Dear God…Thank You for Rainbows - and our Nice Family.

I am starting to realize that I could learn a lot from a 5 year old.

I've always considered myself to be someone who delights in simple things...a stunning sunset, a quiet walk in the woods...an unusually calm restaurant meal with preschoolers...

But sometimes, I forget to thank the one who makes it all happen.

Lately, Jenna-bean has been randomly praying. I love it.

Tonight...on the way home from our not-so-traditional Sunday night family dinner (aka...whatever local restaurant cuisine we are in the mood for)....

I catch Jenna praying while looking at a stunning rainbow that covered our city.

"Dear God...thank you for rainbows and our nice family".

As someone who always found rainbows to be pretty spectacular...I am delighted that she feels the same about our "nice family. =)

What? God isn’t here to make me happy?

I am feeling extra whiny today about various things in my life that I have no control over. Nothing serious...just annoying.
Thankfully, in mid-whine...my husband told me to go grab a coffee at a local coffee shop and "settle down a bit". (Those were probably well-calculated words). =)

So, here I sit - doing a little google-searching, and soul searching. I am a big fan of Rick Warren so I thought I'd "Google him". Here are some powerful snippets of the interview that has helped pull me out of self-pity mode (until I finish my coffee, at least).

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness,’which is my problem, my issues, my pain.’ But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

Hillary Clinton…Circus Pants, Bwa-hahahaha!

Someone just posted this photo on a forum I visit....and I had to share.

I am still cracking up....

I am in Gingerbread House Hell

My name is Traci and I am a sugar addict.

For the past two days I've had two basketball sized cookie houses topped with frosting and crack candy sitting on my kitchen table. 

I am losing it.

So, I am left with two choices. 

Flush the crack gingerbread down the toilet or just pick at it. 

All day...everyday. 

Just pick...pick...pick it apart until it is gone. 

I've chosen option #2...

I am slowly, but surely picking it apart.  

....and then, I get busted.

"Mommy, what happened to the gumballs?"  "Oh...honey, they just roll off". 

"What happened to the candy cane tree?"  "Oh...sweetie, we didn't water it enough". 

"What about gingerbread man's nose"...."Oh, hun...maybe the frosting wasn't sticky enough".

I am the biggest jerk-mom ever.

Serenity NOW...Serenity NOW....Serenity NOW!  

Behind the Scenes of the Anderson Family Holiday Card

Anyone who has preschoolers understands the challenges of trying to get a great shot for a holiday card.  I am pretty sure you'll relate to the effort it took for me to get a great picture of my 3 & 4 year old kiddos for our Christmas card. 

.....and after 30 minutes of spitting, fighting, hugging, kissing and threatening....ta-da!

This is hysterical - Jenna Bush on Ellen

I am not going to get into a political discussion about George Bush's policies, the war, or anything else even remotely controversial.

Frankly, I could care less if you like the man or not.  Chances are, 50% of you can't stand him.  All political debates aside, It would be hard to argue that this man is not a great father and husband (roles even more important than the American presidency).

Ironically, I named my own daughter "Jenna" after her.  Not because I was a big Bush fan but because I heard the name on the news one afternoon (probably because of some underage drinking scandal) and I loved it. 

Thankfully, I am able to finally (and proudly) tell my daughter who she was named after.  Here are two Jenna Bush clips I've fallen in love with. 

The first is a clip where she calls her dad from the Ellen show...it is hysterical.  The second is the one that makes me excited to tell my daughter whom she was named after.

Enjoy!

Two Angry Moms - Determined to Change School Lunches

A few minutes ago I posted the local public school menu onto a community calendar blog I operate.  I don't normally give much thought to the meals our local schools serve our children, but I will soon. 

My daughter will be attending school next year and quite honestly, I was a bit distraught by the "hot-lunch" choices she will be getting.  "Hot Pockets", "Mac and Cheese", "Pizza"

Trust me, I am not opposed to feeding my kids quick and easy "pop in the microwave" foods.  But it appears that the local schools are essentially serving glorified fast foods.

If you are concerned about school menus and the health of your children watch this video and visit this website:  Two Angry Moms.com.  It has a wealth of resources from how you can create healthy bagged lunches to how you can start your own school wellness council.

Technorati Tags: healthy , school lunches , kids meals , school menu , two angry moms , school wellness council , hot lunches , school hot lunches , healthy lunch ideas

Hot or Not? Please Review My Dog Gus

Alright. I'm hurt.  I sent this cell phone photo of my dog Gus to my husband yesterday.

When he gets home from work today he announces, "everyone thinks Gus is ugly."  "WHAT?" - "Ugly?"  "Who thinks he's ugly?" ...and who is "everyone?"

"Everyone I show the photo to", he responds.

"Who?"  "I want names..now".  I am ticked.

Does he have the face only a mother could love?  Honestly?  I think I can handle it. 

Maybe I just need to be realistic.

Tell me....is Gus hot...or not?

A Cure for the Common Cold

Last night I slept no more than 2 hours due to my sons' cold.  He coughed all night long and all day today.  I was watching television with my husband tonight when I realized that I hadn't heard him coughing. 

Normally I panic when he coughs too much - and this time I panicked because he wasn't coughing at all.  I ran upstairs only to find him sleeping soundly like this....

Apparently, sleeping with your feet in the air and butt pushed up against a wall does wonders for the common cold.  Whoda' thunk it!   =) 

Help - My 3 Year Old Has ‘Roid Rage

Last year (almost to the date) my son ended up in the hospital for a week due to a severe case of croup.   Two days ago, I heard the classic "barking" sound coming from his bedroom.  I took him to the Dr. and they put him on a single steroid dose to prevent his condition from getting as severe as last time.

For the past 24 hours, my son has been going through what I could only describe as "roid-rage".   He is normally the sweetest, most laid back little boy...

But today...not so much.

He wanted Cheerios for breakfast instead of eggs..."Mommy - you are NOT my best friend".

He wanted to wear boots and I wouldn't let him..."Mommy - you are naughty to me".

He freaked out when his sister grabbed his stuffed turtle and literally tackled her on the living room floor...

He turned his blanket into a cape and was jumping off our furniture.  When I told him to stop it, he yelled back, "I'm a superhero...you can't say no to me". 

....and the highlight of my day....he decided to climb in the laundry basket and slide down the steps.  Needless to say...that little trick didn't end well.

I feel like my sweet little boy has turned into a professional wrestler with PMS. 

Would love your feedback....Have you ever experienced this?