonder how much more I can fit in there?
Take the last "whatever" out of the box:
Me - Throw the box away
Hubby - Let me put it back where I found it, empty and all.
Toys are all over the floor:
Me - Pick up the toys, I HATE stepping over them
Hubby - I'll just step over this one, and this one
Dishes have to be done:
Me - *sigh* wish I had some help
Hubby - Well I can't read your mind just ask me

The list goes on and on, and when we first got married it would really grate on my nerves. I honestly felt like banging my head against a wall. "What is wrong with this guy? It's right in front of him why can't he see it?". BECAUSE HE'S A GUY!!!! I've learnt the hard way!!!
Sorry honey, I love you to death, but you know it's true!!!
I think the moral of the story is, for all you ladies out there who are single, or engaged, remember that men don't think the way you do. If you want him to do something, SAY IT, specifically and to the point, don't dilly dally and beat around the bush. It will save you years of wondering what you're doing wrong. LOL

I desperately need to get back on my usual routine. I was used to waking up at 6 am every morning and the past 2 weeks I can't get up until almost 8 am. This would be great if it was the beginning of summer but seeing that school is going to start again soon, I really need to get back to normal. Whatever normal is.....anyone know???

Well the kids are acting up and not listening, I can tell it's going to be one of those days. - The hair pulling, want to pack and run away, please shoot me now kinda days.-
Jasmine especially has been testing my patience lately, I don't remember having such a bad attitude when I was 7 years old, but then again, maybe I did and just don't remember. Wish there was a way to bypass this stage, you know come to think of it, when she was an infant I kept saying I couldn't wait until she was a toddler, then she became a toddler and I thought "man, I can't wait until she's 5 or 6, I can't handle the terrible two's". Now she's at the age I wanted and I'm dying for teenager years (maybe not dying, I know that's going to be a problem all on it's own). I GIVE UP, I'll just enjoy whatever stage she's on and quit wishing for another one, it just seems that every age has it's ups and downs, right???

I better get off here before the kids destroy the house, or kill each other, the sibling rivalry is at it's peak today. See ya all in the morning, if I'm still here and haven't managed to run away to the circus. (oh wait, I AM there LOL).

CHANGE YET AGAIN!!!

Alright now, I think I'm leaving this one for a long time.....probably until the fall or winter LOL

What do you think??? And those using IE please let me know if it shows up fine, I'm hoping for no menus being pushed to the bottom, or weird graphics etc.

I tried to keep this one simple so I hope it works :)

Dear Blogger.....

Why do you do this to me???? Do you have some hidden agenda to drive me batty every two weeks???
I know you think you're doing a GREAT thing by offering me a free blogging service (and yes, hats off to you for that), BUT does that entitle you to have less than workable conditions???
Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be locked out of your own blog, or not able to comment on a friend's one??? Please, do us all a favor....get your act together!!!


I've had the WORST time trying to post anything today, it literally took me an hour to get my WFMW post up. I haven't been able to visit any of my favorite blogs, and let's not even mention trying to post a comment anywhere.....Mission Impossible!!!

BUT, it seems that blogger has stopped PMSing, and I'm able to get on and do my daily post, and don't worry because as soon as I'm done here, I'm running on over to all my faves to read and comment. Now don't kill me either, faithful readers, all 1 or 2 of you (if I'm that lucky lol), but I'm looking for a new template. I'm frustrated with Internet Explorer pushing my right menu to the bottom and I think it's time to go back to just one sidebar.....and since I don't have time to make my own template right now (got other work to do), I'm just going to use one of the many wonderful free templates available.

So if you come back tomorrow and it's a new template, don't run away, it's just me being bored and antsy as usual.

Had the worst headache yesterday, didn't even get to run to the store, asked hubby to go for me. I'm just lucky to have such a wonderful husband who does what I ask, no questions asked, isn't that sweet???
The headache is still here today but I'm starting to think it's either allergies or my sinus acting up again, I think the main giveaway is the pressure and the feeling of congestion. Nothing some pills can't cure right???

You all know that we're a military family, so moving is always a thought in the back of our minds, you never really get to call a place a home. Let's just say that we're brave nomads, going from land to land. At least that's how I like to think of it!!!
With the whole BRAC thing going on, there's a lot of changes being made, and one of them is obviously to the base we're at. My husband being an F-16 mechanic will fall into the category of people being shifted and moved from base to base. So I found out yesterday that we will more than likely have orders out of here by March of next year. Who knows where we will end up!!!!
I just gotta keep remindind myself of 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast your cares upon Him, for he Cares about You".....no matter where we end up, things will be fine!

I'm so excited today, I have a package waiting for me at the post office, and of course it's always exciting to get something from your family overseas......but this one is just extra special because it actually contains BACALHAU....yes Cod Fish. LOL
Now I know a lot of you are probably turning your noses up at me, and I understand, because if you know the portuguese Cod Fish, you know that it's dried and salty and it does stink. (literally).
But it's also one of the MOST deliscious fish you can come across.
I will be sure to share the recipes in my food blog, so if you ever find cod fish and don't know what to make with it, try Bacalhau A Gomes de Sa, or Bacalhau a Braz or even a quick Bacalhau Cozido com Grao. My mouth is watering just thinking about it :)

"BE CONTENT IN EVERYTHING", that was the title of my next chapter in the "15 Minutes Alone with God". Boy did it hit home!!! I am one of those people who are always looking to the future, when do we get paid again, when will we have our own house, the next car, the next month, the next outfit......never stopping to think about the here and now. What a fool I've been, I've spent my whole life chasing after the what can be instead of just accepting what IS and thanking God for it.

"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6)

I think one of the reasons it really talked to me is because of this whole diet thing I'm going on and on about. Always wondering when will I be thinner, worrying about what I eat and when I eat, and really not enjoying just being me, eating what I like, when I like, and accepting that God loves me for ME. Not for the pounds I can loose or the weight I can manage or the food I won't eat.....he loves ME......HOW UNBELIEVEBLE IS THAT?!?!?! If He can love me for myself, why can't I do the same, who am I to think that I'm above His way of thinking????

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I shouldn't eat healthier or try to maintain a wealthy weight. But I need to do it because it's what makes me feel better and NOT because I think it's what will make me acceptable to society. What IS acceptable, really???
I think one of the things that I have to realize, is that even if I DON'T end up loosing all the weight I want, it's OK....the Lord will still be there no matter what, and THAT for me is what matters.

I have to stop worrying about where I am in my life right now, and that goes for everything, my body, my mind, my life, my house, my family, everything. Just have to praise God for where I am, and ask him to reveal to me what I'm supposed to be learning from this present situation. There's always something to learn, and although we may not notice it right away, eventually we see it.

And I'm out of here for today, Blogger is starting to act weird again and I honestly don't have the patience to deal with it. Last thing I need is another whiny kid right? LOL
Have a great day everyone, and please, if you get a chance, come join me for breakfast tomorrow morning???

God bless,

Works for Me Wednesday!!!

You've all heard me complaining about Jasmine not wanting anything to do with books this summer. It's been frustrating trying to keep her reading, so I realized that in order for me to motivate her, I would have to make it fun.

With it being summer and hot and so many things to be done outside, she would rather be on the trampoline, on the swings, in the pool or anything else, than in the house reading her books.

So, my WFMW tip is about getting your kids motivated to read.

The first thing that I do is use "Book Dollars". I made some out of construction paper, and I hand them out for chores or good deeds I see her do around the house, as well as reading her books without me begging. Once she has about 10 or 15, then we head to the bookstore and she gets to spend the equal amount in books. She LOVES being able to pick her own. Right now she's loving the Dumb Bunnies, I guess at her age she finds them hilarious.

Another thing we are going to do this week, is have a "Reading Picnic". We will gather some snacks and some books and then head out to the park, I think she will enjoy that.

I've also noticed that she will eagerly read a book that is about something she really enjoys or like, like dinosaurs. Any dinosaur book will have her happily grabbing for it.

We're also starting a reading corner, a part of the living room just for reading, and she will help decorate it. Going to use some big pillows, a blanket, a little basket with books and snacks (popcorn, crackers etc). Something that will make her WANT to be there reading. Yes it may be almost at the end of summer, but I figure at least this last month she can enjoy her books and not be turned off by them.

One last thing......I went to Scholastic online, and signed her up for the Summer Reading Buzz. They have a book of the week, a reading meter, a bumblebee booklist, a calendar to show you which books will be up each week so that you can buy them from scholastic or make sure you have them to read.

Each book she adds to her reading log, Scholastic will match each one with a donation to K.I.D.S. so she is happy to be helping other kids too.

It's been fun finding new ways to encourage her to read. Hope this helps one of you moms with your kids and their reading. Works for Me!!!!

For a list of other WFMW participants, go run on over to Shannon, and starting this week, everyone is adding a description of their tips to their names, so it will make it easier for you to browse those tips you are interested in reading :)