Dr. Phil. I have wrote my first letter to Dr. Phil.
Dr. Phil would probably have me on his "blocked senders" list within two weeks.
If anyone watched Dr. Phil today, it started out because somebody videotaped a woman dragging her kid around a store by a monkey leash. Okay, smartest thing in the world to do? Probably not. Was it punishment? No, the kid wanted his mommy to drag him around. Point Dr. Phil made: Does anybody want their parenting skills to be judged entirely on a 13 second video? Uh, no.
Andrew and I had a run in with a lady at a Chinese Restaurant when Robert was three. It was so totally unfounded and we were dumbfounded by it. A neighbor and I had taken Robert and her daughter to the pool one Sunday afternoon, the kids played all afternoon, when Andrew got home from work, I didn't want to cook so we loaded up and went to the local Chinese restaurant. This was in Pontiac and the restaurant was a nice quiet place. When we got sat down, it was very evident that Robert was tired, cranky and in no mood to sit. We decided to get our food to go and Andrew went ahead and took Robert to the car, not before Robert ran under a couple of tables, giggling that he was keeping away from Daddy. Andrew finally got a hold of him, not rough or anything and took him to the car. There were two ladies in the restaurant and I didn't realized they were waiting on me to get our food. When our food was ready, they followed me out the door. Robert was standing in the back seat of the car, I opened the door and told him to get in his car seat, he told me he didn't want to. The women had pulled up behind me and was watching. I turned to them and said, "He's tired and cranky, do you have any ideas?" The driver said "Just don't beat him." I said, "I have no intention of beating him, he hasn't done anything wrong, we should have not got him out tonight because he has had a big day." The lady says, "He's afraid of his dad." I said, "Lady, if he was afraid of his dad, I don't think he would have been playing the game he was inside, he would have been to afraid of what would happen." (and why didn't they follow ANDREW out, to see if he beat him?) Anyway, the lady informed me she had my license plate and was prepared to call the cops if I laid a hand on him. I told her I did have to get him in his carseat but that he would not be beaten. I was so shook up, Andrew drove me to Robert's preschool teacher's house, who eased my mind that nobody would take Robert away on one person's claim. It was still scary and totally, totally off the wall.
Then later on in the show, Dr. Phil shows this one girl whose mother made her hold a sign up at an intersection that basically said, "I don't do my homework and I slack off in school, my mother is preparing me for my future--will work for food." I had to laugh. Anyone who knows Olney very well, knows the area known as "goosenibble". Goosenibble is home to a really rough trailer park. When Robert was in 1st and 2nd grade, and would act up, or lie, or not want to do his homework, etc. I would put his little rear in the car and take him and drive him around goosenibble. I tell people that and some people thinks I am terrible. I say so far, it has been a good thing.
As I said, Dr. Phil would be sick of me, good thing I am only off until next Tuesday!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
My Norman Rockwell Christmas
I think I have officially had the best Christmas I have had in years. Yesterday, my sister, her husband, my guys and my mom were sitting by the fire visiting, just relaxing honestly and my sister says, "I keep remembering when you lived at Pontiac, it was really your first Christmas to fix dinner for everyone and you had kept saying you wanted a Norman Rockwell Christmas." She then said, "I remember us standing in the garage that afternoon with you bawling because it just didn't happen. Well, no, it truly didn't happen that year. In fact, there are lots of memories of that Christmas that I would just as soon forget. Anyway, my sister went on to say, "I think you are about to finally get your Norman Rockwell Christmas...if it would just snow!" At that time it was still 45 degrees outside. It also dawned on me that she must be feeling like it is a great day too or she wouldn't have said it.
Well, the company was perfect, the meal was perfect, the naps that afternoon by the fire...perfect.
As the morning began yesterday, my uncle, who is in his 80's didn't have any water. My mom had helped him until 3 the day before, I wished they would have called the boys on Christmas eve but they didn't. So I called Mom early and said I thought the guys should go, she didn't say no. They loaded up all their tools and I told Andrew to call me when they were ready to start home because we would just hold off on lunch. He called about 10:00 and they had it fixed! That was probably just the icing on the cake. This was MY uncle, not Andrew's, but he didn't hesitate to go help. I love my husband! I need to add to this that his back is still a mess and he goes on the 4th for an epidural but as he says "Life goes on".
My sister is a photographer, so she took most of the pictures, she even took a ton of pictures of the food, I will have to nab her card and download it before she leaves.
I still know, as I put in my last post, that the reason this has been such a perfect Christmas is that it has been more "Christ-centered" than I have ever had. Thank you Lord, for my Norman Rockwell Christmas.
Well, the company was perfect, the meal was perfect, the naps that afternoon by the fire...perfect.
As the morning began yesterday, my uncle, who is in his 80's didn't have any water. My mom had helped him until 3 the day before, I wished they would have called the boys on Christmas eve but they didn't. So I called Mom early and said I thought the guys should go, she didn't say no. They loaded up all their tools and I told Andrew to call me when they were ready to start home because we would just hold off on lunch. He called about 10:00 and they had it fixed! That was probably just the icing on the cake. This was MY uncle, not Andrew's, but he didn't hesitate to go help. I love my husband! I need to add to this that his back is still a mess and he goes on the 4th for an epidural but as he says "Life goes on".
My sister is a photographer, so she took most of the pictures, she even took a ton of pictures of the food, I will have to nab her card and download it before she leaves.
I still know, as I put in my last post, that the reason this has been such a perfect Christmas is that it has been more "Christ-centered" than I have ever had. Thank you Lord, for my Norman Rockwell Christmas.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Time is Here
Every year, it seems there is one Christmas song that runs through my head most of the Christmas season. Last year, it was Amy Grant's "A Christmas to Remember" and though I still want to "Light up the fire" and "Wake up to a World of White", this year, it has been the "Christmastime is here" from the Charlie Brown special. This Christmas has been such a nostalgic Christmas for me. I don't really know why, I have just spent a lot of time remembering Christmas' past.
Who else remembers Benedict's Store in Charleston? When I was little, my grandmother didn't drive and my mom and I would take her to do her Christmas shopping. My grandmother very rarely got farther than Greenup so going to Charleston with her was huge, though we still made it home for lunch. I only remember my grandmother eating out one time in my life, she died when I was 18. Anyway, Benedict's was a two story dime store and it was just a wonderland to a little kid waiting for Christmas. One year, in fact probably the last year I got to go, Mom bought three plastic Christmas decorations. When I mentioned them to her, she produced them the next day. They are now proudly on display through my house. I also remember the last time I was there, Silver Bells playing on the music. Funny the things we remember.
How about Holt's in Greenup? That has been another memory that has popped through my mind. One Christmas they were having a drawing for a doll that was as tall as I was, I was so excited about the possibility of winning that doll. I didn't win it but I will always even remember the smell of Holts.
Andrew has found that he has become desensitized to eggs, he has been eating straight eggs, meaning I can make my mom's awesome Fantasy Fudge for the first time in our married life.
We currently have chocolate walnut, peanut butter, butterscotch and white chocolate. That has been a big memory!
I have also went back in time to so many of our Christmas programs. Trygve Butler and Robert were part of my high school boys for the skit in the Awana program. How many Christmas programs were Tryg's mom, Amy and I in together? I have pictures of a couple of times we played our flutes together.
That helps me remember there is no place like home and the love of lifetime friends.
This post is more for me than anyone reading it. I wanted a record for myself of what has been going through my mind. I know I am backwards to the entire world but this is honestly our slow time with band taking up fall and chorus taking up spring, we have had more time than normal. I only bought for Robert and the great-neices this year, everyone else is getting homemade things. I liked that too, I liked the feel of that and will probably expand on that next year.
This is probably not the last "Christmas post" but for today, Merry CHRISTmas!
Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there
Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...
Who else remembers Benedict's Store in Charleston? When I was little, my grandmother didn't drive and my mom and I would take her to do her Christmas shopping. My grandmother very rarely got farther than Greenup so going to Charleston with her was huge, though we still made it home for lunch. I only remember my grandmother eating out one time in my life, she died when I was 18. Anyway, Benedict's was a two story dime store and it was just a wonderland to a little kid waiting for Christmas. One year, in fact probably the last year I got to go, Mom bought three plastic Christmas decorations. When I mentioned them to her, she produced them the next day. They are now proudly on display through my house. I also remember the last time I was there, Silver Bells playing on the music. Funny the things we remember.
How about Holt's in Greenup? That has been another memory that has popped through my mind. One Christmas they were having a drawing for a doll that was as tall as I was, I was so excited about the possibility of winning that doll. I didn't win it but I will always even remember the smell of Holts.
Andrew has found that he has become desensitized to eggs, he has been eating straight eggs, meaning I can make my mom's awesome Fantasy Fudge for the first time in our married life.
We currently have chocolate walnut, peanut butter, butterscotch and white chocolate. That has been a big memory!
I have also went back in time to so many of our Christmas programs. Trygve Butler and Robert were part of my high school boys for the skit in the Awana program. How many Christmas programs were Tryg's mom, Amy and I in together? I have pictures of a couple of times we played our flutes together.
That helps me remember there is no place like home and the love of lifetime friends.
This post is more for me than anyone reading it. I wanted a record for myself of what has been going through my mind. I know I am backwards to the entire world but this is honestly our slow time with band taking up fall and chorus taking up spring, we have had more time than normal. I only bought for Robert and the great-neices this year, everyone else is getting homemade things. I liked that too, I liked the feel of that and will probably expand on that next year.
This is probably not the last "Christmas post" but for today, Merry CHRISTmas!
Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there
Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Learning Experience.
Most people who know me well, know I am a cryer. I bawl over songs, movies, cute babies, ugly babies, weddings...you get the picture. In normal everyday life, it can be embarrassing but in a professional life, it can downright be a sign of weakness.
Today I had a breakthrough. Yes, I had a real opportunity for tears and they never came! Had they came, thirteen of my friends would have had to maintain their composure while watching me loose it. I am still patting myself on the back.
Now, for the reason I should have been in tears.....or not. We get up to do the Christmas Cantata this morning in our Christmas program. We are doing the Christmas cantata to a DVD that is showing a movie while we are singing. Half way into the first song, three of our choir members make it clear to me that they can hear the people singing on the DVD. Everything is unplugged that is supposed to be and there are no reasonable explanation for what is happening, but the plain bitter truth is, it's happening. As we go on, I get to thinking, while directing the current song that we have one song that I have changed DRASTICALLY to fit the needs of our choir. I finally realized at the end of a song, that there was nothing else to do but quit, tell the congregation we are having technical difficulties and start over using a different media.
We lived through it and I feel the presentation was better because of it. After I had stopped the DVD and announced to everyone we would have to start over, found the CD, got it in and got back on the podium; that was the second I felt tears start to well up. Then I thought, "Really, this is the small stuff. The people in front of me are my friends, the people behind me are my friends and we are all here to honor God." I also had a flash run through my mind of something major that happened this week at work. A little senior citizens couple now have heat that they didn't have at the beginning of the week because of a joint effort of several of us at work. That was the big stuff, this wasn't. This was for God's glory and me falling apart was not the best way to glorify God.
Tonight, as we are walking through the halls of a nursing home, singing Christmas carols to the residents and them waving to us as we walk by, my son caught the "Christmas Spirit". He came running to me outside of the nursing home and said "Now it feels like Christmas". That's the big stuff. Christmas to my son is showing God's love to others, not thinking about what is under the tree. I got in the car considering what I had just received for Christmas.
Today has been a very eventful day, not exactly as I had planned but had it went as planned I would not be feeling anymore accomplished, or wiser than I was when I got out of bed this morning. Some of God's greatest gifts come in the oddest packages.
Now I'm crying.
Today I had a breakthrough. Yes, I had a real opportunity for tears and they never came! Had they came, thirteen of my friends would have had to maintain their composure while watching me loose it. I am still patting myself on the back.
Now, for the reason I should have been in tears.....or not. We get up to do the Christmas Cantata this morning in our Christmas program. We are doing the Christmas cantata to a DVD that is showing a movie while we are singing. Half way into the first song, three of our choir members make it clear to me that they can hear the people singing on the DVD. Everything is unplugged that is supposed to be and there are no reasonable explanation for what is happening, but the plain bitter truth is, it's happening. As we go on, I get to thinking, while directing the current song that we have one song that I have changed DRASTICALLY to fit the needs of our choir. I finally realized at the end of a song, that there was nothing else to do but quit, tell the congregation we are having technical difficulties and start over using a different media.
We lived through it and I feel the presentation was better because of it. After I had stopped the DVD and announced to everyone we would have to start over, found the CD, got it in and got back on the podium; that was the second I felt tears start to well up. Then I thought, "Really, this is the small stuff. The people in front of me are my friends, the people behind me are my friends and we are all here to honor God." I also had a flash run through my mind of something major that happened this week at work. A little senior citizens couple now have heat that they didn't have at the beginning of the week because of a joint effort of several of us at work. That was the big stuff, this wasn't. This was for God's glory and me falling apart was not the best way to glorify God.
Tonight, as we are walking through the halls of a nursing home, singing Christmas carols to the residents and them waving to us as we walk by, my son caught the "Christmas Spirit". He came running to me outside of the nursing home and said "Now it feels like Christmas". That's the big stuff. Christmas to my son is showing God's love to others, not thinking about what is under the tree. I got in the car considering what I had just received for Christmas.
Today has been a very eventful day, not exactly as I had planned but had it went as planned I would not be feeling anymore accomplished, or wiser than I was when I got out of bed this morning. Some of God's greatest gifts come in the oddest packages.
Now I'm crying.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Once Again.....
I'm slipping, horribly, again.... I am truly realizing I am one of those people who does not function well without a certain degree of stress. I don't know what to do with myself and the worst part is I get behind. How much sense does that make? Honestly, the only thing I am behind on is my blog, and my attic, and my garage. I am having this awful urge to come home of an evening and sit. I'm not used to the concept and I don't really like the feeling of "non-accomplishment" that comes with it so I am going to have to do better.
Here is an update--seeing as how I haven't posted a thing since the 30th of Novemember.
Andrew and I celebrated our 18th anniversary on the 6th. We went out, by ourselves, two weekends in a row. That, I am most definately sure, was the first time in 17 years that had happened. We went to Niemergs for Andrew's birthday,which we decided we were probably old enough for the crowd, and the next weekend we went to Robinson and saw The Blindside. The movie was awesome, if you get a chance, you should see it.
Of course, we are getting ready for Christmas, I have my shopping done, now if it were just wrapped. I used to love wrapping presents, now, for some reason, not so much. I am not being a scrooge, just one of those things I think I need to be a perfectionist in, so it takes such a long time. I normally wrap as I buy so I don't have a mountain facing me, another thing I am slipping on.
The Awana guys were all here Sunday to decorate cookies, we had a great time, my mom had the camera that day, I will have to wait until a get pictures from her to post, my batteries were dead. We have our Awana Christmas program tonight, the guys are great in their part and can't wait for them to do it. They are doing a skit that leads to them reading the Christmas story. Everyone is amazed that high school boys would be willing to do this--I have the cream of the crop as far as I am concerned.
Our Sunday School program and Choir Cantata is Sunday morning. This will be my last " stressor" of the season. Our last practice for the cantata is normally a bad one, this one went extremely well--would you believe that makes me worry?? It just means I have to pray more. If you aren't busy Sunday morning at 10 a.m. come out to our program. We are showing a DVD with our cantata and I think the effect is really good.
Last Friday night, I got to go with a group of friends from church to the Angela Lilly Christmas Show at LTC. This was my first time going and I loved it! What a great way to take a little time out and just enjoy the season!
Looking forward, as of today, I have six days of work left this year! I haven't taken an entire week off since last Christmas. I am SO ready. I am never going to let that happen again! Of course, we normally spend a weekend in St. Louis while I am on vacation. This year, I am technically taking sick time instead of vacation because Robert is having his wisdom teeth cut out. That happens at 8:45 on Monday the 28th.
It looks like after the first of the year, Andrew is going back to days. He will be working 4 twelves like he does now, but 8-8 on days. It will be a big switch, especially since we will both be getting ready for work at the same time each morning. The plus side, maybe we won't have so many times we go for days without seeing each other! Last week, I said goodbye to him Thursday evening and didn't see him until Saturday morning, we had both been home, just not at the same time. I am especially looking forward to more Saturdays togethter that he doesn't have to spend half the day sleeping.
Here is an update--seeing as how I haven't posted a thing since the 30th of Novemember.
Andrew and I celebrated our 18th anniversary on the 6th. We went out, by ourselves, two weekends in a row. That, I am most definately sure, was the first time in 17 years that had happened. We went to Niemergs for Andrew's birthday,which we decided we were probably old enough for the crowd, and the next weekend we went to Robinson and saw The Blindside. The movie was awesome, if you get a chance, you should see it.
Of course, we are getting ready for Christmas, I have my shopping done, now if it were just wrapped. I used to love wrapping presents, now, for some reason, not so much. I am not being a scrooge, just one of those things I think I need to be a perfectionist in, so it takes such a long time. I normally wrap as I buy so I don't have a mountain facing me, another thing I am slipping on.
The Awana guys were all here Sunday to decorate cookies, we had a great time, my mom had the camera that day, I will have to wait until a get pictures from her to post, my batteries were dead. We have our Awana Christmas program tonight, the guys are great in their part and can't wait for them to do it. They are doing a skit that leads to them reading the Christmas story. Everyone is amazed that high school boys would be willing to do this--I have the cream of the crop as far as I am concerned.
Our Sunday School program and Choir Cantata is Sunday morning. This will be my last " stressor" of the season. Our last practice for the cantata is normally a bad one, this one went extremely well--would you believe that makes me worry?? It just means I have to pray more. If you aren't busy Sunday morning at 10 a.m. come out to our program. We are showing a DVD with our cantata and I think the effect is really good.
Last Friday night, I got to go with a group of friends from church to the Angela Lilly Christmas Show at LTC. This was my first time going and I loved it! What a great way to take a little time out and just enjoy the season!
Looking forward, as of today, I have six days of work left this year! I haven't taken an entire week off since last Christmas. I am SO ready. I am never going to let that happen again! Of course, we normally spend a weekend in St. Louis while I am on vacation. This year, I am technically taking sick time instead of vacation because Robert is having his wisdom teeth cut out. That happens at 8:45 on Monday the 28th.
It looks like after the first of the year, Andrew is going back to days. He will be working 4 twelves like he does now, but 8-8 on days. It will be a big switch, especially since we will both be getting ready for work at the same time each morning. The plus side, maybe we won't have so many times we go for days without seeing each other! Last week, I said goodbye to him Thursday evening and didn't see him until Saturday morning, we had both been home, just not at the same time. I am especially looking forward to more Saturdays togethter that he doesn't have to spend half the day sleeping.
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