NAMESAKE Christmas Gift EXTRAVAGANZA

Original, hand painted NAMESAKES on 9 x 12" bristol board: $50.00 each

I sold about 30 of these last year right before Christmas and I am opening my "ORDER PAD" once again but for a SHORT amount of time.

My ORDER PAD will be open until November 1st.

Orders will be verified once payment has been received.

I will contact you via email to discuss design options

and special requests for your child's artwork.

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/21 ME? Speaking?

So, this post is for you moms who have done speaking engagements before.

I have.

I love them.

But I get real nervous.

And I am always looking for ways to "keep it fresh."

My tip for public speaking? Pretend you are talking to one of your best friends on the phone... under a spotlight... with 100 people staring at you ...and don't snort! Easy, right?

So, lay it on me! What are your PUBLIC SPEAKING tips?! If I get enough, I will post the video of the event here on my blog.

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/19 HELP.ME.

So.

I'm.

Having.

Trouble.

Blogging.

Everyday.

Tips?

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/14 Childhood Cancer SUCKS!

About a year and a half ago I started a mission...I was going to bring smiles to the faces of every child on the planet with cancer! I started its4thekids! With some very generous artists, we formed a philanthropic organization that sold art to raise money for what I called the human side of cancer. Many people don't know that electric still gets turned off, insurance companies drop your spouse, etc, etc, etc all while you are watching your child battle cancer. I had heard enough and wanted to help. The very first child we raised money for was Jessica! She was diagnosed in 2006, at 7 years old, with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. In her own words:

"I am 7 years old and have alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer. I had a bump on my leg one day, and the next week I was at ACH having biopsies. I will be on chemotherapy and other treatment for 43 weeks, possibly longer. I cannot go to school or play sports until chemo is finished, and may lose my right leg too."

Her leg was amputated and she was fit with a prosthetic she affectionately named, Elvis!

This photo (below) was taken at the Arkansas Children's Hospital to celebrate Jessica's last chemo treatment. She was 8 years old!

On Valentine's Day 2007 Jessica got the news that her cancer was in remission. She was thrilled to get a second shot at a "normal" childhood. And she was even more thrilled when her hair grew back!

In November of 2007, Jessica was having some breathing issues and was sent to have scans done to rule out a relapse of the cancer. Unfortunately, after months of waiting and getting test results, doctors revealed that they had found a tumor in her back. Jessica underwent removal of the tumor in April 2008 and started another round of chemo almost immediately. A relapse of this type of cancer has a VERY poor prognosis.

December 3, 2008 and just in time for Christmas, Jessica was told she had achieved a SECOND REMISSION! By this time Jessica had also exhausted her lifetime allotment of chemo and could not afford another relapse.

Jessica and her mom, Teresa, put all the rebounding energy into a BIG project. A cookbook of recipes collected from across the country to benefit Childhood Cancer!

Once again her hair grew back and she was back to the energetic kid she always was. This photo is of her and her sister, Katie, goofing around! What a beautiful smile!

8 1/2 months later (August 2009), Jessica was having trouble breathing once again. The family's fears mounted.

This beautiful 10 year old's body was shutting down. Her mother reports on their caringbridge site, "CANCER BACK, wrapped around aorta and shoving heart up chest cavity, invading spine at T11-12, multiple metastases in lungs and lymph nodes." Jessica spent the next 2 weeks in the hospital.

I saw this on Jessica's facebook page (September 9th... less than ONE WEEK AGO):

"i'm home finally i got home bout 45 minutes ago and i'm here on hospice..i still have the chest tube in and an iv hooked but now all i do is lay and bed and wait till God comes to bring me home!!"

Jessica Easley turned 11 today...she blew out her candles with Jesus!

What will YOU do about Childhood Cancer?

46 children every school day are diagnosed with some form of cancer.

Only a small percentage of them will live 5 more years.

The American Cancer Society gives 0.03 on the dollar to childhood cancers.

Donate to organizations like CureSearch and Alex's Lemonade Stand where ALL funding supports research for childhood cancers.

Sign the Childhood Cancer Petition!

Leave a comment for Jessica and her family here or at their CaringBridge site!

Tips for the TIP parade?

DO SOMETHING! Don't turn away!

If you would like to purchase Jessica's cookbook, please email Teresa @ tlradke2@hotmail.com

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/13 To go or NOT to go?

Last month I had a really sore throat for almost a week...now I am NOT a baby when it comes to pain! Remember, I am the one who had the 11 lb baby! But, I was actually spitting in the sink instead of swallowing b/c it hurt so bad that my entire body would flinch.

Just about the time I was ready to go to the doctors it went away. Then, I got a pretty bad cough...lasted a week then when I had peed myself one too many times from the strenuous hacking, I was ready to call the doctor. Then it went way.

This went on for a month. A WHOLE MONTH! My mom was calling every day to see if I had gone to get some meds but it was a strange pattern of events...just when I thought I had had enough, the symptoms would go away. I would feel REALLY good for a day and then BLAM! I would come down with some other symptom.

So, after not seeing my brand new baby niece for 4 weeks, I broke down and went to the doctors. He heard my plea for meds, jotted down some stuff I said, listened to my chest and said, "WHY on EARTH did you wait a month to come in?"

I had no answer. Like a 10 year old being asked why she has toilet paper in her training bra, I said, " I dunno."

"Well, Michelle, you have PNEUMONIA!"

Nice.

So, I grabbed the Z-pack and the Advair disc (that is disgusting, btw!) and I was as good as new in about a week.

So, this weekend I came down with that same spit-in-the-sink sore throat. Was up by 5am drinking tea and doing shots of honey all the while downing 1/2 a bottle of Advil to kill the pain.

I call my doctor and tell the nurse that I am being proactive and I want to come right in so I can get on some meds and NOT be sick for another month! Of course they can't see me right away and I have to wait a day.

So, today I head in with my responsible big girl panties on. Call my mom from the parking lot and tell her what I am doing! "Yes. No, I am NOT kidding! I am standing in the parking lot! I swear! I will text you a picture!"

I tell the nurse that I was playing it safe and not letting my I-don't-need-a-doctor-I'm-a-mom pride get in the way. I was there for medicine so I could get back on track!

Dr. Lou came in and I sat up straight, took some deep breaths, fished for the pat on the back deserved for coming right in and not waiting.....

He sits back down and chuckles.

"Your throat is barely red."

"WHAT?!"

"I hear NOTHING in your lungs."

"WHAT?!"

"You just have a cold."

With my tail between my legs, I walk out to the nurse's station to turn in my diagnostic paper (after writing SCARLET FEVER and WHOOPING COUGH across it with the red crayon from my purse) and then head to my car.

What a waste of my time.

Today I NEED THE TIP...cuz apparently, I got nothin' out of this lesson!

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU REALLY SHOULD GO TO THE DOCTOR AND WHEN IT'S JUST A COLD? I had the SAME FREAKING symptoms both times!!

Leave your comment/tip along with your blog link. Go back and blog an anecdote or tip for your readers and leave a link to me. Invite your readers to play along and enjoy a whole month of MOMMY TIPS!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/9, 10/10, 10/11, 10/12 Forget the Valium, give me some Velcro!

Did you think I gave up the ship? Or fallen overboard? Nope.

Let me tell you about my weekend and you will see that this whole TIP parade idea is a selfish means to get advice about my life! LOL!

Friday night as part of my volunteer position with the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, I had dinner with some pretty TOP NOTCH editors, reps and agents who are smack dab in the middle of the Children's Publishing world.

Saturday I had an all day conference where I met with an editor from Simon & Schuster who wants to see a book dummy (a mock up version of a finished book) of the manuscript I had sent her prior to the conference. This is the first book I have proposed that I illustrate as well as write so I was not sure how high to get my hopes.

I then met with a couple of lovely ladies who are art reps and we had some great discussions about my portfolio, what they liked and how to plump it up with one single style (that they loved, btw) to ready it for a trip to NEW YORK for some art rep reviews.

Yesterday is when it hit me...the sore throat that had my spitting in the sink instead of swallowing for the last 2 mornings @ 5am kicked me in the butt. Of course, I am the mom of 3...4 if you count my husband who is getting over being sick, too. I just wanted to climb back in bed after church and sleep the day away. But my daughter, the only NOT-SICK person in the house had to cheer at a football game so my husband took her and I was the parent in charge at home with the two sick boys. One thought he was dying and the other just bounced off the walls in hopes of making himself feel better by way of knocking himself senseless, I suppose.

So, then there is today. Columbus Day. ALL the kids stayed home b/c school was closed. (I even called to plead with the janitors to let them come in for some community service - no go!) Mommy is still sick. Oldest son needed a doctor's appt and I needed milk and butter from the store. Laying in bed all day and snurfling and moaning was not an option ONCE AGAIN! *sigh*

My daughter could stay home while I took my son to the appointment, but I couldn't ask her to watch my little hell-on-wheels so he came along, too. After he licked the chair and made out with the bottom of his shoes in the waiting room, I decided this germ-panic thing was useless...what could I do besides make him gargle with Germ-X? I said a, "please sanitize his innards prayer" and was done with stressing about it.

The doctor did a strep test and I briefly thought about asking her if she would do one on me so I wouldn't have to go to the Doctor's tomorrow when they are all back at school. I said another little prayer for strep...b/c I was thinking if it WAS strep I could just call MY doctor and tell him and he MIGHT just call in a prescription without making me come in....that day all snuggled in bed was on the horizon...I reached out to grab it when.....POP! The doctor returned, shook her head and uttered the V-word. VIRUS! Well, chicken crap, no hope for antibiotics now!

I came home feeling sorry for myself and looked at my calendar...my daughter has an ortho appt @ 10:45, I have a 1:30 dr appt and my daughter has gymnastics @ 4. I slumped to the floor and cried. Well, not really, because I have had no energy for the last week, the floor is DISGUSTING!

My tips?

I told the receptionist at the pediatrician as I was chasing my youngest in and out of exam rooms and through the stacks and shelves of files that they need a velcro wall and a couple massage chairs. You know, an entire wall of velcro. Each wild child receives a velcro suit upon checking in. VOILA! They spend the entire time trying to free themselves while you round the corner to the spa-like massage room where you sit and do NOTHING until your child has been seen and is ready to be checked out.

Does that make me heartless? I am sure to 1st time moms, the thought of not accompanying your child into the room while the doctor pokes and prods sounds horrifying. Well, let me be the first to tell you, it's overrated. The kids just want the sticker and lollipop when they leave. They could care less who walks them through the appointment.

Forget the Valium, hook us up with a Velcro-lined pediatrician's office and I believe we have found Utopia!

What are your Mommy sick day tips?

Go back and peek at some of the other tips, leave a tip that links back to you, post an anecdote to a mommy issue on your blog, link to me and tell your readers to join Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade!

Peace.

Sanity's BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE: 10/08 Respect!

The past week we have enjoyed a laugh or two with some silly anecdotes and funny posts regarding motherhood and all it's "woah is me" moments. Thank you to those of you who have joined the TIP PARADE! I have enjoyed knowing that you are all at least having fun with this.

Well, this TIP POST is going to be a little more serious....actually, A LOT more serious....thanks to Dr. Phil. Did any of you watch his show yesterday? TEEN SEX TRENDS should be something EVERY mother, father, aunt, uncle, teacher, administrator, doctor, nurse, counsellor, coach, Sunday School teacher, pastor watches. Yes, it will turn your stomach. It might even make you cry. But it could save a child's life!

I want to publicly THANK Dr. Phil for doing this show. His concern for children and their welfare is astounding and even though I am sure a show like this was less than "fun" he did it to get the word out about what is going on INSIDE our schools and AT HOME and EVERYWHERE you can imagine.

In his own words, Dr. Phil says, "We’ve made a commitment here at the Dr. Phil show to keep parents informed. I have said that I want you to be ahead of the curve. You don’t want to be the last one to find out what teens are up to in this day and time," he says. "If kids are coming up with new games, new drugs, new habits or patterns that are putting them in harm’s way, I’m going to find out what it is. I’m going to bring it here. I’m going to tell you about it. You’re not always going to want to hear about it, but I am going to tell you the truth."

In short, this show was outlining the new sex trends for teens and tweens...yes I said tweens! Did you know over 50% of boys AND girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have participated in oral sex? Do you know that a reality at school dances and Prom is to engage in intercourse ON THE DANCE FLOOR! When I heard this I texted a friend and said, "WTH?" She knew first hand that this was happening at one of her local schools.

I bet you are wondering HOW.... How can you secretly be having sex on a dance floor without a chaperone knowing? If you can't figure it out then you haven't been present in enough of the activities your child is participating in. Dancing has changed. Society has changed. So much so that the gyrating and bump-n-grinding that was NOT acceptable 10 years ago, is just brushed off now as "just how they dance." Shame on you! Shame on ME! Shame on everyone who is responsible for how out of hand this epidemic has gotten!

Ironically enough, the day before watching the Dr. Phil show I spent almost an hour on the phone with Annie Fox. If you and your teen/tween don't know her, YOU NEED TO! This woman is AMAZING and has a heart for middle and high school students that is bigger than most of the hearts that actually touch these kids lives on a daily basis INSIDE the schools! Annie is changing the world one kid at a time! She has even made one of her books a FREE downloadable e-Book that I think everyone should print out and make sure your guidance counselor has it! Go check out The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating! She should join Dr. Phil the next time he does one of these teen/tween topics.

So, my head was already filled with ideas and my passions were flaring for this age group I used to teach in public school and currently teach on a volunteer basis. I decided I needed to somehow use my gifts of speaking/writing/teaching/art to make a difference. Then, yesterday I was enjoying my youngest's longer-than-usual nap with a cup of coffee and the remote...something we moms RARELY do. I heard the "have your children leave the room" segment before the TV had even warmed up enough to show a picture. My curiosity was piqued. I put the remote down.

The book they discussed was THIS ONE. Yep. Reality sucks! Sharlene Azam did a fantastic job writing this and producing her documentary.

An hour later my sister, a HS guidance counsellor, texted me, "Get the kids out of the room and turn on Dr. Phil." Her curiosity was piqued as well, and she sat through the second airing of the TEEN SEX TRENDS show. I waited for the phone to ring. She was astonished that even though she is with HS kids everyday and thought she had seen/heard it all, there were still things she would never DREAM kids would be brazen enough to do.

Bottom line... my sister and I decided that the missing piece is as simple as R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Why are we not teaching this? Why are 12 year old girls having sex at parties? Why do I see thongs for sale in teeny-bopper stores? Why do I cringe when I overhear the way girls "come on" to boys...in MIDDLE SCHOOL? Because, we, as parents, are failing an entire GENERATION!

Let me say that again!

WE, AS PARENTS, ARE FAILING AN ENTIRE GENERATION!

Sound harsh? Well, reality usually is!

I will soon be launching a blog where teens can spill their guts, confess, share their hearts, get mad, fight back and BE HEARD! We are NOT LISTENING! When it gets tough, it's easy to just chalk it up to "changing times."

I will also be interviewing students (anonymously if they prefer) about what makes them tick. What makes them associate SEX with fitting in? What makes them go that ONE STEP TOO FAR?

I have 1/2 of a notebook filled with what needs to be said in auditoriums across the country to smack on sense into these floundering children...for crying out loud they are children!

Don't pass the buck. WE ARE TO BLAME! We allow our kids into a world they have no business being because we are too freaking busy at work or too freaking lazy to care! No one is home. They are taking on the world ALONE because we chase the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!

Don't look away. This travesty is just around your corner. I promise. Don't deny it. Look deeper. Get involved. Save a life. It might just be YOUR child's life you save.

Whew....anyone got tips? Leave 'em. I've got a travelling in-school program to plan!

If you have a teen or tween in your life...take this post VIRAL! Send it to anyone who needs to CARE! And pray they will!

(Go to a previous post to find out the guidelines of how to join in the TIP PARADE, I am too exhausted to type any more....)

Peace.

Sanity's BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE: 10/07 "I Quit!"

Dear Family,

I'm done!

I quit!

I won't do one more load of laundry.

I won't wash one more dish.

I'm not cleaning the toilets.

I refuse to feed the dog.

Let the hamsters, rabbits and fish go, unless you will clean their cages/tanks.

Wipe your own butts.

Here's my signature, learn to forge it, I'm not signing any more homework papers.

I threw the vacuum in front of a truck today.

I shopped until the credit card machines spewed smoke.

I filled my journal with all the things I have done wrong and then wallpapered the bedroom with them.

I turned the stove into a planter because there will be no more cooking done there.

I broke all the crayons.

I got a little silly from taking a little too much cough syrup.

I HATE THIS DIRTY HOUSE!

Did you hear me? I FREAKING QUIT!

*****

These are just some of the confessions and never uttered secrets of stay-at-home moms.

Today's tip:

Let it all hang out - sign in as anonymous and LET IT RIP! Give it all you got! It will feel good! You know the drill....leave your confession. Go back to your blog and post something you need a tip for. Link back to me. Watch the advice and tips pour in! Invite your readers to do the same.

Peace.

Sanity' Blogtober TIP parade: 10/06 Multitasking

Multitasking! We are the QUEENS when it comes to getting 37 things done at once, aren't we?

I have paid my bills while sitting in line at the bank to deposit that bill-paying money into my account.

I have changed a diaper, talked on the phone and watched the weather report all while making a list of what to pack for a weekend away.

I can help with homework, play with a toddler, make dinner and kiss my husband when he walks in from work.

I am an ace at blogging, texting, facebook IM-ing and searching YouTube on the other computer to keep my little guy enthralled just a little longer.

What I haven't figured out how to do is make dinner, get a pedicure, clear my schedule, get my daughter FREE Jonas Brothers tickets and lose 50 pounds....any tips?

Please?

Leave your best multi-tasking scenario below and join the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE!

You know the drill: Leave your tip. Blog about something you need or can give tips for. Invited your readers to do the same. Link back to me. It's the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE! 31 days, 31 tips for moms!

**Check out my review blog for a Jonas Brothers Contest**

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/05

Stuck.

In.

House.

With.

Sick.

Kid.

(4 yr old with Pneumonia)

Need.

Remedies.

HELP!!!

He has an earache...I hate those dang things...besides Advil and a heating pad there's not alot you can do...

BUT! My grandmother, who was Pennsylvania Dutch, SWORE by an old remedy! You don't wanna know. No. You don't.

OK! OK! But I warned you!

Urine!

Yep, drops of your own urine in your ear would cure an earache.

Told ya you didn't want to know!

And, NO, I have never tried it!

You know the drill: Leave your tip. Blog about something you need or can give tips for. Invited your readers to do the same. Link back to me. It's the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE! 31 days, 31 tips for moms!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP parade: 10/04 Girl Power!

You've got 'em. You love them. You don't know what you'd do without them!

NO, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT SHOES!

I am talking about your BFFs! You know, the ones you laugh and cry with. The ones who can call you a nerd because you cried when you dropped your 1st born at his 1st dance (eh hem) and you still speak to them. The ones who drive to their 1st tattoo appointment (eh hem) and make you laugh so hard you don't feel the steel rod piercing through your flesh. The ones who you can be yourself...and I mean REALLY yourself...in front of and be comfortable in your own skin!

I got 'em. I'm quite sure I have the best BFF posse on the planet, and I truly mean that! But, I am sure you can argue....and that's wonderful! I pray each and every one of you feels that way about a group of women (or even just one).

But, isn't it hard to make time for them? It is! It's either a busy schedule, a sick kid or an unforeseen glitch that keeps you from connecting with your 'peeps.'

BUT...and this is a BIG BUT (and you can have one of those with 2 t's, too, and they will still love you...I know this for a FACT!)...you also know how AMAZING it feels to laugh until you pee a little, to vent until you cry, to hug and not let go, to finish her sentence, get the "had to be there" joke because you were. You know how intoxicating that is? Isn't that proof enough that we need regular DATES with our girlies?

Obviously, the biggest tip is that we need to SCHEDULE that time! That's a no-brainer! But, making it memorable and all the more ridiculously fun, takes a little planning!

My tip for you is to, of course, plan time together BUT...another big one...do something you've never done before - something whacko - something that will bring 10,000 giggles in the years to come.

My BFFs and I did this just last year and we mention ALL the time how we need to do it again! There is an amazing outlet center only 35 minutes from our town, and we love to shop there. So, last year we planned a shopping trip, AND we got a hotel room nearby so we could extend our time together by staying out as late as we wanted and being goof balls till 3 am if we wanted to AND the room we rented....was a THEME room! LOL! Our PIRATE SUITE was SWEEEEEET!

Going that extra step made our typical shopping trip not so typical and it was truly an ODE to how crazy fun our friendship is!

So, what can you think of or what have you done with your BFFs that keeps you grounded and connected?

You know the drill: Leave your tip. Blog about something you need or can give tips for. Invited your readers to do the same. Link back to me. It's the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE! 31 days, 31 tips for moms!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/03 Time Warp

How is it that the weekend is supposed to be a BREAK from the craziness of the week and yet...

IT IS NOT!

This week blew by, you know, I told you about it in my "HOLY CRUD I HAVE 63 THINGS ON MY FREAKING CALENDAR" post.

When you are busy, life just passes you by. AND I HATE IT! Little moments you would like to remember, but won't because you were too wrapped up in being late for soccer. Something the kids said that made you giggle, but how will you ever jot it down for the baby book while driving to what seems like the 37th parent/teacher/coach/team mom/chaperone meeting in 2 weeks?

For example, I am a HUGE scrapbook fanatic...there is a 9,000 square foot scrapbooking store less than 20 minutes from my house and I can easily drop $100 on supplies, yet I have 4 years worth of photos on my computer that I have never even had printed, let alone scrapped!

I need a time warp!

DID YOU HEAR ME, POWERS THAT BE??!!

I NEED A TIME WARP!

I need a time warp that will stop the earth's rotation just long enough for me to get everything I need to get done for my kids, DONE! And I am not talking about their laundry! I want to preserve their childhood enough so they can look back and almost HEAR their squeals and giggles!

I'm tired of feeling defeated as I plop on the couch at the end of the day to veg out in front of the TV only to be stared down by the THREE unfinished baby books on the shelf of the entertainment center.

I'm tired of kicking myself when I hear something I should write in the THREE "to my kids" journals I have not written in in a couple years.

I'm tired of being too tired to organize my photos. Our FAMILY photos! My legacy for my kids.

The only solution to this is a TIME WARP, I am sure of it!

Unless you have another idea!

Help!

So, you know the drill....as part of Blogtober's TIP PARADE you need to leave your "tip" here and that will link us back to YOUR BLOG where you should let loose of a MOMdilemma in your life and then have your reader's give their 2 cents! Then, invite them to do the same! But, please remember to link back to me!

Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP Parade: 10/02 The Curse of the Calendar!

This is my calendar! One one hand, this magnetized, dry-erase calendar is a dream for scheduling... on the other hand, it actually shoves how stinkin' busy we are in my face every morning. Today, I was curious so I counted... There are 63...yes, SIXTY THREE, things that I am responsible for or places I need to have myself or my kids on any given date. (insert Twighlight Zone music here) This....is....THE CURSE OF THE CALENDAR! MWaaaaaahhh AHhhhhhh AHhhhhhhh! I know I am not alone. And I am SURE there are many of you who have me beat by a mile! I only have three kids. Some of you scribble 4 or more kids games, lessons, projects, events on your calendar each and every month. If that were the case for me, I'd toss the magnetic calendar and just write it directly ON my fridge in dry erase! That's about the SIZE it would need to be to fit it all on! Some of you keep a crazy busy schedule AND WORK outside the home. If that was the case for me, I would need WAY MORE medication than I am already prescribed! I bow down to those women! Truly! I don't know how you do it! So, tips on keeping your head on straight... It's called a DEAR LIFE LETTER... Dear Life, I don't know how we got here. I'm certain this is not where we saw ourselves 10 years ago. What happened to all the walks in the park, the lemonade on the porch of our beach house, the hours we would spend just reading or chatting with a loved one? Why haven't I sat down yet today? What do you expect from me? I would love to tell you that I quit, but, quitting LIFE is never a good idea! So, all I am asking is that you just take it easy on me and remind me when I need to slow down. Thanks! Me Seriously though, we all preach to our kids about time management! We give them the necessary tools to "just say no"! We teach them how to prioritize! We need to slow down long enough to take my our own advice! Could it be that simple? Manage time + just say no + priorities= Complete and utter Bliss? Well, it may not be THAT SUNSHINY...but we can dream, right? What are YOUR TIPS for holding it together while succumbing to The Curse of the Calendar? Remember the rules: Leave your comment and tip below. Then post a similar story and tip on your blog. Twitter, Facebook it! Leave a link to me. Invite your readers to join the BLOGTOBER TIP PARADE! 30 days of tips from moms just like you! **If you are having trouble SEEING your calendar...CHECK THIS OUT...Hot Mama Glasses!** Peace.

Sanity's Blogtober TIP PARADE: 10/01 What's Grosser than Gross?

So, before I get to the gore...let me explain my BLOGTOBER "TIP" PARADE!

Everyday in October I will choose a mom-centered problem/issue/question, write a short post about it and then offer a tip that will hopefully make life easier for many of you.

Post your OWN tip for that problem/issue/question on your blog and then come back and leave a comment so your blog link can be used for readers to visit YOUR blog. Don't forget to leave a link to ME in your post!

Come back and read what your Mommy Bloggin' friends have to offer. Just think, it may make your life a little easier, someone might tell ya something you never thought of!

Join me in the BLOGTOBER "TIP" PARADE!

10/01: WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Well, today had to be one of my Top 10 Grossest days as a mom and since misery loves company, I am going to share my day with you in a style you may remember from 6th grade...

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Remembering you forgot to bury the hamster that died 3 weeks ago and is still in its cage in the garage!

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Cleaning out the cat litter after said cat apparently had a wilderness buffet the night before!

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Dog poo falling through the hole in the WalMart bag you just used to pick it up and landing right on the top of your foot!

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Holding out your hands to cover your son's mouth while he coughs his eyeballs out and having the biggest loogie in history slide through your fingers!

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Preparing to bury way-dead hamster and having your fingers go IN her when you pick her up because due to your procrastination, her whole underside has completely decayed!

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Finding a mini-turd stuck between the wrinkles in your son's wee wee.

WHAT'S GROSSER THAN GROSS?

Chopping up raw chicken for dinner and thinking, "What IF I didn't wash well enough and some decaying-hamster-loogie-cat-and-dog-and-kid-poo germs are still on my hands?!"

*gag*

MY TIP: Don't let pets, sick kids or poop anywhere NEAR your person. You know, be a DAD!

(Dads, it was JUST A JOKE! Don't get your boxers in a wad! I'm JUST kidding!)

OK! So, now you are wondering what kind of TIP you can leave for me and thousands of other moms...

Here's what to do: Post on your blog the GROSSEST thing (in your opinion) about being a mom and give a tip on how to make that scenario easier, or better yet, how to make it GO AWAY! Link to Me! Come back and then go visit all the other Mom blogs for tips!

Leave your comment after you have posted your GROSSEST post!

Peace.

I survived McDonalds Playland HELL...

There is something about taking my kids to McDonald's that tugs at me morally...

Meet 1st Mom: the "fun-I-don't-need-to-make-a-life-lesson-out-of-everything" mom that thinks in the whole realm of parenting, a few trips to Mickey D's is NOT a big deal.

Then there is 2nd Mom: The "why-would-I-let-my-kids-eat-unidentifiable-meat-and-fried-foods-while-touching-trillions-of-germs" mom that thinks NO MOM should EVER be in the drive-thru let alone take her child INSIDE.

Well, I guess my 1st Mom won yesterday but then fell victim to 2nd Mom's uppercut by the time we left. Talk about conflicting personalities! I had a knock-down-drag-out with MYSELF, right there, in the middle of PLAYLAND HELL!

My third child has missed out on frivolous playdates that my older two had on a weekly basis. I actually scheduled playground visits so that we were sure to visit a new playground each time we went. We lived in Binghamton, NY when my older 2 were toddlers and Binghamton is the Carousel Capital of the world...or something like that! There were enough playgrounds in the area, many with working carousels, to keep us busy for the whole summer! Of course, in Binghamton, summer lasts about 20 minutes.

I feel bad for 3rd children. By the time they come along, the "fun" impromptu trips and picnics on the playground fall victim to the long to-do list that bears the names of the first two children more than once. There are uniforms to be picked up, school supplies to grab, meetings to attend, yada, yada, yada! Field trips for 3rd children usually include a shopping cart and a "keep him busy" bag filled with stickers, crayons and "don't-bother-me-to-open-this" kind of snacks.

Yesterday I decided I was going to give my son, now 4, his FIRST Mommy & Me trip to the Mecca of Childhood (gag), McDonald's Playland. It took me a couple stops to even FIND a McDonalds that HAD a playland. See, with your first two kids, a map of all playgrounds and fast food playlands is burned onto the surface of your brain like a Mommy GPS. 10 years ago I NEVER would have had to FIND a playland...I could have gotten there with my eyes closed.

We walked in and up to the counter as my son's eyes grow to the size of the Frisbee that is in his Happy Meal. The whole way to the doors of Playland I am talking myself through this decision:

"It's OK, just this one time."

"I should have gotten the apples instead of the fries, but they have some sicko preservative on them that is probably worse than the grease the fries are cooked in."

I clench my purse, "Do I have Germ-X in my purse. Oh, dear God, PUH-lease let me have hand sanitizer!"

As I begin to hyperventilate (...breathe...breathe) my son turns to me with his big blue eyes and says "thank you" without even moving his lips. The look of, "Holy Crap, she took me to Disney World" was the paper bag I needed to regulate my breathing.

He sat and ate some of his lunch and then wanted to check out the amusement park that was inviting him with its stench of sweaty toddler feet. He begged me to follow him up the narrow steps into a tree-shaped man. That in itself kind of freaked me out. As I considered following him and being the "fun" mom I've been in the past, I imagined my hands touching the sticky plastic that was screaming of SWINE FLU, so I encouraged him to "be a big boy" and told him " Mommy will stand right here and watch." And off he went.

I just sent my child into the HALL OF SNOT like it was no big deal. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? Well, at least he is done eating and I can take most of the 'germ worry' off my proverbial parent-responsibility plate as long as he doesn't stick his hands in his mouth and I sanitize everything he is wearing.

And with that thought, he shoots out of the slide and was 1/2 way to his left-overs before his feet hit the floor. I did the slow motion, deep knee bend thrust as I yelled "NOOOOOOO!" and lunged toward our table, knocking over 6 snotty-nosed crying kids along the way.

With BOTH hands he grabbed his last piece of cheeseburger and stuffed the WHOLE thing (E.coli and all) into his little face. I slumped to the floor...but stood up quickly when I realized there was a pool of something wet seeping through my jeans...and gathered myself. I watched ketchup drip to his chin and grasping for sanity, I comforted myself with the notion that maybe all the E.Coli was in that drip. That. One. Drip. I proceeded to dig out the gallon jug of Germ-X from my purse and poured it over him.

Despite all the boogers, bullies, belches, bodily fluids and boo boos that I witnessed, he had a WONDERFUL time. How do I know this? Come on moms, isn't the height of the needle on the fun-gauge always directly related to the size of the tantrum that results when the words "Time to go" are spoken? Well, if this IS the case, then he had a freakin' blast!

I gave him a bath when we got home and let him play in the soapy-disinfectant water for about 7 hours. That probably took care of all the external germs and I am confident that the overnight Germ-X IV drip took care of the internal ones.

I think the Happy Meal Toy needs to be a HazMat suit...when I see THAT on a commercial, we will head back to the HALL of SNOT, until then...

Any suggestions of sanitary, snot-free fun?

Peace.

Pray for a Teacher Today....

Apparently, the following has been nominated for the "Email of the Year Award!" I had no idea there was such a thing but whether that's true or not, having been a teacher makes this MY EMAIL OF THE YEAR AWARD!

Forward this to every teacher you know and tell them YOU will be praying for them!

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:

'Let me see if I've got this right. 'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

'You want me to do all this and then you tell me: I CAN'T PRAY?

Pray for ALL teachers, EVERYDAY, then THANK a teacher for what they are doing for your child and for our future!

Thank you Miss Linda, Miss Cathy, Miss Rio, Miss Millie, Miss Val, Miss Nicole, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Gilmore, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Musser, Prof. Bromley, Profs. Wilson, Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Burns, Ms. Tetrault, Mrs. Barwis, Mrs. Klemmer, Ms. McKinney, Mrs. Weiss, Mr. Regino, Mr. McCord, Mr. Yanni, Mrs. Ebeling, Mrs. Lussier, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. DiPietro, Mrs. Gonzales, Mrs. Hardy, Mrs. Randazzo, Mrs. King, Mrs. Petersen, Mrs. Sanger, Mrs. LeClair, Mr. Heller, Mr. Morse, Mrs. Long, Mrs. Carbaugh, Mrs. Todarro, Mrs. Mendenhall, Mr. Moyer, Mr. Hale, Mrs. Kochel, Mr. Kadyk, Mr. Pankratz, Ms. Ament, Mrs. Dombach, Mrs. Chisolm, Mrs. Abbadusky, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Dreer, Mr. Hudy, Mrs. Latshaw...and many, many others that have touched the lives of the Kemper Brownlow family!

Peace.

The Mom Show...a look back @ Episode 1

For my long-time followers, you remember this one!

For my newbies...enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I'm thinking about picking up where we left off...want more episodes? Check out YouTube!

A productive day goes like this...

Well, as an at-home mom (and aspiring author/illustrator) it is easy for me to get distracted and find my husband walking through the door ready for dinner and I have yet to get out of my PJs or clean...ANYTHING including myself!

It's not that I am a big lazy bum, although I don't move that fast in the morning, it's just...well, I guess I have ADD. I don't know. I'm sure you can relate!

My best days start with a list:

Straighten kitchen

Clean bathrooms

Start laundry

Get groceries

Go to bank

Get stamps

Fill out X, Y or Z forms for school, insurance or other entity that feels MY time is less important than THEIRS

Call for appointment, car service or school conference

Email teachers, coaches or editors/agents

Throw dinner in the crock pot

Go through looming pile of papers on my desk

Finish editing latest manuscript

Paint and ink drawings from yesterday

So, you get the idea. Your list items may vary but I am sure it is at least as long as mine with just as many random, un-related things to get done.

But my day typically goes like this:

Make coffee

Get the kiddos on the bus

Start straightening the kitchen and find one of the kids report cards/A+ report/100% homework and run into the office to file it in their file. Man, these files are so thick, I should go through them and weed out the papers I don't need to keep anymore. *sob, sob* Look how sweet his/her handwriting was back then! I think this should go in the scrapbook next to his/her Kindergarten class photo. Where is that scrapbook anyway?

Back out past the kitchen to look for the scrapbook and notice the dishwasher door is still open from when I started an hour ago. Finish putting plates and silverware in from last night's dinner, add last scoop of soap, start.

Add "dishwasher soap" to grocery list and head to pantry to see if there is anything else that needs to be added...wow, that's pretty bare...glad "grocery shopping" is on my list. Wait. Wasn't there a nursery rhyme about cupboards being bare? Yeah. Then there was that book, One of Each, (is that what it was called?) that was a spin on it...is that what it was called? Gotta check amazon.com, this will drive me nuts....

Yep, ONE OF EACH! Love that book! Love Amazon. I wonder if you can search story lines on Amazon...this would be a great place to do some research for stories to re-tell. Re-tellings are quite the rage right now! Search 'Children's Books'. Search 'Children's story themes'. Search 'How to make money at home'. Search .... ok, coffee has kicked in, time for a potty break.

Pick up a writer's magazine on the way into the powder room. Interrupt myself momentarily to quickly go grab a highlighter to make note of the websites for writers and the links for editors looking for new talent. Flush.

Head back to the computer to check out some of these writer's mags new finds...WOAH, I haven't checked my email yet. Open window, Sign in. Speaking of messages, I wonder who's on Facebook this morning? Open window, Sign in. Oh, geez, I need to promote my blog on Twitter. Open window, Sign in. Blog? MY BLOG! How long as it been since I posted? Open window, Sign in. Who was that other Mommy Blogger that wanted me to check out her blog? Open window, Sign in. WHY THE FREAK IS MY COMPUTER SO SLOW THIS MORNING?! Well, while it works out its issues, I can get back to looking for that scrapbook.

Where is it? Living room? Nope. Kids' rooms? Nope. Office? Oh, right I packed it away for that Scrapbooking Retreat I had to cancel out on when the kids got sick. CRAP! Sick kids, I STILL haven't made those well-visits - they are going to call Child Protective Services if I wait any longer. Phone. Phone. WHERE THE FREAK IS THE PHONE? THEEEERE are his gym shorts....behind the Wii? Laundry. Crap the laundry. I wish I had a chute. I. hate. all. these. steps. Like folding laundry isn't enough work.

No detergent? Are you kidding me? Add to the list.

Man. If I don't shower, I will never get to the store and this list is growing. Back. up. the. steps.

Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. Condition. Shower. Exfoliate. Dry. Lotion. Ick...there is something wrong with the way I look in this mirror. I HAVE to do something about my had-kids-too-long-ago-to-call-it-baby-weight body! Bet there is a magazine at the store that has one of those "I lost 95 lbs while eating cake and not exercising" stories on the cover.

Blush. Ponytail. Jeans. Hoodie. Sexy. BWaaaahhaaaa haaaa! Yeah, right!

Get to store. List. List. Crap, the list is still on the counter! Did I blow out the candle? Well, I will need a new one soon. Candle aisle. Plug-Ins...I bet I could match the scents to the candle. Oh yeah! And they are only $5. Cool. Living room. Hallway. Laundry room. Bedrooms. Bathrooms. Kitchen. Kitchen? I never put that food in the crock pot- it'll never be done in time, need to go grab something to pop in the oven when the kids get off the bus. Meat aisle. Hmmm. I wish I had a recipe. Recipe! I bet there's one in that "I lost 95 lbs while eating cake and not exercising" magazine! Magazine aisle. Got it! Page, page, page...recipe? CRAFTS! Look at those sweet crafts for Fall! Oh, wow! I could send those in for the kids' teachers! Craft aisle. Foam, glue, pipe cleaners, pumpkins? Not here. Back to produce. Produce aisle. Pumpkins. Cool, only $3 each for the cute mini ones! How many? Let's see, German teacher, Spanish teacher, Math teacher (x2), Social Studies teacher (x2), Science teacher (x2), Language Arts teacher (x2), Flute teacher, Art teacher, ladies in the office (x7), gym teacher (x2) and principal. Oh, and preschool teacher (x3). That's a lot of pumpkins. "Oh, HI!" Great, I am never going to get anything done now that SHE has spotted me. Baby aisle. "What would you get for your husband's boss's daughter's friend's baby shower?" she asks. She doesn't like my Fall Pumpkin craft idea. Make excuses and head to register. I think 2 1/2 hours at WalMart is way too many.

$115.00?! For Glade plug-ins and pumpkins. Terrific. I look at my watch. No time to put stuff back and have cashier cancel the sale, the bus will be pulling up any minute. Rush to car. Cell phone rings...THERE'S the phone! Why couldn't I find it earlier when I needed to call..."Hello. Um. No. Yes. On my way." CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! No bus at house. Supposed to pick up kids at school. Gymnastics is tonight.

Dear Hubby will come home to a messy kitchen and no dishwasher powder or crock pot meal Pizza Night, a cluttered messy living room with scrapbooks thrown from corner to corner an awesome-smelling house, a showered wife and an overdrawn checkbook from WalMart trip kids doing pumpkin crafts at the table and a computer that is on the fritz because it is STILL trying to open 37 new windows.

I'd say it was a perfect example of what happens when a side-tracked, too creative, list-forgetting mom decides to be productive productive DAY!

Peace.

The Mystery of the Cross-Dressing Pre-schooler...

So, I am sure you are intrigued by the title! And that's what I am gonna tell you about today. I got an email from BlogHer saying that due to a new regulation, I cannot run contests and reviews next to their ads that I am getting paid for having on my blog. I TOTALLY get that and must have overlooked that on their latest UPDATES. So, I chatted with Laura (a totally awesome gal) and we figured out the best way to handle the current post for the contest I am running. Neither she NOR I wanted to delete that post and cheat those of you who entered out of your entry so we came up with an idea. I promised Miss Laura that I would jump right into the new project as soon as I laid my youngest down for his nap. 1:00 came...."Oh, Izaaaaaaaaaiiiaaaaaaaaah....nappy nap time!" Some whining. Kisses. Blankie. "I love you." Ahhhh, peace! I cop a squat in front of my laptop and start creating...at this rate I will have 10 blogs by the time next year rolls around, but anyway....... Dum, dum, dah....Announcing the new SANITY'S REVIEW!

This is where I will review entertainment, media, products and places. All with the main theme of THINGS that will either KEEP your SANITY or make you LOSE it! And, while my brain churned and my fingers flew across the keys to rectify my "oops" on THIS blog, my little man had gently climbed out of his crib, tip toed into his sisters room, pulled EVERY article of clothing she owns out of her closet and was having a fashion show when I walked in. (Now, this is the after-I-ran-back-downstairs-to-get-the-camera photo.) When I walked in, he had the striped shirt over his head, pink undies, argyle socks and was peeking out the armhole with an "OHCRAPSHECAUGHTME" look. So, Laura, thanks for your help. When can I expect you and your clean-up crew? Just kidding, it is not Laura's fault that when I get into something artsy I can't hear a DAG GONE thing! He finally went to sleep at 2:30.

*sigh*

Peace.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Nevin & Leslie Stoltzfus

Two beautiful people pledged their love and promised their lives to each other yesterday on the beach of the Outer Banks, NC!

So, baby brother, I wish you a lifetime of health and happiness and I pray your marriage is filled with enough love to overflow the ocean.

Leslie, welcome to the family. You are a perfect fit!

We love you both! See you soon!!

Kanye West + Lady Gaga = This is Why My 'Tweens DON'T watch the VMAs!

Last night, our guests left from my oldest's 12th Birthday Bash. I came down stairs from getting all three kiddos in bed and 1/2 way to dreamland to find my husband asleep and the TV on. I pryed the remote from his death-grip and flipped through the channels.

Now, I am 39, I know I am not as "with-it" or "hip" as some moms are but I stay involved in the media/music/news of Teens & Tweens so that some arrogant freak doesn't feed my children lines that will distance them from the morals and values I have spent 12 years instilling.

So, I get to MTV and find the VMAs in the middle of Lady Gaga's performance. Now, I am "hip" enough to know who Lady Gaga is. My kids have asked if they can have "Poker Face" on their iPods. Most of you probably know the song...it's the kind that if you hear it once you will be humming it for the next, oh I don't know, the REST OF YOUR GOD-GIVEN LIFE!

When my 'tweens approached me for permission to download Poker Face I said my usual answer to that song, "Let me find the lyrics and I will let you know." I have to be honest, I was thinking, how bad can a song about poker be? But I am glad I checked because The Lady, Ms. Gaga, sings of how she is "bluffin' with her muffin'!" K! NO POKER FACE ON THEIR iPODS!

So, back to the VMAs and my censored-from-THIS-house Lady Gaga. While singing her hit PAPARAZZI, THIS is how she greeted me from the VMA stage:

Photo courtesy of Popeater Now, this was FAKE blood, I assure you she was not hemorrhaging. By the end of her garish performance, she was hanging by one arm 10 feet above the stage with a red bloody "x" on her chest and blood in her eye. The rope spun as she pretended to be dead and then the stage went black. . WHAT THE....?! . Now, this morning I read that some people are likening this insanity to Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN surprise at the VMAs way back when (you know, in MY day). Let me get this right, a woman singing that the word virgin means, "being touched for the very first time" is just as horrifying as someone giving the illusion that she KILLED herself because of what the paparazzi did to her? . So, I promptly switched the channels to watch something LESS ICK! . This morning as I packed lunches I was listening to the EARLY SHOW and they mentioned something about KANYE WEST and TAYLOR SWIFT. My ears perked up because Taylor Swift is my daughter's favorite person on the planet! (Besides me. Um. I think.) . I walked over just in time to see the replay of what all the hubbub was about. Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone This sweet young lady (let me reiterate, YOUNG LADY) was in mid sentence of her acceptance speech for Best Female Video (for You Belong to Me...the song that is played on REPEAT in our house on a daily basis) when Kanye West grabbed the mic from her and started yelling from the stage that Beyonce's video was the "best of all times!" . Let me break this down for you...GROWN MAN, YOUNG GIRL...SEASONED PROFESSIONAL, NEWBIE....COMPLETE IDIOT, COMPLETELY EMBARRASSED!

Kanye West: A role model I want for my children? An artist whose music will EVER be purchased by someone in MY home? I don't even need to answer! You know what I am thinking! . And these are the people (Lady Gaga, Kanye West) whose messages and voices are being PUMPED into our kids brains hour after hour, day after day? And I repeat, "NOT IN THIS HOUSE!" . But, there was a portion of the VMAs that I WILL let my children see and it is THIS: (even though the BIRD'S NEST on Lady Gaga's head is a bit distracting!) BEYONCE won my vote for TRULY A CLASS ACT! . Please invest your time into finding out WHAT your children are listening to and watching. Be proactive in their lives. Be present! . I would love to see your comments! . (DON'T FORGET to check out the contest, still going on, for the LeapFrog TagReader! 10 ways to win one for your little bookworm!) . Peace.

LeapFrog Tag Reader GIVEAWAY!

BIG CONTEST NEWS and more reviews...

Head over to SANITY'S REVIEWS for the latest!

Good luck!

"Goodbye" at the bus stop...

*photo by H. Kurtz Photography

This precious face is my youngest son! He is ALL boy. He tears around the house like a bull in a china shop and is a no holds barred kind of kid! It's all or nothing with my sweet Izaiah!

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But this kiddo will be the one who sends me to the looney bin. PUH-lease don't misunderstand me...he was completely a GIFT from GOD and I do not take that lightly. In April of 2008 when the judge finalized our adoption I was as giddy and teary as I was giving birth to my other two children.

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But I'm not sure if it's because our DNA doesn't match or if I am just getting old but I can't seem to predict his next move like I could my other two. And because of this I am usually ready to pull my hair out...and in the next breath I am smooching all over his little face!

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Well, yesterday was his first day of school. This is his second year leaving on the bus early in the morning and not getting back until after lunch so he was excited! I was excited...not that he was leaving but that he was looking forward to something that was going to give me a chance to breathe, go to the bathroom, have a complete thought or chat with my mom without wiping soup off the dog, disguising the flying-hot-wheels-dings in the cabinets with marker, discouraging swinging from the light over the breakfast table or getting a drowning "Blankie" out of the toilet.

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Yesterday, this child that I fought with about coming inside for dinner, taking his shoes off @ the door, NOT searching God's green earth for his winter gloves because his handlebars were cold @ 6:45 am (yes, we ride bikes before my heart is awake!), staying in his crib, not making the nick in the drywall a gaping hole with his fingers...this precious little man barelt looked back as he hopped up the steps with his Dr. Seuss backpack.

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He not only started school without a tear...

He had an awesome day (said the note in his backpack)...

He rode his bike without training wheels for a significant distance...

And for the 1st time EVER, he didn't need his "boo" (pacifier) at bedtime!

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I will never forget the day the social worker put his 14 lb body in my arms. This malnourished, precious 9 month old who had cried himself to sleep on her chest was never going to leave my arms again. I didn't know that then. But God did!

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So, Izaiah's yesterday was HUGE!

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Honestly, (although in the moment I will deny saying the 1st part of this sentence! LOL!) I don't care if he paints the TV with peanut butter, he is such a precious gift who was chosen specifically for our family and I cherish EVERY moment with him!

. Happy 1st day of school little buddy...sorry it's a day late...you kept me kinda busy yesterday, thank you!

I LOVE YOU!