Why do kids barf for no apparent reason?

So, my week has been pretty crazy and last night was no exception. I babysat from 3:23pm until 5:30pm, quickly fed the kids and was in the van at 6:15pm to go to Kidz Klub. At Kidz Klub I worked in the "Under 5" room where Trinity played with some other girls. After Kidz Klub I had music practice for an hour. Riker and Trinity were great and ate snacks and amused themselves by walking around all the chairs and playing hide and seek. We had just started the last song, when Trinity comes up to me and says, "I have to barf!" I walked her to the bathroom. Nothing. So she came back, lay down on a step and sipped some water. When we were done, I went to get our jackets. I heard Trinity cough behind me, which turned into gagging, which turned into a puddle of regurgitated snacks and water on the foyer rug. Yuk. The bathroom was all of 5 steps away all the time too! At least we got her there for the second bout. Poor kid. Funny thing was, the only thing that upset her about the whole thing was that now her socks and pants smelt funny.
Today, so far, so good. Why do they do that???

A Trinity original...

One of my friends told me that she takes video with her digital camera. I didn't know if ours could do this but I thought, Hey, I'll give it a shot! So I asked Trinity to sing something for me. Here it is, a Trinity Original...

Please excuse our noisy dishwasher in the background.

If I could go anywhere in the world...

...where would I go?
Man, of all the questions, to me this is the hardest. Not because I have so many places I'd like to go, but because I have a hard time thinking of one. Really I'd like to explore Canada. There is so much of it that I haven't seen yet. Like I said before, I'd love to visit Quebec, but I'd like to go by train so I don't have to drive but I still get to see all the scenery. I'd love to take the train to Jasper too. I'd like to go to Newfoundland and New Brunswick and explore all there is to see there. I'd like to go to local events and really see how they live.
If I had to choose another country to go to and it was by myself I'd say Italy. I would absolutely love to see Venice and Rome. I want to explore the country side and visit vineyards and stay with large, loud people who eat a lot of pasta!
If I had to choose a country to go to with Mark I'd say it's a toss up between The Dominican, Mexico and the USA (Hawaii). I'd want to go when there are more locals than tourists and I'd want to do some of the stuff that Mark likes to or dreams of doing. I'd also like to just soak up some sun beside my husband and relax!
So there you go Rayna, a long and complicated answer to such a simple question!!!

Another contridiction...

I've always considered myself to be a city girl. I love the convenience of it. I love being able to walk almost anywhere I need to go. I love the fact that when your car breaks down, there's always the option of taking the bus. I just love it.
But then my husband took me out to the country. The wide open spaces. The abundance of little cabins tucked into the bush on a farmer's yard. Playing card or board games on cold winter evenings. Going to some one's house for "coffee" and having it be an event. (Coffee Time there is an actual time of day!) Quiet. People who are tight knit and help each other like family.
When I'm in the city, I feel like I belong. When I'm in the country, I feel comforted. Yesterday was a country day...and now I'm torn again.

Ever thought about missions?

Today we had a guest speaker in church. He told us so many global stories of people coming into relationship with Christ. Did you know that in North Africa 1 in 4 people who come to Christ do it because Christ came to them in a dream or vision and told them to follow Him??? Wow! He was challenging us to continue to support our missionaries, and to use the gifts that God has given us to enter these countries ourselves and continue this amazing work.
It made me think. I've gone on short term missions before. Both times I was a teenager, distracted by boys and doing good work rather than preaching Christ. I don't feel like I've done anything very missions minded as a adult. Sounds strange from someone who spent 6 years in youth and camp ministry, doesn't it? I guess to me that was just life. I was a bit the same as I was during my teenage years, distracted by the doing part, somehow not involved in actually talking to anyone about Christ.
Yikes, you guys are getting a real inside to Jobina here!
Yet, I'd like to think that I could see myself doing missions. Living out my faith in a foreign country. Deep inside me, where my faith is grounded and solid, is where a desire lies to proclaim it to the world! The problem is that it needs to fight through all my insecurities and excuses to get out.
I can only pray that bit by bit, year by year I would get bolder. That I would not shrink back or cower from sharing this part of me. I pray that I would learn that I don't have to have all the answers because God does, heck, He's calling people to Himself in Africa no missionaries required!!! Today there was again a soft little nudge in that direction saying, "Jobina, LIVE Me, BREATHE Me, GIVE EVERYTHING to Me. I WANT you to be BOLD. I WANT you to LIVE IT OUT. I WANT you to SHARE Me."
I like that voice. That's the voice of God.

Questions 3+4...

Another one from Amber:
The "stationary person who loves to flap her arms & legs" part intrigued me too, What does this mean?
I often feeling like I'm a walking contradiction, if you would ask me what I like to do I would tell you many things. I love to go for walks. I love to toboggan and ice skate. I love the feeling when I do strength training. I love aerobics and step classes. I love to dance around with my kids. Yet, if you were a fly on the wall watching my average week you would see me sitting and watching tv. Sitting and reading a book. Sitting and typing on the computer. Sitting in my van and driving around. A stationary person for the most part, but what do I love? I love to get out there and flap my arms and legs! I've just got to actually do it more!

How do you pronounce your name?
Here you go, it's jo-BEE-nah
I've never met anyone else with my name either though I do know that they exist. I looked up Jobina on Facebook to see what I would get and was surprised to see a lot of Asian girls with my name. (surprised because it's a hebrew name) The other thing was that only 1 girl was blonde! All the rest were brunette! My mom always said that she could only have named me Jobina if I had dark hair. Interesting.

Question #2...

From Amber: According to your blogger profile you say you are a cheap shop-a-holic. Please explain yourself...I assume you mean you love to shop but look for good deals?

Boy, I love this question thing!

I am a shop-a-holic, of that there is no doubt. There is nothing in the world quite like Retail Therapy for me! I am constantly browsing shops, even when I don't plan on buying anything. But I'm always on the hunt for a great deal! I have such a hard time paying more than $5 for a piece of clothing for my kids because I know that if I just look around a little more, I could get it for less. And I don't buy junk! The weird thing is that I happen to be in the right place at the right time very often! Like two weeks ago I was in the mall looking around Please Mum because they had a lot for sale. The lady comes up to me and says, "by the way, we have a sale going on right now, if you have our special coupon, you get $25 off a $50 purchase". "Oh", I said, "I didn't bring my email coupon." Then she says, "well, I have a few extras behind the counter if you need one." Awesome! Not only were the clothes on sale, but then I essentially got 50% off that price yet! I went to Gymboree, with Gymbucks that I'd been given, and got exactly the same deal! I ended up with 6 items for $5 each (when I worked it out per item). At GYMBOREE! I loved it!
But my cheapness goes much deeper than that, there are somethings that I just cannot bring myself to buy, because I'm too cheap. Like frozen meals (lasagna and chicken wings and all that), like name brand stuff (my sister almost fell over laughing when she opened my cupboards and saw the sea of yellow noname labels. I have a terrible time paying for a haircut for myself because I know that Mark needs them more and I could use that money for other things. I have weird rules for my house like, you only need 3 squirts of dish soap to do dishes, no more. The kids are allowed 3-4 squares of toilet paper. I'm constantly following Mark around the house turning off lights as I go.
Maybe some people would call it thrifty instead. I say, I'm cheap!

Question #1...

My Auntie Stacey from Toronto asked me this question after yesterday's post...
If you could have ONE day to do, or be (anywhere in the world) all by yourself if you knew Mark and the kids were perfectly taken care of... no friends or family... just you. Where would you be, and what would you be doing?
I love questions like this because they are so totally and completely unrealistic for my life right now and yet have wonderful "scope for the imagination".
My absolute dream would be to take the train from Winnipeg to Quebec City. I'd get myself a map of the city with all the historical sites and a room in a quaint and cozy bed and breakfast close to the old part of the city. I'd take about a week (maybe two ;o)) to wander around looking at everything, The Chateau Frontenac, The Plains of Abraham, The Notre Dame Cathedral. I would find comfy cafes on small ancient, crowded streets and drink warm, fragrant lattes. I would sample French -Canadian cuisine from restaurants recommended to me by the locals. I would bring a good book. Add to this all that I'm wearing comfy shoes and a new warm and cozy spring jacket and the picture, to me, is perfect.
Hmmm, great question Auntie Stace! Anyone have another one?

Moment of Truth...

Last night I totally wrecked my routine of going to bed at 11pm. I stayed up until 12 watching a new game show called Moment of Truth. The contestants have previously gone through a polygraph test of 50 questions. Of those 50 questions, 21 of them are chosen for the show. All the contestants have to do is answer truthfully. The thing is that they don't know which answers on their polygraph came up as lies. And now they are in front of all of America answering devastating questions about their lives. They only get to advance if they tell the truth . At the first wrong answer, they are off the game with no money. Wow!
I sat there wondering if I could be on a show like that and bare all. I'm not sure I could. For one thing, there are probably things that I have lied to myself about for years and really I wouldn't know what answer was the truth! The other thing is being able to tell the truth no matter what the consequence may be later.
One man was asked if he had put off having children because he was not sure that his wife (of 2 1/2 years) was going to be his lifelong partner. His wife was sitting right there. That is nasty to answer, especially because the answer was yes.
Part of my blog's purpose is to help me reveal more of myself, to let people see who I really am. It's not an easy task and yet it is something that I long to be...honest. I want to be true to myself, true to God and true to my friends. So, if you could ask me any question, what would it be? (trivial or important, it doesn't matter)

Do you feel lucky?

After supper if you were to spy into the Westman house (please don't because you'd totally freak me out!) you would likely see Riker sitting on the couch beside a little table with either Mark or myself on the other side playing checkers. It's funny to play with him because he makes it so that you have to start taking his pieces and then he heckles you until you do it! He plays to win...I don't know where in the world he gets that from! He's great at losing too. He'll happily shake your hand, say "good game", and immediately challenge you again! I love games. I think I could get into Mark's idea of getting a cabin someday if we could have a whole wardrobe full of games in there. I'd be in heaven! Checkers, Rumikub, Chess, Monopoly, Trouble, Sorry, Risk, Uno, Skip-Bo, Phase 10, you name it, I love it. I think there is something to be said too for the time you spend together and learning to win and lose. I'm still working on the losing part myself...it's been slow in coming!

My quest to become healthy and whole...

I've been humming and hawing and generally procrastinating about whether or not to re-join our aerobics class at church. Awhile ago I underwent some asthma testing and have found that since then, I am much more prone to asthma flare ups. Especially during aerobics! Last semester I can't even count the number of times I ended up on the side gasping for air! So yesterday I surprised even myself when I called the instructor and asked if I could sign up again.
Today was D-day.
I felt slightly nauseated this morning as I got the kids ready to go. I got there and settled everyone into their classes and headed upstairs. For one brief, fleeting moment I considered heading right out the doors. No, I thought, I need this! So I turned and headed up to the gym. I laced up my runners and took two puffs of my inhaler while the music started thumping. And we were off! One hour and a few breaks later I was done. I was tired, I was worn out and my heart felt like it wanted to escape it's confines and relax on the beach in Hawaii!
I'm going to keep going though, I do not want to be young and dying of heart failure or walking one block and gasping for breath on the street corner. I want to keep up with life and with my husband and kids! I want to breathe freely!
So, as of today I am once again welcoming the Healthy and Whole program with open arms. It adds that boost to my routine that I really need!

Sometimes imagination can rival the real thing...

Our kids love to pretend that they are animals. As I write this Trinity is pretending that she is a Cat and Mark is a Dog (Mark is filling in for Riker who is at school). Apparently Dogs and cats get along, since this cat keeps rubbing her face on the dog's sweater. A few minutes ago I was holding my cat and scratching her belly. She's such a nice cat, so loving, so clean! She even goes to the bathroom and wipes herself! The noise can get a little much when the cat and dog play, but all in all, I think I'll take my imaginary pets over real ones any day. For one thing, I'm not allergic to these ones! (Picture is of our cat sitting up for kitty (cheerio) treats!)

Feeling frosty...

The last two days, the windchill has brought the temperature around here down into the -40's. Today it's -45 celcius with an extreme weather warning. Beware of frostbite! Inside we aren't to the point of frost bite but it is a mite chilly! Our poor furnace has been running almost nonstop and still can't keep up with the 20 degrees that we have it set at. The highest it's hit so far is about 18 degrees. I've opened all the curtains in an effort to get some sunlight in here to help warm things up. I'm hoping that by early afternoon the furnace can take a break for a few precious minutes. I went to Superstore to get groceries for the week and managed to pick up slippers for the kids. ON SALE, of course! Now I think I'll make some decaf and tidy up my kitchen. Anything to stay warm!

New Recipe and an update...

Yesterday I made the easiest bread ever! Seriously, even someone who has never, ever made bread before could make this! I had some leftover buttermilk from my chicken recipe this week so I looked up buttermilk recipes on line and found this...

Irish Soda Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg


Mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it gets to a coarse mealy texture
Seperately, mix the buttermilk and egg until well beaten.
Mix wet mixture into the dry ingredients until very well combined. The dough will be very sticky, add no more than 1/4 cup flour extra if necessary.
Add in the optional ingredients, if using.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth (about 10 minutes).
Divide dough in half and shape into two flattened rounds. Place each in an ungreased 8-inch cake tin and press down slightly.
Cut a cross in the top of each loaf.
Bake 40 minutes in a 375 degree oven, cool on wire racks.
**Note: If using this recipe to make a savoury loaf (ie. cheese & herb, etc) decrease sugar to 2 tbsp**

Mine only needed 30 minutes in the oven. They were small, beautiful, fragrant, heavy loaves. Perfect to eat with soup or stew! This is going to be a keeper for me, that's for sure! Do your body a favour, this bread has it all...buttermilk is low in fat, plus there is the goodness of whole wheat! Enjoy!

*Eating well update-I have successfully had a minimum of 6 cups of water per day, I have been making healthy meals with veggies in every one, but I fear my posture is no better yet. In fact, I seem to have a popping sensation every once in a while. If it doesn't pop I actually have a hard time breathing. Maybe yoga will be next on the list!*
**please don't write to me about chiropractors. Tried 'em, didn't like 'em.**

I LOVE oatmeal in the morning...

Morning oatmeal has been a comfort food of mine for years. When I was 13 my parents took off to Alberta for a week and Grandma came to stay with us. I guess she figured that she had one week to fatten me up, so every morning she woke up at 6am and made me oatmeal before I went to school. Being 13 and wafer thin, I didn't usually eat much for breakfast (often just a Coke) up to that point and had to choke it down the first few mornings. Somehow I got used to it after a few days and it's become one of my favorite morning routines. For one thing, it fills me up in the mornings and I don't even need a snack before lunch. It's also warm and comforting, has a great aroma and can be made pretty quickly (if you use the quick oats, but NOT instant!) Every time my kids ask for it it brings me back a few years and I think, Grandma would have been proud! I can almost hear her saying, "Eat, eat Jobina!"

A new day...

Yesterday, after my proverbial kick in the pants, I embarked on a new journey. Literally. I dropped our car off at our mechanic's on south St.Mary's, then proceeded to walk all the way home. Mark and I had figured that it would probably take me about 1.5-2 hours, but being the lazy person that I am who is always looking for a short cut, I found one and managed to do it in 1 hour. I was bookin' it! I don't think I've ever walked so fast in my life! The other great part about this story? It was -30 Celsius! I dressed in as much warm, yet breathable, clothing as I could and ended up having to take off layers as I went. I actually had frost on my mitts from all the heat my body was giving off! Crazy! It was such a great walk and I felt so invigorated afterward.
Mark is trying to encourage change in me so he made me a deal yesterday that if I swept and mopped the floors then we would watch more then one episode of LOST on DVD. Done! That is the easiest way in the world to get me to do stuff, dangle a reward in front of me and I'll get things done every time.
He and I made another decision yesterday too. For the next 45 days we are going to eat healthy meals and healthy snacks. No more snacking on cookies and ice cream. We want a snack, it has to be a healthy snack. Poor Riker cried when I told him that desserts were going to be healthy now, but I'll get him on board. Fruit with yogurt on top and granola sprinkles sounds yummy to me! It's not every day that we eat dessert anyway.
I spent some time today with my organizer too, just trying to visualize things a bit better so I can see that I do actually have room to breathe after all! I don't need to get so overwhelmed and shut down.
So today is a new day. I had a healthy breakfast, made muffins with my daughter and talked to my sister already today. Not to mention the fact that my face is washed and my teeth are brushed! Yep, I'm way up there!

I need a plan...

Discipline in my life has plummeted in the last few months. I notice it in little things.
(Now this is going to be a severe and possibly disturbing look into the life of Jobina, please prepare yourself or go elsewhere if you can't handle the information.)
Little things... like not washing my makeup off every night. Like brushing my teeth only once a day some days. Like eating 4 cookies instead of one. Like not getting dressed before at least 10am. Like leaving my floors and bathrooms to suffer while I spend my free time in front of the TV or computer. Like not taking the time to practice reading with Riker. Like hoping my weight will go down instead of up, but not actually doing anything about it. Like spending minimal amounts of time communing with God.
It's left me feeling dirty, weak, slothful, heavy, and with a weakened relationship with God. I don't like it.
Mark says I don't need a plan, that I need to ACT. He right of course. I know the things I should do, I just don't do them. I waste my life staring at a small screen and living vicariously through the fictional lives and story-lines it provides. So once again I need a kick in the pants (incidentally, I just read this to Riker who immediately offered to provide a karate kick to my posterior) and need to get back to action, to "flapping my arms and legs", to really living!
I want to feel ALIVE!!!

This week's menu...

So, last week's menu went really well. A few things changed like potatoes instead of rice, but that's ok. I figured I'd do little sneak peek into this week's menu! Here goes, again in no particular order...
1. Stuffed pasta shells, O.G.salad, crusty bread
2. Southern "fried" Chicken, baked homemade fries, veggies and dip
3. Parmesan fish, rice and veggies
4. Pork chops, broccoli salad, potatoes
5. Meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, corn
6. Roast chicken with lemon and herbs, roast potatoes and veggies
And there it is in a nut shell! I love planning ahead because then I feel like I can be creative. I have more time, I have all the ingredients, now I just have the joy of creating...and tasting!!! Some things I leave vague on purpose like the veggies or how I'm going to prepare the pork. It all depends on how I feel that day. Oh, and I got my veggie lasagna made and put in the freezer today. Yes, I'm feeling productive and happy, can you tell that Mark is back home? ;o)

Words that are good for a mother's heart...

Trinity slammed one of her tiny fingers in a cupboard door this morning. Poor girl. We wrapped it in a cold, wet paper towel and I helped feed her some breakfast. After she was done I was puttering around the kitchen when she said, "Mommy, can you please pray to Jesus for my finger to get all better?"

I've finding myself with a severe loss of creative energy...

Mark has been gone all week in Calgary taking a course on Crisis Intervention with a great prof (who used to supervise his practicum). I've been hanging in there, but today I'm going to need a kick in the pants! Wa, wa, wa! I guess it doesn't help that I'm totally PMS-ing (sorry guys) and that I've been stupid and staying up until 12:30 or 1am! It also doesn't help that my water intake yesterday was 1 cup or water, two decafs and 1 hot chocolate. What would help would be getting my water in today, getting out for a walk and tidying up the house so I don't feel like I live in a sty. What would also help is playing with my crazy kids for a bit and babysitting for a few hours. It might help too to make a good healthy supper from my list and put some meals in the freezer like I've been meaning to do. I'm sure that I can get most of those things done, probably not all, that might be a little ambitious!
We all go through high days and low days, good days and bad days, days when we're emotional and days when we are pillars of strength. Today is just another day and I will Survive (as the song says). Anyone have a great verse for me for today?

Tidbits...

A few of the goings on here...
1. Apparently I have an excellent chance of winning the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. Or so they'd like me to think. They have me licking stamps and sending back a reply at least once a month, teasing me with the idea that they might be coming to MY door. Why in the world do I keep sending the envelopes back? Hey, it's mail. And it's not bills. ;oP
2. Wolverine has taken over my house. Riker is running around scratching everything and roaring. Hmmm...
3. I've had about enough of being a single parent this week. I'm about ready to jump out of my skin. How in the world do people do this? I guess if I was on my own long term I would fill my life with ways to interact with adults during the day. Just for a week though it's difficult. Last night there was a bright spot though, the kids and I went to Starbuck's and chilled for a bit. Thank you Grande Decaf Cinnamon Dolce Latte, I love you.
4. My babysitting schedule has been completely turned on it's head now giving me a week on-week off routine to follow instead of 2-3 days a week. It makes for one crazy week, but then one very relaxed week. We'll see how that works for us.
5. I've been consistently drinking 4-6 cups of water per day. It's still not where I'd like it but we're getting there!
6. I like hearing my kids play. I hear funny words like "Yew Nork", "Be grave", "Impridgerator", and "Imputer". That, and a lot of animal noises and screeching.
7. I bought a calander, finally, the other day. It's supposed to be a scrapbooking calendar but since I have most of my pics on computer not paper, I decided to decorate it with Bible verses ever month. Here's the verse of the month...
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Snugglebugbabybows.ca

Riker has this friend at church named Katie-Rose. Katie-Rose is always dressed super cute and always has these adorable ribbon bows in her hair. I finally got around to asking her Mom about them and found out that they are made by her friend in Calgary and that they are trying to get them into retailers here in Winnipeg. These bows come in two different clip styles and stay in even the finest of hair. I couldn't help myself, I ordered a few for Trinity since everything slips out of her fine hair. I got them last Sunday and just LOVE them! They stay exactly where I put them, they are made really well, and they are so beautiful! I really love the daisy! So, if you're interested, check out their website for now, then stay tuned to find out where you can buy them right here in Winnipeg!

All about food...

Well, Saturday I managed to stretch and drink 5 cups of water. Sunday I stretched and drank 4 cups of water plus 2 cups of decaf. So, not bad. I feel really weird sitting up so straight all the time, like I'm trying to look proud or haughty or something. Mark went to Calgary this week and I have to say, my evening snacking has been horrible! I have to stop eating the worst stuff possible. On the bright side, I felt so guilty about eating junk that I exercised a bit while I watched tv.
Today I finally went and did my big grocery shop of the month so now I have no excuses! There are lots of fruits and veggies in the house now! I've already cut up two small chickens and put the other in the freezer whole. I'm going to slap together a veggie lasagna for later in the month too and put it in the freezer. Have any of you ever pre-made pizza crust and then frozen it? How long do you bake it for before you freeze it? Is it better to top the pizza before freezing or should I leave it plain? I'd love some help with this!
A friend of mine posted on her blog what she was making for suppers this week. I thought that was such a great idea! So here, in no particular order is our weekly menu (with one day left out for a leftover night and one night we're going to a friend's house for supper)
1. Ranch Wild Rice and Chicken Wraps
2. Stuffed Salmon, rice pilaf, peas
3. Applesauce Chicken, potatoes, caesar salad
4. Chicken fingers, Fruit Salad
5. Beef roast, Roasted baby potatoes, carrots, corn

Health, not wealth...

Last night I was so tired of my sore back and my binge eating of Christmas goodies that I made just a few small goals for the year.
1. I will stretch my back and try to sit/stand up straight everyday.
2. I will drink 6-8 cups of water each day.
3. I will eat fruit/veggies in every meal.
So, that's what I'm going to start with. Some of you may be shocked that there are people out there who don't even do these three simple things. Take it from a major carb addict...it's hard. And when your back really hurts, it's hard to sit up straight and stretching hurts. Water doesn't taste as good as many other drinks out there either. I know that these things will have great benefits in the long run so that is my motivation. I figure that I will add new goals as I go. That way I don't overwhelm myself or feel like I'll just fail anyway, so why start? So today is day #1. This morning I crammed 2 TBSP of craisins into my oatmeal and bran hot cereal. Then at lunch I stir-fried 1 1/2 cups of veggies in a tiny bit of EVOO and added a cup of rice...yum! I've already had 4 cups of water, I've stretched once and am trying to catch myself slouching and straighten up as much as possible.
So, here we go, trying to make my body a little healthier and a little stronger/looser.

I have a problem...

...a very big problem. I am severely addicted to LOST.
Every year Mark and I flip past commercials, refuse to talk to anyone about the show, then the minute LOST is out on DVD, there we are in line, buying. We take it home and ruin our lives. Every evening we watch LOST. In between the episodes you'd hear us say, "so, should we go to bed?" "Please, just one more". And so it goes.
And tonight here I sit yet again having just watched 3 episodes of LOST season 3. Up late again. Tired again. Itching to turn the tv back on and watch just one more episode...again. I better get to bed or I won't have the strength to watch any tomorrow!

Risk Champion...

One thing that we have always loved is to invite a bunch of people over and have a game night. In our youth leader days it was Monopoly, we even played for a "trophy" (an inflatable chair). It was a great way to sit around for an evening and get to know them and yet do something at the same time. Eventually Monopoly gave way to Risk. Risk quickly became a staple game and the youth were wonderful compitition. We often had boys organizing game nights at our house. They'd invite themsleves over, which was fine as far as we were concerned. The only rule was that you always come bearing snacks! So this week one of the "boys" called us. He was in from out of town and wondered if we could get together again. So, once again, they organized it, called around and invited and at 6:30pm they started showing up, bearing snacks, one even brought his wife and kids! And it was great! 3 "boys", Mark and I fought to the death. Ah, but can a mere girl stay alive in this game so saturated with testosterone? Not only can she stay alive...she can come out victorious as RISK CHAMPION!!!! Ah, there's nothing like conquering the world in an evening!

Ringing in the New Year...

We celebrated the New Year with a bottle of champagne between us and my parents, some good conversation, Thai food and a fire. Then Mark asked the question..."So, what are everybody's New Year's Resolutions?"
I don't know if I'm just being non-committal or what. I hesitate to even make a New Year's resolution or even goals for the year because I just expect that after a few months I will stop doing it, or forget or rebel against it or something. Wow, talk about a defeatist attitude! It's just what happens though, isn't it? People make lofty goals, buy large pieces of exercise equipment, and expensive gym memberships. A few months later, they've gained back the pounds lost plus some, their having garage sales to get rid of that equipment they never use and trying to hock the gym membership. And for what? Nothing really.
And yet, something about this joyful season we just went through begs us to reexamine our lives. Something about visiting all your family and realizing how much you miss from their lives during the year makes you want to stay in touch. Something about all the eating makes you want to lose weight and be healthy. Something about spending all that money makes you want to take special care of your finances. Something about God's love for us makes us want to love others.
So here I sit, wanting in a way to make a resolution and yet hesitant to put one "out there" for fear of immediate or even delayed failure. How do you process this New Year's Resolution thing? What are your goals for the year?