Musings by Melissa

Yesterday was my little boy’s sixth birthday.  It’s hard to believe he turned six.  It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital.  How time flies!

One of the highlights of having a birthday is reading birthday cards.  Since he had gotten a couple the day before, and since my folks were sending their card from Alabama, I wondered if he’d be getting any cards on his actual birthday.  I didn’t want my little boy to go to the mailbox to find a box full of credit card offers!  Well, there weren’t any cards in the mailbox, but at church last night, he got a card from our Pastor, and it had two pieces of candy taped to it.  How sweet is that?!?

Needless to say, that more than made up for the lack of mail in the mailbox!  ~big grin~  Don’t fret though.  He had a great day playing in his quinzee with his brother and sister.  But today, lessons once again come first.  But guess where they’ll be spending their break?!?  ~smile~

As most of you know, our van died almost a month ago while we were returning from vacation.  No fun. 

That leaves us looking for a new-to-us van to replace it.  No fun.

Due to the recent “Cash for Clunkers” program, many of the vans we would have purchased have been destroyed.  No fun.

This means that when we read about a van that sounds like a good fit, a bunch of other people are also interested in the same van.  No fun.

I think you’re getting the idea. 

I’m not frustrated by it yet.  In God’s time, we’ll find a vehicle.  And having that decision behind us will definitely be a good thing!  Then we’ll have to do some comparison shopping to find cheap auto insurance.  Newer vehicles mean new insurance rates.  (No fun!)   

But for now, I’m enjoying being a home-body and spending lots of time with the kidlets.

Gotta go… Justin wants me to read him “Caps for Sale.”  And since it’s one of my favorites …

Well, our vacation is officially behind us.  We’re back in the routine of lessons, work, getting groceries, laundry, church activities, etc.  And after the way that last vacation ended, it’s good to be in a normal routine again!

I’m now working a bit more on planning my vacation to Kenya to see my good friends Jeff & Van who moved there last summer as missionaries.  They are expecting their first child in April, and I’m excited to see the little one!

Planning a trip to Kenya isn’t exactly like planning one of the numerous Orlando vacations we’ve taken!  Not that we haven’t had fun in Orlando.  We have had a lot of fun there.  Between Gatorland, Green Meadows Petting Zoo, the nature trails, the beautiful weather, swimming with manatee, spending time with good friends, etc. 

Kenya is a bit different though.  First of all, it’s a matter of finding some new outfits.  Kenyan women don’t wear shorts or pants.  And their skirts come down to their ankles.  Hmmm…  I don’t have any clothing like that.  Plus it’s very hot there.  So, I’ll need something very lightweight.

Another difference is getting a passport, but that was easy.  Get a picture taken, and send in some money.  ~smile~

The hurdle I’m working on now is flights.  Finding a decent priced flight isn’t an easy task.  Obviously, I’d like to spend the least amount possible.  But I would like to get there within three days, too!  So, that’s what I’ve been working on lately.   I’ve come to the conclusion that summer travel is much more expensive.  So, I’m looking at May or sometime this fall.

If anyone has any tips on finding a deal on airfare, I’ll gladly put them to good use!

I came across an organization about a year or so ago that I have really enjoyed being a part of.  It’s called One Million Moms.  (Do a google search if you want to look it up.)  If one of their members sees or hears something that is offensive, OMM will research it, and compose a letter to the appropriate person.  Then OMM contacts all its members and informs them of the situation.  They also provide a link to a well-written letter with the appropriate email address of the recipient.

Because I don’t watch a lot of television, I’m not always aware of what’s going on.  And even if I were I probably wouldn’t take the time to do the research and track down who I should send a letter to.  One Million Moms has done all the legwork, and they just need people to send the emails.  They won’t fill up your inbox.  I usually get one a week.  But it’s definitely worth looking into.

I can’t promise that your children will never come to you asking what enzyte is for, but I can tell you that you will indeed be making a difference.  Check ‘em out.  It’s worth your time.

We have watched more television in the past two weeks than we have in the past two years.  Why?  Because the Olympics have been on.  Who doesn’t love the Olympics?!?  The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!  Watching the top atheletes in the world compete for gold is always exciting.  Figure skating, the halfpipe, downhill skiing, speed skating …  Names like Lysacek and Plushenko, Apolo Ohno, Shaun White, and Lindsey Vohn will live on in our minds for at least a few weeks.  The numerous crashes.  The death of the Georgian athlete on the luge.  All the beautiful scenes of British Colombia.

What could be finer?

Well, let me tell you… there’ are a number of things that I don’t like about television, but one of them is the advertising.  Oh, television does have it’s share of good ads.  Honestly funny ads that don’t refer to sex or some sort of testosterone cream every thirty seconds.  Ads that don’t degrade women.  Ads that promote healthy values.  It is a sad commentary on our society when these “good” ads are far and few between.

And so, as soon as the Olympics are over, so will our be our television watching.  We don’t need that kind of garbage being paraded into our home on a regular basis.  In fact, most of the Olympics we tape so that we can fast-forward through the commercials later.  (Hey, we can condense a whole night of television into just a couple hours this way!)

I’m not saying everyone must throw away their televisions.  But I am asking that you pay more attention to what you are allowing to be put into your brain.

Need I say more?  I mean, who honestly enjoys vehicle shopping.  Oh, I suppose if money were no object, and it were just a matter of waltzing into a showroom and telling the salesperson exactly what you wanted in what color with what options.  That wouldn’t be very stressful.  But who has money like that?  No one I know!

And so, since our van died completely earilier this month, we find ourselves looking for a new-to-us vehicle.  We knew the van would die eventually, so we started saving for its replacement.  So, we have some saved up.  Add to that what we will be getting back in the form of a tax refund, and we have enough to purchase a decent vehicle.

But what to buy?  A mini-van, of course.  But beyond that I really have no clue.  What features are “must haves?”  Can we find a used van with those features?  If so, will it be in good shape?  And how do we know if it’s in good shape?  Should we buy from a private party or from a dealer?  Leather seats or cloth?

I’m beginning to think a horse and buggy would be easier to pick out!  Needless to say, I have more to worry about than the side effects of hydroxycut.  But regardless of the myriad of decisions to make in picking out a vehicle, I constantly remind myself that the things of this world don’t matter.  It doesn’t matter what kind of a vehicle I drive.  What matters most in this life is Jesus and what I do with Him!  May all of our decisions bring honor and glory to Him!

Ah, bedtime.  That special time of day when kids want to lay in the dark and whisper about the events of the day.  I love that time of day as well.  Sometimes I’ll spend too much time with one kidlet, and another one will fall asleep before I get there, but I thoroughly enjoy tucking my kids into bed.

Each kid has their own bedtime quirk.  One of them loves to have their hair/head rubbed.  One loves to fall asleep with me rubbing their back, especially their shoulder blades and the back of their neck.  And another loves to have their face touched.  They usually don’t clamor for glasses of water, although in the winter, bed buddies are often a pleasant surprise for them.  (Bed buddies are bags made out of polar fleece that are filled with rice.  Kind of like bean bags, but with rice.  We heat them in the microwave until they are warm, and then I love to place them by cold piggies.  Ahhh…)

The other night as I was going through our bedtime ritual.  I saw it.  One of the signs of puberty: the dreaded pimple.  Ugh!  Oh, how it brought back memories.  Yuck!  While the pimple is now gone, as I stroke that precious cheek g’night, I wonder how much longer until I have to research acne treatment gel.  Hopefully not for a long time.  But even as time marches on, this mama will always love to whisper, “G’night … Mama loves you!”

Last night we had another EFA.  An EFA is an Eefsting Family Adventure.  This is when we try to do one “out of the ordinary” family activity each month.  In the past we’ve gone snowshoeing, raquetballing, etc.

We have visited the Outdoor Discovery Center in Holland numerous times, and I am a “fan” on Facebook.  It was there that I noticed they were having an Owl Prowl.  Having read the book “Owl Moon” to my kids more times than even I care to admit, I thought this would be an interesting EFA.

So, we donned our layers of clothing, and we were off! 

We started our hike before the sun set.  Hiking through snow with heavy gear, going uphill isn’t exactly easy going.  But it was fun.  The group of people was small.  Just our family and two older couples.  So, the guide stopped often enough so that we weren’t completely exhausted.

We had a great time hiking through the snowy woods in the dark, trying to call in various species of owls.  Unfortunately, we never did catch a glimpse of one, but we all had a great time anyway.  And when we got home, we knew we had received a good workout.  Up and down all those hills in our heavy boots definitely “blew up” (as Justin would say) a few calories!

And then this morning, as I was browsing the internet this morning, I saw an ad for quick trim extreme burn reviews.  I had to chuckle, knowing that our latest EFA was much more fun than any miracle pill, with all the extreme burn of “blowing up” calories!

Gotta love those EFAs!

As is usually the case, I again vowed that this would be the year I would loose some of the weight I’ve put on over the past dozen years.  But this year it’s a bit more urgent for a couple of reasons.  First, last year I never lost the ten pounds that I normally loose over the summer.  (And then promptly regain over the winter!)  And because I had ankle surgery and spent the vast majority of the summer with my foot elevated, I gained more pounds than I care to admit to!

While a magic formula for quick weight loss would be nothing short of a miracle, I know that this weight went on over a period of years, and so it will likely take awhile to get back to what I should weigh.  I’m willing to be patient, as long as I do see some progress.  And so, I’m watching what I eat and I’m trying to get more exercise.  And hopefully in a month or two, I’ll have some happy news to report!

I enjoy nights when the kids and I have a campdown.  What is a campdown?  Well, we all grab our sleeping bags, and we sack out on the living room floor.  Sometimes we use air mattresses.  Sometimes the kids will grab the cushions off the couch.  And sometimes they just sleep in their bags on the floor.  (Hey, they’re still kids.  They’re fine with that.)

Sometimes I’ll make a treat, but not always.  Sometimes we read a book together.  Sometimes we turn all the lights off and tell each other made-up stories … funny, scary, true, etc.  Sometimes we listen to a book on CD.  This week we started listening to Ben Hur by Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre.  Very good story, so far!

So, while no two campdowns are really the same, they are always fun.  Although, the older I get, the less well I sleep and the more I find myself wishing I had some of the best eye cream on the market to try to hide some of the bags under my eyes!  ~grin~  But it’s worth it.  The memories we make while giggling together in the dark are definitely priceless!