thumbs up thursday

my darling daughter l.o.v.e.s her big girl food! and i really enjoy watching her eat. it is just too cute. however, along with both of our enjoyment also comes mushed cheese in the carpet and runaway peas on the floor. the issue is compounded by the fact that we are in an apartment that is carpeted wall to wall. so i find myself dragging my beloved vacuum out about 3 times a day. ugh...vacuuming is definitely not my favorite past time.



i am sure that i am not the first one to think of this idea i am about to share, but i'll tell ya, it has been such a big help! i decided to find one of those plastic, flannel backed tablecloths to put under bug's highchair while she eats. then when she is finished i just roll the tablecloth up and shake it out either outside or over the garbage can. this solution has cut down my bonding time with the vacuum but i'll get over it!

btw, i have had the idea to put the tablecloth under the highchair for a couple of weeks, but the only tablecloths i could find were $5 or more and not very cute. i mean, the girl has to have a cute tablecloth under her. i was at the dollar store yesterday for gift wrapping materials and just happened to see some plastic tablecloths. i was set on getting a round one and from where i was standing i could only make out one tablecloth that looked cute. i figured the chances of it being cute and round and only a dollar were slim to none - i was wrong! it is round, and, if i may say so, pretty adorable.

to my vacuum

dear cute red vacuum,

i realize that over the last three years i have oft neglected you leaving you in the hall closet for days, often weeks, on end without so much as a quick run around the living room. i have not forgotten all the great attachments that you have to offer and how lovely you can really make all of my rooms.

you see, it is just that over the past few years it has just been me and honey bear. the carpets could use a go over every now and again, but in my laid back cleaning style it just wasn't necessary to bring you out that often. surely you knew this day would come. the day when we would have a crawling nine month old who is able to spot the tiniest of crumb or paper or outdoor debris and promptly put it in her mouth.

so i am coming to you today, my dear vacuum, asking you to forgive my past neglect and to partner with me in an effort to suck up all of this gunck! perhaps it is you giving me the cold shoulder for visiting you so infrequently, but when i stop by every other day (sometimes every day) to free you from the hall closet and attack the carpets you just aren't performing in the way necessary. the carpets still harbor small bits of...stuff that the baby manages to find and eat.

in my effort to make amends i am willing to fit you with a new filter this afternoon. i hope that you will accept my gift and forgive me for my past grievances. let's work together to keep yuck out of the baby's mouth and to keep my sanity intact.

i do indeed care greatly for you, vacuum. thank you for accepting my letter. from here on out, let's be the best of pals!

sincerely,
bug's mom

pray pray pray

little stellan - mckmama's sweet almost one year old boy - was admitted to the picu last night. go to mckmama's blog for all the details and updates. most importantly, PRAY for baby stellan! and for his mommy and daddy.

mckmama.com

jesus is my homeboy?

i have been taught since birth that a christian is to be different from an unbeliever. that sentence on the surface is easy to accept and it makes sense. let's go a little further. other than believing Jesus is God and that He died and rose again, a believer should be different. i then went to a very strict, conservative christian college where the clothes you wear, music you listen to, haircut you have, etc etc was a part of this "being different." i have been from one extreme to the other on where i stood on these issues. i am going to do my best to flesh out some of the observations i've made. i am by no means a Bible scholar or at the utmost point of my sanctification. i am simply trying to live the life that God asks of me.

it seems that today so many believers are trying to make christianity "cool." we want unbelievers to accept us. we want to blend in. we want to dress the same way, go to the same places, listen to the same music, watch the same movies. we want unbelievers to think we're "normal." now i will be the first to tell you that my convictions and standards on most of these issues are not at the level my dad (hi, daddy!) wishes they were. i will also admit that while i am where i want to be with some of these issues there are some where i am trying to do what i want under the guise of "it's not hurting anyone."

i, too, struggle with wanting to fit in. that usually manifests itself in my draw to pop culture and my clothes. but then i read this in the Bible and wonder what the cost of "fitting in" really is:

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Matthew 5:11

wow, huh?! i know, sounds like a good time to me. not really! the thing is is that Jesus didn't promise us a good time. they hated Him, why wouldn't they hate us? we have just gotten really good at making Jesus just like the world that we don't often have too much persecution in our lives.

i am pretty sure i am not about to make friends with what i am going to talk about. but why do i have to keep it to myself? i am not saying i have all the answers - goodness knows i surely don't. this is just what i've been thinking about. let's talk about some specifics.

music - a touchy issue for sure. so i will be the first to tell you i listen to a bunch of different kinds of music. i honestly do not have a problem with secular music whose lyrics are not full of sexual perversion or profanity. i want to talk about the music we use specifically for worship. the church i attend uses only hymns and very traditional church music. i am totally fine with this. i am also fine with churches that incorporate some praise and worship. i love a good chorus. and chris tomlin and others have some of the most worshipful songs i have heard in quite a long time. deep, meaningful, worshipful lyrics that are not overpowered by the instruments. i came across a flyer for a Christian concert recently. i do not remember the exact wording but it was "Christian goth, punk and hardcore" bands. um....am i the only one that sees a problem here? we simply can not take music of the world, throw in a few Jesuses and call it worship music. i am by no means questioning the hearts of those that listen to this music. i am sure that there are many faithful believers that do. i am just saying that i don't think it makes much sense to unbelievers. the music we sing to our Savior should definitely be different than music the world uses for pleasure.

dress - should a believer dress any differently than an unbeliever? i would answer yes and no to this question. i love clothes! i like to shop for them, i like to mix and match them. i love jewelry and shoes. i like putting outfits together. i like to be current. i think all of this is perfectly acceptable for a believer. but there are some guidelines; some standards. we are to be living testimonies of Jesus Christ. we are His hands and feet. we are the only Jesus some people may ever see. if i walk into a social situation with all of my goods in plain view is this a good example of Jesus? am i drawing an unbeliever to me by my shining testimony or my shining tatas? is my skirt or shorts cut so high that the looks i'm getting aren't because i exude such peace and joy but because they are wondering what undergarments i was able to wear with my outfit? i want to draw others to Christ, not away from Him by aiding in their lustful thoughts. i know we don't like to think about this ladies, but if what i am wearing is revealing and a man looks at me and has an impure thought it isn't only his problem. and remember our bodies are not our own! they are foremost God's and secondly they are for our husbands (or future husbands) to enjoy. don't give the gift of your body to the world by showing it off in revealing clothes or bathing suits (don't get me started on swimwear!). we absolutely should be well kept and current but not revealing and sensuous. not all unbelievers dress seductively but what message are we sending to them when we don't cover up and yet say we are representatives of God's Kingdom?

entertainment - like television and movies. i am going to just put it out there; i used to watch sex and the city. i did not watch it on hbo (though i have seen it there) but on tbs. here was my rationalization, "sarah jessica parker is so cute and sweet. and i just love to see what the girls are wearing. and it is on tbs so it is edited." great, but the premise of the show is the sex lives of 4 SINGLE women. they have sex when they want with who they want and often not with the same who. as a believer who knows that God has clear guidelines about sex outside of marriage i had/have no business watching that show. i think we have become so desensitized by sex, violence, and profanity that we often have very low standards for our viewing entertainment. having a baby has really opened my eyes to what i am filling my mind with in the form of tv and movies. i have tried, and still not successfully, to not look at anything i wouldn't want my daughter to look at. we also are often quick to say no to sex but ok to violence. i would argue that neither are appealing to our Lord. if we are filling our minds with the same things the world is how can we reach them? i am not saying be oblivious to pop culture or what is out there. we should know what is going on but we don't have to be submerged in it.

alcohol - i almost didn't add this topic. it is oh so touchy! ok, there are those that believe the Bible is black and white on the subject. and there are those that believe it may be a bit gray. here is the conclusion i have come to after about 4 years of back and forth: i do not think the Bible says not to drink. it speaks very clearly about not being drunk. now, don't get ahead of me. i am not saying go party it up! while i believe this may fall under liberty there are other things we have to think about. when you order a drink at a restaurant or buy a bottle of wine at the grocery store does the waiter or cashier know that you don't drink to excess? do they know that Jesus Christ lives in your heart? you say, well, no but they don't know that if i just buy a box of cheez-its, either. you are right, they don't. but, whether it is right or not, unbelievers have certain preconceptions about believers and alcohol - they think we aren't supposed to do it. now if i was able to have a discussion with every unbeliever about Christian liberty and why i could have a glass of wine with my dinner and it not be sin it may be ok to partake. but i can't and those who see me drinking it would possibly draw their own conclusions. no, it isn't right, but it happens. now i have many, many dear friends who i respect as believers in Jesus Christ who do drink alcohol. while this is where i have come after my many years of digging around this topic it is not where they have landed. i still totally respect them and interact with them. and they with me. i refuse to break the bonds between believers over a topic like this. now, there are some (hi, dad!) who may have other thoughts about the right action to take. i respect that. i just don't think this issue is one to make or break a friendship and working together of believers.

the Bible tells us to come out from among them and be ye separate. it also tells us to be in the world but not of it. so i will end with this, can we go out among them and be separate? i think we absolutely can. and we must! no matter how we dress or what music we set to our message hearts will not be changed without the working of the Holy Spirit. God doesn't need us to make Him fashionable; our job is not to make Jesus cool to the masses - our job is simply to tell the masses about Him.

i didn't really love it that much

there is a whole new phase of life going on here at our house. my sweet, content to lay on her tummy time mat, gentle 9 month old bug has found her legs. and by found her legs i mean she has found that her legs can get her places - far far away places where forbidden treasures lie.

i don't think i have ever been too particular about my "things." i mean, i like to keep the things i have nice and somewhat orderly, but i do know that they are just "things." i am sure that my dad is probably rolling his eyes if (and he better be) he's reading this. i have grown up with many small sisters. i lived in a dorm room with 3 other girls. i know that things get broken. but for the past 5 years i have been living with only one other adult (the last 3 with my husband). my stuff has always been safe. now if you are a decoration or picture beware of attack!

today bug made her way from her little play spot all the way across the living room to where this bookshelf is housed:

i love this bookshelf and all the things on it. bug feels the same way. she made super friends with this little treasure:

after loving on her, bug promptly tossed her to the middle of the room. did my sweet baby not know that this figurine is a dear remembrance of the time she spent in my tummy? she either didn't know or didn't care because after she tossed it she went on to crawl into some more trouble.

fortunately, nothing was broken today. i think i need to read that section in my parenting book about baby proofing now! and if (or when) something is broken it will be ok - i don't really love it all that much anyway - definitely not as much as i love this sweetie bug!!!

thumbs up thursday

i have long wanted to be jewish.

i am aware that this opening declaration most likely sounds absurd. but it is true. i have always been fascinated by judaism. the traditions, the yiddish, the chosen. of course, i do absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. that puts a bit of a damper on any conversion dreams. there is just something about this group of people that God Himself chose to be His people. the community His only Son was born into.

in college i happened upon a book in the local library. in all honesty i was drawn to it by the cover, though i can't remember now what the cover even looked like. i took the book back to my dorm room and simply gulped it up. i couldn't put it down. i kept it out several weeks past its due date. that book is today my thumbs up thursday.

girl meets God by lauren winner

lauren was born into a home of a jewish father and southern baptist mother. her parents divorced. lauren was not technically jewish because it is passed through the mother. so she converted to judaism. then in college lauren converted to christianity. this book is the story of her journey. i can not say enough about this great memoir. not only is the story so good but lauren is such a great writer. i have since bought and read her other two books: mudhouse sabbath (SOOO good) and real sex - the naked truth about chastity. i recommend them all! lauren discusses how judaism and christianity are not mutually exclusive of each other. she discusses the jewish traditions she still keeps.

i really encourage you to pick up girl meets God. i get goosebumps whenever a chosen one of God has their eyes opened to the truth of the already come Messiah. really beautiful!

is there a book you hold dear? share it with us!

that time again

this is the time of the week to share all the things you didn't do and realize you're not the only one! after checking out what i so didn't do this past week, head over to mckmama's blog and share your not me's!

i like taking care of the laundry as soon as i see it. pile in the wash and immediately in the dryer. so i absolutely did not leave a load of towels in the washing machine for a week before i noticed the horrible smell of mildew and had to wash the load two more times. not me, i would never do that!

i would never send my best friend a text message in the middle of church because i had an idea and wanted to tell her before i forgot. cell phone etiquette is a pet peeve of mine! not me.

my husband's 29th birthday is not coming up and i did not book a night in a hotel so we could get away all alone for the first time in 9 months while the baby stayed with her nana and papa. i surely couldn't leave my bug for a whole night and i wouldn't have such a wonderful wonderful time with my handsome love - not me!

what did you not do last week?

busy busy

this coming tuesday is honey bear's 29th birthday. he assures me this isn't a big deal, but i feel that the last birthday in your twenties is to be celebrated BIG! so i am busy preparing several surprises for my handsome almost 29 year old groom for this evening. i will share those surprises with all of you after they have been revealed to him, of course. so, this is my last post until monday.

thought i would leave you with a laugh (and some truth!). have a great weekend!

thumbs up thursday

i know that i told you last thursday that i would be doing a giveaway for this thumbs up thursday. unfortunately i am going to have to hold off on that this week. i am hoping that next thursday things will work out. if not, do not be dismayed! there is a thumbs up thursday giveaway in the works.

so today my thumbs are up for kernel season's popcorn seasoning. i enjoy a bag of microwave popcorn. i like to munch on it after getting bug down for the night and while curled up watching tv with honey bear. it just tastes good - and i feel like maybe the popcorn isn't so bad for me.

in the grocery store the other day i happened upon this popcorn seasoning. it is available in a few flavors - white cheddar, kettle corn, garlic parmesan, nacho cheddar, i am sure some others. it was tempting and i succumbed! i decided to try out the nacho cheddar. and boy oh boy is it yummy! just pop your corn like usual - microwave or in a popcorn popper - and sprinkle the cheesy goodness (or whichever flavor you choose) over the corn.

i do refuse to look at the nutrition info on the back of the bottle. i don't want to know. i simply want to eat it. if i know what the label says i am afraid i won't be able to enjoy it as much. this very thing happened to me and a box of little debbie strawberry shortcake rolls. i was happily chomping away on said roll and decided to flip the box over and take a look at the nutrition facts - 240 CALORIES IN ONE ROLL!!!!! i haven't been able to eat one since. so now if i really really like something i can't make myself look at the label. ignorance is bliss.

anywho, back to popcorn. i plan to try out some of the other flavors soon. it is a little pricey, i think. $2.99 per bottle. but every time i sprinkle it on my popcorn i tell honey bear, "this stuff is worth all three dollars!" =)

do you have a favorite snack that deserves a thumbs up? share it with us!

wordless wednesday - hygiene

i live with a movie star

since bug was born i have wanted to get a video baby monitor. i like the idea of being able to roll over and take a peek at her without getting up and walking across the living room to open her door and startle her from a perfectly peaceful sleep. but, alas, a video monitor runs around a hundred buckaroos. so here we are nine months later and i have indeed startled a soundly sleeping baby with my need to make sure she was in fact sleeping.

until today!!! i was able to snag a summer infant video monitor for a mere...are you ready...$40!!! craigslist is my new best friend.

i immediately hooked the monitor up and adjusted the camera just perfectly over the crib. then it was time for bug to go to bed. usually i enjoy bedtime. we read, we sing, we pray and then i can spend some time with my honey bear, playing around on the internet, or catching up on some dvr. but tonight i spent the first 30 or so minutes watching bug on the monitor. i had to laugh at myself. i have made it to the part of the day that is mine and i choose to watch the baby on the monitor.

i couldn't help myself. we have had a simple sound only monitor and all this time it has been quiet aside from some ruffling of the sheet. now i see what is really going on in there. my bug is a wiggler! she was from one end of the crib to the other. it was quite a show! i really couldn't turn it off. and it was oh, so sweet when she finally just plopped her head down and fell asleep.

who needs tv when you can have a baby video monitor?! do you love your video monitor just as much?

not me!

is here already! where, oh where, does the time go? so join me and many others over at mckmama's blog to share those things that you didn't do this week.

so, anyone who knows me knows how serious i am about my housework. they know that i would not pick something up off the floor and toss it in the direction of behind the couch to keep the baby from putting it in her mouth. not me! i would immediately pull out the vacuum, of course.

i like well balanced meals and certainly did not have a bowl of cocoa pebbles for lunch...and dinner...not me!

i am so sure that there are plenty more not me's that i have done this past week but i cannot seem to think of any today! ;) be sure to go by mckmama's blog to link your not me's!

husbands do the darnedest things

there is one certain fleece blanket i always use when i cozy up on the couch. it usually just stays out on the couch unless company is coming and i fold it up and put it in the blanket basket. anyway, what i'm trying to say is my cozy fleece blanket is always on the couch.

so honey bear is spending some time with bug and is giving her a bottle while on the sofa. i am doing some cleaning up in the kitchen and i come around the corner just to see how things are going. it is then that i see honey bear wiping bug's milky little mouth on my snuggly fleece. "um, honey bear," i say, "the blanket if for snuggling. that is why we have a bajillion bibs and burp clothes." honey bear just as calm and cool as can be responded with,

"yea, you weren't supposed to see this."

what a hoot!!! i laughed heartily. he is such a dork. and i love him oh so very very much.

thumbs up thursday

i have been thinking about different topics to blog about. i don't want to always be serious and i don't always want to drivel on about what bug is doing every second. so i have come up with thumbs up thursday for now. i am going to use thursdays to tell you about things that i like, that i use around the house that make my days easier, that are must haves for buggie, or ideas and/or events and occasions that deserve a thumbs up. you get the idea - if it is something i like i will tell you about it on thursday. i think some giveaways will be grand and appropriate as well! and i want to hear from you, too! you can do a post on your own blog or you can simply leave your thumbs up in the comments section here.

so to christen thumbs up thursday i will tell you about something that has uncomplicated my mornings (or afternoons - whenever i get around to it). it is a hairstyle that is so simple and looks pretty cute, too. on long hair or short, the bang french braid is just oh so cute and, more importantly, oh so easy.


sure, you say, it looks good on her, she is jennifer aniston. i would bet a potato sack would look good on her. true, true. but i am not a betting woman. and if i was i would bet the bang french braid would look good on YOU, too! it takes only seconds, maybe a full minute, and you have a super cute look that can be dressed up for church or just right for playing with the little ones. i am trying to grow my hair out and this braid has been great for my in between bangs. give it a try and let me know if you do!

me sporting the bang french braid

is there anything you have discovered this week that deserves a thumbs up? is there anything you have known about for a while that deserves a thumbs up? let us know! you can write your own blog post about it or share it here in the comments section!

and just to give you a heads up (or a thumbs up), next thursday i plan to do a giveaway of my thumbs up recommendation!!!

wordless wednesday - french fry edition

pop!

i'll tell ya, i have been plagued by sinus yuck about 3 or 4 times already this season and i am t.i.r.e.d. of it! doesn't the day seem extra long when you can't breathe out of your nose? i think it does. last night i took some nyquil and boy did it ever work. when i woke up this morning i felt like i needed about 7 more hours of sleep. needless to say, that was not possible.

so i have been in my pjs all day long and i am not ashamed. i have spent just as much time laying on the floor as bug has playing on it. and that girl has been so good today. she took two great naps and has played quite happily. the evenings are always a bit more harried. i don't know what it is about 5 o'clock but she just gets cranky. the crankiness sets in right about the time honey bear gets home from work. he thinks it is him. i assure him it isn't.

bug is playing for a few more minutes right now and then off to bed. in my selfishness i try to keep a really sleepy little girl up until 9 when she is good and ready for bed by 8. i like the extra sleep in the morning.

i will leave you tonight with a picture that i think is too cute. bug always gets this funny look on her face when you put something on her head. it is so adorable that i don't think your lives could be complete without seeing it. =) see you tomorrow - assuming my head doesn't pop!

certainly not me!

i decided to join mckmama (and many others) today for...


you know, that time of the week when we can admit without admitting our shortcuts or shortcomings from the past week? after your stop here you should head on over to mckmama's blog and catch up on some others.

i totally didn't buy a box of hair color this weekend. there would be no need to do such a thing because i don't have one gray hair throughout my lovely dark locks. nope, not me!

when it comes to cleaning i would never take a shortcut and spray down the bathroom floor with windex and then wipe it up with paper towels on my feet just because it seemed like a lot more fun than mopping and i hate mopping.

i would never neglect my weekly menu planning and grocery shopping day after day so the only option at the last minute would be eating out. in this recession absolutely not me!

i never get overwhelmed with stay at home mommydom. so i simply couldn't have handed my screaming nine month old daughter to my husband with a declaration of "i quit!" that would be absurd, not me!

and i can't imagine not having my every day planned perfectly so that it would be unnecessary to put said nine month old in her exersaucer in front of nick jr so i can get my not me monday post typed up. never! not me!

looking forward to catching up on what you didn't do this past week!

thank goodness...

it is friday! though i have to admit that since i have been a mommy fridays don't really mean the same thing they used to. it used to mean a day off and sleeping in. now i don't even know what a day off is or how to sleep in. but this saturday nana has offered to keep bug for the day so i will say hello to my old friend day off and we will practice sleeping in - or at least napping.

bug's 9 month well check went...well! she is doing just marvelously. she weighed in at 19 lbs 12.5 oz and 27 inches long. and her head is in the whopping 75th percentile! just like her mama (i think i have mentioned my big head before). she had only one vaccination and didn't make a peep when the nurse stuck her. that is a first. we usually get quite the shrill scream when she gets her shots. the doctor did try to convince me of the positive effects of the flu shot - and i almost gave in - but in the end i stood strong and she didn't get one. our next check up is in 3 months...she will be a YEAR old!!! where has my itty bitty 5 pound baby gone?

my sister in love had us over for dinner tonight. that was a great treat. i love when someone else cooks and does the dishes. she made this oh so yummy baked potato casserole and i loved it so much that i wanted to link the recipe for all of you. this is definitely not a weight loss dish. but it is so good it makes your tongue want to beat your brains out! let me know if you try it.

emeril legasse's twice baked potato casserole

you will see me back around here on monday. i am working on a giveaway so be sure to stay tuned!

this post is linked at the grocery cart challenge recipe swap.

to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question

it is that time again - well baby check up time. bug goes in tomorrow for her 9 month well baby check and this eve of check up day is not unlike all the others. i dread it. i cry. i pray. i wonder if i am doing the right thing. we have had bug vaccinated on schedule up to this point, but every time she is due for her next dose i start to contemplate not doing it.

i have read soooo much on the topic of vaccines. the thing is i can be swayed either way. if i read something against vaccines i agree. if i read something promoting vaccines i agree. there is just so much stuff out there. we decided to vaccinate on schedule feeling the benefits outweigh the risks. but i will tell you, that girl is bathed in prayer the day before and day of her vaccinations.

we have decided that this month will be bug's last dose of on schedule vaccines. we will delay the mmr due at her 12 month check up. i am not sure how long we will delay it. maybe you know about delayed schedules and can offer some input. i do know that having the mmr in three separate vaccines seems to be recommended but our pediatrician does not offer this option. we will be forgoing the chicken pox vaccine all together unless bug doesn't contract chicken pox by the age of 10. at that time we will have her vaccinated.

oh, there will be no flu shot - swine or otherwise.

the medical responsibility of having a child feels like, possibly, the most overwhelming part of parenting. i want nothing but the absolute best for her and her body. i hate all of the conflicting information out there. i support all parent's decisions they make in regard to vaccinating. they all only want the best for their little ones.

what are your vaccination decisions? do you stress about it as much as i do?