Revival

We are in the midst of revival at church! Reverend and Mrs. Wright are here in town preaching a three-day series of messages to us. It is a blessing to fellowship with these great people. They came through town in August of last year and so many of the church members remember the Wrights and were looking forward to their return. Someone shared with us, "I need something [from God] during the revival." Oh, how exciting that people can bring burdens and needs, real issues from real people and God can solve them.


--Frank

TV and computers

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 not watch television, which I followed with Alex. It is a bit harder to follow with Sabrina because Alex is allowed to watch pre-approved cartoons on the computer (we do not own a TV) and we watch documentaries together. For the most part she is in another room while Alex watches DVD’s.

Alex has been on the computer a lot lately. I was very tired during pregnancy and a lot of times I am busy with Sabrina. The good news is Alex is on mostly educational preschool websites. He is quite good at many of the games. The bad news is I think he spends too much time on the computer and he thinks he doesn’t spend enough time on the computer. I am trying to come up with crafts and other activities to keep him occupied offline. There’s a balance to be found- I just got to find it.

Marie-Anne

Valley of Temptation

The other day I was at Wal-Mart walking through the toy clearance aisle. It seemed like every toy Alex wants was there at a good discount. I called Frank and said, “Lo though I walk through the valley of temptation I will spend no money without talking to you.” We decided to buy some out of this paycheck and save them for b-day or Christmas. Then I was talking to my Dad and he said he was going to get Alex some Planet Heroes so I told him I could get them on clearance for $5 each so Alex got some of those too.

This budgeting stuff really makes you stop and think. Always before I would have just got some and put them up for Christmas, but this time I knew it wasn’t in the budget. Our goal of someday owning a house won’t come true if I nickel and dime money we could be saving. At the same time, I’m glad our budget isn’t so rigid that I couldn’t ever get things not in the budget. We talked about it and decided together to budget a certain amount this paycheck for the toys.

Marie-Anne

Exercise Week 2

Monday- walk 20 minutes; Nordic Rider, Squats, Side-kick/punch 50 each; Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Leg Lifts, Weights 100 each; Stair Sprints 10

Tuesday- walk 20 minutes; Nordic Rider, Squats, Side-kick/punch 50 each; Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Leg Lifts, Weights 100 each; Stair Sprints 10

Wednesday- Squats 25; Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Leg Lifts 100 each

Thursday- walk 10 minutes; Nordic Rider, Squats, 50 each; Side-kick/punch 20; Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Leg Lifts, Weights 100 each

Friday- Rest

Saturday- walk 30 minutes; Nordic Rider, Squats, Side-kick/punch 50 each; Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Leg Lifts, Weights 100 each; Stair Sprints 10

Sunday- Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Leg Lifts, 100 each; Nordic Rider 50

Marie-Anne

Thanks a lot Dave!

We’ve been listening to Dave Ramsey for a while. We’ve even read several of his books and watched clips of him on the internet. It took quite a while for me to come around on budgeting. We’d make a budget then I’d want to eat out more often than we agreed, stuff like that. Now I’m even budgeting my spending money! See what my husband and Dave Ramsey have done to me???? I’m not saying I’m staying on budget all the time, but I am trying now. I’m even looking into ways of cutting our utility bill and other costs. Thanks a lot Dave!

Marie-Anne

Parenting is worth the effort

As all parents know kids don’t come with instruction manuals and even if they did each one would be different and who has time to read it? We have to use common sense and the resources available to raise our kids.

Some resources we use are our parents and friends with older well-adjusted kids, (We don’t take advice from parents of kids who are out of control). We read about parenting. Some books we’ve read are The Strong-willed Child, To Train up a Child, and Supernanny.

Study after study stresses the importance of spending time with kids, playing with them, reading to them, and eating together. Parenting is not easy. It takes diligence and sacrifice, but it is well worth the effort.

Marie-Anne

Obesity in Children- Who’s to blame?

When I hear about or worse see obese children it breaks my heart. The other day I saw an obese toddler with an ice cream cone and I thought, “He doesn’t need that! He needs to go for a walk!” I understand that kids, like Alex, do not want to get up and exercise when they can just play on the computer. That’s where parenting comes in.

I make Alex go for a walk with me and once we’re outside he enjoys it. Alex sees me exercising and sometimes he joins in, I try to make it fun and a part of daily life. I don’t keep candy around- it is a treat. Alex eats a salad when I eat one and most of the time his snacks are fruit. I am the parent I control what food comes into our house and how much Alex gets. I set the example with exercise. I am the parent.

Marie-Anne

Fall "tree" craft

Materials needed: blue construction paper, green construction paper, brown cardstock, cotton balls, glue, leaf stickers (fall colors), scissors

Rip a strip of the green construction paper to be grass. Glue it to the bottom of the blue construction paper. Trace child’s hand and part of the arm on brown cardstock and cut it out; this is your tree. After you glue the tree on the paper use glue to draw some clouds and glue cotton balls to it. Use stickers to have a few in tree, but don’t cover hand completely, and make a pile of leaves on the ground.

This craft is so cute that I am going to frame it. I am also going to have Alex make it again every year and add something like a toothpick fence or a swing. It will be fun to watch his “tree” (hand) grow. I think I’ll use scrapbook paper so the others will be in the scrapbooks instead of being framed.

Marie-Anne

Jello painting

Today we did jello painting. In fact, Alex is still painting with jello. I printed off several coloring pages and Alex used a q-tip to spread glue then sprinkled different colored jello (store brand) over the glue. He shakes the excess off on a plate. It’s a big hit today at our house. In a little while I think I have him do the same thing to a pinecone he found during a walk. Though it’s only powdered jello it is getting everywhere so be careful about the mess.

Marie-Anne

Anniversary dinner

My in-laws were kind enough to send us money for dinner and a babysitter! We haven’t had a babysitter since before we moved to Las Vegas and it’s been even longer than that since we went on a date with no kids. We dropped the kids off at Ms. Maxine’s about 5. Then we went to Hush Puppies. The food was great. We started with alligator tail then Frank got steak and I got all you can eat catfish and fried shrimp.

After we left there we stopped at Walgreens to pick up a few things and I found a cute heart shaped picture frame that says “You&Me”. We drove up to the pass and looked at the city lights, beautiful! It was so nice to sit there talking. What a wonderful date it was!
Thank you mom and dad. We really appreciate it a lot!

Marie-Anne

Marriage is worth the effort

Some folks seem to think Frank and I just lucked up to have each other and that we do not have to do any work on our relationship whatsoever. They think we are always in perfect agreement and that is simply not true. We do have disagreements and we do have to work on our marriage. We read books on marriage not because our marriage is in trouble, but to make a good marriage even better. We read and listen to books on tape about communication because, well, we all know men speak a different language than women! Our marriage is worth the effort we pour into it and our marriage is better because of that effort.

Some of the books we’ve read are Men are From Mars Women are From Venus, Courtship After Marriage, The Five Love Languages, Created to Be His Helpmeet, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, and The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. We do not always read the same books, but we have both read several of these and compared notes. Some of them we’ve even listened to or read more than once. One book that I want to get is The Love Dare.

Marriage takes time and effort. Sadly a lot of people I know put more time and effort into their job than they do their marriage then they wonder why their marriage is falling apart. Jobs come and go, but marriage is supposed to be for life. Doesn’t it make sense then to put at least as much effort into your marriage, (probably more) as you do your job? It is well worth the time and effort.

Marie-Anne

Royal announcement

Hear ye hear ye! Her highness, the royal Princess Sabrina Marie rolled over on Friday January 16, 2009. (Sorry for the delay in the announcement).

Marie-Anne

Exercise week 1

Monday- bike 20 minutes, DVD 15 minutes, walk 30 minutes, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, weights 100 each, squats 50, stair sprints 15.

Tuesday-DVD 20 minutes, walk 45 minutes, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, weights 100 each, squats, side-kick-punch 50 each, stair sprints 15

Wednesday- bike 30 minutes, DVD 20 minutes, Nordic Rider 3 minutes (too hard I'll try to do it in reps next week), crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, weights 100 each, squats, side-kick-punch 50 each, stair sprints 20

Thursday- DVD 15 minutes, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, weights 100 each, squats 50, stair sprints 15

Friday- DVD 30 minutes, walk 20 minutes, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, weights 100 each, squats, side-kick-punch 50 each, stair sprints 15

Saturday- walk 20 minutes, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, weights 100 each, squats 75, side-kick-punch 50, stair sprints 10

Sunday- day of rest

This week the DVD has been Postnatal Power. Sometimes I have had to force myself to exercise, but I think it will pay off.

Marie-Anne

Alex learns about money

Alex has been saving his money for months to buy a GeoTrax toy. Today I found the most expensive one that he wants on clearance for half off! Instead of being $55 it was $27. I got it, but Alex doesn’t know. When he has enough to pay for it we’ll give it to him. So far he has about $12.

I think it is very good for him to learn at an early age to set a financial goal and work toward it. When I was a kid I would have spent my money on some impulse and certainly never have saved as much as Alex has, (remember he is earning a quarter or fifty cents at a time). So I am pleasantly surprised at his ability to say this toy is the one I want and to resist the impulse to buy another one that he already has the money for.

Marie-Anne

7 years

Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband and me. For putting up with me for the past 7 years he gets to put up with me for 7 more, God willing, (I know I am!). This morning Frank surprised me with my favorite chocolate and a very sweet musical card that he was able to record a message on.

Today we were invited over to a BBQ at a church member’s house. It was a lot of fun. Monday we will get a babysitter and go out to eat, thank you mom and dad.

Marie-Anne

Energy

I have only been seriously exercising for a few days, but I have a lot more energy! I feel very good, (and also a little sore). If it is your goal to get in shape this year, let me encourage you that if I can do it you can too.

Marie-Anne

Postnatal Power Taebo Workout

I checked out Postnatal Power Taebo Workout with Shellie Blanks Cimarosti from the library. I love it! I have NOT been exercising for a looong time. Right now 20 minutes is a workout for me. I like the fact that Shellie filmed this DVD 10 weeks after having her baby. She’s very understanding and encouraging. Even if you didn’t just have a baby if you are new to exercise I highly recommend this DVD. If nothing else check it out from the library, like I did and try it. This is one I will be checking out again, or buy it.

Marie-Anne

Trying Library's Story Time- again

When Alex was a toddler I took him to the library’s story time every week. When we moved here I took him a few times, but he misbehaved so much that I quit taking him. We tried it again today and he was great! We all enjoyed it very much. Plus they moved out of that cramped room and into the auditorium, which was nice. Even Sabrina had fun watching the kids. I’m going to start taking him every week again.

Marie-Anne

Weight loss goals

My weight loss goals are attainable, but not without a lot of hard work. I want to be 135 when Sabrina turns one. I got 10 months. I will be posting my weekly update of how I’m doing with exercise and with healthy eating. It won’t be easy. I have not been exercising regularly for quite some time and I’m a recovering junk food junkie. The good thing is I like to exercise and I do like fruit and veggies. I am serious about losing weight. I am going to make my weight loss a reality instead of just a fantasy.

Marie-Anne

Daily Bible Journal

My sister-in-law, Annette, got Frank and me both a Daily Bible Journal for Christmas. It has been a huge blessing. During the day we separately do the reading and journaling. When Alex goes to bed we compare notes. It is amazing how we can read the very same passages and get something completely different out of it. We both look forward to this every day. I get more out of Bible reading and I know I have grown closer to the Lord and to my husband as a result of this gift. Thank you, Annette.

Marie-Anne

Rotating Toys

Alex has way too many toys. We got rid of two boxes and he still has more than enough. So, last night while he was taking a bath I boxed up his Imaginext fire station set. I warned Frank that Alex would throw a fit when he noticed, but he hasn’t even noticed! At the beginning of next month I’ll switch them for his castle set and in February he’ll have Geotrax. (His Thomas toys will stay in his room because it is glued to the table and we have nowhere to put it up.)

Now remember Alex got these toys for his b-day in November and for Christmas, but he’s already into something new; Geotrax. He has a Geotrax set he got when he was 2 that he’s shown no interest in. Of course, that changed when he saw the Geotrax website with a link to the DVD. We were going to donate it to a thrift store when we moved, but some of the pieces were already boxed up and now I am glad we still have it.

We are not buying this boy many new toys this year. I will get him one of the cheaper trains for Valentine’s Day and for Easter, if he’s still into it then. If he wants more he has to do extra chores and earn the money. He’s already saved $8 towards a $20 set.

Marie-Anne

If Tomorrow Never Comes

In the excitement of the dog attack I almost forgot a sadly touching scene we saw on the way to Lake Mead. In a curve there was a wooden cross by the side of the road. That’s sad enough, but a woman was sitting beside it crying. I couldn’t help but wonder which loved one she lost. Was it her husband or child? Was it her mother or father? Was it her brother or sister, or best friend or favorite cousin? Let this be a reminder to hug your loved ones and enjoy them. Pick up the phone. Don’t be so busy that you forget why you work. We just never know how much time we have so spend it wisely. Tell your loved ones how much you love them. These are the words of my favorite Garth Brooks song, If Tomorrow Never Comes:

Sometimes late at night

I lie awake and watch her sleeping

Shes lost in peaceful dreams

So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark

And the thought crosses my mind

If I never wake up in the morning

Would she ever doubt the way I feel

About her in my heart

(chorus)

If tomorrow never comes

Will she know how much I loved her

Did I try in every way to show her every day

That shes my only one

And if my time on earth were through

And she must face the world without me

Is the love I gave her in the past

Gonna be enough to last

If tomorrow never comes

cause Ive lost loved ones in my life

Who never knew how much I loved them

Now I live with the regret

That my true feelings for them never were revealed

So I made a promise to myself

To say each day how much she means to me

And avoid that circumstance

Where theres no second chance to tell her how I feel

*chorus*

So tell that someone that you love

Just what youre thinking of

If tomorrow never comes

Make sure they know how much you love them if tomorrow never comes.

Marie-Anne

My Montessori Journey

In looking for ideas for homeschooling Alex I came across a blog called My Montessori Journey. It has a lot of neat ideas for developing hand-eye coordination and for developing fine motor skills as well as many other ideas. Most of these use simple and cheap things we can easily do at home. For example I got the idea of stringing beads onto pipe cleaners from this website, (in Sunday School we did this to make Christmas ornaments). Today we used tweezers to pick up snowflake buttons that I got on clearance and put them into rinsed out creamer cups. Alex also used one of his toys from his doctor set to pick up pompoms and put them into a cup. He enjoyed these new “games” and spent quite a while doing them, with Sabrina and me watching.

At the moment I do not have many of the things used in these activities, but I will be adding to my “collection” until we are able to do many of them. Of course I will keep them for Sabrina when she is old enough.

Marie-Anne

Ringing in the New Year; by the grace of God

Happy New Year! I sincerely hope your New Year’s was not as eventful as ours. We went to Lake Mead National Park for a picnic. That sounds pretty uneventful, doesn’t it? We saw a coyote as we pulled up to the picnic area and stopped to take some pictures. Since it was far enough away we continued with our plans for a picnic. We ate in peace, but kept an eye out for the coyote.

After a little while another couple came with 2 dogs, but they were on the other side of the picnic area. Frank said that the domesticated ones were the ones we’d have to watch out for. So we kept an eye on them as well.

Alex and I went for a walk up a hill and on the way back he wanted to run. Alex was a few yards ahead of me when the dogs charged. I tried to get Alex to run back to me as I’m running to him, but the dogs were too fast. The German Shepherd attacked Alex, but the other dog stopped. I’m screaming at the top of my lungs, “Get away from him.” The owners called their dog and this time he listened.

I scooped a terrified Alex up. Alex was crying and saying the dog bit him, which I already knew, but I had no idea how bad he was hurt. As soon as I got back to the picnic area I checked Alex and all he had was a scrape that didn’t even break the skin! It was more like a carpet burn. Praise God for his mercy!

After the owners got their dogs into their car the lady came over, (she was shook up almost as badly as I was) to make sure Alex was okay. She apologized profusely, but I don’t think it was her fault, (unless the dog had a history of being that aggressive) nobody would have thought the dog would attack us as far away as we were.

During this time the coyote moved to the other side of us and was joined by another. They were far away and absolutely beautiful to watch. People were driving up to them to take pictures and feed them from their cars, not too smart to do right near a picnic area.. Soon those coyotes were joined by two more, that’s when we decided to leave. Of course we also drove up and took pictures, but did not feed them.

I don’t even want to think about what could have happened. Alex is blessed that he wasn’t seriously injured or even killed. What if both dogs attacked? I could go on and on with the what ifs, but instead I can praise God for His protection and His mercy!

Marie-Anne