Perfect Pairings-Psalm 34:14

For the past two weeks we've witnessed thousands of people putting aside their political, religious, economic and social differences and come together in peace in the spirit of the Olympics. I hope the athletes listen to the Word of God will take the following Bible verse back to their countries and continue to live in peace with other countries around the world.

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. --Psalm 34:14

(photo copyright BusinessWeek)

Conversation with a 2-Year-Old

"What's up?"

"Not much here, just sucking on a sucker."

"Being cute."

"Potty training is a joke to me--I do it for the suckers."

"Gotta go play dinosaurs and hit my brother now."

"Did I mention I'm cute?"

"Yeah, I thought so."

Move Over Katie Couric

Many of my Facebook friends read a "statue update" of mine lately where I said:

"I find it hilarious that my 6 year old reads the newspaper while eating her breakfast before school. She has the most serious look on her face."

Several people commented that I needed to take a picture of that. I don't think they believe that a 6 year old would actually read the newspaper. After all, newspaper readership has been increasingly on the decline since the birth of the internet. I could give you a bunch of statistics on newspaper readership (remember--until July 2009 I was in the marketing/PR/advertising world--I know what I'm talking about), just let me just say that 18-49 year olds aren't really reading the newspaper as their main news source. Maybe there's a new trend emerging in newspaper demographics.

(I swear, I did not pose her for that pic. When she sees me coming with my camera she starts cheesing it up and posing. I had to be very stealth to get this pic).

It doesn't matter, I have a 6 year old who likes to read the paper. Yes, the first section she reads is the Comics, but then she moves on to the hard news sections, often spelling a word that she doesn't know and asking what it is.

As silly as it sounds, I'm proud of my little 6 year old for reading the newspaper. Some might think this is the foreshadowing of girl who's going to be nerdy. But I bet no one will call Meredith Vieira, Diane Sawyer, Ann Curry or Katie Couric a nerd.

I shouldn't find this surprising, after all, she is the product of a mother who has a degree in Journalism. And WM's mom has said that he used to do the same thing. Maybe it comes naturally.

Katie Couric? Watch out Katie Couric....there's a new Katie in "news" town!

WINNERS! WINNERS!

So I had my first real giveaway on the ol blog Saturday. I'm beginning to think Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. probably isn't the best time to post a giveaway. Most people have lives and are probably out and about and being cool on Saturday night. I, on the otherhand, am at home, watching the Olypmics and trying to convince my children it's bedtime. Next time I'll try to do is on say a Thursday afternoon or something.

Regardless...we have our winners! I did the Random Number Generator on random.org and it gave me the numbers 6 & 3, so, the winners are Commentor #6 & #3....

Kathleen & Danielle.

Here's proof that I didn't cheat...here's the screenshot of the Random Number Generator (which also happens to upload very, very tiny...but I think you can see it):

I'll get in contact with you girls, but if you could send me your address so that I can forward it onto Nice John at MagnaPods so he can send you your goodies, I would appreciate it!

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Perfect Pairings-Job 8:21

Sorry I'm a little late today. For more Perfect Pairings, go see Baloney!

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy--Job 8:21

Oh--that's marker on her neck, not blood...she's not crying because she's hurt, she was just being herself...SHOUTING for joy!

Blogging Business, Baby--and a GIVEAWAY!

Let me tell you about a little thing I've signed up for. Business to Blogger. See their button over there on the right? See it? Well, I got recommended to try it out from my bloggie friend, Dawn. I decided that since a real true live friend recommended it, that I should try it. So I did.

And it's free to sign up!

And it's legit!

You can go to their site and read about them by clicking over there on the button. Long story short, they let the Average Betty Blogger have opportunities to hook up with businesses to try, review and blog about their products. It's time for some of the big name bloggers to share in the wealth and give some of us little dogs some playtime in the blogger park. Sometimes there's a monetary pay off, sometimes it's free products or services. Either way, it's a great way to promote their business and your blog. It's all good.

So....when I got my first blogger email with "Opportunities" (that's what they call them), I was so excited! I read through them and picked one I thought would be a good fit for me. So I submitted my info and **POOF** a day later I received an email saying I'd been chosen! YAY!

I very nice guy, John, from MagnaPods wanted me to try out his magnetic organizers for the bathroom. WOW! He had hit the jackpot with me! I desperately need to organize my bathroom. He sent me two of his organizers to try and when the box arrived 3 very short days later I ripped into them like a kid on Christmas morning. Here's what I got! A toothbrush holder and cosmetic organizer. Nice, modern attractive packaging--probably would appeal to most women.

So, I took them into the bathroom....

WHAT???

Oh yeah, I don't have a medicine cabinet in my bathroom that these cute organizers would stick to. I began to panic and freak out. I was going to fail at my first review, nice John at MagnaPods was going to hate me, no one was going to read my blog and I would go down in history as the world's worst blogger.

BUT, being the resourceful gal I am, I thought, "well shoot, I bet I could use these anyway." I'll tell ya what...these are designed wonderfully because the bottom of them are flat (as opposed to curved or rounded like other organizational products designed to be hung). So, I just decided I'll put them on my shelf in bathroom closet where all my stuff is. They worked perfectly!!! And you know what...all my stuff is WAY more organized and I know where everything is. Let me show you:

Before (man, am I embarrassed to show you that)

After

They are especially great for make up brushes. But you know what...I think they'd be great to hang on your refrigerator to stick pens or pencils in. Back when I was a working girl, these would've been great to have at the office to put all those small office supplies in that seem to do nothing but get lost or junk up your desk.

So, to boil it down...these little organizers are great and versatile! Go visit MagnaPods website and take a look around.

GIVEAWAY-GIVEAWAY!

Now for the FUN part!!! Nice John at MagnaPods is giving away just what he sent me to TWO lucky Out on a Lam blog readers! Yay for you guys!!!! Here's what you need to do to enter into the giveaway. Leave me a comment--that'll get you one entry...any comment will do, you can tell me how great I am or what a dork I am or that I need to get my highlights done (yeah, I know, I'm just sayin') or that your dog pooped on your couch or that you're ready for spring. Doesn't matter--a comment=1 entry. If you want another entry, follow me on Twitter (just click on the "Tweet Like Me" link over there on the left), then come back and tell me that you're following me on Twitter. If you're already following me, just leave me a second comment telling me that. On Monday at noon, I will do the Random Number Generator thing and tell ya who the winners are. That's easy!

Good luck & Happy Organizing!!!!

The Lost

Hey!

Have you noticed I haven't posted anything in a couple days?

Yeah, I haven't.

I'm alive.

Busy.

I'm working on a post with a real, true live GIVEAWAY!

Hopefully it will be posted tonight. If not, tomorrow. Or Sunday. I think.

What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday-Lenten Edition

Today is Ash Wednesday...the beginning of Lent. Most people give some up or commit to doing something. So today's What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday question centers around that. For Lent are you:

Going to give up something (i.e. give up chocolate, caffeine, etc.)

or

Commit to doing something (i.e. workout each day, drink 8 glasses of water/day, etc.)

What's it going to be? I like to hear about what people are doing for Lent. I'll tell you about mine in another post--it's too long for here, I'll just tell you it involves the Bible and my children).

God Bless You!

The Last Bite

Some people have really busy lives.

Learning to use the potty.

Pulling all the books off the shelf

Unfolding all of mommy's folded laundry

Changing the time on the alarm clock

Undressing yourself several times a day

Wrestling with your brother

Biting your sister

Etc.

Etc.

It wears a person out.

It wears one out so much that you can't even finish your afternoon snack--you might just fall asleep mid-bite.

Night-night sweet Josie-have a nice nap.

Everyday is Valentine's Day at Our House

How was your Valentine's Day? Good, bad, so-so? Ours was like any other Sunday except the silly little cards we handed each other at the breakfast table. I know this post is going to make some people gag. It's going to make some people say "yeah, right," and it's going to make others straight up angry. But, again, this is my blog and I get to say what I want. Right? Right! (except I'm a middle child and middle children are genetically made up to be peace makers and social. Therefore, I will sit around feeling bad about those who I make angry).

On with why it's Valentine's Day EVERY day at our house, here's why...I have a wonderful husband who honestly puts me and our children first in his life. He doesn't take one day out of the year to tell me and show me how much he loves me. He does it every single day. Every day. Each morning when he leaves for work he hugs each of us and tells each of us he loves us. He tells me every day that I am the best thing to happen to him and that he thinks of me all day. He emails me or texts me during the day things that only he and I would find funny or sweet. If I wanted him to make a big deal out of Valentine's, he would. If I wanted flowers or chocolates or stuffed bears, he'd buy them. If I wanted to go out to dinner, he'd take me. But I don't. Just like he knew I didn't want a big production when he asked me to marry him. And just like he knew I didn't want a big wedding. It's not my style to be the center of attention (it's the middle child thing again).

Sure, I like Valentine's Day, but what I like about Valentine's is all the cutesy stuff...because pink is my favorite color and I like making cute things...look here at these cute M&M treat baggies I made for Katie to hand out to her classmates (this is my new little hobby, I don't sell them, I create these because I find it fun--you should see the Easter ones I'm designing...oh so cute!).

(I was having some minor font issues--that's why these kind of have lame, cheesy fonts).

Now, I'm not saying that we have a perfect marriage. Does anyone? But what I'm saying is that no matter what, he loves me, respects me and treats me like a Valentine 365 days a year.

If you don't read Yogi's blog (you should) then you didn't read his thoughts on why couples remain married for 50+ years. Go read his blog, but here's an excerpt of his thoughts on a successful marriage (he and his wife delivered corsages to some of the couples at their church who have been married 50+ years):

"After five years of delivering corsages to these couples you know what I have seen and not seen? These couples have a deep love for one another and quiet respect. They don't talk over each other, they are good listeners. They have smiles on their faces, and lots of pictures of friends and family scattered around the living room. The television is hardly ever on (unless the OSU Cowboys or OU Sooners are playing basketball.) You know what I haven't seen? I have yet to see my first "Type A" personality."

Sounds like something all married couples should strive for. (WM and I certainly have the no Type A thing down...recently I took a quiz on Baloney's blog on your percentage of being Type A or B--I was 90% Type B. Yeah, no surprise to me either).

WM is the love of my life and I am his--everyday of the year. And he tells me--everyday of the year.

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner...now that's a holiday worth celebrating!!!

Perfect Pairings-Corinthians 11:6

Most of you have heard about the recent hair cutting incident at our home. If not, please stand by, I'm work on a post about it. Let's just say that Katie took it upon herself to cut 6" off the front of her hair. So today's Perfect Pairing is in honor of this recent event. See more Perfect Pairings by going to visit Baloney.

If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. --1 Corinthians 11:6

Note to Self

Let the Games Begin

Guess what time it is!!

Yep--OLYMPICS time!!! WOO HOOO!!! If you didn't know, I love the Olympics. Love them. LOVE!

I'm not sure it I'll be making my "20 Posts a Month" resolution this month. There's a lot of TV time in my future for the next 2 weeks. Or perhaps, I could just give you my thoughts on what I'm watching. One thing I do know is this...the Olympics make me cry. So the daily tears can begin now. Which they already did when the Georgian delegation walked in during the Parade of Nations in the Opening Ceremony. That small delegation that lost one of members today. That makes me very sad.

Let the games begin!!

An Extra Mouth to Feed

I know that I've told you that our home has been invaded by dinosaurs for the past year or so. I'm not joking when I tell you that we have over 100 toy dinosaurs living with us. I am constantly picking them up, tripping over them, finding them in the washer/dryer, etc., etc. Unbeknownst to me, I'm also feeding them.

I made some cookies a couple days ago and I couldn't figure out why they were disappearing so quickly. Cookies always go quickly at our home, but this time it seemed like there was another 1 or 2 missing every time I was in the kitchen.

But when I was picking up toys, I noticed this....

That rascal! He's eating my cookies!!

The movie Toy Story quickly jumped to mind. Toys really ARE alive!

But then on second thought, I began to suspect that THIS might be the rascal...

She apparently was swiping a cookie for her...then swiping a cookie for her bud Mr. T-Rex. I find it amusing that she thinks it's necessary to feed the dinosaurs. Yes, I said she....she is as in to dinosaurs (pronounced in her 2-year-old dialect as "dinono") as her brother Patrick the Paleontologist. When I asked her about it she said, "I feed dinono, T-Rex tummy hungry."

Well, I guess I just have another mouth (or 100 mouths) to feed around here.

What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday-Suga, Suga

vs.

This is kind of dorky...but for today's What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday, tell me this. For breakfast would you rather have:

Lucky Charms

or

CocoaPuffs

Nothing like starting your day with a jolt of sugar. Leave me a comment and let me know which one you like better.

Have a whacky Wednesday!

And to clarify--I'm a dork.

The Law

If you follow me on Twitter or are my "friend" on Facebook, you probably know that I am my daughter's Daisy Girl Scout leader. It was something I wanted to do but was a little hesitant at first. But now as we are well into our first year of scouting and I'm more comfortable with being a leader--I love it! I have the most precious group of little Kindergarteners and I can't wait to see them grow into courageous, caring, self-confident leaders. These girls will do great things in their lives. Watch out world!

Each month as a prepare for our monthly meeting, I always review The Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law that our troop is working on. And each time I read the Girl Scout Law, I'm proud to think that these 10 girls want to live by this law (and they will, I just know it--as I said, I have a GREAT group of girls). What I wish is that every person would live by the Girl Scout Law.

I assume that probably 95% of you reading this probably don't know the Girl Scout Law. That's okay...I was a Girl Scout when I was little and I didn't remember it. So here it is. Read it, think about it, try to live by it. I think if everyone did that our world would be a better place. So just for a moment, or more, be a Girl Scout.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be

honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say and do.

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

An Open Letter to Yesterday

Dear February 4, 2010,

I am writing this letter of complaint to you so you know how disappointed I am in your services. I know that you will not take any of what I have to say to heart since you are a one time deal, but I still think your boss, Father Time, needs to know what a punk you are.

First let me begin by saying that you know Thursdays are tough for our family since Thursdays are the day that WM has to be at work early to lead his staff meeting, therefore, I'm on my own to get school uniforms ironed, lunch packed, children fed, up dressed, teeth brushed, etc. and to school by 7:45 a.m. I have a feeling you knew this and decided to take aim on me on one of my weakest days. I don't not appreciate your sneakiness.

Also, Mr. 2/4/10, I would like that you for the continual river of snot that you provided to my 2 year old that accompanied her cough and fever. I suspect you are to blame for this and I find this very unprofessional.

In particular, I would like to thank you for the thoughtless car accident that you decided to have us partake in. You thought you got us, but fortunately my three children and I wear unhurt. I especially would like to thank you for the jerk you had call me from the other driver's insurance company and try to convince me that my car was not at a full stop and that I might be at fault for stopping at a red light and having her smash into the back of my car. An Open Letter to that guy will be coming to this blog soon (with or without naming the insurance company--depending on how many more times he calls). Well, the joke was on you, I was able to drive my car home, the other driver...her car was towed off.

And finally, I appreciate you taking your final dump on my head by allowing my 6 year old daughter to chop off 6" of her bangs so that she has a clump if 1/2" spikey bangs right in the front of her head. You knew that she had a very special part at the special Catholic Schools Weeks mass and that she would be getting up in front of the whole school and all the parents/family. You knew that we had just gotten her a special hair ribbon for her to wear for her special part, yet you deliberately forced her hand into the scissors and made her cut. YOU did this to her.

In closing, I ask that you not bother my family again. We are done with you, 2/4/10. We've moved on to better days and will not let you ruin our lives. Take a hike. I don't like you.

Love,

Me

Extreme...That's for Sure

Before I write this post I'm going to say this upfront. I think Extreme Home Makeover is wonderful...helping needy families who are very deserving of their new home. My heart goes out to these families and the disabilities and sadness they are dealing with everyday. So, don't read this thinking that I don't think the recipients of these homes aren't deserving...they ARE.

Let me tell you what bothered me about it. First off, for those of you reading this who don't live in my city let me give you a little background--it'll be quick. For the last week Extreme Home Makeover has been in the heart of our city building a home for a much deserved family. It's been all over the news reports, the newspaper, radio, people are Facebooking about it, etc., etc. It's been the talk of the town for the past week.

So, here it is. What's bothered me is that hundreds (maybe thousands, I don't know) came out to volunteer their time to help with this building project. Mind you, it was a challenge being that we had 8" of snow fall right in the middle of it, so good for all you Tulsans who went out to help. But....BUT....what I'm wondering is how many of these people will continue being "thoughtful and caring" by volunteering their time with other organizations in our city who could really, really use volunteers. Or we're they being thoughtful and caring by volunteering their time just to meet Ty and get their 5 seconds of air time? Hmmm, I wonder. I know there were people there that DO volunteer the rest of the year, and I hope that some of the rest of the people got a taste of what volunteering can do to your heart and lead them to find somewhere else to help out.

There are many, many places that change lives and help people every day all year. They need your help.

How about volunteering at DVIS to help that woman (or man) whose life is being crushed by domestic violence?

Or what about helping at Iron Gate and serving a meal to a homeless person who wants nothing more than a warm place to eat and a meal.

Or maybe volunteering at the Mental Health Association of Tulsa to help break the stereotype that people with mental illness are weird or help a family dealing with suicide?

And at New Hope you could mentor a child whose parent(s) are in prison.

How about helping with an organization such as the Autism Center, Little Lighthouse or other organizations that are helping families who have children facing these obstacles. These families are so busy caring for their children yet they are the ones who are volunteering their time to raise awareness and funds. Doesn't it makes sense that those who don't have a child with special needs help out so those parents can focus their time and attention on their child?

Of course there's always your church, child's school and other United Way agencies where you could give of your time. There are so many organizations and agencies in our city that are helping people and could use thoughtful and caring people.

But with these you're not going to meet a TV star or be on national television. Instead you'll change lives, make some one's day, possibly save a life.

Give it a thought. My prayer is that all those people who helped with Extreme Home Makeover found the joy of helping and volunteering and will seek out new places to to give of their time and love.

P.S. Yes--I do volunteer my time, at my daughter's school, a United Way agency, our church. I'll tell about those another time. Just didn't want you to think not practicing what I preach. Love ya! ;)

Quickie Stickie

Quickly...I'm busy today...

Monthly Check-In #1

I decided to keep myself accountable and on track with my New Year's Resolutions, that I should post how I'm doing at the beginning of each month. That way when June/July rolls around I won't feel so guilty about saying "I've failed." At least you'll see it comin'.

So here's how we're doing:

Resolution #1--Work out 5 days a week.

How I'm doing: This one is going to be tricky...especially if it continues to snow 9735" every month...that really hinders my outdoor walks/runs. BUT, we did join the Y and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Y that I go to (South Neighborhood). So really there's no excuse other than I overcommit myself in other areas of my life and can't make it to the Y. But I would say that I'm not a failure on this one...in the past month I would say that I've worked out at least 4 days a week. I think that's a good start.

Resolution #2--Recycle more of our household items.

How I'm doing: Considering that we used to recycle ZERO of our household items (please, I know that's terrible and I always felt guilty about it), we are making huge strides in this area. We get the newspaper daily, and each day it goes in the recycler. During our 3 day stint without water due to the water main break on our street, we drank A LOT of bottled water. And every single one of those bottles is in the recycling container. Along with a few laundry detergent containers. I know this doesn't seem like much, but considering where we've come from, I would say that we are succeeding on this one.

Resolution #3--Only 1 Starbucks a day.

How I'm doing: Um....well, ahem. Next question, please. Ha! Fooled ya! This one has been super tough but I've been 100% successful! As a matter of fact, there have been several days where I didn't even go to Starbucks. So yes, this one, as difficult as I thought it would be has turned out to be nothing more than a little willpower. Well, make that a lot of willpower.

Resolution #4--Do 20 posts or more on the blog.

How I'm doing: This one is right over there on the right hand side. See it...18 posts in January. Failure. I failed. But I'll do better. I promise.

Resolution #5--Read 1 book per month.

How I'm doing: Again...failure. I'm reading a good book. Maybe I'll finish it soon. Maybe not. I just don't have a lot of time to read. If I have time to be sitting still reading, I have time to be folding laundry, cleaning the house, checking homework, planning a girl scout meeting, baking treats for the Kindergartners (working out, blogging, recycling). But I am going to trrrryyyy to make more of an effort to find "me" time to sit and read.

So there you have it. I'd say I'm not doing great, but I'm not doing horrible either. Pretty middle of the road. Hopefully on my next monthly check in, everything will be SUCCESS!