New TV series, 'Raggs Rockin' Kids', Kid Search

Well here's what I'm thinkin': It sounds like a VERY exciting opportunity, yet a very delicate one to consider. I, myself, have always struggled with the idea to put my kids in the public spotlight because of everything that goes along with it; the pressure from directors, the media, and even my own child pushing themselves hard to please the audience. Not to mention if a show that they starred in were to become a big 'hit', my child (and family) would loose all privacy, even the smallest amounts of shred they'd have would eventually be violated by paparazzi, fans, haters, stalkers, all of it. I used to be okay with the idea of trying to put them in the 'spotlight' (as recently I entered my sons picture into a photo contest, and he actually won), but here lately I've really been doing a lot more thinking about this and now I'm not so sure I want to introduce them to this busy and obviously stressful and chaotic lifestyle. Just look at the the media now with all the frenzy and hype surrounding the families of sadly deceased celebrities; it seemed for a minute that the entire globe 'lost it'. . Especially over 'The King of Pop'! Can anyone ever say that any of these major celebs had real peace, ever after they became famous???? Is it worth it to get lost in a world that most of us know nothing about? Is it worth the risk to find out that this lifestyle might lead them too pursue self medicating themselves down the road (with either street drugs or prescription) in efforts to ease their troubles?? More importantly is it worth your child risking the idea of losing their identity; who God called them to be, if they were saved by Christ? And if they aren't, is it worth it to subdue them into a life that may lead them to seek after other gods, pulling them away from pursuing Jesus? I'm guessing that after many of the stars out there today (alive or not) became super stars, that somewhere in their journey of fame they wished they could take it all back and live a life of privacy, contentment, and peace. I'd bet that at least one of the four celebrities that passed this last week would have given half their earnings to go back in time and change the course of life they went down, even if just for a moment. It definitely gives ya something to think about doesn't it? Almost forgot; here's the link if you are a mother who is interested in giving their child a chance at Stardom: Raggs Rockin' Kids Search. Keep in mind I found this out late, so there's only 1 more day to enter. Good luck. (If you voted please share why you voted the way you did. I'm really curious about this and would love your feedback.) And check back here on Wednesday night. Come to find out my hubby would like to share on our blog; something he's only done once a long time ago....hmmmmmm.....I dunno even know what he's gonna say...

How HOT (or not) is it where you live?

I'm not sure about where everyone else resides but I can tell you right now that the heat here in Houston has been nothing but merciless. Our city has hit record highs for the month of June climbing to 105 degrees today. The last record high for this month was 102 degrees in 1980 and before that it was again at 102 degrees in 1934. But it feels much, much hotter than this, as the heat index, which is a combination of the temperature and the humidity, shows at 110 degrees. Basically that is how it feels to be living in this very hot and unbearable weather right now if you live where I do. We are a family of 4 that loves to do things together, usually outdoors like my husband and I following our kids on their 12" and 16" bicycles as we stroll around the block a time or two, or going to visit NASA Space Center where they have both indoor and outdoor tours of their grounds. Other times we enjoy visiting the Houston Zoo which is free to the public on the 4Th of July, but who's going to want to go with temperatures this high? Our family is the type that likes to 'go'. We are not houseplants and do not want to sit indoors as such! Which is why this horrible heat wave is really cramping our style. Just a few days ago when my husband went with his buddy to play golf he said that the heat had gotten to him so badly that he began to feel light-headed and dizzy for a brief amount of time. This was news to me as Jesse rarely gets sick or feels side affects with hardly anything, including the weather, whether it's pouring cats and dogs outside or there is a very, very bad 'cold front' that flows through our area, or the sidewalk is so hot it can cook an egg. So when he mentioned this to me naturally I became worried. I knew asking him to slow down with his favorite sport wasn't going to leave much of an impact on him and since myself and the kids are also straining under the weather as well I began to search online for those neck coolers I had heard of but have yet to purchase. Do you know the one's I am referring to? If not here is just what one of them looks like and here is the link to this particular product shown; Ultimate Ice Wrap.:

Here are links to more styles of neck wraps that are claimed to cool your body down to beat the heat this summer: Icey Wrap , MiraCool Collar Cooler, Cool Bandanas, Herbal Hugs, Dura Kold Neck Wrap, and the Neck Cold Pack.

The one's my husband and I preferred the most out of all of these we checked out was the Neck Cold Pack and the Icey Wrap, 1) because of their size; they aren't intrusive the way some other neck wraps are such as the Dura Kold Neck Wrap, which we found to look incredibly bulky and uncomfortable even and 2) we both liked these two Neck Wraps because they both appear to be simple to use, they are affordable, and small enough to wrap around our kids; especially the Icey Wrap, which looks to me almost like a mans necktie. The main one we did not like the look of was the Dura Kold Neck Wrap, as it looks like a full neck brace worn by a patient exiting a hospital or something. Not to mention the price of this wrap was expensive at $54 a POP!

Now don't get me wrong; we have not tried any of these products listed above at all. We are just basing all of our own personal information based on what we felt after soley viewing and reading about their products on their websites. Once we actually get whichever product we decide on then we'll know for sure whether or not they 'deliver' the job they claim to. I for one am really counting on them to, as I don't want to be disappointed in finding out a neck wrap we buy only cools us down for a mere 5 minutes before it begins to slack off drastically!

Feel free to view any of the site links I've listed for yourself and by all means if you have any other awesome ideas to keep ones body cooled down during the sweltering summers months, by all means please do share!! Like I said, I don't know how hot it is where you are living but down here, it's plain brutal right now. Even so I try to count my blessings that we aren't dealing with flash floods of high water to drive through like we did this time last year, as this is the beginning of Hurricane Season so anything is possible I suppose.

On that note, if I did have to choose between driving with my two kids in high watered streets with unforseen dips in the road or having to take three cold baths every day to cool down, I would choose the latter. So praise the Lord, My God and Protector, that we are safe and are not having to deal with worse conditions! Thank you Lord! Ephesians 5:20 God is always good!

Tell Me Thursday

Tell Me Thursday's description behind the photo I posted yesterday on Wordless Wednesday is about my son's expression on his face. (See photo below/before this posting.) One friend left a comment for yesterday's Wordless Wednesday asking 'What was he thinking in that picture?' but I was waiting until today to answer that in my Tell Me Thursday Post. And here it is; The image shown yesterday is again of our son, 3. He is a natural born sports player, but his main love in sports has always been baseball. He loves to have someone pitch the ball to him and then focus on his swing and slams the ball pretty darn good for a 3 year old. So on this particular photo you see our son showing an expression of confusion mixed with disappointment as if he were saying 'What the heck?!'. It was during this last Father's Day and we drove the 5 hours to visit my father, the kids grandfather and during our stay a lot of family was there playing ball at a nearby field. As soon as little Jesse saw them he asked if I could get his ball and bat out of the trunk of the SUV (because he always carries it everywhere), so I did. As soon as he had them in hand, he rushed to the field with the big guys and lined up to join in on the fun, but not one minute after he got to the field that my father and stepmother were calling everyone back up to the house to serve everyone lunch. So the field cleared rather quickly and this is why you see our 3 year old expressing this very confused and frustrated look on his face. He was ready and excited to play some ball with the grown up and teens and the next time he turned his head everyone was leaving the field. Here is the full image of the photo, which I didn't show in my Wordless Wednesday post because I didn't want to give the expression on his face away by the full image showing a bare field and his glove in hand. So there you have it, my Tell Me Thursday story behind my Wordless Wednesday photo! :D

If you aren't familiar with Tell Me Thursday just click this link here: Tell Me Thursday to get all the information and questions answer that you may have. It's fun and a joy to participate in. I hope you have fun just as well.

Wordless Wednesday

I ♥ Faces Photo Entry! Week 24 "Let's Hear It For The Boys."

Week 24: "Let's Here It For The Boys" I ♥ Faces Photo contest entry.

As some of you may know (others may not) I have a big passion for photography. Well for a long time I have been wanting to participate in the well known 'I ♥ faces.com' weekly photo contests, but I never have because I've never felt quite good enough about any of my photo's to submit them. However with this weeks theme being in honor of Father's Day all I have to do is pick a great photo I took myself and like which has to be only of either a man or boy; no girls allowed. Sounds simple enough right? Uh, no. Not for me at least because I've been spending a lot of time today searching through tons of pictures of both my son and husband trying to pick the best one to submit before the deadline cut-off tonight at 9PM. My chosen entries are below. It may not be the best for some but it was the best I could find in my multitude of snapshots I've taken. In case you've never heard of this famous 'I ♥ faces' blog let me enlighten you that it is an online photography blog that gives TONS of photo taking tips, tutorials, enhancing tools and ideas, and even gives site links for you to visit which offers even more ways to enhance any of your pictures to be high quality and stand out at it's best. The contest is open to any photographers; Beginners, Amateurs, and Professionals. They also have the contests divided into two other categories; Adults and Kids. You just have to submit your entry into the group that fits you category. There are more to the contest requirements than I am sharing so if you're interested in joining in on the fun, I recommend you visiting their site to get all the rules, guidelines, and FAQ's so that you can get all the information from them, instead of me. :D You can either click on the image above or click on this link here: i Heart Faces to visit their blog site directly. If you enjoy photography like I do, than I'm sure you'll absolutely fall in love with the site just as I have.

My photo entry for the Kids Category: I personally love this photo because it was very impulsive and 'perfect timing' when I noticed my son through our kitchen window with him blowing at a dandelion he found in the grass. I love his little lips puckering out and his cheeks showing the motion of a gentle 'puff'. But even more than that, what you can't see in the image, is how I loved the intense focus he had on this little dandelion flower, which some refer to as a weed. He was so focused and intrigued by it that I had enough time to dry my hands off from doing dishes, grab the camera and capture quite a few snapshots, but even then he didn't look up from his gaze on this gentle flower. He was captivated with it for probably over a solid 6 minutes, which is quite a lengthy time for a 3 year old little boy, and trust me when I say he is ALL boy!

Adult Category:

I absolutely love and embrace this shot which I took of my husband playing with our son, also shown above but when he was older. I remember everything about this playful day, which ended as we were starting to clean up our oldest daughter's bedroom. The kids still had the giggles as did little Jesse (below with daddy) as he embraced for yet another round of tickles from him. But Jesse, my husband, was sneaky because he tricked our son into thinking he was going in for a kiss but then he playfully snuggled him on the floor with tickle kisses everywhere! It was so cute and adorable; you couldn't help but smile as you listened to little Jesse's laughter over this. It is so cute and precious to watch a baby begin to laugh abundantly in expectation for something that hasn't even happened yet; which depicts this in the huge smile on our sons face in this photograph. We call my husband the 'tickle force police' as he loves to play, play, play with both our kids which is very healthy for them both mentally and emotionally. It's a joy to see and capture such images of father and son bonding in such a way as this. My husband is such a blessing not to just me but to both our kids oh so much! Love ya babe! Just keep those tickle fingers away from mommy! :D

The Post Office at it's Best!

This is one of the kindest things you may ever see. It is not known whose story or family this is about or even who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the 'dead letter office' of the US postal service. Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words: "Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith" We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: "Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by... Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love. Love, God" I don't know about you but when I read this story it brought tears to my eyes. The postal man who took the time and effort to be touched by Abbey's letter and then take even more extra steps by getting a book to help her grieving heart and then add his own letter 'from God' to accompany this book just touched me deeply. Isn't this just the simplistic type of heart and love that God wants all of us to show to one another? Compassion, empathy, love, and genuine care? I think so.

Do you think that in a Christian marriage that divorce is acceptable, if ever?

I am a member of Christian Twitters and in one of their forum's this question was asked. So I wanted to ask you what you thought about this. I myself, have researched this years back when a family member of mine was contemplating divorce and I found a widget that discussed this very thing. Here is what they shared: If you are having a hard time reading this widget but wish to then simply click the link above thew widget in blue and it will take you to the site I took the widget from. It should be easier for you to view the widget there. What Does the Bible Say About Divorce and Remarriage So my question to you is what do you think about this subject? Do you feel that divorce is ever acceptable in a Christian (or other) marriage between a man and a woman or do you think it's completely unacceptable and that any circumstances that may affect the marriage to lead towards divorce should be resolved in any manner (counseling, Pastor help, or other resources) so that it does not terminate the vows that were made before God?

Tell Me Thursday

Here is the culprit for Wordless Wedness photo. Read below:

My photo (below this post) titled 'Wordless Wednesday' is a picture of our son, age 2 1/2 years, when we took him and our daughter to Toys R Us to visit Barney, (the purple dinosaur), was advertised to be at their store for the better half of the day. They both had viewed 'Barney' on TV at various times but they never saw this purple dinosaur in person. When they knew that he was going to be at our local Toys R Us, they both wanted to see him, in sheer excitement but when the time actually came and we were entering the store our son freaked big time. However Hannah, our older daughter was very much wanting to see and take a picture with Barney. So because of this we felt we had to wait in the over 2 hour line to take a photo with this well known dinosaur. The closer we edged, ever so slowly, to Barney the more freaked our son would act, resulting in the end as full blown tears and scary cries. I felt bad for the little guy and I tried my best to help calm his nerves. The funniest part? As soon as we left Toys R Us and got our son buckled in his car seat, he made the comment 'Mommy I want to go again!' to which my husband and I both told him 'Sweetie, not until you are a bit older okay?'. I was in shock that I was actually hearing these words in my ears from him, but even so I guess that's just how it goes. Eventful day? Yes. Will I do it again? No, at least never alone. I'm glad I asked my husband to go along with me, which he didn't want to do to begin with, but I'm sooooo thankful he did. I thought most younger kids loved Barney and would get a 'kick' out of seeing him in person. Apparently some do not! Who knew?!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

So embarrassed!!! (My family in the 'Raw')

My husband and I drove the 15 mile short trip to the car dealership to test drive a newer, but still compact and small SUV. Our little 'Black bear' Ford Escape has been holding together well for the past 4 years (when we purchased it already used) pretty well, but within the last few months it has progressively shown more and more signs of age and wearing. Jesse, my husband, had been researching various and more safety conscious vehicles online and I wasn't entirely sure which one's he was interested in, but today he stated that he wanted us to go and test drive one. I was surprised as we pulled up into the Mercedes Dealership and actually parked our aged Ford in their lot. Thankfully I had the kids dressed decently and though I could have looked a bit nicer myself I still passed for looking like a (somewhat) serious consumer, interested and ready to do some car shopping with my spouse. LOL! My husband and I were quickly approached my a well dressed dealin' man when my husband swiftly chimed in and asked for a woman by the name of Nikki. The 'dealin' man' was courtesy and asked our names so that he could let her know we were there to meet with her. After about just a half a minute a middle aged, professional looking woman appeared to greet and introduce herself to us. After getting some simple information from my husband she 'passed' us back over to Gary, (the 'dealin' man') who had first met up with us in the parking lot. Gary walked my family over to the Mercedes ML320 BlueTec (Diesel SUV). I have never owned so much as any kind of classy, high end, vehicle like this; shoot I don't even own any expensive perfumes, so getting the specs on this vehicle was on the rather uneasy side of my comfort level. I felt out of place in so many ways and my children didn't help my anxiety in the least. In fact they heightened it by many levels with their childlike misbehavior and disobedience. I guess my husband and I must admit to taking some of the blame, since we aren't always the best coaches when it comes to our kids acting overly silly and not teaching them about improper times for such misconduct and loony acts of foolishness. Let me clarify. My kids are good; no, great kids, but there are times that they tend to get rather silly and with more recent learning 'skills' they have picked up from peers their ages they have begun to laugh at bodily noises that 'occasionally' escape the human body. This being said, my kids have been (can you handle me sharing this?) having the biggest laughing attacks about 'toots' that we all have experienced ourselves; sometimes and preferably when we are alone, but others times we aren't so lucky and this 'escaped' noise can be quite the embarrassment. Such an event had occurred today by my family and then our 3 year old son broadcasts it ever so loudly in laughter to the entire dealership! That's right! Just when I didn't think my kids could embarrass me out in public any more than they already have this past year by various things, they seemed to have called my bluff. I did not expect this at all and I was red in my face in a matter of Milli-seconds! I wanted to die. Do you visualize what I am sharing here? If not let me break it down. While we were visiting and test driving this somewhat pricey and very classy Mercedes SUV I had done the unthinkable by accidentally passing some gas with noise, and my almost 4 year old didn't allow this to go unnoticed. Of course not, why would he?! NO, instead him and my almost 6 year old began laughing in such hysterics that the sales man began to ask in a friendly manner as to bond with my children by asking them 'What's so funny guys?'. My face was already probably 10 shades of red as I quietly begged my mind, hoping that my son would read my mind with the threatening tone as I sweated in fear, 'DON'T say it!' Did this help? Of course not!; we're talking about a 3, almost 4 year old little boy who just recently began to get the giggle bug over this whole concept of laughing over such things. And then it happened; little 'Happy' announced to the entire showcase floor room in one of the loudest and most giggling voices, while pointing directly at me 'MOMMY TOOTED A STINKY!!!' followed along with even more belly holding laughter which this time was accompanied by my almost 6 year old daughter. I was glad to see them get such a massive chuckle at my expense (sarcasm obviously) but I was utterly embarrassed beyond expression that they had humiliated me! Could I ask for anything worse? I wondered this as the salesman was very gracious in how he tactfully pretended to not hear my child's loud and obnoxious broadcast to the entire dealership! I thought this was very nice and courteous of him but even still I was just as red, probably even more! My husband gave this goofy like smile to me, as if he too wanted to begin laughing along in disbelief over what had just happened, but he knew better and quickly began to pull in the reigns on our 'Happy' and 'Jewel's' out of control hysteria. Well this whole scene came and went, thankfully, on the rather quick side but none the less, I was still very much in disbelief over what had happened, and I began right there and then to start teaching my kids about 'appropriate behavior' in public. Since my husband and I didn't want to pull out both the kids car and booster seats out of our own truck to test drive the Mercedes we decided to test drive the SUV separately by taking turns. When my husband was out on his turn I began the training of 'Appropriate Behavior 101' to both 'Happy' and 'Jewel'. I picked a spot in the showroom that had two chairs together and had them both sit still while I explained that their loud laughter, accompanied hyper, and little 'Happy' telling the salesman and everyone else in earshot that mommy tooted was inappropriate behavior and that it embarrassed mommy and daddy when they acted this way. To which 'Jewel' interrupted with 'What's embarrassed?'. I explained to them everything as best I could within the time frame of my husbands test drive and can say I happily managed to get them both under control and acting respectful and proper the remainder of our car shopping visit. What did I learn? Well for starters, if I ever felt that I might accidentally let 'one' get lose that I will quickly get as far away from my kids as possible. But seriously what I learned is that, though my kids are great and silly, that they have been lacking the parental teaching of proper conduct in various situations. God calls us as parents to teach our children in His ways so that they can behave and act accordingly so that others who observe and witness our conduct will take notice to how self controlled and orderly we manage ourselves in various settings; both public and private. We are a witnessing tool to the world, and this gave me the perfect opportunity to repeat the meaning of the song 'This little Light of mine'. I was able to remind my kids that the 'Light' represents Christ and the words 'I'm gonna let it shine' describes how we expose the 'Light' (Christ) in our lives to others. If they see us acting foolishly and out of control this obviously does not serve as a good example to reach others, however the followers of Christ that possess self control, wisdom, peace, rational discipline and upright behavior is one that may surely win over the hearts of others to bring them to know and serve the Lord. But we can't do this if we are acting out of control and wild; we must learn self control, something that isn't taught to most of us but is a very necessary and amazing thing to teach our kids to get a grip on. There are many times a child (or adult for that matter) can appear out of control, or in other words may not have self control over the urges they may have to say or do whatever may enter their minds; instead they will just 'act' and 'do' things impulsively, without regard to others around them or even to themselves, which is a big concern. Because we, after all, desire our children to learn self control so that they aren't acting on impulse and making decisions that may harm them or potentially put them in danger. No, we want them to THINK with their brains before acting, in a fashion that is pleasing to God and nothing less. This means, it is up to us as parents to teach our children how to do this. Self-control takes focus, concentration and mainly discipline in NOT acting out of impulse but instead walking in mature and wise decision thinking before causing disrespect, embarrassment, dishonor, or disgrace to themselves, those around them, and ultimately Christ. And don't think this can't be taught to the youngest generation because it can. After coming home and speaking with my kids about the days events we still had about an hour before their bedtime and I challenged both of them to exercise and practice 'self-control', and believe it or not they both (yes, even my 3 year old 'Happy') showed and gained this much needed lesson on this act of will. My friend Jill at Forever n Ever n Always, explains this so perfectly on her blog post entitled 'What Better Witness'. I was very impressed and proud that both my kids actually understood and listened to mommy tonight as I used the day as a teaching tool to correct and teach them proper ways of handling themselves in private and public surroundings. It's just the start, but I really think we are onto a good thing with this. I'm not saying that I'm glad I experienced the humiliating events from tonight because I didn't, but I am glad that it resulting in God showing me where I need to regain control of my kids and their lack of discipline in certain areas. Through this episode tonight I began a new journey of teaching my kids something of utmost importance in my opinion; learning self control. I believe that as they learn this that they will carry with them a very powerful tool that will last them a lifetime and prevent and hopefully protect them from making unwise, quick decisions that might possibly and negatively affect their future. But now with learning this they can know they have the power to show the world how they want to behave and be viewed by others as, not just outstanding citizens, but more importantly ambassadors for Christ. PS. We did not get this nice (oh, so nice) SUV; not tonight at least. I told my husband that if we do decide to purchase it that we are not returning back to that dealership anytime in the near future again, hopefully never. But if we do, we will not be bringing our kids along for the journey. :D Do you have any brief embarrassing story that one of your children put you through that might make me feel just a bit better that this kind of thing doesn't just happen to me?? If so, I would love to hear about it and it really would help ease the pain and suffering I endured this late evening tonight! God bless you all my great friends. I always enjoy your visits! And remember 'God's Not Finished With You Yet!'. Ephesians 5:1

Kreativ Blog Award

I was nominated and very blessed by another blog award that a new friend and sister in Christ blessed me with today. It is the 'Kreativ Blog Award' and was awarded to me by Elizabeth at her blog 'Family Life With the Babler Family'. Thank you so much for nominating me with this award Elizabeth; it is such a joy to receive this gift. It is always an honor. I am required to nominate 7 other bloggers for this award and they are supposed to nominate 7 others. After they accept the award (which I do, thank you again Elizabeth) they are then asked to write a list of 7 things that their blog readers may not already know about them. Here is my list of 7 nominees to pass this award onto and below that is my list of 7 things my friends may not know about me:

1. Sarah Dawn at Splashin' Glory (Her site is such a blessing and joy to read. I love it!)
2. Onna Hall at Toddler Craft (I just learned about her site and I love her great ideas!)
3. Billy Coffey at What I Learned Today (Amazing, just awesome, gifted writer!)
4. Jill at The Excellence of Wisdom (Jill is so smart and creative with her teaching lesson plans for her children's homeschooling God's way. Great, beautiful site.)
5. Jamie at Happy Harper Stories (Jamie's blog is very refreshing, simple to read, and just her being herself. It's a great blog!)
6. Angela at Refresh My Soul Blog (I've always enjoyed Angela's blog and I adore her blog look, which is styled to be like a journal she is writing in.)
7. Alice at From the Heart (Alice has such as sweet, loving heart and is so very kind and encouraging. She is great woman of God and such a blessing to get to know.)

Now here are is my list of 7 things you may not already know about me:

1. I am 5 1/2 years old than my husband. Yup, that's right! And believe me I fought God on dating him when my husband began to ask me out. I was fighting this by telling God "God, I have never dated anyone younger than me ever. This just doesn't seem right and I feel so awkward; I can't." But after all the fighting was done, God knew in the end that Jesse and I would be a perfect match together; silly, playful, loving, gentle, and fun times together, but the best part is that we both love our Christ so much and raise our children in the ways of the Good Lord.
2. I had lasik eye surgery on my eyes roughly 10 years back. And although it really has been one of the best elective surgeries I did for myself there were still some setbacks, as now I have severe Chronic Dry Eye, and have to install prescribed Restasis eye drops along with Obtiv lubricant eye drops in my eyes several times daily long term, possibly forever. This may not seem like a major setback to you but for 1.) These prescription eye drops are expensive; with my insurance my husband and I still pay over $120 for a 3 month supply and these are just on DROPS!!, and for 2.) having Chronic dry eye's makes for a very uncomfortable eye. They do get very, very rough and dry and having to constantly put drops in them multiple times a day is a very interrupting task and a bit frustrating too.
3. I hate, HATE being alone at night. I'm a night owl as it is but when my husband has to work nights and I'm left alone in the house with the kids I get paranoid over the smallest creaks and cracks that our house makes. Even though we have a house alarm, and other security devices, I am just a BIG baby when it comes to me being alone during the night time hours.
4. I'm super silly! I love being goofy and having silly attacks with my hubby, who shares this fun side as well. We get a kick out of a lot of things that other parents might find ridiculous like when our kids began the inevitable phase of our kids laughing hysterically over burping or 'other' bodily sounds, my husband and I both thought is was quite entertaining and silly ourselves as we watched them enter this funny stage of their young lives. And of course my husband has to get into the silliness about this with them as he 'eggs' them on.
5. I am not a good cook! In fact; I'm a bad cook! I hate to say it and I so wish God blessed me with the skills and talent to master up a great meal, but I just stink at it. My husband is very gentle on me about this when I do try to make a special meal that took 2-3 hours to cook but still doesn't taste 'right'. He's very sensitive to appreciating the efforts I make about this and is great at showing how this pleases him that I at least tried. But by God, what can I say? I'm just a horrible cook!
6. I was partially raised by a lesbian mother. If you never read my testimony tab above you probably wouldn't know this, but if you have than you already do. This was very awkward growing up and being raised by her, though she was a loving mom in some ways; she still added a lot of confusion to my ways of thinking in many other ways. Especially years back when being gay wasn't as accepted. It was very hard on me, mainly during my teen years.
7. And last, but never least, the grand finale, #7 thing that you may not know about Sarah Lopez, is that....that....I can't hide it any longer; it has to come out! I do like SpongeBob SquarePants!! I DO!! That's right, I said it, I DO!!! I actually get a kick out of some of these cartoon shows, and plus I love how this silly sponge has very great morals about being a positive and great role model in being the best that he can while he works as a Fry Cook at 'The Krusty Crab Restaurant'. It took me awhile to even view this cartoon because the name sounded so crazy to me, but once I gave it a shot I was surprised to hear my own chuckles coming out of my mouth as I laughed here and there about a few silly things. So yes, it is one of the few 'worldly' cartoons I allow my kids to watch because there isn't any bad fighting, but in fact SpongeBob actually does show very good manners and behaviors for a cartoon.

So there you have it; my list of 7 things you may not have already known about me. So to those that I have passed this award onto; it's now your turn and I can't wait to read what you have to share about yourself!! To God be the glory!!

Nominees: Please make sure that when you select your 7 nominees of your own that you remember to copy this Blog Award image into your post so that your nominees can also copy it from you. Make sure that put a link in your blog about the person that nominated you on your posting and don't forget to leave a comment on your blog picks that you nominated them for this award. And most of all; have fun in accepting and passing this award onto others! God bless!

Hey check out this fun Toddler Craft site!! It's too cool!

I stumbled across a blog last week that I think is too cool. It's by blog author Onna Hall who hosts the blog 'Toddler Craft'. Her site has a ton of great craft ideas for kids who vary in different ages 1-7, and she even has online contests where you can enter and show off your childs craft that they made at home. Then all the readers of her blog get to be included on the vote for each age category for the craft they liked the most. Now I'm getting my own kids involved to try out some of these craft projects, which I think will be a lot of fun for them. It'll be a great way for them to use their imagination and keep their brains more active during the summertime when they aren't in preschool or kindergarten. Parents get a chance to win prizes as well!!! And there are a lot of ways to earn extra points to get them too! So if you have some kids and you'd like to participate in the fun than check out Onna's site, 'Toddler Craft' by clicking this link here: Toddler Craft or the blog button image above for details about contests she's doing and jump right in and get involved! Hope to see some of you there! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Heads or Tails?

Yesterday we allowed our almost 6 year old to make her first independent decision 98% on her own with a family planning event we were sorting out.

My husband had Friday off, which is rather unusual for him so we decided to take the kids to Moody Gardens on Galveston Island. There are a number of fun things to do there and our Jewel really wanted to go swim in the man made pretty Palm beaches that they have there. However they also have a ton of other things to do and we couldn't fit everything into our time slot, so we gave her her first opportunity to pick one family choice activity for what we were going to experience. We helped her some by telling her what each exhibit (like the Butterfly Pyramid) had to offer, and showed her some pictures to help her in making her decision. Naturally she was having a hard time because she wanted to do them all so after waiting for a very long time, we asked her 'Name two things that you are having a hard time in picking from?' Her reply 'We went to the beach part last time, and so today I really, really love butterflies and want to see them, but I want to also see the Dinosaurs today too.' Our 3 yr. old "Mr. Happy" chimed in 'Me too! I want to see the dinosaurs too!' Since she was having a difficult time making a decision we explained to her 'Heads or Tails' and she could chose this way. She agreed. So up, up, up the quarter went and as it began to land Hannah yelled 'HEADS!', which meant we'd be visiting the Dinosaur Exhibit. It actually did land on 'heads' but even still Jewel was not completely satisfied. She was sad that we wouldn't be going to the Butterfly Pyramid and later stated that she changed her mind and wanted to go there.

We told her 'Sweetie you already made your decision and we are already walking to the Dinosaur Exhibit. We can view the butterflies the next time we come okay?' She wasn't willing to settle which is when my husband and I looked at one another as if to read each other's mind that she's not quite ready to make her own decision on something. She's still too young and mommy and daddy need to plan the day out until she is older. We still went to the Dinosaur Exhibit and the kids did enjoy it somewhat, except our 3 yr. old 'Mr. Happy' who started to cry from hearing the big dinosaurs growling noises and watching their giant mouths open up as if to grab him.

See how 'Happy' is turning cautiously to keep an 'eye' on the dinosaur? Poor little guy.

Luckily the director of the exhibit told us about a robotic dinosaur around the corner that our kids can motorize themselves so that they won't be so scared in knowing that it's just a robot. This seemed to help 'Happy' and when we went into the exhibit he hardly cried, but just a bit.

My point in the post is that sometimes we aren't 'old enough' to make our own decisions; we aren't ready for that role, which is okay. We realized this with Jewel who really struggled in making a choice. It was to hard for her, even with the coin toss. She still had a decent time, but wasn't entirely happy missing the Butterflies.

Sometimes I believe we are all like this. Making a decision can be hard, even as adults. We want to make the better choice but sometimes we don't know what that will be and we disappoint our self, which is what Jewel did. Decisions don't always come easy. That, to me, is where we need to pray, even about the small stuff. And especially about our kids making the choices. We had thought Jewel would get a big 'tickle' out of picking the event, which she did, but in the end she cried that she didn't see the butterflies. I think we all need to find the fine line of maturity when making choices with most things. Some people aren't capable or ready to make certain decisions, and we need to recognize this so that it doesn't come out poorly or even reflect upon us.

I think next time we offer Jewel to chose something we'll skip the coin toss and allow her to really think about what she prefers, one whole day ahead of our family outing. We still had a decent and fun time, though there were a few bumps in the road.

God calls us to make good decisions, using wisdom in our thinking and to follow things through, but if you are having a hard time with this He is always there to help you out. If you are having a rough decision to make seek the Lord's help to guide you, for He will meet you were you are at. He loves you to much not to. James 1:5

Photo's from Amanda's Welcome Home Party from Iraq.

Angels watching over us, Black Bear and our wedding Anniversary.

No, this doesn't have anything to do with an actual bear, however I do have so many things I want to share but where is the time? I'll start with 'Black Bear'. 'Black Bear' is what we (the kids and I named our small black SUV truck, and our white car is named 'White Wolf'.). This past weekend we drove to Dallas for my half-sisters 'Welcome Home from Iraq Party'. On the return back I was ever so tired, I pushed myself to hard trying to make the trip to Dallas and then return to Houston to make it to my twin nieces High School graduation, but I missed it. I was so upset. Here's how it went down: When I arrived in Dallas my step-mother, bless her heart, set us up in our usual room with a full sized bed, blankets, and anything else we needed, but when the kids and I went to sleep that night little Jesse snuggled up so close to me and had his 3 yr. old knee poked right into my back bone.(he was supposed to be sleeping in a comfy playpen next to the bed, but he refused; go figure. LOL) which made it impossible for me to get a decent sleep. I tried several times to push him aside but with not such luck; he only seemed to get closer to me. This made it impossible for me to get a much needed sleep. I awoke beyond exhausted and with a slight back ache that I kept to myself. We went to the party as planned and to make it on time back to Houston we left the party at 2Pm to make my nieces High School graduation. But I was tired. The lack of sleep and hypnotic road trip left me feeling very sleepy. Low and behold a Fair Field Sheriff's Police Officer pulled me over. The sheriff was very nice (didn't even give me a ticket) and told me that the dispatcher's had several 9-1-1 phone calls stating that my truck was recklessly driving and swerving on the highway. I had no idea. He told me I was lucky to be alive because after he received the dispatch of where I was last located he sped ahead to see if I would pass him. Sure enough I did and he said he saw me swerving and almost hit an under bridge huge concrete pole. He said I must have somehow been startled because at just the right time I jerked the truck to avoid smacking into a concrete pole. He told me he almost saw me flip the truck over. My answer to the Sheriff? I didn't even know it but I was falling asleep at the wheel. He said he could tell by my disposition that I looked very tired. He called for an EMT to get my blood pressure and had another officer drive my truck, with my kids and I in it, to the Fair Field Sheriffs Department for someone to pick me up. I called my husband who (bless his poor little heart was supposed to be sleeping for his long shift the following day) drove the 3+ hours to come collect myself, Jewell and 'Mr. Happy'. I immediately apologized to him for having to take the drive and for almost killing us. He was very, very gentle, though he later expressed deserved frustration and irritation. I was very sorry and humiliated. While waiting for my husband at the Sheriffs Department the officer informed me that falling asleep at the wheel is almost as bad at driving drunk; for you are unaware of your surroundings and can't control your movements. I had no idea. Do you know what bothered me the most? Not the I was unknowingly falling asleep. Not that I was even swerving. But that my kids were telling me that it was fun. FUN! Little did they know that I put their lives in danger but that they thought I was doing it on purpose. I apologized to the two of them and explained that mommy was drifting into sleep and I wasn't doing it on purpose at all. If anything were to have happened to my kids I just don't think I would ever be able to forgive myself! So then on Sunday, our 6 year Anniversary, my husband called 'in' to his employer that he couldn't make it to work and him and I took the 3+ hour trip back to Fair Field to get our truck and then drove the 3+ hours back home. It was a miserable way to spend our Anniversary, especially when my husband said he had something special he planned for me after he got off of work, but now they were void. It's okay, in my opinion, to realize the error of our ways; to admit when we fault and to recognize and learn from our mistakes. Which is what I did. I was not proud in the least. I was embarrassed, oh so embarrassed and I hated myself that I would put my kids lives in danger like that. Sometimes I think we push ourselves too hard and I learned that it is okay to say 'no' even when we want to say 'yes'. I over scheduled our plans, trying to do it all and risked a lot in doing so. Our Anniversary was shot for the most part, but we ended up having a decent sleep at least once we returned home. What did I learn? I learned that God does not call us to do everything all of the time, but wants us to slow down, enjoy moments that we can but not if we are pushing ourselves too hard. I also learned that the next time I don't feel rested well enough not to head out for a 4-5 hour long drive. That was completely my fault and I should have known better! So to everyone reading this please take it from me; it's okay, good in fact, to say 'No' at times and not over commit oneself in your plans. Praise God for His protection for myself and my precious little ones. May you all learn from my lesson. PS. I'll post photo's of my sister's return from Iraq at a later post.

Who will take the SON?

This is one of the stories that never gets old...it has been passed around from email to email, on websites, and read at church services since 2004 and maybe before that! God bless! This is great, take a moment to read it, it will make your day! The ending will surprise you. Take my Son A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.' The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.' The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every tim e visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?' There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.' But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!' But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?' Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long tim e gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting.' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 'We have $10, who will bid $20?' 'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.' The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!' A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!' The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.' 'What about the paintings?' 'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this tim e. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!' This is one of the stories that never gets old...it has been passed in emails, letters, websites, church services since the year 2004, maybe before that! God Bless! God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?' Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. John 3:16 NOW THAT'S LOVE!! AMEN!!

Home Prayer Meeting put to a HAULT in California!

WOW ... look what is happening right here in the US.... I know most bloggers don't care to read copy/paste articles from the news but I couldn't resist sharing this story, as I was absolutely stunned!!! I was informed about this by a friend of mine today and had to look it up myself. It is unreal. Pass this along and share it with others. Begin the prayer chain for God to reign! ~Blessings, Sarah County Trying To Stop Home Bible Studies SAN DIEGO -- A local pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a San Diego County official, who then threatened them with escalating fines if they continued to hold Bible studies in their home, 10News reported. Attorney Dean Broyles of The Western Center For Law & Policy was shocked with what happened to the pastor and his wife. Broyles said, "The county asked, 'Do you have a regular meeting in your home?' She said, 'Yes.' 'Do you say amen?' 'Yes.' 'Do you pray?' 'Yes.' 'Do you say praise the Lord?' "Yes." The county employee notified the couple that the small Bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of County regulations, according to Broyles. Broyles said a few days later the couple received a written warning that listed "unlawful use of land" and told them to "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit" -- a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars. "For churches and religious assemblies there's big parking concerns, there's environmental impact concerns when you have hundreds or thousands of people gathering. But this is a different situation, and we believe that the application of the religious assembly principles to this Bible study is certainly misplaced," said Broyles. News of the case has rapidly spread across Internet blogs and has spurred various reactions. Broyles said his clients have asked to stay anonymous until they give the county a demand letter that states by enforcing this regulation the county is violating their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion. Broyles also said this case has broader implications. "If the county thinks they can shut down groups of 10 or 15 Christians meeting in a home, what about people who meet regularly at home for poker night? What about people who meet for Tupperware parties? What about people who are meeting to watch baseball games on a regular basis and support the Chargers?" Broyles asked. Broyles and his clients plan to give the County their demand letter this week. If the County refuses to release the pastor and his wife from obtaining the permit, they will consider a lawsuit in federal court.