Doctor Day

We are headed to the doctor’s office this morning.

Ava needs to get her Kindergarten physical & Grady is getting a well-baby check-up.

You know what that means right?

Shots

Lots of them.

I hate watching the kids get their immunizations. My heart always breaks for them. I remember each of the kids’ first shots. The nurse would stick them, but they wouldn’t cry immediately. So, I would instantly think, “Thank goodness it didn’t hurt.” However, I was quite mistaken - the reaction was only delayed. I would watch as their brow would crinkle & bottom lip would begin to quiver. All of a sudden they would let out a huge wail. Oh, how I dreaded those visits.

I struggle watching my kids hurt. There are so many times when I wish I could endure the physical pain and emotional hurt for them. I’m there to hold them & wipe their tears, but it still doesn’t feel like enough.

Ava knows that she is getting shots today and she is very scared. She’s already shed quite a few tears. Grady has no idea what’s going to happen, but he will soon enough…

Adam’s is thankfully working from home today, so I can leave Garrett with him. I think he would have started crying too, fearing that his turn was next!

We’re going to get ice cream after the visit, so we just keep talking about “the best” ice cream sundae & try not to talk too much about the shots.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

Encouraging Truth

We are currently reading the book of Romans in the New Testament section of our One Year Bible journey. There is a passage that I wanted to share with you. These verses in particular are some of my favorite in the Bible. Whenever I am discouraged, confused, down or ready to throw up my hands in complete frustration, I turn to these verses & find comfort in God’s faithful promises and enduring love:

“And we know that God causes everything to work together^[b] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

◊◊◊

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[d] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

 

My Hiding Place

I eat my breakfast in the pantry.

Why, you may wonder?

Well, my kids happen to love my tofu bacon! Seriously. whenever Adam makes bacon, they always go, “Awww, we want mommy’s bacon!”

Tofu bacon isn’t all that cheap. I always “cook” three strips. My kids find this quite convenient because that means one for each of them. Which means I’m stuck with the empty plate as a consolation prize…

Each morning, I feed the kids their breakfast & put on a cartoon for them. The distraction is the perfect opportunity for me to make my bacon.

I have tried simple coverups. I used to sit at the table, but put the centerpiece directly in front of me, so I am out of their line of vision.

I have also tried keeping my plate on my lap & breaking the bacon into pieces, so I can discreetly eat it little by little.

But their radars are too sharp.

Grady always comes running first exclaiming, “Ma! Up Ma!” Instantly, Ava & Garrett’s heads whip to see what’s going on & then they race to see who gets to the bacon first.

So, I hide.

And who know what?

I’m glad.

I believe in sharing, but there are a few rare items that I keep for myself.

Harry & David’s Dark Chocolate Truffles (the best!!),

and tofu bacon.

 

Oh Happy Day!

Guess who has the extended warranty on her car?

YEAH!!!!

 

Turning the Tables

Ava enjoys the cartoon “Berenstain Bears.”

In the episode she watched the other day, the lesson the cubs learned was “four helping hands are better than two. ” I thought, “What a great message!” I remember telling Ava so and explaining that’s why cleaning goes so much faster when she helps me out.

Earlier this week, I had a very long day. I had just finished putting Grady down for a nap & sat down for what felt like the first time all day. The family room was a mess & I asked Ava to please clean up her toys. She looked up at me and said, “Mom, can you help me?”

“No,” I told her, “I’ve been doing things all day long & I just want to sit down for a bit.”

“But Mom,” she said, “Four helping hands are better than two.”

WHAT?!?!

Wait a minute, I wanted to tell her. Berenstain Bear messages are for your benefit, not mine. They’re supposed to help you grow & learn, not me.

Now, I’m not suggesting I should help her with every one of her chores all the time. It’s one thing if I had been cleaning the kitchen or folding laundry when she asked me for help. At least then I could have told her I was doing my part…just in a different way. But how could I sit down & basically say, “I’m going to take a break, while you pick up.”?

So I told her that four hands are indeed better than two. I said she could color instead & we’d clean up together a little later…and we did.

So thanks Berenstain Bears and thanks Ava.

Mommies need reminders too.

 

Finally!

Yeah - I got some spam!

669

 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Paula!!

Today is my mother-in-law’s special day. She & Randy are currently vacationing in Ohio, spending time with family up there.

I remember meeting Paula for the very first time at Seth’s (Adam’s brother) graduation party. I have to admit, I was nervous! Adam & I had been dating only a short time & I really wanted to make a good impression. She was so welcoming & kind, that any nerves I had were instantly put aside.

Family is so important to Paula & she makes sure we all get together for special occasions & “just becauses” so we can celebrate & enjoy one another. She absolutely loves when we all can gather at “Grandma’s House” and just be together as a family. She also loves doing creative & imaginative things for her grandkids. Hey, not everyone gets a real visit from The Grinch every Christmas!

She has always been a spiritual rock for me. I know whenever I have questions, need advice or a prayer partner, I can always call her. She’s the person who will bend over backward to help you out when you’re in need. If there is anything she can do, she jumps right in.

Paula, I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for raising such a wonderful son - the example you set in your role as a wife & mother has influenced him greatly and we are a stronger family because of it.

Love you!!

 

A Chore-riffic Idea

I read a really good article in “Focus on the Family” the other day.

In it, a mom was going over her frustration that her kids weren’t doing their chores when she asked them to. So, she came up with a plan - every time she had to do one of her kids’ chores, they had to do one of her chores.

For example, she asked her son to bring in the garbage cans while she went out to run an errand. She had him repeat what she asked & that it was supposed to be done when she returned in an hour. After arriving home, the garbage cans were still in place. So, she brought them in. When she went inside, she didn’t yell at her son. She simply told him what she did, but then said he needed to fold the laundry. When he looked at her with an astonished face, she explained that it wasn’t fair for her to do both her kids’ and her own chores. She went on to say that she has had lots of success with this plan & that her kids are much quicker to do their own chores!

I thought this was a wonderful idea, so I thought I’d try it out with Ava. Usually, she’s pretty good at doing what I tell her, but she gets easily distracted. So, I worked out my plan. I asked her to make her bed while I was getting some work done for church. Her reaction was priceless, “Why? Is someone coming over?” Obviously, the rooms are the tidiest when we have guests over!

“No,” I explained to her, “this is something that I want you to do every day to keep your room neat.”

Now, I knew full well that she was going to forget that I asked her to make her bed, so I didn’t make mine either. So I figured, when I found her unmade bed, I would have her make mine. I thought it was brilliant!

Later that afternoon I went upstairs all ready to get into the whole “if I have to do one of your chores, then you need to do one of mine” theory. I turned the corner of our upstairs hallway, went into her room…

and there was her bed - all made up the way it was supposed to.

I couldn’t believe it!

Now, I hate admitting this, but to tell you the truth, my first reaction when I walked into her room was disappointment. Isn’t that awful? I was so focused on applying a new idea that I overlooked the fact that my daughter did what I asked her to do.

So, I went downstairs & told her how great her room looked - especially her bed!

I’m sure I’ll get to put “the plan” into action some day, but until then, I’m appreciating the times when my kids do what I ask them to…and making sure I tell them so.

 

someone please…Spam me!

I get quite a few spam attempts on my blog. There is usually some type of auto or health insurance and medicinal or casino advertisement in my comment que daily.

The good news is, there is a program called Akismet that basically blocks all of these comments from appearing on my blog. I just go through the comments they deemed “spam” and delete them. The program then recognizes what I consider spam & automatically deletes them in the future.

On my admin page there is a section that tells me how many spam comments Akismet has “protected” me from. Well, the number has been the same since last Monday. And yet again this morning, that number was glaring at me…666.

So, come on spam guys - all I need is one!

 

Double Whammy

Summer is not the best time for the air conditioner to go out.

About 2 weeks ago, the air in my van stopped working. It’s more of an inconvenience than anything. I don’t have a problem rolling down the windows. I found out though, that when it’s 90° outside & you’re stuck in traffic, open windows don’t help much. It was awful! There I was, roasting in the van, having to endure the “Dora the Explorer” CD. And the poor kids - I’d look back & could see the sweat beads popping up all over their face.

We brought the van in & it turns out their was a recall on part of the air conditioner, so they will replace that for free. Here’s the fun part - that’s not the part of the air conditioner that’s broken. How convenient, right? So, it’s going to cost $500 to fix that. Suddenly, open windows sound even better.

About 3 days ago, the air conditioner in our house went out. Now, I can handle the car, but the house is an entirely different story. I’d watch the thermostat rise during the day & there were times when it got up to 86° in here! And it was even worse upstairs. I’d put Grady down for a nap & he’d wake up all sweaty. We’d put the fans on, but the air still felt incredibly heavy.

Anyway, we had someone come out yesterday to see what is going on. Turns out there was an issue with the motor. One thing we learned is that those expensive air filters that are supposed to remove practically every allergen are actually bad for your furnace. It causes the motor to work too hard. So, we’re supposed to buy the less expensive ones & spray them with Pledge - it’s supposed to work great. The man did some work on our humidifier too & when all was said and done, the bill came to…$500.

So, can anyone explain how fixing the air conditioner for a car costs the same as fixing the air conditioner for a house?

Unreal.

 

Softball Error?

Missy, Larry, Haley & Aubrey were up this weekend playing in a softball tournament. This was the first time we got to watch the girls play (and Larry coach!). Unfortunately, they lost the game, but the girls did a great job & we had a fun evening.

Ava could not wait to go to the game! All day she kept talking about Haley & Aubrey. The game was at 8:30 that evening, so by the time we got there, she was really excited. Ava was fascinated by the lights that illuminated the ballpark. She loved the chants & sayings that the players called out during the game. Throughout the night, she kept going over to the fence to talk to the girls & played with the siblings of the other players too.

Around the 3rd inning, Missy turned to Ava & asked her, “Ava, would you rather sing, dance or play softball?”

Without missing a beat, Ava turned back and asked, “What’s softball?”

 

A Fun Weekend!

We had a great 4th of July!

We decided to head in to Rockford this year to stay with my parents. My dad was on the 4th of July committee for their country club, so we were excited to share in all of their festivities.

Ava & Garrett had fun on the rides & had a blast going down the big blow-up slide. Ava also enjoyed the pony rides.

Grady had cotton candy for the first time. I had such a hard time getting him to try it! Every time I’d put it near his mouth, he’d clamp his jaw shut & shake his head - he couldn’t get past the texture of it. I eventually got a little on his mouth though. Oh, you should have seen the look in his eyes when he licked his lips! He plunged both hands into the cotton candy & quickly became a sticky mess. But he was one happy boy!

After that, we all headed to the pool. They had races going on in the main pool along with diving competitions on who could make the smallest/largest splash. The kids played a lot in the baby pool - they love splashing their daddy!

Later that evening, the kids participated in a parade where they waved flags & blew horns. After that it was the fireworks display! Ava & Garrett cried at first, but Ava quickly settled down after my mom held her. Adam had Garrett & I had Grady. Grady just sat on my lap, mesmerized! His jaw hung open, but he didn’t make a peep the entire time. Garrett, on the other hand, refused to watch. He peeked once or twice when Adam told him that the fireworks looked like Buzz Lightyear, but he quickly caught on & then wouldn’t look back.

Oh, and Ava & Garrett both held sparklers this year! Last year, they were afraid of them, so it was cool to see them running around, waving their sparklers with their friends.

What did you all do this weekend?

And I’m curious…for all you moms & dads out there - do you find that overall your kids enjoy the fireworks or are afraid of them?

 

Pasta…Newton style

Here’s a peak at a typical Italian night at the Newton dinner table.

Just so you know, I took these photos about a month ago (no, I did not cut Garrett’s hair again!)

It’s so funny to watch each of the kids eat. They definitely have their own method…

AVA

Let’s start with Lady Ava. She is very neat when she eats & it determined to get every little noodle on her fork. I find it ironic that my neatest eater is the one who doesn’t like tomato sauce - only butter & parmesan cheese for her!

GRADY

It’s an unspoken rule on pasta night - as soon as dinner is served, Grady’s shirt comes off. No further explanation needed!

GARRETT

Can anyone else hear Ralphie & Randy’s mom from “A Christmas Story” saying, “Mommy’s little piggie!” here? He cracks me up! For the record, he does occasionally use a fork, but he’s practicing for Medieval Times.

 

Adventures in Grocery Shopping, part 7

Okay, it’s not really grocery shopping…

We all went to Home Depot the other day to pick up some flowers & things for the house. First of all, I have to say that Home Depot gets the gold star for best carts. It’s fun for the kids & leaves me plenty of room for my goods.

I had Ava & Garrett in my cart & Grady was in Adam’s cart. All of a sudden Ava goes, “Let’s race.” Instantly, Adam glanced back & began taunting us with his challenging grin. I was already too far behind him & knew it would be futile to try to catch him…at that moment. So, I told Ava, “No, I don’t think we should race right now.”

By now Ava & Garrett were excited. “Come on Mommy, you can beat Daddy!

And then we got another challenging look from Daddy.

“We’ll race later,” was my reply. And then I told my husband that I’d clip the back of his heels with my cart if he didn’t stop teasing us!

Now, if you know me, you get that there is just no way that I won’t step up to the challenge. So, I instantly began strategizing. We made it down to one end of the store & had to turn around. I knew this was my moment!

“Hey honey, look at these cool rocks. What do you think they’re for?”

It worked like a charm. He stopped to examine them & while he was in the middle of his theory, I quickly passed him with my cart.

Ava: “We’re winning!”

Me: “Yes we are!!”

Adam: “Kelly be careful, you’re about to drop your phone.”

Oh, he is so sneaky! And I fell for it!! I slowed down enough to glance down, only to realize it was a tactic he used to try to pass me.

I was left with only one option. I will say that I’m not proud of my decision, but hey, my kids wanted to win the race.

I quickly turned my cart to the left to block him. It worked, but then both of our carts went into a floor display & we almost took down a worker. (Don’t you just love the example we set for our kids - yikes!) We both quickly offered our apologies & then continued on.

You’d think at this time one of us would have had the sense to stop this silly race. Wrong! I kept my cart in the middle of the aisle so he couldn’t pass us & Mommy’s cart made it to the end of the store first.

Ava & Garrett cheered & I smiled. Adam was a good sport & Grady had no idea what just happened, but laughed anyway.

It was fun, but I don’t think my husband & I are allowed to shop together anymore!

 

Here You Go Aunt Karen!

My husband’s gonna kill me…