Buy Yahtzee NEW for $5.50!

I told Husband I didn't want to "just sit on the couch for another night."
He took me to Alco.
We looked at card games, we looked at puzzles, we looked at toddler toys.

I Love yahtzee.
They didn't have it.

They did have Yahtzee Replacement Cards for $2.99, though.

I popped them in the cart and wondered if we had any dice at home.

At the checkout the lady asked if we found everything okay, just like always.
I almost said "Yea" just like always, but then I said "No".
It worked! She found me a package of dice for $2.50 and we were set!

Use your own cup and pens and BAM- Yahtzee!

Sometimes It's Better

I just finished watching the movie The Change Up. It's raunchy to say the least, however I am driven keep my pregnant-self up even later to write this so hang tight and excuse the bound-to-occur type-os, please.

The ending quote really got to me.
Spoke right to me.

I've been saying for weeks "This isn't how I imagined my life".

Sometimes I say it in a disappointed tone, sometimes a besides-myself tone, but mostly in a huh-God-you-REALLY-know-what-you're-doing tone.

The schmuck of a guy, Mitch (played by Ryan Reynolds- which by the way is the most undesirable character I've ever seen him play) ends the movie with a stunning quote.

"Sometimes life doesn't turn out like you plan it. Sometimes, sometimes it turns out better"

Whoa.

Just because our lives aren't congruent with our dreams (our innately sinful dreams I'll add) doesn't mean it's a bad thing. We are taught and asked and probed- What will you be when you grow up? Did you make it into the best college available? and on and on. Of course we have a hard time when we realize this isn't what we (thought) wanted.

Now here's stolen sermon illustration:
Remember Moses leading the Israelites? Were they happy to be lead around for 40 years? No. They in fact more than entertained the idea of going back to being slaves in Egypt as a better alternative, the vary thing God through Moses was saving them from.

If God would have lead them the quickest way from A to B that's exactly what would have happened. Instead they took the long route, a 40 year long route to get to Canaan. The route that avoided the Egyptians. Who knew that this long and wearing voyage was the way God planned it to be. It didn't make sense to the people, but it doesn't have to.

I never could have dreamed I would have a BS in Studio Arts, I could not have guessed I would be married to a man who later would name me the trailing spouse of a seminarian and later, God willing a pastor. I NEVER could have imagined I would be an Allergy Mom. I never would have seen myself okay with living more than 20 miles away from my parents- literally, 20 miles. Now we're the closest we've been in 6 years at slightly over 200 miles, and you know what? I'm completely okay with it. I would have never guessed that after being told by my a Dr 1 mo before my wedding at age 21 I could never become pregnant, that I would be pregnant multiple times and God willing will meet my 2nd baby this summer.

Ready for another stolen sermon illustration?
This is a good'n.

I think of a pastor who brought a wrapping paper roll and a lego man to the pulpit with him often. He didn't bring these things in tot he pulpit often, I think of him and this illustration often. He placed the lego man in the wrapping paper roll and cupped his hands on the ends moving the roll, sliding the lego man inside. He explained we are the lego man, we can see behind us, and we can see a little ways ahead of us, but we are surrounded in this life span. God on the other hand stands outside the roll, able to clearly see and know the beginning, end and in betweens of every moment, not only of our life span, but everyone's!

This all adds up to show God really does know what He's doing.
My heart is with the Israelites, traveling and trusting, without being able to see the end that God already has prepared and knows.

Thank you God for knowing me and even despite my straying, shepherding me away and through the wolves.
Amen.

Image Link

The Luxury of Staying at Home?

Swiped from here.

I'm a stay at home mom.

I once dreamed of teaching but a few things combined with the stark realization that if I was a teacher I couldn't be a stay at home mom, changed my mind.

My mom stayed home when I was in pre-school and did Avon. After that she was a working woman! Thankfully my dad was a janitor so I was always watched by a parent, even though they both worked.

My sister in law was and still remains a huge influence on me. She taught me the importance of knowing what I believed and why. She taught me the beauty and God given weight of my vocations as daughter, sister, and then later, wife and mother.

You can google a million sites that will go on and on about how staying at home is either ridiculous, the -only- way to go, impractical, or even a luxury.

I love being home and spending what I can already see is fleeting time with my son, watching him grow, teaching him our beliefs and I love to discipline him as Husband and I decide is fit.

His allergies add to the reasoning. I'm really not sure of a daycare that would take him as he has a life threatening allergy to trace amounts of casein combined with multiple other serious food and environmental allergies. Because of his allergy I can focus on making safe and healthy foods for him. I wanted to stay at home even before we knew of this special benefit, before we were an "Allergy Family".

Many ladies argue that they "Wish they could but can't be a stay at home mother". Now I don't want to shame anyone for the decision they are making for their family, but I also do not think this argument is valid. These ladies would also add that "staying at home as a mother is just a luxury they can't afford".

Why does this not hold up in my book?

We are not rolling in dough.
We make waaaay less than 25k a year and are paying on all of our student loans (because Husband and I both put ourselves through college).
The truth is I would have to make a substantial amount of money to off set the charges day care would demand. If I worked out of the home, I would not be able to make homemade meals every single day (which is our only option to have safe meals for Boomba, by the way). We would pay a lot of money in processed and "fast" or "boxed" foods.

It is because I am at home that I can spend the time to shop for the BEST deal when we need to make a purchase. I can also sew and make our own toys, repairs and etc out of recycled materials, because I'm home to do that- that's how I provide for my family.

It's scary.
It's terrifying to leave the regular paycheck of a job to become a stay at home mom. You crunch numbers and try to figure it all out. There are as many ways to make it work as there are families who do it. I groomed myself for this job and even I need regular talks with other moms and Husband to remind me of what exactly it is I am doing. It is after all quite ambiguous, especially compared to the black and white contracted jobs many mothers hold in addition to keeping house and mothering and wife-ing.

I know I'm doing just what all the other sites are doing. Telling you what to think about being a stay at home mom. I guess it just really makes me upset that people think this is all such a luxury when they don't see the sacrifices that are made to do this.

But then again...
The luxury is in the fact that I can get the housework and errands done in the day so Husband can come home and we can have true family time together. The luxury is in homemade foods, teaching Boomba our morals for this short time that I am his predominate role model. The luxury is in serving my family.

I am so thankful for a husband who not only supports me as a stay at home mom, but does so much more than that. He tries to see things from my point of view. He works more than one job (or four) if he needs to make sure that one of us can always be home with Boomba. He encourages me to seek additional support and comrade when toddler company isn't cutting it for me, emotionally.

I'm thankful for my God who provides for us in ways we can never see coming.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
-Matthew 6:26

Valentines Day @ Our House '12 edition

So I did it.
I've planned enough ahead to be able to post BEFORE a holiday, ABOUT a holiday!
We cheated a little.
We had a Mixed Berry Smoothie with Drip Dropping Chocolate Topping a night early, that's how we do it here. Can't wait when there's something good to be had!

Here's what it looked like:

I know.
I went a little crazy with the hearts.
But...
IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY!
(virtually).

I dumped a bag of frozen mixed berries in my new food processor along with ice cubes, apple sauce, apple juice, & rice milk.

But first- I made this wonderful hot fudge to drip drop on the top!

Martha Stewart's Hot Fudge

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
pinch of salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 T butter
1 tsp vanilla

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add corn syrup and whipping cream. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla; stir until butter melts. Cool slightly before serving.

I subbed rice milk straight across for the whipping cream and used Earth Balance Soy-Free spread.

SO GOOD!

Who knew when I topped the smoothie with the hot fudge it would drip so beautifully?!

That's not the end. I have a little game up my sleeve.
Don't tell Boomba, it's a surprise.

We will be Heart Hunting tomorrow!
I covered a cocoa container with pink paper and cut out cookie cutter-traced hearts from colored paper too. I will tell Boomba he has to hunt for 10 hearts. I'll hide them like this:

So.... What's for dinner?