What Happens When Mom Is On The Phone. . .

I turned around to find this. Really this was partly my fault, I had left the felt pens out in the living room. At least it wasn't all over the carpet and walls. My Sweet Pea yelled, "on paper! on paper!" when I caught her. Then tried running over to the paper to make the situation better. Silly Girl.

Play Time Spaghetti

I found this fun activity for toddlers on Pinterest at this website. Such a fantastic idea. Great for practicing some hand-eye coordination.

After a while, it turned into this:

I mean, who doesn't like spaghetti?

Then, it turned into this:

My Sweet Pea thought it was so funny to put the "spaghetti" on top of mom's head. I even forgot that it was there and left it until my Hubby came home. He had a good laugh.

Now, when my Sweet Pea sees the colander she wants to do this activity.

Be Safe When By Yourself

This past Saturday night I was out shopping by myself. A blissful time without the kids and Hubby, right? Well, I was at Harmon's Grocery Store. I had gone in, found all of my needed groceries, paid for them, and walked out having had my normal wonderful experience at my favorite grocery store. But while I was putting my groceries into my trunk this man I didn't know was walking towards me. Noticing this, I picked up my keys and wallet (I had placed them in front of me in the back of my car so I could unload) and stepped around to the other side of my cart. Putting it between myself and this man.

When he got to me he asked, "I locked my keys in my car and my wife is down the street at our storage unit and I was wondering if you were headed in that direction?"

(By the way there are NO storage units near this Harmon's location) I told him, "You know you can go inside to the customer information desk and they will let you use their phone to call a locksmith or someone else to come and get you."

He said, "Well, I don't have any money and wasn't sure if they would let me. . ."

I cut him off and said, "The people here at Harmon's are great and I'm sure they will help you out."

He just turned and walked away. I never saw him enter the store. I went home and called to let Harmon's know what had happened so they could watch out for him in case he tried with someone else.

I thought that this guy was pretty ballsy because I was parked 4 cars from the door, under a light, and there were at least 6 people outside within 50 ft of us. Please, please please be careful when out alone at night. Remember to:

1. Be aware of what is going on around you.
2. Park close to the doors of the store or building you are going into.
3. Park in a well lit area.
4. Never take a stranger anywhere, NO MATTER WHAT
5. If you feel the need, ask the manager to have someone walk you to your vehicle.
6. Lock your doors immediately after you are in your vehicle.
7. Report what happened to the store and if needed, to the police.

Be cautious, even if you think you are in the safest place. You just never know.

Cleared To Do The Fun Stuff!

I never thought that I would say it, but

"I get to do housework again!!"

Yesterday, I was cleared to exercise, lift my little ones, and DO HOUSEWORK. I am definitely not one that likes to do housework. (I don't know many who do) But when I haven't been able to do anything and I have had to watch my house dissolve under filth, I am ready to embark on my Fall Deep Cleaning. Now my Hubby was helping out, but it's just not as thorough as when I do it. Or as quick. (you can probably relate, right?)

So far I have had a wonderful time hugging and carrying my Sweet Pea, I got to do Winsor Pilates AND Walk Away the Pounds-2 Miles, and I vacuumed the whole house. It feels fantastic to be moving again. No more couch potatoe!

Yippeee!!

Courtesy VS Convenience

The hustle and bustle of life swirls around us and there seems to be no clearing in the storm. The storm of kids, work, sports, meals, cleaning and so much more seem to blur our vision in many ways. But at what point in life did it become acceptable to let the storm blur our vision of courtesy?

We wonder why kids these days don’t respect their parents, their teachers, their peers or even themselves. The lack of caring for others is a concern I have seen many have for their kids and their kids friends, but should we really be surprised by their actions?

As adults, with our many forms of communication, we have let courtesy and respect pass us by as well. We have cell phones that let us be in contact with everyone at ALL times. We have iPods that keep us plugged out of the world and into our movies and music. We have iPads, computers, and our “smart” phones that keep us updated and connected to everything. Fifty years ago our parents and grandparents had none of these things, yet they managed to remember the courtesy of calling when they couldn’t make an appointment, or when needing to RSVP, or stopping by when someone needed something. Life was PERSONAL. It was intimate.

Now our lives have been overtaken. We don’t call when we are going to be late, or aren’t going to show up, or to see how someone is doing. We spend our time “posting” or “tweeting” our own lives to everyone. As if we are the most important things in the universe. We SHOULD be in our own homes, but our whole world cannot thrive without those outside our front door. We affect others and others affect us.

We can no longer afford to be the friend that doesn’t show up to help with something without a phone call. Or one of the many people who don’t show up to the party without calling, leaving only 1-2 guests. Or the church leader who makes an appointment and doesn’t keep it and never calls. Or the family member that doesn’t know the struggles of the rest of the family. We can’t afford to be this person.

We are adults. We expect courtesy and respect out of our children. Often these are demanded, but do we demand them out of ourselves?

How have you kept yourself grounded and involved with your neighbors, friends, and family?