My techno girl. Got this pic last week of Meg playing "Same or Different"--one of her preschool games. She's really good at using the computer. 

Team Kid--Fall 2006 first night

Oh, my. I had forgotten how loud those kids can be. There were nine of them. 4 and 5 year olds. I had 3 helpers last night, and they still wore me out. I had to be a bit more of a drill sargeant than I usually am. I hate yelling over children. I hate yelling, period. But, I had to so they would hear me. How do you get young kids that age to listen? None of our activities took longer than 5 minutes each, but they can't even sit still for that long. I don't know if I'm just not very effective or if it's just the way they are at this age, or if this particular group of kids is just rowdier together. I think I'll watch them as they progress in the church and see if that's the case. I'm curious. Having not been in the child-care industry, I've got a lot of learning to do. I'm hoping that some of our lessons will remain with the kids, and that I'll learn how to be more patient and effective as a teacher. We'll see. Glad it's just once a week :)

Edit: My kid was one of the loudest. Meg kept trying to tell me things and yelled over everyone to do so--"MOOOOMMMMMM!!!"

Biggest panda born in captivity

Giant panda gives birth to giant cub
Tue Aug 8, 9:10 AM ET
BEIJING (Reuters) - A giant panda in China has given birth to the heaviest cub born in captivity after the longest period in labor and elsewhere twin pandas each gave birth to twins, Xinhua news agency reported.

Six-year-old Zhang Ka delivered the baby on Monday at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in the mountainous southwest, Xinhua said.
The cub weighed just 218 grams (half a pound), but was still the heaviest panda ever born in captivity, where most cubs are born at between 83 and 190 grams, Xinhua said.
"It is very rare for them to be even near 200 grams," it said in a report late on Monday.
But the size and the fact that it was Zhang Ka's first meant a "painstaking and eventful" birth for the mother, who was born in the wild.
"The whole process lasted about 34 hours and was the longest in the history of panda reproduction," Xinhua quoted Zhang Hemin, head of the Wolong center, as saying.
Both mother and baby were doing well, the agency said.

Read the rest here: Yahoo news

My character, Mystique, sitting on a throne. Just borrowing it while the countess is sleeping :) That's the closest I'll ever get to sitting on a throne that doesn't flush. 

Let your light shine.

Matthew 5:14-16 says:

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

This was the first message in our new multi-ministry center. Appropriate for a new facility, with new ministries. How easy it would be to just let the new building shine. The new smelling paint, the new carpets, the new preschool rooms, the new parking lot. But, Jesus wants US to shine. WE must be the light of the world. We must shine in our new facility. We must make the community comment on how effective our church body is, not how great our building is. Can we accept and tackle the challenge? It is yet to be seen.

How does YOUR light shine? Are you hiding it away? What ministry can you get involved in? Please don't over-commit, like so many of us do, but get involved in something. Any ministry, however small and unappreciated it may seem, is essential to the church.

Team Kid starts up again tomorrow. I'm teaching the first class. I have two helpers, thank you Lord! I'm gonna let my little light shine. Pray that I can keep it lit.

James Taylor fans?

Can't say I know much about him, but Maggie sent me this link for a Snopes article about a pretty famous James Taylor song. She said it's "more than you ever wanted to know"--very true. If you have time to read it, and especially if you've gotten this email or heard this story, it will clear it up for you.

Fire and Rain

Has this ever happened to you?

Feature Films for Families

Looking for your feedback on this one. Got a call the other day from an "interviewer", who asked me some "survey" questions about the morality of media and movies for our children and families. Then, as I found out later, I got hooked into accepting a later phone call from a solicitor that just called today, and was quite obviously reading from a script and not really listening to my responses, until he offered me two children's films, for "only $12.95 each", then was quite pushy when I declined, offering only one film, then delaying payment for 30 days to see if I liked them. I was adamant to decline, telling him I would like to check out their website and do some research first. And I did.

Here's their website: http://www.familytv.com/

Looks like some nice films are offered. They are based in Salt Lake City, UT, and are affliliated with the LDS (Latter Day Saints). I've seen some nice reviews of the films themselves, but not-so-nice reviews about their marketing technique. The telemarketer today used an interesting hookline: "We don't have millions of dollars to spend on advertising like Disney does...". Aww, you poor thing, that must be why you had to call me. Give me a break. They are advocating morals, but don't seem to use very good marketing morals, as evidenced by the pushy phone call.

Anyway, if you or anyone else has any experience with this company, please leave your comments. I'm curious, as there isn't that much information readily available about them. Thanks!

Oh, and beware of "interviewers" or "surveyors" who ask you preliminary questions about family entertainment, etc, and then ask if someone may call you back later to give you more information. SAY NO!!! I found out that if you say yes, even if you are on a "no-call" list, this gets them around that by establishing a "prior relationship". Then the pushy salesperson can call you back and insist on their product. Learn from my mistake.

Tomorrow's a big day!

Our church is opening up the first phase of our new construction tomorrow. It's a new multi-ministry center (aka a big gym), along with new preschool rooms and new children's Sunday school rooms. Hubby's been working hard this week getting the A/V ministry up and running for the new facility. We're having a big service tomorrow morning at 8:31 am, then an open house for the community at 2-4 pm. My contribution: oatmeal raisin cookies for the open house. Not much, but maybe a few peoples' tongues will be blessed :)

Since I'm in a generous mood, here is the recipe for Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Gems:
Yield: About 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease baking sheets. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat butter, granulated, and brown sugar with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or just until edges of cookies are light golden brown. Let cookies stand on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Baker's notes:
*If you like oatmeal raisin cookies, you will LOVE these!
*Try using butter flavored shortening intead of butter--keeps cookies from spreading and sticking too much.
*Use parchment paper! The cookies won't stick, and you don't have to clean your pans.
*Use REAL vanilla extract, for goodness sakes. The imitation stuff is just gross.
*To get uniformly sized cookies, try using a small cookie scoop. Pampered Chef ones are great!
*Adjust baking time to your oven--mine takes 11 minutes. Note it in your recipe when you find the time that works best.
*If you aren't going to use the whole batch now, bake up what you need, then drop the rest of the dough into spoonfuls or scoops onto waxed paper, then put into a freezer bag. They will keep for 3-4 months and you can just take out however many you want and put them straight into the oven. Great for a quick snack!

My cuties

Took some pics last night at dinner. I love my girls.

Zoe's "kissy face", which also happens to be her spaghetti face too. Only way I could get her still for the "kissy face" pic. 

Always has to get in the spotlight too. Meg's destined to be in show biz ;) 

Some screenshots of my Oblivion character

Her name is Mystique, and she is a Dark Elf Nightblade. Currently working to solve the mystery behind the Emperor's assassination, among many other interesting quests. Such an immersive game, such realistic interactions. Good way to escape stay-at-home mom doldrums. I'll try to get some other good screenshots soon.

If any of you play computer games, what do you like? I'm always on the look for new ones.

My character, Mystique, in my pretty clothes. Doesn't it look realistic? 

My character in full armor. Intimidating, huh? 

Praise for Veggie Tales Ultimate Silly Songs Countdown!

Veggie Tales Lyrics

Veggie Tales Music Video Codes

Music Video Codes by VideoCure.com

You will laugh your pants off at this collection of Silly Songs. My favorite is the "Song of the Cebu". Just got the ringtone for my cell phone too. Unfortunately, I could not find this video for download online, so here is a different one--"Minnesota Cuke", featuring Charlie Daniels. It's not even on that DVD, but it's cute anyway. Hope you enjoy. If you want to take a gander at the Ultimate Silly Song collection, see this link: Amazon.com. I think Veggie Tales are just as entertaining for adults as they are for kids. And the Biblical lessons they teach the kids are memorable because of the unique characters.

Lions, tigers, and shotguns? Oh my!

Thanks to "Maggie" for this one.

Have you ever gotten e-mails about hunters shooting huge bears, or getting attacked by bears, or getting shot by a shotgun? I've gotten a few of those, and they usually include really gruesome pictures to go along with them. Here's an example from Snopes: *warning--the pics are really gruesome!*

One Tough Camper

Most of these "hunter" e-mails are exaggerated at best. Use your own discretion when you get one of these and do the research before you pass yucky pics on to your friends :) What a thing to open up with your morning coffee--yuk!

Are we drinking enough water?

I've decided to start posting articles from a great website, Snopes. I get lots of e-mails that involve messages including chain letters, missing kids, and other urban legands and tales. Most of the time, I can look up the reference on Snopes, and they will set me straight on whether the information is true or not, or partly true. They seem to really do their research.

Today, I got this e-mail from my dear aunt:

The following will probably amaze and startle you.. . One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day? (No kidding, all of the above is true...) Of course, too much water may have strange side effects.

Now, read the article that Snopes has about this:


"You need to drink eight to ten glasses of water per day to be healthy" is one of our more widely-known basic health tips. But do we really need to drink that much water on a daily basis? In general, to remain healthy we need to take in enough water to replace the amount we lose daily through excretion, perspiration, and other bodily functions, but that amount can vary widely from person to person, based upon a variety of factors such as age, physical condition, activity level, and climate. The "8-10 glasses of water per day" is a rule of thumb, not an absolute minimum, and not of all of our water intake need come in the form of drinking water. The origins of the 8-10 glasses per day figure remain elusive. As a Los Angeles Times article on the subject reported:

Consider that first commandment of good health: Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. This unquestioned rule is itself a question mark. Most nutritionists have no idea where it comes from. "I can't even tell you that," says Barbara Rolls, a nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania State University, "and I've written a book on water."

Some say the number was derived from fluid intake measurements taken decades ago among hospital patients on IVs; others say it's less a measure of what people need than a convenient reference point, especially for those who are prone to dehydration, such as many elderly people. The consensus seems to be that the average person loses ten cups (where one cup = eight ounces) of fluid per day but also takes in four cups of water from food, leaving a need to drink only six glasses to make up the difference, a bit short of the recommended eight to ten glasses per day. But according to the above-cited article, medical experts don't agree that even that much water is necessary:

Read the rest of the article here: Are we drinking enough water?


Let me elaborate by saying that I am an avid water drinker, and I really do drink 6-8 glasses most days. I feel better when I do. However, I like to see solid research when I come across claims like this, and it just didn't hold up. So, my conclusion--drink up--just don't kill yourself to do it!

The new Coke Zero. 

What's for lunch?

School time is just around the corner and has me thinking about getting back in the regular exercise and healthy diet groove. Back to my treadmill and walking and the Bowflex. Back to 8 minute abs and stretching. Thought I would try to help you all get back in the groove too--stick with me, kids and I'll get you in shape *laughing heartily*.

How about your lunch? I talked about breakfast last time--are you eating a healthy breakfast yet? If not, go back and review and hop to it tomorrow. Now, for lunch--do you make it yourself, do you head to the fast food places, grab the leftovers from the kids, or just skip it?

Well, if you haven't guessed, the first choice--making it yourself--is the best option. When you make your own lunch, you are in complete control of what and how much you prepare. If you think you don't have time when you're working a full-time job, look for ways to make it happen. You can prepare it the night before so it's all ready when you head out. You can stock up on healthy frozen dinners too. I love the Lean Cuisine line. My favorite are the Lean Cuisine microwave pizzas. I've also gotten fond of the Sara Lee Whole Grain white bread. Can't tell the difference in taste from regular white bread. I've also been eating Hormel Natural Choice lunchmeats. They have no preservatives and no artificial flavors--bye bye nasty nitrates! And one of my favorite chips is now Baked Doritos--1/3 the fat of regular ones too and I actually like them better. For drinks, opt out of sugary sodas. Some of my faves are 7up Plus, Diet Rite, and if you don't like diet sodas, try the Coca-Cola Zero or Crystal Light products, and of course--good ole water is great!

If you do go out for lunch, try to order the healthy choices. Fast food places are offering more healthy choices all the time, so do your research. McDonald's has a great line of salads now. I tried the Asian Chicken Salad recently and it was great! Seemed to have a good mix of protein and carbs. Now, you've probably heard in the news that getting salads is as bad or worse than getting some of the burgers in terms of fat and calories. And you can probably guess why! The dressing! Stay away from the high-fat dressings. McDonald's again, has the Newman's Own line of low-fat dressings. You can control how much you put on it. Just add enough for some flavor, not to drown it. And watch the type of salad you get. The Bacon Ranch salads are good, but they are also full of cheese, bacon, and eggs that can put you over the edge. Just watch those ingredients. Get the grilled chicken instead of breaded. Goes for sandwiches too. Think grilled, whole wheat when available, skip the mayo, and try to get something other than fries for a side.

Now, the last two choices--grabbing the kids' leftovers and skipping lunch--just don't do it. You know better. On really busy days, occasionally, it's not gonna kill you, but don't make it a habit. Think of your food as fuel. Your body needs enough of the right fuel to function properly. And if you get too much, the fuel will spill out on the pavement, I mean, into your fat cells, and before you know it, your new jeans are too tight. When you overfill on lunch, you also are setting yourself up for a sleepy afternoon.

Mind you, I'm not one to pass up a free meal. If someone is buying your food, like the vendors who take my hubby out sometimes, eat up! But most of the time, you're in charge of your meals, so make the best choices. When you've upgraded your breakfast and lunch to healthier choices, we'll take about dinner. Send me your healthy lunch ideas, and any other comments you may have about eating choices. I'll be happy to hear from you.

Hooray for Yahoo Launchcast Radio!

I'm blogging while listening to George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today". My favorite song! Give Yahoo Launchcast Radio a try. Click on the link above in the title. You can choose stations of any genre. Listen to music while you surf or blog--yay!

Our messy summer. Zoe eating some chalk. :) 

One day last week, the kids played with sidewalk chalk. You can see the results.  

My new diversion

Here are some pics I made last night. This morning, I have figured out how to download camera pics and I downloaded the Hello program. I can now blog from my new diversion. While the kids are arguing and Megan is in timeout now, squawling her head off :) At least I can see what they are getting into. They were using the couch as a slide this morning.

Enjoy the pics, and maybe I'll have more updated posts now.

And here she is--with the opening page for my favorite new game. I just love it. My new diversion. 

My "office" with the dining room chair I shanghai-ed. Need a computer chair.  

My little "office" area. Cozy, huh? 

External links

The previous post about breakfast included an external link. I'm so techno now. You must click on the post's title to access it. Might not be obvious from looking at it. Just thought I'd enlighten you.

I'm loving the new laptop, but working out some kinks. Loving the new game, The Elder Scrolls IV--Oblivion. I'm sure I'll spend many happy hours with it. The people are so realistic looking and sounding. It's almost like a movie. Gameplay is a little more complicated though. I'll have to practice. I have my laptop set up in my kitchen where I can work on it and watch the kids. Women are masters of multitasking. I think I'll keep it here. I'm loving this space. Like a home office. I may move my filing cabinets up here. The basement is just not as accessible at this time. With little ones around, I have to keep a closer eye on them and make sure they don't fall down the stairs too.

I'm starting to ramble. Meg had her 4th swim lesson today, and we're all tired from it. But makes for good sleep. And my baby's 18 months old now. Time sure flies.

Are you eating breakfast?

If not, you're probably not at optimal health or weight. It really IS important to eat a good breakfast. See the link above to find out why. I start most every morning, at least weekdays with a bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal in skim milk, and some OJ. Keeps me going until lunchtime, and I'm more likely to eat lightly and if going to a fast food joint, more likely to opt for the healthier items too.

So, get that breakfast in! Make the time, make the effort. You'll love the results.

Messing around

With the blog this week. My new laptop is due today, and I already have my two new games, and I'm foaming at the mouth, so staying busy working on blog formatting. Trying to figure out margins and images. I hate the HTML/CSS stuff--so hard for me to figure out, but good for the brain, I guess. Next--I'll try to post images of my new baby, er, laptop :)

By our 30th anniversary Trans Am, ready for our date on my birthday. Why do we always end up looking right in the sun for pictures?  

The big 3-0

I hit it this weekend. I can no longer enter 25-29 on my survey sites anymore. I'm depressed, but feel somehow more mature. Yet, I still feel as if I've never fully grown up. Like I haven't come to terms that my childhood/teen years are really over. There's still a vestige of youth there somewhere. Comes out in my whining, my boredom, my squirminess. Still can't sit still at 30. Not sure if I ever will. They'll have to glue me into my coffin :)

Anyway, enough about my oldness--I had a good birthday. Laid around the house most of the morning. Even took the time to do a self pedicure, manicure, and eyebrow maintenance. My hubby surprised me with a Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake! I will probably gain 5 or more pounds because of it, but he knows me well. Sure beat the growing old blues. Dropped the kids off with the teens at church for "Parents Night Out"--finest ministry in the church, if you ask me :) Then off to Tumbleweed in our once-again up-and-running 30th anniversary Trans Am (with the tops out too mind you) and a viewing of Pirates of the Carribbean II. Good head shots of Orlando Bloom, yet the story was really left dangling (in anticipation of the third in the series, I'm sure). I'm not sure I liked this plot as much as the first. It's as if they had not originally planned on having a second and third movie, and rather hurriedly made a story and added tons of special effects to cover up the somewhat weak plot.

But we were able to meet up with my friend, "Maggie" and her hubby for the dinner and movie. Good to be with other adults who don't get out much either. Made up for the weak film. But I had chocolate cheesecake, a date, popcorn and Orlando Bloom close-ups--what more could a 30 year old girl ask for?

Great play date last week

My friend Beth brought her two boys, Nathaniel and Zachary over to play last week. She and her hubby adopted them from Korea a year ago and have finally moved back into the area after living in Texas for a long time. Yay! So, we had a good play date--5 kids playing and sweating in the backyard. Good lunch together too. Love good times like that. Forgive the quality of these pics--the kids are never still, and it was 95 with 110% humidity that day. I'm lucky I remembered to take pics. Enjoy!

Here's my friend Beth and all the youngins getting ready to head outside. 

I think I got all the kids in this one. See the chairs? We actually thought we might be able to sit down and talk--ha! :) 

Cute cheesy shot of Zoe. 

Meg being her silly self. 

Da babies! 

Nate on da scooter. 

Zack in da car. 

The little guy I'm babysitting--good cheesy shot! 

What I'm reading

In response to a request about what my small group is currently reading, here it is. It's called "Intimate Issues--21 Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex", by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus. It's really a great Bible study about intimacy in marriage. I'll give you a brief run down about what we've read thus far:

Chapter 1: What does God think about sex?
Answers: He designed it for us, for a husband in wife, for these reasons:
1. To create life--of course :)
2. Intimate oneness--can be likened to Christ's oneness with the church
3. Knowledge--of one another--can bring depth to the relationship
4. Pleasure--Just read the Song of Solomon!
5. Defense against temptation--Proverbs 5:15 "Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. v18 "...rejoice in the wife of your youth". v 19 "may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love."
6. Comfort--Remember how King David comforted Bathsheba after their first son died? Men especially release tension in sexual release.

Chapter 2: How can I be Godly and sensuous?
Answers: Many parallels are drawn from Solomon's bride, "Shulamith", from the Song of Solomon. The authors give this portrait of her as a godly and sensuous woman.
1. She is responsive.
2. She is adventurous.
3. She is uninhibited.
4. She is expressive.
5. She is sensuous.
God wants us to rejoice and give in to our sensuousness, to hold nothing back, and immerse ourselves in the intimate relationship with our husband. We need to give ourselves permission to be sensuous! Women tend to divide their spiritual and physical selves, living in a "two-story house". The point of this chapter is to encourage us that we can be spiritual while we're ministering to our husbands in bed.
"Eat friends, drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers" SOS 5:1

Chapter 3--How do I shift into sexual gear?
Answers: Very hard sometimes, especially for moms of young kids.
The "mind is our most important sexual organ".
Major premise: We can control our thoughts.
Minor premise: Our feelings come from our thoughts.
Conclusion: We can control our feelings by learning to change the way we think.
Our mind-set will determine the way we view sex. Our mind-set is comprised of past experiences, what we were taught, voices we listen to, and what we choose to embrace or reject.
Romans 12:2-- "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
We can picture our mind as a flower bed. We need to uproot the weeds of wrong thoughts and attitudes, and plant the seeds of scripture.
Good seeds: Proverbs 5:19-- 19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.
SOS 5:16--His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
SOS 7:10--I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.
The right sexual thoughts become actions which eventually become habits and new attitudes. Sexual thoughts--->Meditated thoughts--->Decision--->Action--->Continued Action--->Habit--->Attitude

I'm liking it so far. If you have any insights into sexuality in marriage, please respond. Maybe you can buy the book and join in too :)

Finally! Our fourth and fifth days at Florida!

I've posted the pics below. Can't believe I'm this late about it. My next project is making an amateur scrapbook about our adventures. We'll see how long that takes. Probably next year if I'm lucky :)

I will have a new baby by next week. No, I didn't lay an egg. I ordered a new laptop from Dell. They were having a great sale and I got an Inspiron with a duo core processor, great graphics card, and Windows Media Center and saved about $1000 on it with the sale, free shipping, and a few free upgrades. I will be able to post pics on there, and blog from there, and won't have to wait until naptime to run downstairs and do it quickly on the main PC. I'm so excited. And I've already ordered 2 new games too. :D Technology is great!

Wow! That was fun....for THAT guy, I'm sure! We saw him from the beach on our fourth day here. Spent the entire day lounging on the beach....nice! 

Bryan doing his favorite thing--playing in the ocean. I like it too, but I get out when I get wrinkly. Besides, I wanted to read my book in the comfort of my beach lounge! 

Bryan is holding some kind of really cool conch. With the really red conch still inside! Live shelling is illegal here, so every live thing we found we had to put back. Wish I had of gotten a better close up.