Livin'

This is my typical nightly schedule:

When we get home from school I like to get all of our homework done and out of the way. If Eli has earned all his pennies at school that day, he gets to play Wii. So I prefer that they play and be done by dinner time.

At 4:30 or so I start making dinner, so that we can eat by 5:30. Rick gets home around then. If he's running late I go ahead and start feeding the kids and he and I eat when he gets home.

While dinner is cooking, I like to get Eli and Brynne's beds ready for bedtime, fill their humidifiers, get their water cups filled and on their nightstands and get their vitamins out and ready. Then I like to get my coffee pot prepared for the timer the next morning.

Once dinner is done I want the kitchen completely cleaned and everything for the night done by 7:00 p.m. I even try to get Eli and Brynne bathed and in pjs by 7:00, sometimes earlier.

My goal is to be done for the day by 7:00 so I can watch t.v., unwind and just hang out with my family without having something to do.

This past week Rick was on a business trip. He was getting home around 6:30 Thursday night and wanted to know if I would meet him in town for dinner. I was planning hot dogs for dinner that night because I didn't know when he would be home. So, that would work well ... easy dinner for the kids, easy cleanup and I could pull it off.

I got the kids' dinner done, and then he texted me and said that his final flight was going to be delayed, possibly by an hour or so. So, that meant he wasn't going to get into town until 8:00 p.m. My first response was, "well, so much for dinner!" Cause, as you see above, I like to eat early and be done by 8:00 p.m., not just then heading out! In fact, we often joke that on our date nights it's always us and the "blue hairs" having dinner because we are there so early.

But we decided to go ahead and meet, and it was only going to be around 7:30 instead of 8:00. So, I took to feeding the kids, getting them bathed, getting my nightly routine done, and I left the house around 7:15 to meet Rick for dinner.

Did you know that people actually go out together on a Thursday night and eat dinner past 5:30 p.m.?? I didn't either! And, actually, LOTS of people do it! The restaurant parking lot was so packed I had to park at the adjacent movie theater!

People in the restaurant were eating and drinking and laughing and having a good time! There were even KIDS out at that hour!

The point of this post is to say ... this is what Rick has been talking about when he has said, "I just want to live." We don't HAVE to have dinner at 5:30 and everybody ready for bed at 7:00. And even though my nightly schedule was disrupted it's OKAY to leave the kids alone on a Thursday night and meet my husband, who I haven't seen in three days, for dinner at 8:00 p.m.

That was date 9 of 52.

And, that's livin'.

Extraordinary

Last night I did something I have never done before. I volunteered at a major women's conference, Extraordinary Women. Now, lest you think I am hyper-spiritual, I didn't volunteer to be an altar worker or anything of that sort. I volunteered to work at a product table. But there are no small jobs for the Kingdom! (and I'm a wuss.)

This is a big conference, taking place at the Mabee Center. I've seen major concerts there, so it's a good-sized venue. And the lineup is big too, with the likes of Karen Kingsbury, Angela Thomas, Chonda Pierce and Lysa TerKeurst. Mandisa is leading worship (wow!) and Jeremy Camp gave a concert last night!

Why is this a big deal that I volunteered there? Well, it's because I did it on my own. I didn't go with a group of women from church, or even a best bud. I felt a calling in my spirit to serve, and I did it .. in a place completely out of my comfort zone with women I do not know! In fact, I knew not one person there. It felt good to have an opportunity to serve God outside of a church setting.

And the first night was Extraordinary!

I am headed back there to work all day today too.

Here is the link for the other EWomen conferences scheduled for this year. If you need a weekend of reflection and refreshment, I would recommend that you attend one near you! And if you volunteer, you get in for free and get a free box lunch on Saturday.

Rick Rocks ~ And I'd Be Proud To Wear It And Declare It

I have a sterling silver necklace that I wear around my neck almost every day that has the names of my four kids' stamped into it.

I follow a blog called Love, Actually where I get a lot of my romantic ideas.

This blog is having a giveaway for a personalized necklace or other piece of jewelry. I love this kind of jewelry, but I already have a necklace with my kids' name on it.

But, I would love to have a piece of jewelry with Rick and my name on it. If you've been reading my blog for the past six months, you have read all of the dozens of ways I think Rick Rocks.

I would love to have a chance to declare it every day in a piece of jewelry.

My favorite piece is this rectangle charm bracelet.


I sure hope I win it! Go check out the other neat jewelry at The Vintage Pearl. And go to Love, Actually for your own chance to win, and to get some great romantic ideas on a budget.

Rick Rocks ~ And I'd be proud to wear it and declare it!

A New Favorite

I am a television junkie. And, I come by it honestly. That extended family I posted about yesterday? Yeah, they raised me that way. I can remember watching shows with my whole family, such as Little House on the Prairie, Who's the Boss, Good Times, Dynasty, Knot's Landing, and Beverly Hills 90210, just to name a few.

I have said on more than one occasion how I love to be in my jammies by about 6:30 p.m. (if not sooner) cuddled up on the couch watching television, with whoever will watch my shows with me. Here is a list of the shows that I watch, and in parentheses are the poor suckers in my family I have hooked into watching them with me.

The Young and the Restless (Kyndal)
The Bachelor/Bachelorette (Kyndal, Rick and Dawson)
The Biggest Loser (Kyndal, Rick and Dawson, and even Brynne and Eli at the weigh-ins)
American Idol (Mostly Dawson, and a little Rick and Kyndal)
Lie to Me (Rick, but he really got me hooked on it)
Glee (Dawson and we hooked Rick hard!)
America's Next Top Model (Sometimes Kyndal and even Dawson at times)
Survivor (Rick and sometimes Kyndal)
Project Runway (Rick, although he doesn't want to admit it)
Flashforward (Rick)
The Amazing Race (Dawson, Rick and sometimes Kyndal)
So You Think You Can Dance (Kyndal and sometimes Dawson)
The Good Wife (This one is all mine)

And these are just the shows I'm obsessed with!

(Yes, we greatly exceed the "one hour of television per week" rule of many households!!)

But, I now have a favorite, I think. And, I am declaring that after only one episode.

You remember the movie from the '80s, Parenthood.


It's a favorite of Rick and mine. We quote lines from the movie in our everyday life.

The new television series, based on the movie, started last night.


I don't know if it got good reviews, but I sure hope it did! It has a beautiful and fun cast, interesting characters and some of the familiar story lines from the movie. The characters are loosely based on those from the movie, but has very similar humor and touching conflicts of family. In the pilot I laughed out loud and was in tears at the end.

I love it! I'm not sure how in the world I'm going to fit it into my DVR schedule, but I will definitely figure it out! You should too!

My Green Brother

I don't post much about my extended family members. Honestly, I'm not sure why.

My parents live in the town where I grew up in Missouri, and have been married for over 40 years. My dad owns his own company and my mom is semi-retired. I have a sister, Kristen, who is four years younger than me and she is a hair dresser in Kansas. She is married to a Kansas City police office and has a daughter, Rylee, who is 12.

My brother, Tim, is eight years younger than me. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Shawna (who is a special education teacher with an emphasis on blind education), and they live in Portland, Oregon. Tim works for a non-profit organization that helps in the development of existing neighborhoods. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the green living that goes on in Portland is so impressive and intriguing and I wish we had more of that kind of mindset here in the Midwest.

This past week my brother was on a news story in Portland speaking about solar panels for homes. I thought you might enjoy seeing what I would look like if I was a boy.

I am very proud of the work that Tim and Shawna do on the West Coast. They have definite ideals and aren't afraid to fight for them. Tim is featured in the middle of the news story. He's not the first guy interviewed, although it's been so long since I have seen him that at first glance I thought it was him for a second.

Enjoy!

Click here to view. (To hear the story you'll have to scroll down to my Playlist and pause it.)

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... it is overcast and cold. I, like so many, am so ready for spring weather and sunshine!

I am thinking... about how last year was one of the worst years of my life, but how at peace and excited I am about my life now.

I am thankful ... for good and serious conversations with the ones I love. I've had those with Rick, Kyndal and Dawson this week. It makes me feel so much closer to them.

I am wearing... black jogging pants, a white long-sleeved t-shirt layered with my "Queen Mom" t-shirt, black and silver tennis shoes.

I am remembering... my friend today who is pregnant with her fourth child, but having extreme marital difficulties and feeling desperate and sad.

I am creating... ideas, curriculum and scheduling for homeschooling Dawson next year.

I am going... to complete a long list of household chores today, despite the fact that this virus has cycled around again and I feel cruddy.

I am reading... The first of my new Kristin Hannah books, True Colors. I forget how much I love her as an author until I struggle through other books and then pick up one of hers and get immersed in moments.

I am hoping... that Dawson's sprained ankle gets better soon, so he can get off his crutches and get back to exploring with his buddy Crusoe.

On my mind... is how difficult the last four months have been financially with no child support, but how God has still taken care of all of our necessities (as I knew he would). It will still be nice to get regular support payments coming back in, now that my ex has a job again, and to get some back support paid so I can get the kids some new, much-needed clothes.

From the learning rooms... the little guys are studying about Dr. Suess this week, so having dress up days and special activities. And, it's so strange to me that my definition of "the learning rooms" will be changing so dramatically over the next six months.

Pondering these words ... all the insightful things Brynne says, like, "Look, Chloe's poopy almost looks like a pretzel." And while she was eating her breakfast this morning, "Oooh, my feet smell yucky." (and they did because she had them in her slippers that were stinky because she wears them all the time. She has a nose like a hound dog.) She's just always yammering on, so funny, insightful things spill out constantly.

From the kitchen... we finally had that spinach turkey noodle bake (minus the spinach for the kids). It was so good. For the life of me I could not find the recipe I had planned to use, so I made one up. I even had to make homemade cream of mushroom soup because I didn't have any. I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch.

Around the house... is power cleaning and organizing I need to do for another showing of our house tomorrow morning.

One of my favorite things... is (dad, skip to the next paragraph now, please) ... sexting my husband when he is on a business trip. It makes for exciting reunions!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Rick is on a business trip some of this week again, so things are going to be pretty quiet for a few days. It's also extra quiet now that I don't babysit the twins anymore. I have every afternoon to myself. I have been taking power naps every afternoon and they sure are nice! I am having lunch with my friend Shelley on Thursday, and I am really looking forward to catching up with her. Then on Friday and Saturday I am volunteering at one of the product tables for the Extraordinary Women conference in Tulsa. I signed up to work at Lysa TerKeurst's table, and I hope I get to do that. I would love to get to meet her. This is something I just did on a whim, and am excited because I get to go worship God in an environment where I don't know anyone going into it! I may run into women I know. But, I am excited to get to know some new women and just serve God without expectation from anyone I know. Jeremy Camp and Mandisa are leading worship ... awesome! Then on Sunday I am going to catch back up with my family.

From my picture journal.

Sisters. So different ... and so special in her own way.

Get to know other special women at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Menu Plan Monday

Rick has been traveling some every week lately, so he and I are slipping out at every opportunity on the weekends to spend some time together. We went out to dinner, to browse through a Christian bookstore and to Starbucks on Friday night for Date 8 of 52. Then we did some errands on Saturday, so we stopped for lunch. And then yesterday we had to run back into town to return something, so we stopped for a quick lunch again. Those are much needed times when he travels during the week. But, because of that, our menu on the weekends gets a little skewed!

Here's what we are having this week:


Monday ~ Spinach turkey noodle bake (see what I mean, I have had this on my menu for the past three weeks at least, and we always seem to pass it over. But, tonight, we're having it! I'm in the mood to cook!)

Tuesday ~ Chicken sandwiches and macaroni and cheese (Brynne's request)

Wednesday ~ FFY

Thursday ~ Hot dogs and chips

Friday ~ Ham and swiss stromboli (I'll be gone for the evening volunteering at the Tulsa EWomen conference .. can't wait!!)

Saturday ~ Frozen pizza (I'm volunteering again on this day and evening.)

Sunday ~ Baked salisbury steak and homemade mac and cheese (a family favorite and I'll be wanting to do something for them after being gone for two days).

For other great menu ideas, visit The Org Junkie.

Kyndal's Mid-High Formal

Kyndal's formal at the Mid-High was tonight. Her and her friend Hailey got ready at our house, starting at about 4:30 for an 8:00 dance. Kyndal curled Hailey's hair and applied both of their makeup. I curled Kyndal's hair. Then Hailey's family came for pictures and they took the girls to the dance.

They were so excited to go! And I am so glad that they were just going together without all the drama of boys. These two have become really good friends and I hope their friendship lasts a long time.

A Pupdate

Yesterday we took all four puppies to the vet for their 9-12 week appointments. Chloe, Buck and Quincy are about 10 weeks. They weigh 3 lbs. 8 ozs., 3 lbs. 8 ozs., and 3 lbs. 14 ozs. Chloe and Buck are still short-haired, with Chloe being soft and Buck having a little bit of the wirey poodle fur. Chloe is long and lean. Buck is short and chubby. Quincy looks like a completely different dog. He looks more like a poodle with crazy, wirey hair. Most times he has one ear that sticks straight up and one that folds down. He looks so much like our Annie (our poodle/spitz mix we used to have) that it almost makes me tear up.

Crusoe is more around 12-13 weeks (just guessing) and he weighs 17.3 pounds. He's going to be a big boy!

It's funny that I have them all three on a schedule ... well, Crusoe, too. I "put them all down for a nap" from 1-3 p.m. everyday. This mama still needs her alone time! I put the three puppies in their room under the stairs (I even turn on their fan so nothing disturbs them) and put Crusoe out in his room in the garage (our pool house).

They are staying awake more and more throughout the day, but are still sleepy in the evenings. They wake up and play hard for about an hour, and then we put the three little puppies in their room to go to bed between 9 and 10 p.m. They sleep solid until 6ish in the morning. Crusoe sleeps upstairs with Dawson in his room.

Crusoe is really pretty potty trained, only having accidents if we forget about him. The three little puppies are doing much better, able to hold their urine much longer. But, I still clean up about 5 accidents a day between the three of them.

All in all, we are still doing great with these puppies. They are so sweet and we love them to pieces!

They get so excited when they see us, especially when Rick gets home. They all come racing from another room and just go crazy at his feet! That's how Chloe is with Kyndal, too.

Lovin' the puppies!

Rick Rocks ~ Because He Supports Me As A Mother

My greatest passion as a mom is helping my kids become who they were created to become, even if that person is not who others (including myself) think they should be. God created each of my children with specific gifts, talents and weaknesses and has purpose designed for them ... not my purpose, not other family members' purpose, not society's purpose, not the legislation's purpose. God's purpose.

But there's that mold that we are taught that our children should fit ... do good in school, be in every extra-curricular activity known to man, be good at some sport, excel in everything! Well, those are not my kids. (And, quite honestly, I'm thrilled!)

I take this mothering thing S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y !!! Maybe too seriously at times. I get very emotional when I feel like I'm not doing "right" by my kids.

I'll be honest. I have been swirling this homeschooling thing around, mostly, just in my head. I research during the day and think about it. But, I haven't discussed it with Rick much. I think I was scared that he would think it was a bad idea. I welcome his opinion because he always provides me with perspective that I need. I have just been secretly afraid he wouldn't be supportive of my ideas because Dawson is his step-son. I was afraid he wouldn't understand how emotional I was about this subject or be able to relate to how emotional I am about his success.

Last night we talked about it, mostly prompted by yesterday's post. And he told me that he thinks I should do it. He was so insightful and supportive. Of course he has the same worries about it that I do. But, he is excited about what this could mean for Dawson and his future.

This is going to take a lot of my time and commitment. In a marriage where we are always trying to put each other first and make time for each other, this could become a conflict to that unless I am very mindful of it. When I get involved in a project I. Get. Involved. But knowing this about the level of commitment it's going to take and also knowing the level of commitment I will put into it, he's still supportive.

When we went to bed last night he said, "I think you've made the right decision."

I can't pull this off without his support. I won't even attempt to do it without his support. I am so thankful for his support.

(Besides, we discussed that I will likely have to start homeschooling Eli once he hits middle school. Although his quirkiness and stuttering and delays are adorable in a kindergarten student, he's likely to face much ridicule and such by that age. Knowing what I know about the brutalness of middle school and then high school in this city, there's no way we will allow our little Boogie Bear to be subject to that. Maybe if we quit calling him Boogie Bear that would help. And, Brynne isn't always going to be there to kick the butt of any kid who makes fun of Eli. This all may be helping me prepare for that in the future.)

I am so thankful that I have Rick's support in the area of me being a mother. What a blessing not to always feel like I have to fight for what I know is right.

Rick Rocks ~ Because he supports me as a mother.