Obama = flag

This morning OE pointed out to me that our neighbors put "2 Obamas" in their yard. After a few minutes of being puzzled, I realized he was pointing to 2 American flags on stakes. I don't know why he would think that the flag is called an "Obama"...

Indiana Credit Freeze

As I am going through our credit reports, I am reminded of the option that we have in Indiana to place a free freeze on our credit. If you have not already placed a freeze on your credit, it would be a good idea to do it now. No one can open new credit in your name without you finding out. Here is an article I found on some updates they made starting Jan. 2009: http://www.fox59.com/pages/landing/?Indiana-Attorney-General-Steve-Carter-an=1&blockID=173266&feedID=1295

Come see OE model!

OE will be sporting his shades and a Mickey Mouse bathing suit at the first ever Third Phase Fashion Show using only clothing from their clothing store. They are still in need of child models of all ages, so please let me know ASAP if you are interested. Event tickets can also be purchased through me.

If you are unaware of what Third Phase is about, check out their website http://www.thirdphase.org/. They are a women's shelter and food pantry.

Plus, they now have a clothing shop that is open to everyone! I was just there and it is STOCKED! It is like a Goodwill, but not picked over. They have TONS of used kids clothing, toys, bedding, blankets, as well as everything for adults too. The clothing shop is in the new building south of the main house. They are open almost every day - check out the website for hours.

"Officer, he asked me to do it!"

The other night J, OE, & I were having fun wrestling on our bed, when OE asked me to hit him in the face. When I said, "No, it's not nice to hit people; we don't do that," he threw a tantrum. After repeated requests, he realized that Mommy was not going to hit him in the face, so he tried, "Daddy, hit OE face." No luck there. Where do they get this?

Scary Moment

We had the boys over to play again after church. We have so much fun with them, and they are so well-behaved! We had an extremely scary moment with the younger of the two. We ate at McDonald's and the younger brother choked on a fry. J had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on him to get the fry out of his windpipe. It didn't seem to phase the boy at all, but we were totally shocked by what had happened. Since we are around children so much, we are now thinking about taking a first aid/safety course.

craiglist.org: Obsession or Addiction?

If you know me at all, you know that I am obsessed with (addicted to?) craigslist.org. I have found almost every piece of furniture in our house that way. Here was my pick up this morning: white glider with ottoman for nursery for $40! It is in great shape with no squeaking. Our last glider squeaked horribly and stained our carpet black. Not good. Craig, if you are out there, I think you are brilliant!

Genesis: A Commentary

I just finished reading a commentary on Genesis called Genesis: A Commentary - go figure - by Bruce Waltke. I know I am a nerd, but this book was a fascinating page turner. When you are told the background and context of the stories, they just come alive. The patriarchs sure had a lot of DRAMA to deal with! Sex scandals, murders, cheats, threats, greed. Exciting!

However, the most exciting thing was gaining a deeper understanding of how God created the world and humans to be. Imagine sitting down next to a lion in peace and not worrying about what to (not) wear or what to eat. Since it didn't turn out that way, and there is hunger and fear in the world, God made provisions by electing Abraham's family line to carry out his vision - blessing others. This book gave me understanding of why it is so important to care for and serve others - not only was it the example that Jesus gave us, but it is how God intends the world to be!

I allowed OE to take a break from washing the dishes to smile for the camera. He did such a good job on that pan that I didn't need to re-wash it. What a good helper!

"What is the difference between a man's chest and a woman's chest?"

That is an actual question that I got from a 4th grader this Monday morning during my Body Safety presentation. Fortunately, I was able to eloquently relate all the biological differences clearly and precisely - yeah right! I affirmed that it was a good question and kindly suggested that a health teacher or his parents would give a better answer than I could!

I have received so many insightful and mature questions from the students over the past year. They amaze me at how eager and curious they are. The question I hate getting, although it is a very good question, is "What if I yell 'no' and I run away from the person, but they chase me and get me anyway?" Good question. It is the sad state of the world that this is a very possible situation. I try to tiptoe around the implications of the question (sexual molestation) and just address the situation post-abuse - "You need to tell an adult that can get you help."

To end on a lighter note: Last year one of my favorite memories is when a 2nd grade girl informed me that I had forgotten a private body part on a girl. I had forgotten to mention the "baby hole"!!!!

Brookside Battle Scar

It is harder to see now, but on Sunday J got scratched pretty good on his left eye at Brookside. He was guiding a special needs child up to his class when the boy grabbed at both of his eyes. Mind you, this boy is about 9 years old and weighs around 100 lbs! When he wants to give you a hug he runs at you full force and if you are not ready he will knock you flat with love. J is such a trooper!!!!

Here we go!

Welcome to my blog! Hopefully you'll enjoy keeping up with us and our activities.