Are You Hip to the Jive?

They say we never stop learning, and in my case, I never stop learning useless information.

Here are 3 new terms I learned this week, how up on pop culture current events are you?

1. Shippers - the word shippers comes from "relationships" and it refers to people that become extremely interested/obsessed with a fictional relationship on TV. They become such fans of the relationship and it's psychology, they actually blog about, create websites devoted to it, and even create fictional scenarios that they act out on you tube. Allow me to use the word in a sentence for you: When I obsessively watched The Gilmore Girls and began dreaming about whether or not Luke and Lorelai Gilmore would get married, I was officially a shipper, and I didn't even know it.

2. Linsanity - Usually, I don't give a fig about sports/athletes/athletic events or the like. However, everyone loves the tale of an under dog that comes out of nowhere. All week I've been hearing murmurings of the Asian-American NBA player, Jeremy Lin. Turns out this kid came out of nowhere and is blowing everyone away with his talent. But here's what makes his story even more exciting to me..... He's a believer, seems to be the real deal, and he is exceptionally humble and gracious. Time to put a poster up of Jeremy Lin right next to the one of Tebow. (What, like you don't have posters in your bedroom anymore?)

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/all-spheres-of-life-even-pro-basketball

3. Preppers - This is my new favorite term. Last night I stumbled upon a show on the National Geographic channel about "preppers." Preppers are people that believe the end of the world is upon us and they must "prepare" for it. I've heard of storing extra water in your garage for emergencies, but these guys take it to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. They have bunkers, gas masks, they time they're families each week in practice evacuation drills, and they make their own gasoline. I found myself staring with my mouth open at the TV for one entire hour. After watching that show, I may just go out and finally buy myself that flashlight I've been wanting.

Now don't you feel educated? Be sure to use these 3 new words in a sentence today, it'll make you feel smart.

It Goes So Fast

There was a time that going to the grocery store required a lot of strategizing. I wore one baby in the Bjorn, set one in a car seat in the front section of the cart, one in the big section of the cart, and I forced Lorelei to hold on to the back end of the cart, so I wouldn't lose her.

I thought that that stage was really hard.

But this week, one of my girls came home crying because of caddy girl drama at school. The other one asked that I not put her hair in a pony tail because she didn't like her ears (that one really shocked me by the way), and another one had a meltdown at gymnastics class.

In the midst of school and homework and lessons and trying to impart little bits of wisdom into their sometimes foolish hearts, a younger woman at church called me and invited my whole family of 6 to her house for dinner tonight. She currently has 1 child and is expecting another. And I heard myself saying to her.... "It goes so fast.... really enjoy it, enjoy it."

And I almost couldn't believe my own words. But they were true. The baby problems are so small, just like them. They require rash ointment, and sometimes that you switch formulas because they're allergic, and you think that diapers are expensive, but wait till you pay for private schooling and guitar lessons.

So enjoy those babies while you got 'em, they won't be babies for long!

Bedtime Brute

I know, I know no parent is perfect, we all have have our flaws, but what I'm about to confess to you all puts me up there with pageant moms. I hate bedtime. In every family movie that's ever been filmed, there's a token shot of two serene and smiling actors sitting at the foot of their child's bed reading them a bedtime story. The child usually slowly closes their eyes, and the mom and dad look at each other and nod at one another knowingly. The bedroom is tidy and well decorated, both parents are wearing robes over their color-coordinated pajamas, and basically everyone is happy.

When I first had Lorelei, my beloved first born, I envisioned that our nights would be like those nights. I don't really remember my parents "tucking me in" much, but I was going to be different, I was going to set up a nightly routine, that involved lavender scented bubble baths, reviewing memory verses, reading literary classics, and I'd close it all out with prayer. All of these seemed like good things, fun things, the right things a "good" parent would do.

8 and a half years have passed since that first child of mine came in to the world, and during those 8 and a half years, I've acquired 3 more children, 5 English classes to teach, and a much larger grocery bill. By the time dinner is done, homework is done, the dishes are cleaned, all I can think about is sitting very, very still in front of the warming light of a television set. The thought of reading a book, or tucking someone in sounds like it requires so much energy. I can't fathom it.

Fortunately, my dear, patient, loving husband usually does this job. But he's taken up running. In fact he's running right now, and my kids are shuffling around in the hallway, calling to me,

"Mom, I'm cold," (It was 75 degrees today).

"Mom, I'm thirsty," (Cups of water sat on the table all day long, untouched).

"Mom, the tag on my pajamas is itching me," (not making that up, folks she just said it).

"Mom, can you read me a story..... no can you make up a story for me?" (Um, no, please don't make me).

And so I told them to just go to bed, don't get up, don't go back to start, just go to bed.

And now I'm hiding in my room behind a computer screen, hoping.... praying, that they all do just that.... go to bed.

But I Don't Listen to the Lyrics

Yesterday I was running a quick errand in the morning and only Morgan was in the car with me. The other girls were already at school. I flipped on the radio and the classic rock tune, The Joker, by Steve Miller came on. I was distracted as always, and I'm not even sure if I was humming or singing along, but suddenly, Morgan interrupted.

"Mom, do you like this song?"

"Um yeah, I guess."

"But Mom, he said, 'I'm a sinner.'"

"Oh... huh, well technically he's right, we're all sinners. But he probably shouldn't say it so glibly, it's something to be taken seriously."

Note to self: The kids are listening to the lyrics, even the four year old.

Oh Happy Day!

Dan asked me what I wanted for our special anniversary this year. If he had asked me 15 years ago, what do you think you'll want to do when we have a big anniversary, I would have thought of sparkly jewelry or sunny vacations in tropical places. I would never have guessed that all I would ask for is a trip to Disneyland for a family of six, which by the way is practically the equivalent of asking for a new diamond ring. I knew that my fiscally wise and frugal husband was struggling with the idea of visiting the happiest place on earth, now that are kids are all charged full price and the cost of tickets has gone up, up, up! But I also knew that our kids ages:4, 6, & 8 were the perfect ages for such an event. And so all I asked for for the big 1-5 was that we play hooky for a day, and venture out to Disneyland! We surprised the kids on Friday, woke them up as if they were going to school, then told them Auntie Bethie had wanted them to open something. Groggily they opened up four mickey mouse bags, each with a $10 gift card to Disneyland (Auntie had thought they'd all want a souveneir). They looked at the cards hesitantly, and then we asked.... hey would you like to skip school today and go to Disneyland?!

Surprise! They said yes!

It was a pretty great day, we hit the park at 11am and left 9 hours later, the weather was about 77 degrees out, and the crowds were manageable! Morgan was just exactly tall enough to go on every ride with us, so that was a blast. I only had one cranky moment standing in line.... those lines can really test a person's christianity let me tell you. All in all though, it was a success. And we'd like to thank the Christmas money contributors; Grandma Luci, our friends the Pattees, and of course Auntie Beth for the gift cards for helping us to make it happen. (& thank you to my kind and gracious hair stylist who cut my hair and didn't charge me full price the night before because she said I was going to go broke after a day in Disneyland with four kids.)

This has been a very busy school year, and for me a day off of grading papers, cleaning kitchens, picking up kids from school, and worrying over impossible to do lists was just what I needed to celebrate this year.

So thanks Dan, for going to a place that's probably not your happiest place on earth, just so you could make your 5 girls happy! We love you!

Holiday Pix

See the girls with their new porcelain dolls? Guess what
those dolls aren't new. Three of them were mine when I was
a kid, and one was my sisters. We gave them to the girls this
year, after a five minute speech about not playing with them.
Meanwhile, Auntie Beth decided she would get
each girl a pair of shoes for Christmas, Noelle wanted
imitation uggs, Lorelei wanted Toms. So their wish was
granted. I sort of think Toms look like shoes a homeless
person would make out of scraps, but who am I to buck
the trend? Besides for every pair sold, another pair is
donated.

Here are the girls with my grandpa, their great-grandpa Felix Sr.
Visiting him this year was bitter-sweet, because this was our first
December without Grandma Mita (his wife Mary, we called my Grandma
Mita). She went to be with the Lord in November, right before Thanks-
giving. Grandpa is the last of my four grandparents, and we are all so
thankful for him.

And here we have my family....after church on Sunday.
What a group.... do you like how we're all color coordinated?

15 Days till the Big 15!

In 15 days, Lord willing, Dan & I will have been married for 15 years! I know, it's hard to believe I'm old enough to have been married that long, especially since I still like to shop in the junior department and pretend I'm a 15 year old teenager. (It's not as believable lately, I gotta tell you).

Anyway, I thought it only fitting to come up with 15 reasons Dan & I are still married.

15. He lets me get my way, a lot, not all the time.... but a lot.

14. Dan's the best dad of ALL TIME. (Though, my own dad is sort of tied with him, I have to say). He loves the kids, and takes them on bike rides, and teaches them to roller skate, and tie their shoes, and he reminds me not to yell so much on long car trips.

13. Dan only works with men, no leggy blondes, no curvy brunettes. I really love his workplace. I always look pretty cute to Dan after a whole day with just Scott and Anthony and Scott's dad. I think one of the UPS delivery people is a woman, but I suspect she's not my husband's type.

12. Dan still looks pretty good in soccer shorts.

11. He's accepted I won't watch sports with him, and I've accepted he's not in to romantic gestures.

10. He eats everything I cook, and doesn't complain about the fact that lately, it's mostly cheese quesadillas and progresso soup.

9. We love our kids together, and only the 2 of us can truly understand how the four of them can be so incredibly annoying and yet so incredibly amazing all at once.

8. We both actually enjoy each other's parents. No really, we do.

7. We are both share a love and a commitment to our church.

6. We are honest with each other, even though, sometimes I think he should lie to me and tell me there's nothing I need to work on, I'm perfect the way I am.

5. We were both raised by parents who taught us that divorce is never an option, and that God hates it, and I'm pretty sure they'd just about disown us if it ever came up. That foundation has helped us tremendously (as have their examples to us).

4. When the doctor said, you know you're having twins, right? I started crying, and Dan said, "TWINS! AWESOME!" like it was the greatest news of his life. Seriously, what kind of man is that? A superior one, for sure!

3. We still Love each other.

2. We still LIKE each other.

1. God has shown us great grace and forgiveness when the ugliness of sin does rear it's head, which is every day.