Our Anniversary...

It was a beautiful day, twenty one years ago today.  The sun was shining bright, and there was a crispness to the air... but it wasn't unbearably cold.  Perfection.  A "winter" day in Southern California.

I started the morning being forced to eat breakfast by my mother.  Eat?  I didn't want to eat.  It was my wedding day and I was so excited I could barely breathe much less eat!  But I ate a few bites of scrambled eggs and a bite or two of toast.  Then it was off to the hair salon to get my hair done with my veil.

Most of my bridesmaids met at the salon.  Up dos for everyone!  We laughed so much!  It was such a fun morning!! Then off to Dave's uncle and aunt's house to get dressed and take pictures.  Wow! The time flew by that day!

I really don't know what Dave was doing during the morning hours of January 18, 1992.  All I know for certain is that he met me at 2:30 that afternoon, at the altar of St. John Vianney's Catholic Church.  He was the most handsome man I had ever seen, wearing his military dress blues, sword and cape... Yes, there was a cape! No noble steed, but he had a cape and a sword; two out of three made my fairytale wedding a reality! My prince was there, waiting for me to meet him at the altar.

Fast forward twenty-one years, and we are living 2000 miles away in Tennessee.  We have been true to our vows, loving each other through good times and bad times; in sickness and health; richer or poorer; forsaking all others.  We've lived out all of those promises, one at a time. We've made it through some tough patches.  Marriage is hard at times, but our commitment to each other is real.  Not until I find someone better, skinnier, richer, or smarter... but for a lifetime.

I love you,  Dave.  I'm so grateful that we have ridden this roller coaster of life together over the last 21 years.  I hope to be next to you for many, many more years to come.  Laughing, crying, and celebrating through the special moments of our lives.  God has blessed me with you!

VeggieTales' Contest --three days left!

Hey friends!

Only three days left!!!  If you would like to win a copy of the newest VeggieTales' DVD:  The League Of Incredible Vegetables... 

Go to the end of this earlier post and enter for your chance to win!!  Tweet about it, and get another chance.  

One chance per comment and Tweet per day!!  

VeggieTales' The League of Incredible Vegetables--PLUS DVD Giveaway!

The League of Incredible Vegetables, the newest DVD from VeggieTales’ has been a long awaited episode in my household! My youngest is a super-hero junkie, and while I like Ironman and The Avengers, I sometimes worry about the sarcasm used by the heroes and the adult-situations of these films. But VeggieTales has been a trusted brand in our home for the last 15 years, and continues to be a franchise which our family can continue to grow in Christian character with!

In this newest LarryBoy thriller from VeggieTales’, It was a bright and sunny day in Bumblyburg... until Dr. Flurry came to town. This chillin' villain wants to freeze the entire city... in fear! This job is too big for LarryBoy to handle alone, so he turns to "The League of Incredible Vegetables" for help! Thingamabob (Bob the Tomato), S-Cape (Mr. Lunt), Vogue (Petunia Rhubarb), and Ricochet (Junior Asparagus) are up for the task, but find that their own fears could land them in Dr. Flurry's deep freeze! Will they remember to turn to the One who is bigger than all their fears before the whole town ends up on ice? Find out in this heroic new VeggieTales episode with a lesson in handling fear!

Special Features on DVD:

 Featuring the new theme song and music video from The Newsboys! 

The Silly Song: Supper Hero. 

 League of Incredible Vegetables Music Video 

Behind the Scenes

 Guide to Raising Incredible Kids 

Studio Commentary 

English and Spanish Subtitles 

Run Time: 45 minutes

**NEW APP JUST RELEASED:

Your kiddos can now be superheroes themselves as they fight Dr. Flurry and de-ice Bumblyburg! Available for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android devices.Get this brand new app at itunes or Amazon.com

 The League of Incredible Vegetables can be purchased directly from VeggieTales for $11.99 or at your local Christian or general retailer. This movie makes a perfect Christmas gift! Also, you’ve got to see the toys that correspond with this movie! Very cool stuff for boys and girls!

 VeggieTales is generously offering one of my readers a copy of The League of Incredible Vegetables!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can We Have It All??

This week  Marissa Mayer, the 37 year old CEO of Yahoo was featured on the cover of Fortune magazine looking stunningly svelte and polished by any Madison Avenue standard.  Ms. Mayer was promoted to CEO of Yahoo a few months ago, when she was six months pregnant. Instead of being photographed for Fortune as an expectant mom, she choose to wait until the baby was born (last week) and then ultimately use a photo taken a year and a half ago.

Was she dissing motherhood? Probably not.  But as a "Girl-Power" flag waver, I'd like to see her acknowledge that women, even moms, can achieve great things!  It would be very empowering to those of us who wonder if our chance to make a difference in this world is on hiatus until our youngest child celebrates their 18th birthday.

Being a mom is a big part of who I am.  It's my personal perspective point, and it has been for the last fourteen years.  To be honest,  I'm not sure if that perspective will ever change back to what it was in my pre-mommy days.  Even as my children grow older,  I tend to see the world through the eyes of a mother.  I frequently ask myself, "How will this affect ALL children?" --Even if it's not MY children in particular.

So, while I doubt Ms. Mayer was dissing motherhood, or moms in general, I'm disappointed that her role of mommy took backseat to the role of CEO.  Maybe I'm wrong... maybe there should be a dividing line between work and home.  Maybe that compartmentalization, which most of us females are unable to do well,  keeps Mayer's sanity.  I can respect that.  I've never walked a mile in her shoes, so I can't judge her.  Plus, I'm pretty sure I've never been asked to run ANY company, much less a Fortune 500 company, either before or after having kids!

Can a woman have it all?  Can anyone?  Do I lack the ambition to even attempt having it all?  Probably! I have everything I desire, and I'm beyond grateful that my "everything" desire became fulfilled when I took on the roles of wife and mother.  The rest I do is just filler...

Do I Miss Being A Home Schooling Mom?

I'm not exactly sure where the summer went...  but here I sit, with my house decorated for fall.  The kids are in school--both of them now. I no longer home school--at least not THIS YEAR.  I'm a woman with so much time on my hands, that I can't seem to complete one project without starting something else!  I'm manic over the fact that I don't have to do lesson plans or use the phrase..."Pay attention", for at least 7 hours a day!!

I get to work out, shower, and actually put on make up...all in the same day! All BEFORE LUNCH!! Laundry is folded AND put away (most of the time)! I can meet my husband for coffee or lunch, which is a little bit of heaven! I can actually shop during the daytime!!

Life after home schooling my kids for five years is good.  I was obedient to what God called me to do, and each child grew in their academic knowledge as well as in their spiritual well being.  It was a season of inner strengthening and even throughout the craziness of no real routine, we had a great deal of calmness. Well, some days, anyway. As we were going through it I doubt I would have used the word, "calmness", but now I have the morning rush which is still the hardest part of the day.  My constant phrase on weekday mornings is now, "Come on, let's go!"  I sound like a middle aged cheerleader!

Do I miss home schooling?  No!  And yes...

The crazy thing about motherhood is that even when you find your schedule a bit more open...and your day a bit more free... you tend to think about your kids even MORE than when they are sitting beside you.

With all my "free time", I find myself thinking: How can I decorate their bedrooms?  What posters have I put away that need to be framed?  Is it time to put away their summer quilts and take out their fluffy comforters?  I wonder what they'll like for dinner?

Yes, I am a mom.  It doesn't matter if I'm home schooling my children, they're constantly on my mind.

And when 3 PM rolls around, I'm now excited to wait in the pick up line at school!!  I can hardly wait to see my not-so-little monkey-men! Thank you Lord for my children...

Mom, I'm Bored!

I’ve always thought of July 4th as the mid-point of summer break.  Give or take a week or two, the summer break will soon be over, and the hustle and bustle of school days will once again fill our days.

Recently, on one of our many leisurely paced summer afternoons, my non-driving teenager looked up from the sofa, were he’d been watching a mid-morning marathon of Pawn Stars, to tell me how bored he was.  

Bored?  Really?  “Well, what do you want to do?”, I asked, already anticipating the answer.

“Can’t we go sommmmewherrrre?” 

Now keep in mind it was about 147 degrees outside, and the very thought of getting out, even for a quick trip to the grocery store, seemed like an adventure I was not up for!  But because I love my sweet son, I asked if he wanted to go to my favorite place in the whole world??  Target!

“Target? Mom! Can’t we go someplace fun?!”

Are you kidding?  Target isn’t fun? It’s like fun concentrate for a mom, but I guess not so much for a teen.  “Ok, where do you want to go?”  Thinking to myself ~please not the mall ; don't say the mall~!

“How about the mall?”

Ugh. He said it.  The mall! What is it about teenagers and the mall?  I remember wanting to go to the mall back when I was in high school, too.  I think (if my middle-aged memory serves me well) it was because there were other teenagers there, doing absolutely nothing, but walking around and giggling. We would walk into stores and try on silly hats, or costume jewlery.  We'd hang out in front of Orange Julius, and dare someone to walk into Spencers.  We were nice kids who pretty much had no idea how to even use the paraphernalia found in Spencers, but wouldn't let anyone else in on our naivety.

The mall seems like a waste of time.  But that’s because I’m forty---something.  I have a goal oriented outlook on life. I shop because I need to buy stuff, not for the "fun" of it.  Maybe I’ve forgotten how to enjoy wasting an entire afternoon, doing nothing but walking around the mall.  Hmmm.  

Adulthood comes too quickly.  Before you know it, there are bills to pay, and responsibilities which to attend.   It’s good to be a goofy teenager.  To walk around the mall and look at all the silly kiosks.  Trying on sunglasses, fake hair, and perusing the video game store.  There’s nothing wrong with (occasionally) gorging oneself on an Aunty Anne’s buttery pretzel, or an Orange Julius. It’s a good time of life, and I can’t help but want my own teen to experience it.  

Besides...it’s summer! 

VeggieTales' Robin Good DVD / Review and Giveaway

Robin Good and His Not So Merry Men

Release Date: March 6, 2012

Running Time: 45 minutes

Lesson: Handling Hurt

The story goes something like this: A long time ago, in the faraway town of Bethlingham, roved a band of merry men, led by the fearless Robin Good. Their mission: to help people by fundraising from the rich and giving to the poor!  But when a greedy Prince starts stealing the townspeople’s hams, donations are down and Robin’s friends take off and decide to give robbing from the rich a try. Feeling rejected, Robin thinks things can’t get any worse, until he finds out that the ham-hoarding Prince has also captured his friends. Can Robin overcome his own hurt, rescue his friends and restore the townspeople’s hope?  Find out in this fun Veggie story where kids learn that there’s no hurt too big for God!

VeggieTales' Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men  is a fun parody that features plenty of high-energy, family-friendly music, including a new Silly Song with a theme that was selected through a recent Facebook fan contest. 

The DVD starts out with “Lenny and The Lost Birthday” which is an adorable short episode about Lenny (Junior Asparagus) who thinks everyone has forgotten his birthday.  He goes through his day hoping someone--anyone--will remember it's his birthday! When it's obvious no one does remember, he's very hurt, and a little mad. His mom, realizing that her boy is hurting, explains why this year his birthday is one day later than usual...it's Leap Year!  Mom is able to convey to Lenny through the song, Things Will Get Better, that he's loved everyday, no matter what happens, by her and of course by God! 

The silly song on this DVD, Bubble Wrap, brings the "BITS"-- Boys in the Sink--back out of the crisper with a fresh style make-over, but with the same awesome vegetable boy band sound which we love!

The animation is beautifully done, and the music is great.  But as a parent, what I still love the most about VeggieTales is that they continue to write stories with messages I can (and do) resource when teaching my own children lessons about applying our Biblical worldview to our daily lives! Does God really care when I'm hurting?  Does He really listen to me when I'm feeling all alone?  Is there ever a hurt too small or too big for God?  You can bet your kids have these questions!  Heck, I've asked these same questions...!!  Whether or not you think raising a child "takes a village", I certainly (still) appreciate the Biblical truths that VeggieTales continues to teach kids through their stories! 

Robin Good has released in Christian retail as well as most big-box retailers.  You can also hop over to the VeggieTales site and order your own copy, today!  Keep in mind that Easter is rapidly approaching and this DVD would be a great addition to any one's Easter basket! 

I'm giving away a copy of Robin Good to ONE person who comments on this blog, under the comments section! This contest will end on April 2, in time for the winner to enjoy this movie for Easter!  Comment...go ahead...it's that easy!!!

**I was provided with product for review. All views and opinions with regard to this product or the company which produced this product are my own and were not influenced by any third party. **