Do Good Anyway

Why do we do the things we do?
I've spent a lot of time (especially lately) questioning if it is all worth it in the end.  I've been so frustrated trying to get things squared away with Michael and school.  I really do love his school and think his teachers are great, but he still isn't getting the help he needs - and that is not great.  All of the little things just keep adding up and I find it overwhelming.  I feel like I'm standing in a sound proof booth, screaming at the top of my lungs.  This is not the norm for me.  I might get a little excited over things here or there but rarely do I ever let myself get this worked up.  Rarely do I let myself worry like I have these last 6 weeks.  After a while, it starts to take its toll on one's nerves and spirit.  If he weren't my son I would have given up by now.

I'm about to have a good, old-fashioned temper tantrum if things don't start getting better.

When things start spiraling downward I start to feel like all of the hard work and time that I have put into helping my child is being undone faster that I can redo.  Then I start to wonder, is the world going to win this one?  Niceness is often rewarded with bullying or those who take advantage.  Do I really have to play by their rules to get ahead?

And at the end of the day, this is the answer I have come up with... to live with as few regrets as possible I must do what is right for my family every minute possible.  Sure, we all screw up because no one is perfect.  But we must strive to do our best even knowing that someone else can come along and ruin our progress.

It is stuff like this that gets me through:

The Paradoxical Commandments

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

 

And if you're feeling sappy and wanting more, here is the link to see Martina McBride's video along the same theme.  I highly recommend it!

 

-- Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 --

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;

yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—

this is the gift of God.

Jello, Again... Jello.

Hopefully this brings a grin to your face this Tuesday morning.

Pop Quiz

This week's theme on POP Quiz? 

Marriage & Communication

Think you can solve it?

1. This picture...

A. Proves that there is life on other planets.

B. Proves that picking your nose is painful.

C. Should never be published on a blog.

D. Shows the suffering brought on by fall's allergy season.

E. Is just one of the many obnoxious things I am subjected to by the Doc.

Bonus Round...

2. An appropriate response to receiving the picture above would be:

A. Post it on one's blog for all to see.

B. Send a picture of your dog's rear end to him (see below).

C. Never say a word about it to the sender of the above pic.

D. All of the above.

Perfect Pairings

Ok, so this one is a stretch.  What irony that this was taken in Vegas while celebrating our 10th anniversaries. 

Doc is dancing with Leslie and I'm dancing with Leslie's husband, Scott.  This is what happens when you try to humiliate your friends at a piano bar (lesson learned).

The biggest mystery of all is -- who grabbed my camera and took this picture?

We seriously don't know.

Judges 21:23

So that is what the Benjamites did.

While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife.

Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.

***

Find a picture and pair it with a bible verse.

If you have a perfect pairing to share, post it on your blog then leave the address in the comments section. 

We would all love to see it!

Inkblots

Since Doc can't have me committed at this time (he needs me at home), I decided to take the inkblot test.  And since all of the blog thing quizzes are notably true - duh - then their assessment of me will be completely accurate.

Or if you like the result then you can play along and perhaps even post it.

You decide.

My results are pretty much true.  I will say that the conflict they mention with my father would have to be justified by saying he has been dead for the majority of my life now.  Yes, that creates a "difficult and possibly unhealthy" relationship. 

So for now I am sane.  Verified by BlogThings so it must be true.
How about you?

You are Energetic and Bright

You view people with optimism. You have many meaningful relationships in your life. You had more conflict with your father than your mother. Your relationship with him was difficult and possibly unhealthy. You deal with stress in an effective and competent matter. You are able to remain calm. You are a natural multitasker. You enjoy being busy, even if the amount of things you need to do is overwhelming.

The Inkblot Test

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

The Roller Coaster

This picture was taken exactly 2 years ago on Expedition Everest at Disney World.  Notice Michael with his cousin Lauren in the front.  Two different reactions to the same moment.  Kind of amazing, huh?  My expression mirrors Lauren's (but trust me, I loved it) and my mom is next to me laughing.  Whoever that kid was behind me me looks like he might have needed a change of pants after.

None of us knew the camera was there.  These were our true facial expressions and reactions at this one second along the same ride.

I actually love roller coasters.  The problem is that I don't want to live on one.

These days have been feeling like a roller coaster and my nerves are a little worn out.  My emotional side is wearing thin.  It's not the downhill part that makes your tummy feel funny that is getting to me, it's the uphill climb.  Not knowing where we are going.  Trusting the ride will get me there.

It's interesting and fun for the 5 minute duration (if you're lucky) but then you need a break.

I really need that break.

Adjusting to this school year has been more difficult than I realized.  While we are breaking ground at school and moving in the right direction, something new always crops up.  Where else might one struggle socially?  Yup.  We are back to the BUS.

My neighborhood bus spies have alerted me to the fact that some kids are making fun of Michael on the bus.  When I talked with Michael about it we discovered that he was mostly unaware of their talk.  This is both bad and good.  It is good because he doesn't need to know that they announced he should be in a mental hospital.  It is bad because he doesn't change his behavior to conform like other kids do, thus the bullying ensues and even gathers speed and strength as it rolls downhill. 

When asked, Michael did admit that one boy was calling him a nerd and he didn't like it.  Doc and I role played various appropriate ways to deal with this scenario. This is a harsh reality for all kids to deal with.  Imagine if you weren't give the tools to deal with a typical BEST scenario in a social environment and you were trying to deal with taunting.  It can't end well.

So last night when I found out all of the things going on with the bus, I learn that not only is he being picked on but that he is being picked on with kids working together to do so.  This is inexcusable.  We all know the bus is a cesspool of filth when it comes to a child's social development.  This has gone beyond the typical bus experience and into the horrors of being bullied in collaboration.

This is Wednesday's bad news.  This is what will keep me up tonight.  Fortunately, I have confidence that this issue will be taken care of.  There are good people running things in our school district and I know that they will take action where it needs to be taken.  In the meantime, I have the great inconvenience of sitting in the car line from now on.  I am not sure if we will be able to try the bus again.  I can handle the extra stress, inconvenience, and time out of my day but I can't afford to take that chance with Michael's.  So if one of us needs to carry the burden of additional stress, it will most definitely be me. 

And now we are going to take a ride downhill.

I'm going to switch tracks and share a huge success.

I'm grinning through my mom-of-a-bullied-child tears to tell you about it.

Michael played soccer at recess today! 

He saw a boy from his class last year who has always been nice to him and just jumped right on to his team.  So, he ate alone in the cafeteria (boo) but he took a chance and played with the other kids on the playground. 

Can I get an AMEN?! 

This is the result of a lot of hard work and a whole lot of prayer.

It is nothing short of a miracle, just so you know.

See what I mean about the roller coaster?  I can't decide when I'm up and when I'm down.  I think Doc would have me committed at this point if he knew someone else who could take care of our kids.  If you look back at those faces in the picture above, I am feeling every bit of the emotions that you see on our faces.

So thank you to those of you who kindly remember Michael in your prayers. 

We know they work.

Those of you who are reading are a part of this and I am thankful for you and your support in our journey.

It is my honor and pleasure to be Michael's mom.

But can I just step off this coaster and wait in line for a bit?

Vocabulary Lesson

Ex-ces-sive 
adjective
going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree; characterized by excess

Example:

10 Stoplights in a 2 mile stretch

Just one of the many recent "improvements" in my area.

If you stick your hand in a toilet...

...you never know what you're gonna get!

Last week, Doc called to ask me to bring him our big fan.  I heard him utter the word toilet and vowed I wasn't even walking in to that office.  Blech!

Fortunately, the office didn't smell of poo.  Can you imagine a dentist's office smelling like a bathroom?  The toilet had started leaking everywhere.  I'm so glad R in his office took pictures and posted them on Facebook.  Now you can see the fun, too!

Notice the lovely hue of the toilet.  Baby blue.  So pretty.  It makes a statement. 

I think the statement is something like, "I'm so 80's."

A most bizarre ending to the story.  If any of you reading today are patients of the Doc, would you kindly refrain from flushing weird objects down the toilet? 

You know, like pens?  The plumbers actually had to use cameras to find these.

At the end of the day, three pens had been recovered from the innards of a toilet.

So if you happen to be at the Doc's office and your pen stops working, please do not flush them down the toilet.

Thank you.

Reee-UH

Can't believe I haven't posted these yet.  I have the cutest new niece. 

Doc's baby sister just had her first baby at the beginning of this month.

Jacob thanks God for his new cousin "baby Reee-uh" every single night in his prayers.

Yeah, we don't know Reee-uh either.  But we sure love baby Kelli!

Here we go...

I want one.

Perfect Pairings

Genesis 7:12

And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

We were close to that, anyway...

***

Join us!

Post your own perfect pairing of picture and bible verse

and type your post addy in the comments.

The Cure for Fear is...

If you read my post yesterday, you will know that I was so let down by an incident at Michael's school.  I wanted his effort to be successful to encourage him to keep trying.  Unfortunately, life doesn't always work this way.

As I prepared for my small group bible study this evening (yes, preparation starts exactly 2 hours before - oops) I know that I was meant to read these words at this time.  We have been working through the book In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson one chapter at a time.  Of course, being so far behind I'm not sure which chapter we are on.  Because of this I ended up reading through a chapter we had previously done - and I'm thankful.  God knew I needed to be reminded of some things.

In the book the author talks about strife and how we deal with it.  He talks about our fear of taking a risk.  He reminds us that the worst times in our lives are often the ones that can bring us the most growth.  In this particular paragraph he is addressing those fears.

"The cure for the fear of failure is not success.  It's failure. 

The cure for fear of rejection is not acceptance.  It's rejection. 

You've got to be exposed to small quantities of whatever you are afraid of. 

That's how you build up immunity."

Amazing. 
And true.

If we succeeded with every effort, what would we gain?

So while I worry if Michael will try again, deep down I know he will... eventually.  On Wednesday his worst fear was realized.  He asked to join some kids on the playground to play soccer and he was rejected.  Ouch.

There is a lesson to be learned in this.  Was it the approach?  Will he eventually learn to hide his meltdowns better to be more accepted?  Will he just ask a different classmate next time?  So many possible solutions to our problem.

The hope is that he will learn from this failure in some way and improve himself.  If he was always readily accepted then it wouldn't be very realistic.  Learning to deal with rejection now does have its benefits.  Hopefully there will be some successes thrown in soon to help ease the pain and teach him the right paths.

And just to be sure you know, I did meet with the teachers Thursday because we had already scheduled a meeting for another purpose.  Of course I teared up all over again.  I hate that.  But I am hopeful that this time they will understand the importance of supporting him socially.  Michael is still a stranger to them because it is early in the year.  They are good people who truly care about the kids they teach. 

Michael can't and won't do this alone.  I know if we work together we will help Michael start moving forward once again.

The Retreat

Such a stark difference this year in my boys. 
I picked up Jacob from school today and saw him holding hands with all of the kids in a big circle.  They were singing and smiling and enjoying each other.  He is so much happier this year in school.  I'm praising myself for holding my ground on waiting a year before Kindergarten.  He needed some time.

Michael is a different story.  He has been an emotional wreck this year.
Yesterday, my heart broke all over again.  Being a caretaker of someone with special needs can really keep you on a roller coaster.
Michael has a whole new set of boys in his class this year.  His teacher from the previous year had given me 5 names of boys she thinks were helpful to Michael and I passed that list on to the school counselor.  These boys didn't mind his quirks and gladly included him.  And dangit, she didn't include a single one of them in his class.  I'm plan to write a letter to the school begging them to be more intentional in his classroom placement.  By the time I saw the class list, the damage was done and everyone knew who had which teacher.  Too late to go back.
To ask a child with Asperger's to start over in a class full of strangers at the age of 10 is really asking a lot.  He already sucks at making friends.  We were just seeing progress last year in this area for the first time - ever.  His first friend!  This year he wasn't even trying.  It's a monumental task for him and he didn't even know where to start.  In the upper grades, the supports are different.  Being included in a class with typical kids has its ups and downs.  He is expected to blend and sometimes he stands out in the worst way.  He appears so normal until the moment of stress occurs.

Michael has been sitting alone in the cafeteria every day at lunch.
My son has also been playing by himself on the playground.

The poor kid has been harassed by me each and every day.  Have you made any friends?  Are the kids nice to you?  Is anyone especially nice?  Who did you sit by at lunch?  Who did you play with on the playground?  Did you get upset about anything today?
In case you didn't know, people with Aspergers don't tend to enjoy conversation - unless it has to do with their choice topics.  Since this is not a "choice" topic for him, I only have a limited amount of time before he runs screaming from the room yelling, "No more!  No more!" and the cooperation is gone.

I have been fretting about his ability to make new friends with the onslaught of puberty and middle school rapidly approaching.  I have even tried to bribe him into finding a friend to sit by at lunch.  I've worked out ways of breaking down this friendship stuff in to tiny little steps which wouldn't seem so burdensome.

And yet our conversations still start with me asking who he sat by at lunch and him telling me he sat by himself, that it was just too hard to ask to sit by another.  Initiating social interaction doesn't usually seem worth the effort to him.
I keep thinking that if he can't find someone to sit next to in 5th grade then middle school and high school will be a lonely existence.  The kids won't be getting any friendlier from here.

Maybe you don't see this as a big deal, but for us it is.  It's the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night and invades my thoughts throughout the day.  If he isn't able to appropriately interact with people, he will not be able to hold down a job someday.  It will be a lonely existence.  Just because he seems to choose being alone doesn't mean he always wants to be.  This kind of stuff doesn't happen overnight, either.  We will be gradually easing him in, a long slow process of teaching these skills of social interaction to him in baby steps. 

This year feels like we took many steps backwards.

I tell you all of this because Michael came home today from school and I started the barrage of questions.  He tells me that he asked a boy from his class if he could play soccer with them on the playground.  My happiness faded quickly when he told me the other kid told him no.  He takes it a step further to tell my son not to ask again for another 20 years.  Then Michael tells me that this boy's reason for saying "no" was because he had thrown a fit for being last in the cafeteria line today.  Shoot. 

Turns out Michael got in trouble for not waiting his turn in the line up and was punished by being sent to the end.  His anxiety took over and he all of a sudden thought he wasn't going to get to eat lunch.  The Aspergers part of him keeps him from controlling his emotions as he feels them.  He doesn't understand the impact of having a meltdown in front of other kids.  Or maybe he does.  Either way, he can't seem to get a handle on his feelings sometimes and others won't be so forgiving about it. 
This year, his classmates don't know about his Aspergers.  A huge mistake in my opinion.  Give someone a reason to have compassion and usually they will show at least a little.  These kids just think he's being a baby - they don't know that he is neurologically wired in a different way from them.

This whole thing stinks.  We worked so hard to get to the moment that he would ask another if he could join in.  This is success!  Don't think for one second I will dismiss the success achieved.
But then there's the rejection to deal with.
Not only does this break my heart to hear that someone refused to include my child, but it makes me worry that I've lost a huge battle.
Now I wonder - will he find the courage to try again?
I shed my own private tears for the damage done.  I hide away until my makeup is cleaned up and eyes aren't red anymore.  He can't know this kills me inside.
Did I set him up for this epic failure?  I should know better.  I taught 5th grade myself and know how unforgiving kids this age can be, how important the façade of coolness is.

I can feel his retreat already.

Christmas is Coming...

What do you give the person who has everything?

You know I'm a planner.  I've already started thinking about Christmas. 

I know you aren't thinking about it yet, so I wanted to give you a list of don'ts before you get started.

I have compiled a list of things NOT to buy for the ones you love, or even those you like.  Although they are numbered, they are not in any particular order of horrid-ness.  You be the judge.

10.  ChiaObama.  If you have posted about this, I missed it. I've been waiting for someone to say something.  You all have been remiss.  Have you noticed this commercial? I thought I was watching a bad Saturday Night Live skit - but no. This is for real, folks.  There are too many things wrong with it to even count.

9. Cacas: The Encyclopedia of Poo.  I got nothing.

8. Songs of the Humpback Whale.  Available on CD for your listening pleasure.  Guaranteed to make your doggie bark (at least it did with mine).  To listen, visit this site.

7. Puppetry of the Penis: The Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami.  Yeah, you heard it.  Maybe Matthew someone in Australia can enlighten us.  The best part of this discovery were the book reviews offered:

"I didn't know men's genitals could be so thrilling without a vat of wine and disco lighting."  Graham Norton

"Does my quote look big on this?"  Kathy Lette -- Review

6. Bad Dog Stickers.  No one wants these.  No matter how much they love dogs.

5. Bacon Strips bandages.  You might be tempted to think of these as a great stocking stuffer.  Think again.  You can thank me later for the heads up.

4. Biological Clock.  The single and/or childless ladies in your life will not see the humor in this.  You gotta trust me on this one.

3. Potty Putter.  Includes a "Occupied" sign you can hang on the door.  Bonus!  Seriously, Doc, don't even think about it.

I think those interested in the potty putter should also be warned to stay away from the Talking Toilet Paper (which recommends potty proposals)...

...butt if you are stupid enough to buy either of these you will need the How To Toilet Paper.  All you ever needed to know about wiping your arse.

Wait a minute... I might know some little boys who could benefit...

2. Fetus Cookie Cutter.  For the women your life who haven't baked enough - buy them this ET looking baby cookie cutter. 

What cookie could taste better than a fetus cookie?

Deeeeeeelicious.

1. Angry Mob Playset.  Who could forget the kidlets? 

If you want an angry mob, buy this for all of the kids in your life.  You will learn all about angry mobs when they throw them back at you, that's a promise.

No complaints, please.  The advice is free.

I have to tell you that it was hard to limit myself to only 10. 

Maybe I will offer your some more non-suggestions soon.

I want you to know that each and every one of these items is available for purchase on the net.  That part is not a joke.  Google it. 

This is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Around here we've been feeling the blues.  Or maybe even the grays.

We've seen a lot of rain lately.

I don't mean to complain...

...but the animals have started lining up...

...and I'm not sure they will all fit in the boat.

For Yogi

Apparently, one more was needed.

At Yogi's request, my beloved (but injured) Sam Bradford represents OU on a magazine cover.

Not that I needed to make one up. 

He's blessed many a real cover.

Truth In Advertising

I found a fun new site the other day - Mag My Pic.
You can create magazine covers from your own pictures. Seeing the titles of the magazines I knew immediately that I could fill those pages.
Like this:
Everybody wants some. But he is taken.
And who better for this one?

Yup, he is picking his nose. All mommy blogs must contain nosepicker pictures. And apparently recipes. I haven't ventured there yet, but it is blog law.

And just so you know, I'm throwing Jeramie under the bus with this picture. He's a BYU fan and might be rubbing it in with their victory over my beloved OU. That's okay. I kicked his booty all over the mountain skiing in February.
Doesn't he look great? Melanie is one lucky girl.
That's my old room in high school and those might be random items from my closet.
I don't know who that girl is next to him.
Just some chick.
This one should never have posed for this picture. But that's what happens when you pull your pants up to your armpits on a daily basis hoping for a laugh. Sometimes it comes back to haunt you.
Here is Doc. He's the love of my life.

And let there be no question about it - he defines HOT.

Perfect Pairings

May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!

Proverbs 23:25

Meet my new niece - Kelli - with proud parents Becki & Matt

***

If you have your own perfect pairing to share just leave your post addy in the comments section.

What Will You STAND For?

When I first started writing this crazy bloggy blog, I wrote about how much I love this song. I still do. Life presents its own challenges - some big and some small, and in the end what will it mean? How will you deal with it? How will you let it change you?

Believe me - it will change you.

Today, we remember the tragedy and destruction of 9/11.
Today, I'm attending a funeral for an 8 year old boy.
Today, those parents and his sister and many others are questioning everything they ever thought they knew. They are most likely using all of their energy just to make it through the next minute, much less the day.
Please pray for them to have the strength to stand.
Today, they are that candle in the hurricane.

Something to think about for today.

(If the video and song are not in sync, my apologies)

The Story of Jacob, Part 8

I left off with our initial paperwork and preparations. To catch up, go here.

I was busy, busy fretting over the details. At some point I let go and just did my best. I knew that in order for this to work we had to keep it real. If a birth mom were to select us, the adoption would be open. As much as we wanted a baby we didn't want to present a false image of who we were.
At the time, I scrapbooked (barely) and had a consultant with Creative Memories. Three cheers for Becky who helped me put it all together. She got me organized and helped me make sense of the pages. It was really nice to have an objective person to help me out.
As soon as the book was finished, I turned it in.

Doc and I went to the next meeting and met some other waiting families. We listened to their stories. Most every family came here broken hearted. Every heart came to this meeting full of hope.
We still heard stories from adoptive families who struggled with boundaries and concerns over their birth mom. We also heard stories from adoptive families who didn't struggle at all. We knew the potential could swing either way for us.

For must of us, anxiety comes from the unknown. The unknown for us was huge. Would we ever be chosen by a birth mom? What would she be like? Would the father be involved as well? Would she change her mind and leave us with a bigger hole in our hearts? Would she decide that she wished she hadn't chosen us? Would she try to interfere with our parenting? Would our families welcome an adopted baby? Would our families welcome the birth mother?

Oh, the great unknown. It will consume you if you let it. This is where faith takes over. For those of you who do not believe in God, I hope that you change your mind someday. When I see the goodness in people I know He is there. Unfortunately He does not offer us a perfect life but ultimately we will have perfect rest in His Kingdom.

For me, my faith offers great comfort. I'm also reminded time and again in my life that the only thing I can control is how I deal with the joys and pitfalls in life. Being human we all make mistakes. We naturally let our emotions take over. In our efforts to gain control of our own circumstances we often leave others behind as collateral damage. This world is all about me, me & ME.

I guess where I'm headed with this is here - this whole adoption thing is bigger than just those who are adopting. Doc and I wanted our family to grow. Initially in this process, we only saw what we wanted. As we attended meetings and learned more about open adoption we saw the bigger picture.

There is a reason that this agency is called Crisis Pregnancy Outreach. These are girls in a moment of crisis. This is about their crisis, not ours. Wow. Just take a moment to soak that in.

One of the beautiful things about CPO is that they will help these girls whether they decide to parent their child or give their child up for adoption. They offer counseling, medical care, for some they offer a place to live. The list is long and the needs are many.

Doc and I had a desire in our hearts for a baby. This was our crisis.
Many of these girls have a life growing inside of them and don't even know where their next meal may be coming from. Many are turned away from their families. Even for those with the support they need their lives are changed forever. These girls are the brave ones. These girls are putting their hearts on the line. Each story is different but the common thread is a true crisis.

Adoptive parents may experience stress and fear of loss. Some even feel the pain and loss of a failed adoption. A birth mom who places her child in the arms of strangers is dealing with an unbearable loss - no matter what her circumstances are at the time.

I just want you to be considering this as you hear our side of this story.

Storytime, with a twist...

Every night Doc or I read to Jacob before bed.

Last night, Jacob decided he wanted me to read to him in the living room chair. He loves to snuggle up under a blanket with me. It's really sweet.

And last night started off like any other, except for the location.

He had already picked his book - I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. We read through the pages about how much mama giraffe loves baby giraffe, mama penguin loves baby penguin... you're catching on? They love their babies. It's really cheesy, but Jacob loves cheesy.

At the end of the story, Jacob smiles his sweet little smile and says, "Mama, I love YOU so much."

Of course I reciprocate. I love this little boy with my whole heart.

This is when Jacob reaches over and pinches my nipple.
"Tune In TOKYO!"



Nice.



He did this to the Doc recently and I thought it was funny once I got over the shock.
Who's laughing now?

I explained to my angel child that you can't ever touch girls there.
"Why?" he asks.
I told him that it is a private area.
"Why?" he asks.
Because it just is.

He pinches and twists the air then blows me a kiss.
"Mom! I blew you a kiss and a tune in Tokyo!"

I'm pretty sure it's all clear as mud.

In case you are wondering (and I know that you are) he did not learn this smooth move from the Doc.
He has never seen Girls Just Want To Have Fun (circa 1985).
You won't believe where he learned it.

You'll find the answer in the comments.

Prayers Needed

Please join me in praying for Christina, Shaun and Hannah.
Their little boy, Zach, lost his life in a car accident tonight driving back to Tulsa from Plano, TX. This spunky and adorable little guy was only 8 years old.

He is pictured below at the Autism Run a year and a half ago - see him next to me and Michael? He's wearing the black hat.

When I told Michael that his friend Hannah lost her brother he couldn't fathom it. He kept telling me that it wasn't fair. He kept repeating that he was young and didn't deserve to die.
He's right.

The only comfort for his family is that he is in the arms of Jesus. But when you miss someone so terribly that doesn't bring you instant comfort. They will need prayer and support for the rest of their days, months, years... Never will a day pass that they don't think of this loss.

Just when you think you have problems... you get a reminder to be thankful.
We are only given so much time on Earth.
Make your minutes count.

We Have A Winner!

I asked and you voted. I loved the responses. Kind of funny what hacks people off the most.
In case you weren't here and don't know, we are awarding a poop hat to the person who is highest on my sh*t list this past month.
It is a well deserved honor, so don't feel too bad for them.
I was seriously hoping to award it to 666BOI and his alter-ego Yogi so I decided he can try the hat on for size anyway.
And since you claim it doesn't fit, we will move on to the poopiest person for the month of August.
The school bus driver.
Yes, her job sucks.
But so does her attitude.
Instead of wearing this:
She will now be wearing THIS:

Congrats school bus driver.

Brown is your color.

YOU are POOPY.

And before you start feeling bad for her and saying she was just having a bad day I want you to know something.

I smiled and waved at her on Friday and she wouldn't wave back.

I also heard her trying to figure out which kid was mine ("Is that your mommy?"). Little Gracie will be spared the venting of her anger because she doesn't belong to me.

The devil's work is never done.

Perfect Pairings

Matthew 4:18

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.

They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

At once they left their nets and followed him.

***

Join us on Sundays

Pair one of your favorite photos with a bible verse

then add your post link in the comments.

Armageddon

It is done - according to Irritated Tulsan.
The voting has commenced and I'm proud to announce that I won Tulsan of the Month!

So... thanks for your help! I like my new Gold Frame. Almost looks like a halo?

Don't even ask about the Hot Tulsa Blogger part. I think this is their idea of a joke. Not sure how I feel about someone calling me HOT as a JOKE, but there are worse things to be called. That's all I have to say about that.

Now I will be competing against 666BOI at year's end. I'm pretty sure that Waymon Tisdale is a ringer for this contest, but I still hope you would chose me over Satan.
Just a thought.

My runner-up in the contest is a canine. If I fail in my duties as August's Tulsan of the Month, she will be my replacement.

It is been suggested that Daisy the Pug should be a write in for our new Tulsa Mayor.

So for IT's Mother (who will never look here) I offer up a new campaign poster. I actually feel bad about competing against an adorable pup. But - can you imagine losing to a dog? This was a lose-lose situation for me.

I encourage those of you without a candidate to consider writing in Daisy The Pug.

I'm only kidding.

Kind of...

What Time Is It?

Big day today... IT IS TIME!

Sam Bradford, I love thee.

And You Thought They Couldn't Get Any Better

The mornings are getting cooler and cooler. I'm liking it! With the exception of the allergy issues, this is the best time of year. Perfect weather for playing outside with the kids. Time for soccer to start. Even better? Time for football to start. Yay!

With the cooler weather, I'm starting to remember an item that always makes me giggle. How can it not?

Last winter I posted about Snuggies. Remember the Doc?
He's looking HOT. Smokin' hot.

Look at the low, low cost on this thing. Wow is right.
Doc thought I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the latest. At first I thought he was about to talk about the new doggie snuggie. It's true - they make those too.

Alas, he wanted me to know that the snuggie has taken on some designer patterns. Yes, indeedy - they have a designer snuggie! Isn't that an oxymoron?
Let me just give a shout out to my friend Katie here. She's gonna LOVE this.
Available in luxurious leopard, stunning zebra and classic camel. It even looks great on the couch as a throw on the rare occasions you aren't actually wearing it.
Don't believe me? Check it out.

You know you're gonna order one.