Good Advice

I've come across some really good advice lately and thought I'd share!

Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you! -Elisa De Wolfe

You can only be offended if you take offense. -Mom

Don't ever bad mouth your husband in front of your children. -Aunt Cindy

Don't let your beauty come from outward adornment, but it should come from your inner self, a gentle and quiet spirit. - Peter

My Wise Six Year Old

Benjamin said the most profound thing to me the other day that I have been thinking about quite a bit...

I don't really like church, but that doesn't mean I don't love God.

What an insightful kid he is! He is getting the connection that it's all about Jesus. I couldn't be prouder.

I just love him!!

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 1:4)

Dear Rebekah

Dear Rebekah,

Today is not your birthday. Yesterday was, but we were having so much fun celebrating, I didn't have time to write.

You are such a joy, and I am so glad that you belong to us! Thank you for bringing your joy into our lives.

I am so happy that you are now a five year old and can go to Kindergarten in the fall. I know how excited you are and how you are looking forward to riding the bus with Biggie.

I love how you throw yourself into everything that you do, whether it's digging for worms or playing with your pet shop, or eating your doughnut.

I love you so much and am so happy with YOU!

Love,

Mommy

Here are some of the fun things you did to celebrate your 5th birthday:

Eating your favorite: chocolate- covered cream-filled doughnut (a day or so early) Having a picnic lunchFeeding, I mean SHARING your lunch with Nikki Playing in the alfalfa with your brothers Opening a birthday present: Pet Shops!

Your birthday party, FINALLY!Eating a hot dog with mustard

Your beautiful Pet Shop birthday cake

You had such a great day; you feel into bed exhausted. I don't even have pictures of you feeding the chickens, eating dinner at McDonalds, checking on your two new kitties (Lovey and Dulcey), jumping on the trampoline, chasing your cousins Steven and Nathan, lining up all of your new Pet Shop toys, playing your new Pet Shop video game with your brother...

You said it best: it really was the BEST DAY EVER!

Better Things To Do...

So, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been online much lately. May is a busy time on the farm. After months of being cooped in and thinking the snow will never go away, all of a sudden, one day, it's spring! Here are some of the things that have been keeping us busy...

Rebekah digging in the dirt for worms
Joshy too busy to stop and get his picture taken

John and Benjamin playing baseball

Rachel enjoying her swing

One of the beautiful views on our walks

Flower beds that need so much work

Spring planting (John's dad)

Our beautiful apple blossoms before the late frost eradicated them (no apples this year!)

Chickens!! I've told the kids to get the broom if they see the hens in my flower beds

These are the days that I wish would last forever.

Today's Goal

Today, I will endeavor to react with laughter instead of anger or frustration.

Scenario #1: Josh (3) came to me saying he needed another piece of candy; he HATES the first one he got. When I asked him where the first one was, he said, "In my tummy. But I hate it. I need another."

Scenario #2: While walking through Walmart, an associate was bent over stocking the shelves. As Rebekah (4) passed her, she spanked her right on the butt.

Scenario #3: I looked out the window, and saw Benjamin jumping on the trampoline...in 60 degree weather...in his underwear.

Scenario #4: Rachel needs to wear her socks and then her AFO's and then I put her pants on over them because she loves to pull them off. I need to race through getting her dressed because she pulls one off as I am putting the other on.

just laugh about it!

A Mother's Day Tale

4:30am...electricity goes off. Get up to see a car off the road

4:31...Try to find flashlights. REMINDER TO SELF: Don't let kids play with flashlights/ buy batteries.
Find ONE flashlight that works...

4:35...try to call the State Police but call someone else accidentally. Sorry for waking you up other guy!

4:36...call the State Police
ME: My electricity just went off, and I see someone off the road. I don't know if they hit a pole or something. I don't see any emergency vehicles out there yet.
STATE POLICE: A call was placed that two trucks hit each other there, but no car is on the scene yet. No report of poles being hit.
ME: Well, my electricity is out, so they hit something.

4:36...Looks like a car went through our pasture so husband goes up to make sure cows aren't out on the road.
FREEZING morning (coldest in a while). Nope, cows are safe and sound. (Don't want to chase cows in the dark or even the light for that matter.)

4:36-5:30...wait for and watch emergency vehicles arrive (through my husband's super-powered binoculars). See them give one guy what looks like a "walk the line" test. No ambulances, so no one injured.

5:30...one kid wakes up, husband wakes up second kid so he can watch the flashing lights.

5:45...probably was a drunk driver (sure his mother's really proud of him), so lecture two awake kids "Don't EVER drink alcohol and drive a car!"

5:50...Tell hubby my Mother's Day present can be for me to go back to sleep for one hour.

7:30...find out that the dude driving sheered a pine tree and took out three electric poles, not even a scratch on the guy. Thankful for that!

Kudos to our electric company which had our power back on by 6:34. For a rural electric company, REA (get the name?) sure is a FANTASTIC company!

At least once a winter, we have someone go off the road into our pasture. No one went off this winter...they waited until Spring.
NOTE TO ERIE COUNTY DRIVERS: When you come flying down rt. 98 and you start to make the curve before the south end of Falls Road...please be careful! That's a death trap, and we do not want to have to fix fence there AGAIN. If you've driven, you know exactly where I mean.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ME!!

Brotherly Love

This morning Ben (6)and I were talking about how nice it is that he has a brother, Josh (3). I asked Ben what he loves about his brother. I expected a response about how fun it is to play with him or how funny Josh can be. What does Benjamin love about his brother? His hair. ;)

A picture of Josh and his gorgeous hair!

Guilty Pleasures

I have a guilty pleasure, I will admit it. I love to follow the "gossip column", you know, the one that keeps tabs on celebrities and such. I used to watch the entertainment TV shows, but now I just have a website online that I follow. About once a day I log on and see what the "stars" are up to.
John and I have had a lot of discussion about why I do that. I know that the lifestyle of these people is not what I want to emulate in any way. It's not even like I have a great respect for them and for what they do. (I mean, really, they get paid millions because they are good looking? SHALLOW!) And there is no way that I want to be like them, with their self-centeredness and crazy lifestyle.
So why do I do it?
It came to me one day last week...because it is something completely outside of myself and my life. I do not have to worry about anyone, I do not have to be responsible for anyone. It is literally something that takes me out of my situation for small period of time. And that is something I have desperately needed for the past year.
If you want to see a woman under continuous, unmeasurable amount of stress, look at a mom of a special needs kid. There's always something to worry about, something lurking around the next corner. See, our kids don't "get better", they just learn to cope with their needs. And the more moms like this I talk to, the more I think it's harder on the moms than the kids.
Anyway, I am now off to my second "guilty pleasure", The Housewives of New York City. (Those women are so crazy and shallow and self-centered, it's hilarious!)

A Friday Funny

I just love this girl!