Crazy Beautiful by Chasen April 26, 2008
What an awesome and much needed message for all – young, old, and everyone in between
Hey kids (of all ages) — You’re CRAZY BEAUTIFUL!
Three Miles April 26, 2008
Yesterday I walked 3 miles with my kids in the “funny” stroller. They call it that. It’s a jogging stroller. Funny to them though.
I’m about to go out there again. I bought the kids sunglasses so they won’t complain when we’re facing the Florida sun.
Today is going to be a mix of exercise, cleaning, and studying. I will pick up my prenatal vitamins from Walgreens this afternoon. Even though I have no idea if I am pregnant, the thought is exciting to me. I actually love/hate this part of pregnancy. I love the “what if I am” thoughts. I hate the waiting to find out days around the time my period should start — which won’t be for another week or so.
I have decided to spend LESS time online. This is hard for me for a few reasons.
1. My computer is in the room of the house normally used as a formal living room. I have made it my office. That room is directly across from the room people normally use as a dining room — for us, it’s a play room. My kids play in the play room a lot. That gives me plenty of time to jerk off online. But I think I need to get away from this a little because now I am starting to continue to hang out on the computer long after they have gone to do other things. I really should be with them, not sitting here getting fatter by the minute.
2. I love the Internet. I accidentally met my husband on the Internet. I love blogs and websites and the unbelievable amount of information available right at my fingertips. I love to check the weather in China or Australia or Greenwich or London or… [you get the picture].
3. I have a lot of internet friends. This is our means of communication. It’s an entire community of friends who I’ve known since the early days of my pregnancy with Jeremy. We have been friends for 2 1/2+ years now. I cannot part ways. They are just as much my friends as the ones I see in person.
But I need to spend less time online and more time doing my household and family things. I am trying to cut back. I’m sure once our next baby is born, my computer time will drop dramatically. Well, at least until the baby is two. 
Have a lovely weekend people!
Off to walk three miles again. Man, I really love this!!!!
Chopped Snake April 25, 2008
By now you’re all familiar with my lack of love for animals.
Well, I absolutely DESPISE reptiles and insects even more so. Yesterday my two darling children were trying to catch lovebugs in our backyard and stumbled upon a snake. Literally stumbled upon one. My daughter came over to me with fright on her face and said, “mommy, there’s a snake over there”. I jumped up like bionic woman and ran as fast as superman can fly over to the scene. My two year old was about 2 feet away from it looking at it intently. “Get back Jeremy”, I shouted. Maybe I screamed it because he took off like a rocket with tears in his eyes.
It wasn’t moving. I said, “Brianna did it move? It looks dead.” She said, “mommy it tried to bite me.” I think I sucked in my breath right then and held it until the finale. I grabbed them both and went inside to wake up my sleeping husband and told him to get outside right now and be a hero. Kill the snake!
We went back outside to stare at the snake some more; from a safe distance, of course. The hero man comes out with a shovel. I said, “kill it honey, you can do it, chop its head off” [everyone needs a cheerleader]. The kids were enthralled. So he WHACKED it. The thing flipped in the air and I screamed which made Jeremy cry which made Brianna suck in her breath and turn pale as snow white. He WHACKED it again and this time cut the sucker right in half. I think I almost vomited then. I had to turn my head. The neighbor who is building a house next door poked his head out to see the death blow and he grinned from ear to ear. Turns out he, too, hates snakes.
“Yay, daddy killed the snake, Ew that’s gross, wow daddy you chopped his head off”. The body of it writhed for about a minute even after it was dead. I almost tossed the contents of my stomach again. How am I going to be a nurse? Oh boy!
I shoveled the head over the fence into the vacant lot beside us. I made the hero man take the body and fling it over.
Rich Reed = Higglytown Hero
PS: It didn’t look like this. But this snake gives me the heebie jeebies! {spine shivers}
They Are Lying! April 24, 2008
Mutant mommies. Guh-Rrrrrr!
There is this woman who is a mom of two little girls in Brianna’s gymnastics class. She also has a boy who is school-aged. Three kids. Three. One. Two. Three.
She is about a size 0 and she might be about 5′5″. Flat stomach. I know this because of the types of clothes she wears. Not revealing, per se, but tight. Tight low-rider jeans, tight tank tops. So I asked her how she stays so thin. I’ll have you know that out of the last 5 women I’ve asked this question to ALL of them have said, “I don’t exercise”. Bull____ (you fill in the blank!). She was no exception. This is what I hear, “Oh, tee hee, I don’t sweat at all, I am naturally thin and I must just have a high metabolism because I don’t diet either. Tee hee. Anyone want to go for ice cream after gymnastics? My treat!!!” Ok so she didn’t really say all of that. But she did say “naturally thin, must have a high metabolism, had to quit smoking to put on weight b/c I was 98 pounds 6 months ago”. Yeah. No exaggeration there. You want to call her the “b” word too, don’t you? Ugh! I’m so jealous of women who have to put ZERO effort into looking that hot. Blah! I am much more satisfied with “I work out 2 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I eat nothing but carrots and fish”.
Oh - It’s - A - Conspiracy!
The reason I ask this question is NOT because I’m a glutton for punishment. No dear! I really want to know. I have to bust my glutes off to get/stay in shape and it is aggrivating. I have to eat low-carb, high fiber, and low-fat. It’s so much torture fun!!
And what the heck is this back fat all about? What? Who gets that?
So here is my problem. I have gained 15 pounds. Today I weighed myself. Big Big Mistake! That is not the way to start your morning. After I gawked at the results and picked my jaw up off the bathroom floor, I decided I had better pee and remove my clothing. Tsk! That only took away 3 pounds. Otherwise I would have thought I had gained 18 pounds. No, shew, only 15.
So why don’t I just do my exercise videos that I have sworn by for the past 8 years? Well, because I’m having this knee issue and I don’t want to have surgery because I am trying to get pregnant. This means I cannot do squats or lunges right now. Most of my videos are LOADED with squats and lunges. That’s what keeps my apple bottom from hanging on the backs of my legs. MmmHmm. Well since Bree’s gymnastics class was yesterday and that annoying beautiful must-be-starving-herself woman told me she’s just physically mutated gifted, I decided instead of waiting until May 1st to start my exercise/diet program again I am going walking today — outside — with the kids in the jogging stroller. Off I went. Loved every minute of it. Kids did too b/c they really like the jogging stroller. Here’s hoping they never get sick of it.
I think I might just stop asking that stupid question though. At least I have found out that 4 out of the 5 ladies I have recently asked this question to all remain physically active. I guess they don’t consider it exercising, what they do, b/c they don’t go to a gym or do workout videos. But they DO walk, run after kids all day, ride bikes, etc. Well that’s me now. I will walk every day if I can. I want a bike for my upcoming 35th birthday (I told Rich today that’s what I want); and not a stationary one. I want the wind in my hair. Ok, so it’s Florida. Not much of a breeze right now. So that’s alright — riding a bike will feel like a face full of hairdryer air. Yes!! That’s what I want.
PS: If you are genetically mutated gifted too, please do us a favor… LIE THROUGH YOUR TEETH! Please! Tell us you are on the celery & mustard diet and you exercise for 4 hours twice a day 6 days a week. Please! Seriously! Lie! Lie hard!! Thanks.
I am Ready Now April 24, 2008
I had another short-lived emotional breakdown yesterday while preparing breakfast for myself. The kids were off playing in Brianna’s bedroom and Rich was still sleeping. I walked to the fridge to put the eggs away and noticed with absolute clarity the two pictures of my Grandma. Big sad sigh. I stared at them for a moment remembering that summer when I was 12. I stayed with her in Georgia for a month. That was probably my most memorable vacation. In fact, this morning while lying in bed with my husband and squirmy little boy my mind drifted off to that vacation again. Another big sad sigh.
Anyway, I sat down at the table to pray over my food and thank God for my blessings when I crumbled. It has been a long time, it seems, since I asked God to kiss my baby for me. See the trigger? I get sad about one thing and it inevitably brings me to thoughts of that. So then I was all tears and “why” questions and feeling very sorry for myself. After about 2 minutes of blubbering in prayer to the Lord, I wiped the tears from my cheeks and eyes and regained my composure incase my kids came out of their play. I don’t like for them to see me cry too much because it worries them, esp Brianna.
I have been dreadfully hateful towards my husband for 2 solid days. Yesterday, I was also very short-tempered with my wonderful children. None of them deserves that. Why was I acting that way? I started soul-searching. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, it is because I am ready to try to conceive and I was afraid Rich would shoot me down. Incase I haven’t told you, he doesn’t want any more children. He is perfectly content with two - a girl and a boy. I am not and, for this human life, I will fight. I will not submit to him this time.
I come from a background of people who cherish human life. It’s not that my husband doesn’t, but his family has no trouble with “family planning”. His mom has made comments several times about how crazy people are who have “so many children”. She hasn’t a clue how this hurts me. She doesn’t mean it in a hurtful way either. I think she realizes SHE could never handle a big family so she can’t wrap her mind around those who do. My mom & dad raised seven children - I am the firstborn. My mom’s mom & dad raised 8 children - she’s the third born. My dad’s mom & dad raised 13 children - he’s the 4th born. Women in our family have been pregnant my whole life. It’s always someone.
I want 4 children, always have. Heck, my favorite number is 4. So strange to have a favorite number. Oh well, it is. Rich will have none of that. It was hard enough to convince him of two. Then we agreed on three. I can’t see 4 ever happening unless it’s the Hand of God. And it would have to be a miraculous conception because after the next baby I will have my tubes tied. Or adoption… which I am totally open to… however, Rich is not.
So last night when I went to bed Rich came in as usual to say good night. I was reading the Bible and tried to ignore him. It didn’t work. He was upset that I had been treating him so badly. Finally, I told him why. I told him that I am ready to try to make another baby and I was afraid of his response. He reminded me that I know how he feels, however, he will give in. See we both know once that baby is born he will be so in love with him/her just like he is with the two we already have. In that sense, it’s ok with him. But if left up to him we would be done. He looks at it from a financial point of view. I look at it from an emotional and spiritual point of view. In my opinion, this sheds a whole bunch of light on how differently we were raised in this area. In my family, babies weren’t planned around finances. My family just had them and prayed for God to provide. And He always did. His family plans their finances first. Nothing wrong with that, I guess (???). But, to me, it’s foolishness to pick money over human life. Absurd!
So please pray for us. Pray that Rich will have peace. Pray that I will be patient and kind and tenderhearted during the process. Pray that once pregnant I will have peace and won’t worry, esp during the first trimester.
Most importantly, please pray for the baby we are trying to conceive — that he or she will be healthy and normal.
Thank you!
Find a Charity April 22, 2008
My husband and I have been blessed in so many ways. It would take me hours to list them all. One that I want to highlight right now is that we have been able to be a part of four very, very awesome and inspiring charitable events.
Twice we have sponsored a missionary to Honduras. Both times it was for the same missionary, Kristin, who lives in Ohio. The first time she went for a week. The second time she went for 7 months. I just got a package in the mail last week with a letter, pictures, authentic Honduran coffee, and a DVD slide show set to music of her fantastic mission. I cried tears of joy. My God allowed me to be a part of His plan… again!
We currently help support a missionary in India through Gospel for Asia. He lives in the slums of India, so that he can be close to the people there, preaching the Word of God to the lost souls in the lowest caste and helps set them free from a life of ruin. If you understand anything about the caste system in India then you know that this is no small task. He and his wife are unbelievable witnesses of Jesus Christ’s love for the underdog. In America, we know nothing of this life. Our poor people seem wealthy in comparison.
Recently we were able to donate money towards my sister’s trip to Biloxi for Habitat for Humanity. She helped build houses for the victims of Katrina. Wow and amazing!
Take a look
Find a charity folks. Seek a way for God to use you. I want to be a missionary so badly. I can’t even explain it. But because my season in life right now is to be a mom I donate to these things instead. God has blessed my husband with an amazing job — his dream come true — and, thus, has given us the ability to contribute. The reason I have decided to become a nurse and to endure these classes in order to get my degree is so that when my kids are older I can be a medical missionary.
Give back. Whether it’s a missionary or something that has nothing to do with religion. Give back. Find a way. Serve. People all over the world need you.
You’ve Probably Seen This by Now April 22, 2008
It has only had over 33 million views anyway. I’ve seen it and I think it’s hysterical!
Enjoy!!
Scarred for Life April 22, 2008
My weird husband with his weird sense of humor thinks that this is funny:
And I, with my weird sense of humor, think this is funny:
What do you think?
