Headache, Headache, Go Away!

And never come back another day! Yuck, headache day today. Not too bad, but enough to stay on the couch for the day and have to order pizza for the kids for dinner. Feel much better now, but I'll still be in bed at 9:00pm tonight. I wish I understood the physiology behind my headaches more. I mean, I know my triggers--lack of sleep, stress, overeating, not staying hydrated, having too much going on. But what I don't understand is why these things trigger headaches--what actually transpires in my noggin that produces a headache and nausea from these triggers? I really don't know. I can alter my lifestyle and be sensitive to avoiding the triggers, but I wish I knew the really root cause and could treat it there. Any suggestions or referrals?

An Unfortunate End

We had a pretty nice weekend. Had a Girls Night In on Friday night while the boys went out to a Redemption Cards game night. Saturday Matt took the kids out for the afternoon to Karate, shopping and lunch. I stayed behind to do some cold calls for my Mary Kay business. I made 13 new contacts and booked 3 new facial appointments. That ended my week with 25 contacts made, 6 new bookings, a facial given and $134 sold! A booking and contact record for me. My director is giving me a prize for my accomplishment! Cool. So I have four new appointments on my books for this week--two Tuesday, two on Wednesday. Should be a good week.

Anyway, Caleb went to a birthday party of a classmate at school. He had a great time. After he came home he was totally exhausted--lots of running around in the backyard, pinata, games, etc. After the little kids were in bed Matt and I watched an old movie called "Being There" with Peter Sellers and Shirley McClaine. It was very odd, interesting, funny, and good. I would recommend it especially to folks who have children with special needs. It gives an interesting perspective on how their view of life could be interpreted (or misinterpreted).

Church this AM, Oatmeal toppings bar at home for brunch. Then off to play Frisbee Golf with the little kids. Caleb and I teamed up against Matt and Katie. Josh opted to stay home. The weather was great--cool and very breezy. A wonderfully, autumn blustery day. Unfortunately, while we were playing someone or something vandalized our van. When I went back to the parking lot the rear driver side window of our van was completely smashed to pieces. Chunks and pieces of safety glass littered the ground and the inside of our van. But nothing was stolen or damaged. And (yes Mother, I know I shouldn't do it) I had left my purse in there with about $130 cash in it as well as credit cards, drivers license, etc. But nothing was touched. I didn't really know what to make of it so I called the police just to report it. An officer came by and since he didn't see an obvious object (rock, hammer, baseball, etc.) lying around he just wrote up the incident and went on his way. I guess I'll be going to the auto glass repair guy tomorrow. Really weird and unfortunate. Since it had started raining by then we had to scurry home instead of having some Frisbee tournament celebratory .15 cent A & W root beers at the new drive-in. Oh well.

Matt shop-vacuued the van then we all watched the movie "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler. I'm NOT a Adam Sandler fan but this was a cute movie. And somehow, since the movie was intended for kids, Mr. Sandler managed to avoid his usual lewd jokes. I'd watch it again. That's all the news that's fit to print.

Girls Night In!

Our Goddaughter, Helen, just had her 5th birthday two weeks ago. As her present I made up a special gift certificate for a Girls Night In pampering session. Beauty treatments from head to toes, manicures, pedicures, scented body lotion, perfume, special dessert and a movie. AND NO NOISY BOYS ALLOWED!!! Helen loved the gift and we did it last night. Katie, Helen and I all had a wonderfully fun, girly night in. We had candles, listened to a "Girlz Rule" worship music CD, an Oreo cake dessert and watched Veggie Tales "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." We all had a grand time. Making these girl memories together is so absolutely precious to me--I guess I'm already getting ready to be a Grama. Enjoy the videos and pics.

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Dancing Baby Humor

I am shamelessly stealing this from my friend Ruth Anne at The Maternal Optimist.

Cranberry Monster Caught on Video!!!

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Done With That, So Now What?

This is a hodge podge post--a little of everything.

Well, after pretty much sleeping all weekend I finally feel better. My cold is gone and I feel alot better. So what's next? Well, I have a follow up appointment today with a gal I facialed 10 days ago. She's a good recruit possibility so I'll be sharing the MK marketing plan with her today as well. Tonight I have a MK meeting with a guest speaker who will talk on "Business 101." The speaker runs her own marketing and consulting firm in the twin cities. I think it will be good and useful information for me to have. One of these weekends I need to get my sister over here to help me figure out my MK bookkeepping and cash flow. I know I'm not handling this part of my business as well as I could. But I am enjoying it. I so much want this business to work for our family--to really add some significant income to our monthly budget. So far, I haven't generated the volume of sales to really do this yet, but I am building my business. I believe that with consistent effort I can make a go of this.

This morning Katie picked out her own outfit to wear. She looked so cute I just had to snap a few pictures. And yes, she officially has her first zit. So I guess there's no holding back the hormones of puberty now. Alas, every kid's childhood has to come to an end at some point. Katie is getting in to "fashion" a bit more now, which is very age appropriate. She really likes wearing necklaces right now. She has a few from her favorite store, Justice, that she switches off, but today she chose one that Grama Brinkman gave her a few Christmas' ago. I was glad to see her wear it.

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Josh will find out today if he obtained a role in the Sibley fall play, Twelve Angry Men. I truly hope he did. He is such a gifted actor and this is a great play for him--serious, emotional, persuasive, verbally combative. We'll see.

Caleb is doing just great in first grade this year. He's making friends and is very helpful to the other kids in class. He is a natural leader and a compassionate helper--a true servant leader. His reading skills have developed at light speed it seems to me, without a bunch of formal instruction. I think that all the books we've read to him over the years and all the thousands of hours he's listened to Adventures in Odyssey and books on tape have helped him expand his listening vocabulary which then translates into reading vocabulary. It seems like magic, but I've seen this mystery repeat itself in all three of our kids. Even Katie, who has Down syndrome, is a very good reader for her age.

If I had to choose just one piece of advice I'd give to new parents--read to your children every day (1 book, 15 mins., 30 mins., whatever). Just share books with them that THEY find interesting and expand the time as THEY show interest. You will see their understanding of our language soar. Story books, Little Golden books, bible books, non-fiction books about topics they like (cars, oceans, ballet, castles, etc.). There are so many wonderful, beautifully illustrated, wholesome books out there if a parent will just look. Some of our favorite authors for young children include: Bill Peet, Dr. Suess, Virginia Lee Burton, Margaret Wise Brown, Robert McClosky, Marjorie Flack, Beatrix Potter, Lois Lenski, Usborne Books, and tons more. When Josh was little Matt and I scoured the library, used book stores and new books stores for books on whatever Josh was interested in at the moment--trains, construction machinery, the oceans, weather, ancient Egypt. In addition to this, we also read story books that always gave us great fodder for teaching moral/biblical lessons. When he was a bit older we started the fun journey of reading chapter books together. What blessed time that was to sit and read to him while Katie napped or while I fed Caleb a bottle. Josh would build with legos while I read chapter after chapter. Who says kids have to sit right next to you on the couch while reading? Such fun times. At 14 Josh has often thanked us for all the time we put in to reading to him. He has seen how it has benefitted him in school and in life. He is much more educated than many of his peers because of all the reading we did together, which of course, inspired him to read on his own too.

Another benefit of reading for children is the relationships they develop with the characters in the books. My kids consider Henry Huggins, Ribsy, and Ramona good friends whom they know and care about. How many of us cried when we reached the last page of the final "Little House" book because we didn't want to say goodbye to Laura Ingalls Wilder? The characters in books come alive to children and can be a source of comfort, direction, inspiration, role modeling, and friendship for kids. Even if you have an only child who doesn't have a lot of friends, the characters in books can fill in some of that gap in your child's God given desire for relationships and connection. And of course, if you are a Christian parent you will want to give your child daily doses of bible reading as well. They will start to memorize verses of scripture and internalize spiritual truths the more they hear the Word of God. Having kids go to sleep with a bible tape or CD is a really good practice. Try using the book of John over and over for a whole month and you'll be amazed how much scripture your child will have memorized within 30 days.

When my kids were little we were especially careful to read story books that supported a worldview that we wanted to promote with our kids. So many of the books lining our shelves were written in the 1940's or 1950's and reflect a traditional Judeo-Christian outlook on life. Many American books written after 1965 reflect a feminist and post-modern outlook on life which I really didn't want to confuse my kids with when they were that little.

I could write more, but I guess I've said enough for now. Have a great day!!!

Strike That; I feel Sick!

Sick today with a bad cold. Spent the day lying on the couch watching movies and napping. Picked up Little Cesear's pizza for dinner for the little kids. Josh and Dad went to Karate to watch the adult sparring class. Now that Josh is a green belt he can participate in this class. He was loaned a chest guard tonight and once he gets the other protective equipment he'll be able to start sparring class. the next graduattion is scheduled for Friday, October 9th. Matt is scheduled to graduate to gold belt and Caleb to blue belt. This is really cool. If Caleb keeps going as he is he should have his black belt within the year! Wouldn't that be a cool accomplishment for an 8 year old? Well, the nyquil is taking effect; gotta go hit the hay.

I Feel Good!

Do do do do do do do. And I knew that I would, do do do do do do do. I didn't really feel like foing to the Y this morning and working out, but I did it anyway. I had a intense 20 mins. riding the stationary bike in my target heart zone and I broke my threshold target for 4 mins. I feel great! Now I'm enjoying a Green Monster smoothie--this time with frozen banana and 1 T of frozen o.j. Yummm!

I have a goal of making 25 contacts this week for my MK business and booking 4 appointments. Please pray for me. I really, really, really want to accomplish this goal by this Friday!

The Artist-Engineer

I just learned today that my brother-in-law, Ken Schomburg, has added Artist to his skills. He's an engineer by day and a scrap metal/found objects sculptor by night. Here's the website of the gallery where he shows his work. Very cool. You go guy!

Caleb's Karate Birthday Party!

Here's a Smilebox of Caleb's Karate Birthday party that we had for him last Saturday at USA Karate. Mr. Long and Mr. Peltham did an excellent job of getting the kids interested, helping them have fun, and encouraging them. In the end everyone had a really good time. Especially Mom who didn't have to shop for all the treat bags, clean the house, set up and run games, then clean up afterwards. I just made the cake and brought it. The most difficult thing I had to do was find instructions for making a Karate inspired cake. USA did all the rest. A unique, fun, affordable and very memorable party.

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Josh's Graduation to Green Belt

Last night Josh graduated from gold belt to green belt in Karate. He worked very hard to earn this new belt. My boys take Karate as USA Karate and they (and I) just love it! The teaching is done in a very positive, but disciplined way. The belt progression that they use is: no belt, white belt, gold, green, purple, blue, advanced blue, red. This completes the beginner to intermediate program. From there you can choose to enter the black belt program. The belt progression in that is red, advanced red, brown, advanced brown, black belt candidate, and black belt.

Within each belt you earn colored stripes on your belt for attitude, working hard, focus, self-defense, and some other stuff I can't remember. But basically, their program helps the students focus on the small details of accomplishment that will add up to advancing to the next belt level. I think it's a genius program. It's practice for accomplishing goals in real life--small consistent efforts add up to big accomplishments.

Anyway, here's a smilebox of Josh's graduation test and ceremony. Mr. Joe Long, the head instructor, is supervising the testing. Mr. Mark Pelthem is actually conducting the testing. Mr. Long talks very fast and is somewhat hard to hear, but the video is good. Enjoy!

NOTE: Since this has a series of three different videos in the Smilebox it may take several moments to load onto your computer. Just be patient, it should start automatically.

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Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

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We Are Awesome!

I just got this in an email from my mom (a child of the 1930's) and thought it was hilarious. Just yesterday I posted a picture of the house I grew up in, so I thought this essay was especially timely. It's all true! Somehow, I survived my childhood and many others did too! Hope you enjoy this and that it brings back some good memories for you. What "risky" things did you do as a child that were perfectly normal back then?

"No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us,

To Those of Us Born 1930 - 1979
To all the kids who survived the 1930's,
1940's, 1950's, 1960's and 1970's!
WE ARE AWESOME !!
OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank and/or took Dr. prescribed Speed while they were pregnant with us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had on baseball caps, not helmets. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate Ding-dongs, Twinkies, white bread, real butter, 4% milk and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY. . . ? Because we were always outside playing. . . that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this post with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you're at it, have your own kids read this post so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?"

Some Nostalgia

This is a picture of the house that I grew up in--6743 Mineral Dr. San Diego, CA. At that time it was painted avocado green, harvest gold and white. Yeah, the '70's. Anyway, we moved in when I was three years old and I never lived anywhere else until I went off to college in Wisconsin. We had a nice neighborhood back then. All the kids played together during the summer--big kids, little kids. We played hide 'N seek for hours during the long summer evenings. And well, let's face it, during the winter too since there's not much difference in Southern California. Anyway, it was a good place to grow up. Funny to see the house now. It looks so small to me.

And They're Off!

Well, all the kiddos are off on their buses and off to school. Caleb (1st grade elementary school) left at 7:24am, Josh (9th grade, freshman in High School) at 8:54am and Katie (5th grade middle school) at 8:08am. I've just uploaded the pictures from this morning while I drank my first ever Green Monster smoothie. Pretty good. I did end up adding 1 scoop of protein powder for taste. But it was good. Now I'm off to the gym. The kiddos start heading back home at 2:30pm. It should be a good day for everyone.

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