real moms

I got tagged to do this so I thought I might oblige...

real moms take pictures like this for future blackmail purposes...

real moms sometimes don't worry about the mess and just laugh instead...

real moms know the love of a dvd player on long trips...

and real moms have pirates and elephants hiding in their houses.

humming along

We bought chairs, a coffee table, and a rug this last week (LOVE Ikea!) and for the first time in our marriage, we bought it ourselves!! That felt SO good and then made me dream of other hand-me down things that I would one day like to replace. It took almost 9 years to get to this point though, so I think I'll dream with a dose of reality. The kids liked the new stuff too 'cause they got to have the coolest cardboard spaceship fort ever...

It's great to have our kitchen put back together and have running water and space for us all to be in at once. Amazing how you can live without what we deem as necessary and how grateful I am once things return to 'normal'. Living with less is something I am enjoying lately and it also makes it easier to see God's provision.

As for spring break, I now understand those Staples adds when parents sing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" because their children are going back to school. I had fun with the kids, but wow is it good that school's back! I think this has more to do with very limited play space and constant dreary rain for 2 weeks than anything else, but still, this week has been WAY better!

To top off good things going on, the sun has been out (yes, in the lower mainland, I know how strange that sounds but it really is true!). What a difference in everyone's moods and energy! I think spring may really have come this time and I can't wait to wear summer clothes and do outside things and be warm all the time...maybe I should live in California...hmmm...

anomaly of the world

We are the anomaly of the world. Murphy's Law, whatever you want to call it...we got it. Tends to be that if something can go wrong, we get to take it to the next level. To quote numerous people we've dealt with over the years, "I've never seen this happen before!" Yup, that would be us. We do find it funny as it definitely keeps life from being boring. Take our kitchen for example. When the appliances were moved in, the movers did $4000 damage to the hardwood floor because they didn't put anything down on the floor...apparently that's catchy because while the floor was getting fixed last week the island and dishwasher were just put on the good part of the floor with nothing under them either. Can you guess what happened? So, now we get the whole floor replaced! It's kinda funny...I mean, of course it wouldn't be only a 2 day job...2 weeks doing dishes in the bathtub (yes, I really did) is more like us! It has been an adventure.

Another typical thing we do is take turns being sick...and not just minorly sick, I'm talking needing surgery or lots of hospital stuff sick. Hey, if you're going to do something, ya gotta do it right! So, in keeping with the turns, it is my turn. We've been hoping that this will be the first year of our marriage without a surgery (in almost 9) and we should find out pretty quick if the pain I'm having is surgery-able or not...either way God is amazing and has got it under control. I'd just like to feel better and know what's going on. In the end all ya gotta do is laugh...maybe one day we'll both be bionic. That would be cool...

A bunch of thoughts

Lots has happened since the last time I posted and I tend to think in lists and randomness, so here are a bunch of my thoughts in the last week and a half...

• RUSH youth conference in Kelowna was great and even though I saw puke in designer colours, it reminded me how amazing youth are, how much I love our life, and that I'm getting older and need more sleep
• Shane Claiborne's book Irresistible Revolution has been in my thoughts often, and God has used it to captivate my heart, affirm to me that my passion is not dead, and teach me to love and see people differently. Getting to meet Shane proved to me that there are other people who truly live out what they believe and aren't satisfied with a watered-down Christian culture. God is taking me on an exciting journey and I don't know where it's going, but gosh I sure am loving the ride!
• my Oilers...sigh...I am nearly at a loss for words over the whole Ryan Smyth debacle. So sad...trying not to dislike Kevin Lowe...trying to cheer again event though the heart of the team is gone and we keep losing...sigh...
• my kids have been making me laugh lately and it seems almost unreal that they're 4 and 5. The baby days seem so long ago and I feel like a different person now (mostly skinnier and more rested!). Right now they are dressed up as an elephant and a princess and are playing house in tents. I have also learned this week to keep the sliding door closed when Aidan plays in the snow (he's got a great arm) and to never feed a 4 year old cup of noodles for lunch...
• 

I love sunlight

It's a good day...Mike was home in the morning, the kids are playing outside, we all got slurpees and had a tongue colour comparison, I got to shop, new Toby Mac cd is fitting my mood, we get to go to a youth conference with Shane Claiborne and Jars of Clay and I feel like something good is going to happen there with our youth, and best of all.....THE SUN IS OUT!!!!! I think that God must have personally brought it out for me because of the sheer dreariness that threatened to overwhelm me. Or Mike prayed that my complaining about the constant rain and clouds would stop! Either way, thank you God for the amazing sunshine!! And thanks for good days...

The Fam Jam

So maybe my earlier comment about being a family band was prophetic...mind you I don't think we'll be touring anytime soon. Some of us need to work on our plastic electric guitar skills and our mad recorder/harmonica fingering, but you just never know. We could be the next big thing if there's ever a reality show for families...Family Band Idol? Canada's Next Top Family Band? The possibilities are endless!

Cough. Hack. Sniff.

So, I know it's never happened before, ok maybe just once, but I'm sick. And just like every other time I get a slight hint of a runny nose, I cough. all. night. long. Mike loves it. I mean, who doesn't want to sleep beside someone who hacks and clears their throat for 2 hours at a time starting at 4am? Seriously, I've tried cough syrup, the make-you-sleep pills...nothing is working and it's been weeks. Other than the 5 days in Alberta I've coughed constantly since mid-January. Maybe I'm allergic to BC?

The highlight of this morning while I'm trying to recover from the drowsy side-effects of the cough syrup while still coughing, was the plumber coming to fix our dishwasher. I look so beautiful all red-nosed, hair everywhere, wearing Mike's old sweatshirt and talking with my husky voice. You should have seen the look on his face when I opened the door. I think the big guy may have been afraid to come in the house.

All this to say...anyone got any this-never-fails-me cough remedies? I think I'm down to my last one...a tablespoon of sugar soaked in whiskey (yes, my parents gave that to me as a kid...hmmm...) but if possible I kinda want something different! Please help...cough...cough...