A RECORD FOR ME...2 POSTS IN 1 DAY

So I hope all my blogger friends out there check out the previous post, because it's about my sweet husband and one of the highlights of his year with the family!

Down to business:

CVS trip - total value of 20 items pictured (24 pack water bottles not pictured) = $70.76

Had coupons for everything except the water bottles and Easter clearanced @90% off!

Used a $10 off $50 coupon, manufacturer's coupons, and $4.89 in ECB's earned last week.

Paid $23.78 OOP, and earned $13 in ECB's!

My goal this time was to buy things we would use or might buy at the grocery store, use that $10 off $50, and make more ECB's than I usually do.

MY HUSBAND'S IDEA OF FAMILY FUN...

is running a relay race together! I have to admit, now that we've done this a few times, I'm hooked. Even though I'm not a runner (I do walk for exercise!). He dreamed up this idea a few years ago, after completing several marathons, that he could run the FULL MARATHON and also be a member of a RELAY team as well. The family would be the relay team, and we would each run a leg of the race with him to spur him on to the finish line. Well, it works! It was tricky the first year with our youngest at age 9 or so; they ended up at a gas station in the bathroom for 15 minutes. But Dan decided this race wouldn't be about TIME, just about FINISHING. Since then our youngest has proven to be one of the strongest members of our relay team. This year we let our 17 yr. old pass since he had prom the night before, and we recruited our daughter's friend from college to fill in.

The race atmosphere is really inspiring. You see people of all shapes and sizes walking and running, get entertained and fed along the route, and see people persevere to the finish line. It brings tears to your eyes when you see the man pushing his son in the wheelchair, the marine carrying the flag to the finish, the people in obvious pain.

You never could've convinced me 5 years ago, but it is a wonderful, different, kind of activity for a family with older kids to do together! It's a wonderful way to make a memory!

P.S. He finished the marathon in 5 hours, 32 minutes, and placed 1940th. (Don't know the number of marathon participants, but total participants at every level was 19,000)

ONE OF THE TOP TEN REASONS TO HAVE KIDS....

and you can see he's thrilled to be the subject of my blog!

O YE OF LITTLE FAITH...

Yep, that was me the week before LTC. My kids have participated in various LTC events since they were 3rd graders. Team events are especially enriching, I think. A team of kids working together with a common goal over a few months. Well, my #2 kid who is fairly mature by now committed to doing a puppet show 6 months ago. He did not want any help from Mom, who has coached him and done several puppet teams in the past. So I didn't. Two weeks out from LTC, NOTHING had been done. My stress level was rising. I pushed gently. No results. I prodded. Finally I told him he had committed and would follow through. We weren't going all the way to Dallas just to sing for 5 minutes, we were going to watch his puppet show. The puppet team got together and got 1 page written. His teammate was ready to call it quits and I wouldn't let her. Just kept pushing. Tests, choir contests, all kinds of things the week of LTC. They finally got it written and asked me to put all the "churchy" stuff in the script. We gathered puppets and created penguins from styrofoam balls and made a "Yeti" from the behind of the chicken puppet! The parents were desperate!!! They painted a backdrop 6 hours before we left for Dallas!! Had it not been for a 2 hour practice at the hotel Friday night before the Saturday show, it would have flopped.

THEY GOT A GOLD!

It was a good show - about "Indiana Bones" and his adventures, learning that light, life, and word were the most important things of all. Great sound effects recorded on CD, good puppeteering, and of course the cute penguins made by Mom.

I HAVE VOWED NEVER TO RESCUE MY KID ON A PROJECT AGAIN. (You might have to remind me of this next time, okay?)

IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER THAN CAKE BALLS? MAYBE....

Brownie balls? Or my favorite, BLONDE BROWNIE balls? I think someone needs to try this and let me know...I've eaten way too many already! I need to join Elizabeth on Thursdays, I think...

GET A LIFE!

Didn't really have any wonderful things to share the past few days...well I could've but totally forgot my camera at LTC this past weekend...and I like to post with a picture because I'm a visual person, so yeah.

Anyway, thought I would remind all you wonderful mothers out there to nurture yourself from time to time - in other words, GET A LIFE! Do something just for you occasionally, and don't feel bad about it. You will be a better wife and mother for taking care of yourself. I can think of several things that have saved my sanity through the years. Friday PLAYGROUP when my kids were small was awesome! Basically we had 4 moms in the group, and we each took a Friday and cared for the 8-10 kids one Friday a month, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. So I had 3 Fridays off each month. It was wonderful for the mothers and the kids! Those kids have lifelong bonds. BUNKO is my social outlet. I've been in a group about 15 years. Yes, 15 years. I think the secret to our longevity is the fact that we pray together. We share concerns and pray for a good 15 minutes before eating, playing Bunko, and eating some more! Another thing that helped me was EXERCISE. When I wasn't teaching anymore, I would drop kids off at MDO and head straight to Curves at 9:30 a.m., no excuses! Would you still believe I still go at 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday, even tho my babies are 13, 17, and 19? (I like routine!) Thursday exercise I've had to change up a little because of CWBS. Which leads me to the next wonderful thing that has kept me sane: BIBLE STUDY. Being a part of a Bible study every Thursday morning for the last 5 years has been a huge blessing for me. It keeps me in the Word, accountable, and has made me confident in my faith. The flower in the picture is from our last CWBS luncheon this year (thanks Stacy!): II Peter 3:18 encourages us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ," and that is exactly what I'm trying to tell you today.

Do yourself a favor - today - and GET A LIFE!

YOU JUST DON'T SEE THIS EVERYDAY...

So I ran and got my camera to take a picture. Would you believe that Monarch flitted all over the backyard and back to the Redbud tree again? Reminds of trying to get a good shot of the kids...

TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM FEEDING 150 KIDS 11 MEALS THIS PAST WEEK...

1. There are NO KNIVES at school. Bring your own from home!

2. Kids who say they "aren't hungry" need a scholarship to pay for the meals.

3. You can never have too much dessert. Or Ranch dressing.

4. Follies kids are very entertaining! Think loud singing and accordion music during meals!

5. Teens today like salad! Parenting is improving.

6. There's always a boy who bats his eyes at you and asks for special favors!

7. When your kid's not there, you better call home. He's sleeping in!

8. Always feed the custodial staff if you have leftovers. They'll be your friend forever.

9. The one vegetarian who says, "Is every meal going to be like this?" needs to deal with it.

10. I love teens who look me in the eye and say, "THANK YOU."

PRAISE OR PUNISH???

Okay, here I am in a dilemma again...I wake up after hearing a noise in the middle of the night, and go to the kitchen to see what's up. My son is up at 2:45 a.m. working on the computer!!! I ask him what he is doing, and he replies, "Oh I'm just printing out my research paper!" like it's the most normal thing in the world to do in the middle of the night!!! So what do I do? Do I PRAISE OR PUNISH? The kid has been in Follies practice after school until late since spring break and the paper has to be done. I want him to participate - it's a great variety show - don't want to bring him down today with a matinee performance at school and the first show tonight...AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! Parenting is just hard, sometimes!

P.S. yes, I know that clock says 2:45 p.m. Do you really think I would take a picture at 2:45 a.m.?