"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Blessings Abound!

Ever have one of those weeks where God is shouting at you, "I'VE GOT IT UNDER CONTROL! SEE??" Yeah, that's what last week was like. One big picture of God's mighty power & grace. Blessing did abound!

I posted last week that God had laid Philippians 4:6-7 on my heart and that it was getting me thru the week.

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I really just thought God was helping me thru the stress of the last week before school starts. Things were busy and tense and I needed to let Him take care of it. I had no idea

If you saw my Facebook Saturday, you know that the transmission blew on my van . In Dallas. While I was taking my mom & the boys to the hotel. It was 101 degrees outside. Bear noticed the smell and then I saw smoke, thinking it was one of those "junkers" beside us as we exited the George Bush Freeway. Yeah, the smoke was coming from MY junker! That's when I started getting stressed. Really, really stressed. Then, that's when the blessings began.

BLESSINGS

1. The smoke started less than half a mile from the hotel. I managed to get to the hotel, avoiding being stranded in traffic, in the heat, in the middle of Dallas. I got Mom & the boys somewhat settled at the hotel & called USAA, who towed the van to the Honda dealership.

2. SugarDaddy had left about 45 minutes before I did and had SugarPlum & my dad with him at the soccer tournament. So, we had 2 cars there.

3. Another one of the soccer families was staying at the same hotel as us, so they took SP & my dad back to the hotel & then to the next game so that SD could meet me at the dealership.

4. Mom took care of the boys the whole time, walking them over to Black Eyed Pea for supper and then back to the hotel to swim.

5. After being informed that it would cost us $5000 for the dealership to replace the transmission & determining that we couldn't make an informed decision about buying a replacement THAT DAY, SD & I made it to the second game in time.

6. My wonderful friends, Mr & Mrs Jackalord got us a trailer and towed the van back to Candyland (2 hours each way!) with Mr. J's pickup. Who does that? AMAZING friends, that's who. We really didn't know what we were going to do otherwise.

7. After we got home, my beautiful friend, Charity, offered us the use of a car for as long as we needed it. That keeps us from having to rent a car while the van is being fixed or...if that is just going to be too much, it keeps us from having to jump into something without taking time to make a wise decision.

AND THEN...just to put icing on the blessing cake....God decides to show me that He really does have it ALL under control.

8. We finally heard from both of the boys' football coaches. (I'd been worried about football practice & how it would all work since last year it was a big hassle getting all three kids where they needed to be since it sometimes required me to be three places at once) Both of them have practice this year at the same place...at the same time....NOT on a soccer night! Woo hoo!!! Go God!

I still haven't heard about the van. The transmission guy says it will be early next week before he can tell me something. But honestly, I'm not worried. God has made it clear that He's got this one. I just need to get out of the way. Which brings to mind another verse in Philippians:

And my God will supply every need...Phil 4:19

Why Milk?

Every summer I am amazed at just how much milk these people drink. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I buy - at a minimum - six gallons of milk a week. It's unreal. They drink milk -- lots of milk -- with every meal. You can include me in that as well. I love, love, love milk. Nothing like it. And it doesn't hurt that milk helps you maintain a healthy weight, stave off hunger between meals, is great at hydrating, and of course makes your bones strong.

I watched my grandmother and four of my great-grandparents suffer the effects of osteoporosis. I know how easy it is to prevent that. And with the amount of milk these kids drink, I am fairly confident that we have a fighting chance at avoiding that particular malady! I know that I am blessed in this regard because I have many friends whose kids refuse to drink milk & have trouble working enough calcium & vitamin D into their diets.

The Milk Council has a new site called Why Milk? that offers facts, articles, recipes & suggestions for working milk into your diet. We tried this Strawberry-Banana Smoothie and loved it! And more importantly, SugarPlum's milk-hating buddy liked it as well. Her mother was thrilled! And while I haven't tried it yet, this recipe for Mom's Mocha Indulgence Smoothie looks like a little bit of heaven!

The Why Milk? site has an abundance of information including studies about the benefits of milk; tools such as a Beverage Analyzer to show the impact your beverage choices have on your health, Calorie Calculator, and workout recovery tips; contests and sweepstakes; and of course, you can look at all those celebrity "Got Milk?" shots (although, Dana Torres gives me a complex. No woman should be THAT buff at my age!).

But really, the recipes are my favorite part. They have suggestions for every meal as well as snacks. And, most importantly for me, they are easy, sensible recipes with ingredients (MILK?!) that I normally have and that don't take all day to prepare!

So, go visit the Why Milk? site. Your bones will thank you!

FREE STUFF!!! (any questions?)

Celebrate summer with the Mom Central Summer Giveaway Bonanza! Each week, Mom Central will post new giveaways just for Moms and their families on MomCentral.com. They'll have tons of great prizes throughout the summer for you and all members of your family. Some of the giveaways include:

• Hoover Cyclonic Bagless Upright Vacuum: This new vacuum from Hoover removes more dirt than other cyclonic bagless vacuums due to its patented wind tunnel technology and embedded dirt finder. With power controls on the handle, it reduces bending to get to those hard-to-reach places and easily moves from hard floor to carpet.

• Crayola Play Sand: Transform an ordinary sandbox with a splash of color or design colorful art projects with a 20 lb. bag of Crayola Play Sand. The sand doesn't stain hands and features an easy-to-carry handle to make transporting easy on Moms.

• Jeep Tandem Stroller: Built to accommodate your growing family, the Tandem Traveler Stroller features sun canopies, reclining seat backs, car-seat adaptors, and cup holders that will leave you feeling like the coolest mommy on the block.

• Razor Jr. Electric Wagon: Put a modern spin on the classic wagon with the Razor Jr. Electric Wagon. Traveling safely at 2-3 miles per hour, parents have assistance while cruising the block.

This is only a sample of the great stuff they are giving away all summer. Head over there now & sign up. You KNOW you love free stuff! (You can thank me later!)

So wrong it's right....

I just read the following exchange on my Facebook & about wet my pants. These are people I have known since elementary school. Ryan now hosts a radio sports show & has two young kids....


Ryan:
oddly enough, they don't sell Backyardigans CD's at Local Liquor. Who knew???

Karen at 1:30pm July 11
Try Pinkies.

Ryan at 1:37pm July 11
Good point. They might even have Imagination Movers.

Matt at 1:39pm July 11
they should have Handy Manny. That guy knows how to tilt a Silver Bullet

Karen at 1:41pm July 11
I thought Manny was probably a bud light man.

Matt at 1:42pm July 11
no, before bidness picked up he was a Natty lite guy.

Ryan at 1:43pm July 11
Wonder if Kelly is mixing up drinks at that hardware store all day long...

Matt at 1:44pm July 11
The "tool" are Double X.

Karen at 1:45pm July 11
I feel like I've stooped to a new low. But I am laughing at this.

Matt at 1:45pm July 11
It's Saturday. She is usually dancing 3 shows at Jaguars.

Ryan at 1:48pm July 11
I'm pretty sure I just heard her ad on SportsRadio 1234!

Matt at 1:49pm July 11
We won't talk about Mr. Lopart's whiskey induced trip to the playground to see the kids.

Karen at 1:50pm July 11
Or what Ms Portillo sells out the back door of her kitchen.

Matt at 1:50pm July 11
nothing goes with sports radio like strip clubs and booze.

Carl at 1:52pm July 11
Kelly, always has what Manny "needs".

Matt at 1:52pm July 11
i hope the 5 & Under crowd still don't read Ryan's updates.

There was a fiasco with the Mayor and 2 of her younger interns.

Matt at 1:57pm July 11
Remember the very special episode where Manny cleaned Kelly's plumbing with help from Pat and Philipe.

Matt at 1:58pm July 11
OK- Shame on me....

Carl at 2:00pm July 11
Anyone remember the "Honey-Do" Man, that worked here in town? The side of his van said, "Let me snake your drain." Forgive me if I crossed the line with that one.

Tessa at 2:18pm July 11
That was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!! You all should be ashamed of yourselves!!! Go release a balloon and repent!!

Matt at 2:22pm July 11
but you laughed.

Don't let the donuts win!

You know what's really loud? No, I mean make-you-get-out-of-bed-to-make-it-shut-up loud?

Krispy Kream Donuts. They are loud. And? Somehow they know my name.

My wonderful, handsome husband bought one of those "fundraiser" boxes of KK's yesterday. I didn't see them until we got home from soccer last night. And, since it was 104 at soccer practice last night, the only thing that sounded good to eat was something COLD. As such, I was able to resist the siren song of the plain, glazed bites of heaven. Then I went to bed & had actually forgotten about them. Hard to believe, but true, nonetheless. I was lying in bed reading Atlas Shrugged, minding my own beeswax when I heard it. It was faint at first...

"Buffi...."
"Buuufffffiiiiii...."

I brushed it off as the wind in the trees and my imagination working together & continued to take in Dagny & Hank's intense relationship & Ayn Rand's eerie prophecy. (OMG!!!) But then it got louder & more insistent:

"Buuuffffffiiiii!"
"Yo! Buff!"
"Buffi! C'mon!"

Finally, I had to get put of bed & make it stop before it woke the kids. Because they really, really needed their sleep. We can't have stupid donuts waking them. So, I made my way to the kitchen, book in hand, with every intention of merely speaking to the donuts and asking them to please be quiet, it was the middle of the night and people were trying to sleep, for goodness sake.

But those donuts would NOT shut up. So, I opened the box and took one out so that I could look it in the face & make myself clear - but its eyes sorta glazed over (<-----ha! see what I did there?!). I did what I had to do. I ate the little mf'er. And then? I ate another one, just to ensure that they got the message. I know, you're amazed at my self-sacrifice for these children.

That shut them up for a while. Late this morning, I had to eat another one, just in case they got ballsy later this evening. Because I will not tolerate insubordination. Alas, their numbers are so depleted at this point, I think we may be safe. However, I think I may have heard the survivors snickering and saying something about my ass getting bigger. I'll probably have to put a stop to THAT before the night's over!

Things that get me thru the day.....

Okay, things have been crazy, crazy crazy around here. The last few weeks of school are always insane & this year has not disappointed. I find myself wondering when we can all just sit down and eat together amidst all the activities that come along with having three kids.

One extraordinarily useful tool I recently discovered (thank you MomCentral!) is MakingLifeBetter.com. This site has it all - recipes (real recipes for REAL moms who don't have time or budget for anything too fancy, but still want to actually cook dinner for their families) with demo videos!, coupons, time and money saving advice, beauty and health tips....but it's not aggravating or condescending. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it really makes me feel "empowered" (as goofy as that sounds) and not incapable. It sometimes makes all the difference when you're feeling overwhelmed. Check it out! You'll be glad you did!

The other site I found that I love is Mamapedia. What is hysterical about this is that "Mamapedia" is my nickname among some of my friends. I can't decide if that is a compliment or an insult, but I just tell myself that it's because I have a lot of random knowledge that I am always happy to share. NOT that I am a bossy know-it-all. Right? Don't answer that.

Anywho......if you have a question ANY question about parenting, pregnancy, child development, illness.....anything, really, you can find an answer on Mamapedia. And not the clinical, research-y answer that leaves you with as many questions as answers. Mamapedia gives you answers from other moms who have already tackled what you are wondering about and are sympathetic to your plight and ready offer advice, recommendations and sympathy. You get answers that make sense and don't leave you feeling more confused than you already were! As SugarPlum approaches the teen years, I am looking forward to input from those moms who have been "in the trenches." And, as the mom of two little boys there are always questions and frustrations. ALWAYS

Please check out Mamapedia. I am confident that you will really come to appreciate it!

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And on that note, I am off to take SugarPlum to a "Hooray, School's Out!" sleepover. And then to hang out with my boys. Hopefully, I will find time to share some of our antics this summer. These people are HILARIOUS!