Spontaneous Thought Explosion - "things"

It's Sunday night and I'm totally drained. Physically and emotionally. I'm normally an upbeat person and my cute kitten and toddler pictures probably lead you to believe that "this girl must never get down," but I've not been feeling so recently. I've been feeling unappreciated, old and over-worked. There's no need to go into details, because I know that most of these "things" will pass (meaning I'll get over my pity party.) My gripes are so insignificant compared to...well...just about anything that's going on in our world today. But for one, these "things" that are getting to me, have prevented my brain from doing any spontaneous thought explosions. I've started writing several times and my brain just sort of chokes up.
I have been reading a lot though. Mostly the newspaper and online news. This is probably one of the "things" that is getting to me and keeping me from putting my thoughts together in a legible way. The news is mostly depressing.
For instance, 3 teenagers were arrested (in my city) for plotting to wreak havoc at their high school, on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting. In their homes, 28 explosive devices were confiscated! A sawed-off shotgun, videos, notes and even a list of targets. Thankfully, someone blew the whistle just in time. All the schools in the city had to be sweeped for bombs. Can this really happen in my city? It's unbelievable. Have you noticed the headlines recently? Seen this one? In Month, Mass Shootings Claim 53 Lives
What do we do with this information? It's terrifying. And just writing about it gives me chills. What drives a civilized human to want to shoot old people in a nursing home? What drives a teenager to want to kill his classmates? How can a parent point a gun at their own child and pull the trigger?

I know, my blog is normally funny, cute, and mostly light hearted. Sorry for this damper. I'm just too drained to do much writing right now. I'll snap out of it soon I'm sure. Maybe you can help!

If you've written a post concerning one of my Spontaneous Thought Explosion topics, please leave the link below. And make sure there's a link back to me within your post. You can use my button on the sidebar if you choose.
In fact, I would love to find another blogger with some real insightfulness to showcase on my site! I already have one blogger friend in mind! Leave me a comment if you'd like me to read one of your posts for consideration. This doesn't mean you have to write something new. Maybe you've already tackled these topics. Just let me know. Thanks all! By the way, your comments really lift my spirits.

Photostory Friday - Arlo

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

No explanation, just cuteness.

A Day In The Life

Well, at least this family gives me plenty to blog about...

It all started a couple months ago. Cole tried out and made it to All-District Chorus. He also tried out for All-State, but was selected as an alternate. Alternates almost never get to actually participate, but... jump to this past Tuesday. The phone rings in the middle of the day. Caller id says it's my kids' high school. I'm thinking, "uh oh, what now?" It was Cole. "Mom, they need me for All-State Chorus! I made it! Can I go? Can we afford it? Can you drive me up there in 2 days? The concert is this Saturday!" The excitement in his voice was loud and clear. So I had about 2 minutes to come up with a "Yes" to all his questions. No problem. It'll be fine. I've got plenty of time to shop for his concert attire and run a couple other errands. The other kids will be fine. It'll all work out.

Jump forward to Thursday, today. All goes smoothly, packing, getting Glynis ready for a day in the mini van, making sure the other 2 kids are out the door for school, etc. We leave the house right on time and we're merrily on our way. THEN...45 minutes into the drive and my cell phone rings. The high school number again on my caller id. "Hi Mrs. T. This is the school nurse. Your son, Carson seems to be fine. I'm sorry I had to call you while you"re driving blah blah blah, Carson's had an episode of some sort, he's looking much better blah blah blah. I think maybe he passed out....blah blah blah....His teacher said she thought he might have had a seizure, but he probably just fainted...." WHAT?! I'm driving 65 mph down the highway and this woman just told me that my son may have had a seizure?! Ok, so she doesn't win the tactfulness prize this year, but I definitely should win a composure award. I kept my cool and didn't run off the road. I asked the nurse a few questions. "Did he hit his head? What class was he in? Oh, health class? What was today's subject matter? Oh, first aid? They were discussing puncture wounds? Ah Ha!" I'm still quite frightened at this point, but I immediately said a prayer. I felt the tears start to well in my eyes. Mom's are suppose to handle these kinds of emergencies, but God reigned in my peace. I called my husband and let him kick into action. He got Carson right over to the doctor who ran blood work, gave him the once over and decided that Carson must have gotten queasy from the subject matter in class. He's passed out once before in a similar situation. Still, a mother's nerves aren't completely calmed until her child is in arms reach after such an incident. Thankfully, traffic was in our favor, Cole made it safely to his destination and Glynis was a superb traveller. We made it back home safely by 4pm. But we all know that the day does not end at 4pm. There's always soccer practice, dinner, baths, homework and of course my blog. :)

It's 10pm. And as you can see, I am still holding it together. Good night!

I Heart Faces - The trampoline

One of my favorite places to be with Glynis is our trampoline....

2 entries this week for the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge.
Here's the kid entry, Glennie & Me:

And the adult entry is just me:

By the way, that's me holding the camera for both photos! I used Picasa for editing. Love that simple program by Google!

Baby Stellan

There are very few bloggers that have not heard of baby Stellan. His mommy, MckMama, has a blog called "My Charming Kids." She hosts the "Not Me Monday" carnival that so many of us had participated in. She's just a regular mom, but she's going through an ordeal none of us would want to go though.
Her youngest child, Stellan, is a very sick baby boy. In utero, he was diagnosed with a deadly heart condition, but God saw it fit that he be born and have several healthy and happy months with his family. Again, he is in dire trouble. He's been hospitalized for about 1 month now and was flown to a children's hopital in Boston a few days ago. Probably having a life threatening surgery tonight or in the morning. I've been reading his mother's updates regularly on twitter and her site. I talk about Stellan with my family and friends. And as it turns out, people across the world now know his name.

I hope you'll take a minute to pray for this little angel. No, we do not know him. He's no more special than any other one of God's children, but to me he symbolizes all of our children. His family is no more important than any other family, but to me they symbolize what is most important in this life...love.

One more thing, on MckMama's website, months ago, she started a gallery of Stellan's name. You really must check it out. And here's our contribution. Carson drew his name and we're praying for Stellan!

Goodbye Spring Break

There was just no way for me to get on my blog last week. 4 kids at home, rainy days, illness, dentist appointments, and a few fun excursions.

I'll show you some of what we've been up to.
The break started with a back yard cookout for the kids' praise band. The group is always so busy practicing that they never get time to just chill together. So that's what this night was. They've got a big event coming up in just a couple of weeks so this was a nice breather for them.

Sunday, of course, was Easter. And I'll forever remember that this is the year that I developed allergies. My whole family went to church without me. Seems that I now have eye allergies. I could barely see! We were still able to enjoy our family that afternoon though. Chris grilled the most delicious steaks ever and the kids (big kids too) had an egg hunt. Our special guests were my parents and a college kid, Cody, whose parents were out of town for Easter. It was a nice day.

Then the rains set in and hours of video games and television. We did play a few cards games in between, but this was mostly lazy time. Not to mention, 2 trips to the dentist! Glynis, age 21 months old, had her first visit with the dentist. I'd like to say that she enjoyed the experience, but that's just not the case. She was fine in the waiting room with the train table and plenty of books. She was even happy to follow the nurse to the exam room, but once in that chair, I think she knew that nothing good could happen. Needless to say, we held her down and the dentist got a good look at her little teefers. Looking good. The bad news was that Carson needed to get a filling so we went back the following day. UGH!

It got better...when the bad weather lifted, I took 7 kids to the zoo. My mother came along too. It was chilly, but fun. The teens took off on their own, so my mom and I just had to manage two hyper boys and Glynis.

Saturday, Glynis got sick! Running a fever and just plain cranky. Chris got another sinus infection too, so the two of them stayed home while I managed the others. Chandler had a soccer game and Cole was a soloist at a wedding! His first paid singing job!

So that rounds out the exciting break. Would have been nice to have gone on a trip, but our big trip is coming soon enough.

Yes! We are going to Hawaii in July! My father-in-law is taking the entire extended family to Maui. This is not just a vacation. There is a special reason for the trip. For those of you that do not know, my mother-in-law, Glennie, passed away in a car accident 3 years ago. As you can imagine, it was a horrific ordeal and our family still mourns the loss of a beautiful wife, mother and grandmother. As she is a West Coast native, she made several visits to Hawaii with her husband over the years. It was a special place for her and although her death was very unexpected, her family knew that she wanted her ashes to be taken there.

So, 99 days and counting till Hawaii!

On the Way to the Cross

Take time to listen to this. It will require about 3 minutes of your time. You'll be blessed.

Wordless Wednesday - Daddy and Daughter

Easter on the Web

It's really quite surprising. Try typing Easter in your search engine. You won't easily find tons of websites explaining the real significance. You won't easily find sites that explain why Jesus died and why it is so vital that we accept His gift. You will find plenty of bunnies and eggs, but what about the most important holiday of the year? The time when we celebrate Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Christianity is totally based on this season. Without it, all else crumbles.
Here's a few articles that I found interesting.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/aprilweb-only/21.0b.html
http://www.cbn.com/special/easter/
http://www.christianity.com/Home/FAQ%20Features/1149397/

I'm feeling compelled to seek some answers to why there are so few Christians. I'll post on my Spontaneous Thought Explosion on April 9th. Hope you join in.

Photostory Friday - cooking lesson

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

It seems that Glynis is always the subject of my pictures! Here's one of my other kids for a change. (The boys mostly try to avoid my camera)

Chandler asked me to teach him how to make pancakes. He did a splendid job. He was so very proud of himself. I cherish these kinds of moments. They are so rare these days. Chandler is 11 years old. He needs me less and less.

I'm no fool

Here it is, Wednesday night. It's late. I've been surfing the web, looking at other blogs, watching a few videos. Really nothing at all. My husband is also glued to his laptop on the couch next to me. Thought that I'd write a quick post before retiring to my soft inviting bed. Went to church tonight. Practiced with the choir. Sunday we'll be singing a song called "Hosanna." I was singing it in the car on the way home. Ho sa a na... Ho sa a na... Hosanna to the King. Ho sa a na... Ho sa a na.......
My middle son started singing the same melody along with me, but changed it just a bit...Lasagna Lasagna Lasagna tastes so good....

Did any one of you get an April Fool's prank? Well, my youngest son got me. Apparently he got the trick from Nickelodeon. This morning when I went for my regular bowl of Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats, I opened the box and started to pour the cereal when I realized that it wasn't my cereal! I got a bowl full of Frosted Flakes! Chandler had switched the bags before he went to sleep. Cute huh?!


And here's Glynis yet again. We went to Costco yesterday. Needed to stock up on some meats and a few other things. Wasn't planning to buy anything else, but look at this. It's a Step2 play sink with a working (battery operated) faucet. Glynis loves water, so we just couldn't pass this up. It's obviously an outdoor toy, but how could we not let her try it out last night?! How many of you would let you child play with 2 gallons of water right in your living room! Yes, we're a little crazy. It all turned out ok. Most of the water stayed in the sink.