Ok folks, here goes. I'm jumping on the 5 Question Friday bandwagon. If you want to know what that's all about for yourself, go here.

1. What is one food you could eat everyday?

Well, chocolate cake would definitely be at the top of my list, but, since I DON'T want to be 500 lbs, I'll go with strawberries. LOVE 'em.

2. Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?

Yep, I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom, and I'm doing just that.

3. What is something that you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?

I wish I would have picked a college major and completed it right away out of high school. I love where I'm at in my life now, but do wish that I'd had a chance to use my degree for a little longer before starting my family. If I could do it again, I'd have gotten married, gotten my degree the next year, and worked for 6 years before having kids.

4. What color are your kitchen walls?

Tan. It's a rental house.

5. Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?

I'm pretty sure it was "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant. And I thought it was so cool to listen to it on my walkman and sing out loud. I know, I was cool.

We're Goin' to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo....

Bears going fishing
Phil feeds the bears :)

Charlie and Roxanna: we told them to tilt their heads together so we could take a picture, but this was all we could get them to do! So funny! We were laughing so hard we could barely take the picture. Silly girls.

We had the best day today! We used the free museum passes through the library system and got tickets to the MN Zoo. It's been years since Phil or I had been there and it was super fun! We met some good friends there and a good time was had by all. Our favorite things we saw were the dolphins, the bird show, the hands on saltwater exhibits where we could hold starfish and touch fish and coral, the guy in a scuba mask and suit cleaning the inside of the giant fish tank with a toothbrush, the monkeys, and definitely the bears.

The lady at the bear exhibit had JUST finished saying that the bears are extremely well fed and that they wouldn't attack anything for food, and that even the little fishes in the pond were safe when one of the bears dove into the water, caught one of those little fishes, and bit it's head off while we all watched! It was crazy cool.

It's amazing how many free or inexpensive things you can find to do if you check it out. I had no idea about this MN Museum pass program until yesterday, but we will DEFINITELY be using it again. You can't beat 5 hours of family fun for 6 people for $5 to cover parking. And what awesome family memories and educational opportunities!

Reality Check

I know a lot of people in denial about the way they live, namely living way beyond their means. We were one of those couples for a long time, and "get" that it's an uphill battle, which was the real reason for our denial.... we didn't WANT to change our lifestyle, but we said that we COULDN'T. The most powerful lesson I've learned through the Dave Ramsey program though is that CAN'T MEANS WON'T! So, if you feel led, take the quiz! See how your style of financial management lines up with God's. Only HE can convict you about your spending, but if you're ready to make a change, I can help you get started. :)

"If you live like no one else, then someday, you can LIVE like no one else." -Dave Ramsey

"If you do what you have to do when you have to do it, then someday you will be able to do what you want to do when you want to do it." --Zig Ziglar

Pampered Chef is AWESOME!

I baked my very first pie this week! It was a caramel apple pie, and according to the friends that ate it, it rocked! Alison even said "I think this is seriously the best apple pie I've ever had!" I got a new stoneware pie plate from my recent pampered chef party and decided to try it out and man, does it make good pies. :) And I would hope that eventually I'll also be able to give some credit to my mad pie-baking skills, but since this was my first, I'm going with kudos to the new plate.

Another thing I got from my PC party was a trifle bowl and I got to make my very first trifle this week also! I made a brownie-espresso thing, and while it didn't look as appetizing as I'd hoped, everyone ate it just the same. I think it would be safe to say that my trifle making skills leave a little to be desired--we'll just leave it at that.

Another awesome thing I got that got use this week is a pineapple slicer. My kids all love fresh pineapple, but man, what a chore to have to cut it up. Messy, and sticky, and time consuming.... well not anymore! This baby looks and works like one of those apple slicer deals that goes over the pineapple and slices it and cores it, but unlike the apple one, it peels it too. It's awesome.

Anyways, I'm pretty certain that with how much I love pampered chef I could sell the stuff, but I don't like direct sales, I'm not a huge fan of home parties (though to get free pampered chef I'll do just about anything) and I'd always feel like I was annoying people by asking them to host parties for me. My consultant must be really good at selling, because I'm never annoyed when she asks me. Maybe she's just generally less annoying than I am. Who knows?

Kids say the darnedest things!

So, Charlie seems to have an odd obsession with skeletons these days. Not sure where it came from, but EVERY SINGLE DAY, multiple times a day for the past 2 weeks, she asks both Phil and I to "play skeletons." At first, I thought maybe she just didn't know what a skeleton was, but she was able to identify one in a picture! Then, we asked her if we HAD any skeletons and where they were, thinking that maybe she was thinking of something we had that reminded her of a skeleton. She said "Yep, we have some, we keep them in the closet!" We looked, but didn't find any. Oh dear though.... it does something to you when your 3 year old asks to play with the skeletons in your closet! That was last week.

This week, she was outside in the garage and asked us to play with skeletons again! Even after we showed her there were none in the closet! This time we asked her to SHOW us where the skeleton was, after she insisted again that we did have one. She looked at me with a frustrated look, as if I should just know where we keep the skeletons, and said "MOM! It's in the freezer! Just get one out of the freezer!" And she walked over to the deep freeze and pointed. We were laughing SO hard we could hardly answer her! But, I lifted her up and opened the freezer and showed her that there was nothing but food in there. Then she said that maybe it moved to the freezer in the top of the fridge in the garage, but we checked there too, and alas, no skeletons. I have NO idea where she got this! I only wish I knew where she'd seen one, or that I could find whatever it is that she really wants to play with, but no luck so far. I'm sure with halloween coming, she'll see a few around, but hopefully that will end this obsession! All I need is for her to go tell some nursery worker at church that we keep skeletons in our freezer.... that'll be the day!!!! Not even sure how to respond to that-- "Kids say the darndest things!"

No More Diapers For Ducky

Want a great read for your toddler? No More Diapers for Ducky is such a cute book! We're potty training Mason this week. Kind of makes for a boring (and stressful) holiday weekend, but I took advantage of the long weekend over Labor day to get a jumpstart while Dad was home to help. It's been a pain in the butt, but when is it ever easy? The good news is that I think he's ready. Today marks the beginning of day #5, and he's only peed on the floor once today! AND, he's actually told me 3 times today that he had to go potty and headed straight for his potty chair to get the job done. He put a matchbox car in the potty after he went, but such is life. Matchbox cars are easier to clean off than upholstery, which we'd have had to clean if he put his pee where his matchbox cars usually go. Hooray for potty-training! Maybe we can use the $40 we won't be spending on diapers this month for a date--after this weekend, we deserve one!

The things that matter most

It's so crazy how fast kids grow up..... One minute my baby girl needs to be held and swaddled, and then I blinked, and now she's hollering from the bottom of the stairs "Mom, have you seen my ballet shoes? We're gonna be late for dance class!" and wanting to go ride the rides at the Mall of America. The same goes for the little boy that not so very long ago, scooted across the carpet to keep up with his big sister, and now chases her down with the Little Tykes lawn mower in the yard. I always hear people say "Cherish these years, because they go by way too fast", and isn't it the truth. When did they grow up? How did I miss them going from helpless babies who depended on me for everything, to being able to do things for me?

Now more than ever I am beginning to fully realize how important it is to choose daily the type of mother I will be. Parenthood is the most influential job one can ever have! The behaviors of a mother are inexplicably influential in that they affect not only their children, but their children's children. I've seen it firsthand. Something that a parent will say or do in passing and not give a second thought to, ---a look, a comment, or a tone of voice even--- can stand out years later in the mind of a child as being a major event that shaped their tender personality-- for good or for bad.

What a great reason to get on my knees daily for my family! I'm thankful that I have a Father who knows them better than I do. He knows their strengths and weaknesses, their temptations and their temperaments. I'm grateful that every single day I have the privilege of kneeling before my Father and interceding for my children, and that those prayers are acknowledged. Why don't I do that more?! What is the reason that I have difficulty finding quiet time to go to the Lord on their behalf--what could possibly be more important that that? Facebook? Phone calls? Budgeting? Meal planning? The successful completion of even the most highly regarded of my worldy tasks pales in comparison to what the Lord can do for my children with the mere words of my asking. I don't have what it takes to be the perfect parent, but I know who does. Watching them grow up before our very eyes should be a wake up call. Its about time that parents in America get back to basics and stop putting 2nd things 1st. Where our children will spend their eternity depends on it.