Blog Book Tour - Part 3

If you read to the bottom of the post, there will be a contest. Not to bribe you to read or anything, I know you were going to read anyway. Right?

You can read my other two Blog Book Tour book reviews here and here.

This time I had the pleasure of reading Intimate Conversations: Devotions to Nurture a Woman's Soul by Alicia Britt Chole. I have to admit, I wondered what I was going to think of reading a devotional. I'm a classic devotional reading flunkie - I get about a week into it and suddenly stop reading, never to finish the devotional book. It's getting ridiculous actually, the number of partially read devotionals I own.

But I digress. Chole's book was like curling up in your favorite part of the couch, the part you always sit in to read, the part that brings instant relaxation to your body because you just fit into that cushion so well. It's like it's made for you.

For me, reading this devotional was like reading a book written for me. Written not only for me, but for the me that is in the middle of some trying times with my children, for the me that is reading a book on faith and doubt for my small group, for the me that considers myself a devotional reading flunkie.

I found myself searching for spare time during the day to read Chole's insights into being a mom but also being a Christian woman. The devotionals are short enough to read while the kids eat lunch or take a bath, they are full of snippets from Chole's life, and they each end with some taking it further exercises for people who want to journal. Each time I sat down to read one, I felt my shoulders relaxing, my jaw unclenching, that day's stress of raising my strong willed children would be gone for the minutes I took to read.

This book has been such a blessing to me that I want to pass the blessing on to one of you. Leave a comment on this post, and in a few days I'll do a random drawing of those who left comments. Winner gets my copy of the book! Leave a link to this post on your blog (and tell me in the comments) and you'll get a second entry into the drawing.

Not Me Monday - It's back

It's been a while hasn't it? Has it been too long to remember the Not Me guidlines? Let's review: be real about it, own it, blog about it.

Today, while helping Grant get dressed for a park play date, I most certainly did not put him in a bright red shirt so I could see him from across the park without having to follow him all around. Not me, play dates are for the kids, not for me to stand around and chat with other moms.

While in Disneyland, I did not deal with the children by simply stating "We're in the Happiest Place on Earth. No whining." No way did I do that.

I also did not force Grant to get a Mickey Mouse ears hat simply because Emma had a cute one and I wanted to get a picture of the two of them looking at the castle with their hats on. A picture I never got because Grant refused to wear the Mickey Mouse ears hat I forced him to get. I did not learn my lesson and try again the next day, leading to a standoff that ended, again, with no picture.

Your turn. Get it all out. Leave a comment, or blog about it on your blog. Have fun!

Disneyland, In Numbers

4 - the number of excited people who pulled out of the driveway at 7:30am on Thursday

2 - the number of people who needed to go potty 60 minutes into our drive (both under the age of 6)

7 - the number of flies we shooed away while said 2 people were using the bathroom at a rest area

3 - the number of potty breaks we took before lunch time

8 - the number of hours it took us to drive from our hometown to Anaheim

1518 - the room number of our super duper cool Pirates of the Caribbean themed kids suite, complete with bunk beds in one room and a king bed in the other room. And a bathroom in both rooms. It was awesome.

18 - the number of times the kids asked to go to the splash park at the hotel, starting when we pulled into the hotel parking lot and ending when I forced them to play the Quiet Game for 2 minutes so I could get some blessed silence.

9:03am - the time we walked through the gates at Disneyland on Friday morning!!!

5 - the number of times Emma said "When do I get to meet Cinderella?" as we walked through the castle to get to Fantasyland

7 - the number of minutes we stood in line for our first ride, Peter Pan.

17 - the number of pictures we have of the back of Grant's head because he refused to look at the camera and smile. Ever.

4 - total number of times we rode "It's a Small World" on Friday.

$26.43 - total cost of 2 overpriced, tacky, light up, spinning toys every little kid is magnetically drawn to and has to have at least once in their lives.

0 - total number of tantrums thrown during our time in The Happiest Place on Earth

5.7 - measured in miles, the size of Emma's smile when she met Snow White, Jasmine, and Cinderella, all within 10 minutes of each other, in the Back Lot of CA Adventures on Saturday

3 - number of minutes into the Aladdin show before Grant had to go potty

33 - number of minutes into the Aladdin show before Emma had to go potty

4 - number of Bug's Life rides enjoyed by our family in The Bug's Life area of CA Adventures

2 - number of Mickey Mouse ice creams devoured by the kids on the walk back to the hotel

2 - hours spent at the hotel splash park on Saturday afternoon

6:50pm - the time the kids were both in bed, sound asleep for the night, on Saturday night

6:56pm - the time as I walked out the hotel door to go back to Disneyland to watch Fantasmic

7 - the number of characters we met at Goofy's Kitchen during breakfast on Sunday morning (Aurora, Jasmine, Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto, and Balou)

3:57pm - the time we arrived back home Sunday afternoon, ready to be home, and already looking forward to our next Disneyland vacation. When the kids are old enough to walk so I don't have to take a stroller again.

Not so helpful after all

Packing for vacation becomes much more laborious and time consuming when I have to think up jobs for the kids to do to "help" me pack.

Funny vs. Concerning

Funny:
Grant came out of his room during resting time today wearing his winter hat and mittens.

Concerning:
His winter hat and mittens were in the back of the tall shelf in his closet. Waaaay out of his reach.

Funny:
The only other clothes he had on was his underwear. So winter hat, mittens, and underwear.

Concerning:
He doesn't have a stool in his room to assist him in being tall enough to reach the winter hat and mitten in the back of a tall shelf in his closet, way out of reach.

She's 5!

Happy Birthday to Emma!

Five years ago I became a mama. It's been an incredible journey with an incredible little girl. My fellow curly haired red head, who loves pink as much as I do, thinks unicorns are divine, and milk is delicious. She's outgoing, spunky, opinionated, and focused. She loves stickers, chore charts, reading, and Polly Pockets. Aurora is her favorite princess today, but tomorrow it will likely be Ariel. She loves to dance, sing, ride her new hot pink Razor scooter, and greet her classmates by name each day.

Her night time thankful prayer tonight was:
Thank you for my birthday, handing out cupcakes at school, and soccer practice.

She's rad. There's no other way to say it.

Week at a Glance

Monday - MOPS started! We have doubled our numbers in the last year and now have close to 40 mamas joining us this fall. It was great to see returning moms again, ooohhh and aaahhh over how children are growing, and to meet the new moms who will be joining the group. Grant's MOPPETS worker greeted me at the pick up door with "He's the cutest thing ever" so clearly he's saving his bag of tricks for a later date.

Tuesday - Grant started preschool. I still have no details around his day.

Wednesday - Hubs is suppose to have a furlough day and I plan to spend the morning shopping for Emma's birthday present and her party on Saturday. But Hubs gets sent out to trial on Tuesday so he has to work all day Wednesday. So Grant and I chill at home then walk to pick up Emma and I plan to do above mentioned shopping on Thursday morning while both kids are in school. Hubs, out of guilt, gets home an hour early so I race to the store to buy the essentials for the party only. I plan to get Emma's gift Thursday morning. We decide to tell the kids we are going to Disneyland next week and they spend the rest of the evening alternating between begging us to leave right now for Disneyland and peppering us with questions about the park. I go to bed beyond excited for our trip.

Wednesday night/ Thursday morning, Emma barfs a little twice and reports she is sad she'll have to miss school.

Thursday - Emma doesn't go to school, I get no shopping done. Grant tells me all about the preschool Circle Time book - something about a kid named George who has a duck and an elephant in his stomach, and the doctor puts a drop of water on his finger and then all the animals are gone. I know, I don't know what book it is either, but I'm thrilled to get some details around his day this time. Hubs leaves for Yosemite for the rest of the week. I'm bitter I'm not leaving for Yosemite too. Emma, clearly feeling better, eats most of a box of Cheerios throughout the day.

Friday - Grant has a playdate with Grandma, Emma and I go on her first field trip to a karate school. I'm so impressed I decide Grant needs karate in his life like yesterday. My favorite part is the karate instructor teaching the children about "cheerful obedience". In fact, I'd guess that was all the parent's favorite part by the spontaneous applause that erupted. Grant takes a nap for the first time all week. And later, Emma has a soccer game against a friend's team. I'm skipping the Girl Scout info night and book club Girl's Night Out (which is at my favorite wine bar, of course).

After kid bedtime, I've got pink cupcakes to bake and frost, a huge frog to draw and then cut out (for Pin the Kiss on the Frog), and pink crowns to dole into pre made packages for tomorrow.

Saturday - Grant and Granny are playdating at the zoo while Emma and I throw her birthday Princess Luncheon. We've got fruit kabobs to assemble and sandwiches to make, balloons to blow up and table settings to be laid.

Sunday - Church in the morning and then Emma is off to Build a Bear with my in-laws to celebrate her birthday. She's never been and she's going to be in heaven. I'm sure she'll come home with a well accessorized stuffed whatevershechooses. Hubs gets home from Yosemite. I collapse in a tired pile, only to pull myself up by my caffeinated bootstraps to get Emma's classroom birthday celebration put together and finalize our Disneyland details.