"Modern cynics and skeptics... see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they entrust the care of their plumbing."
John F. Kennedy

Christmas PJ's

Mickey Mouse on Payton's feet.

He and his 2 new buddies will sleep well tonight.

Thanks Momo!

Merry Christmas to all and (hopefully soon...)

to all a Good Night!

Because April Said...

April overheard me having a conversation with Pat at church today. She said it was classic and totally bloggable. So, here it is, my life:

I got an MP3 player over a year ago.
I just got music loaded onto it last month.
I can now use said MP3 player.
Until last Thursday when I let Tasha use it.
She changed the settings.
It was all written in Spanish.
And it would only play one song.

Anywho, Pat fixed it and now it should be fine. I haven't really checked it out though. Maybe tomorrow morning... if I get to the gym.

I Did it...

I ate 2 pounds of M&M's all by myself.

I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed.

Proud that I was able to hide them from my family for 2 weeks, or ashamed that all that chocolate is inside of me. I mixed a bag of plain with a bag of mint and they were oh-so-good!

Towards the end there (it did take 2 weeks), I couldn't hide them from PT anymore. It was easiest to sneak them when nobody was home (duh), but he figured out where I had them and would point and say "mo-0h". He only asked for "more" on that last day though. I recognized the problems that could arise if my one year old was pointing for something that his sisters and father did not know exist, so we finished them off and I showed him the empty bowl. "dall-dun" (arms waving). Yes, my son, they are "all done".

Now, the real question is this: do I try to pull it off again?

Seeing Christmas Through New Eyes

Deiter F. Uchtdorf gave a beautiful talk at a Christmas devotional this year. You can click here to hear his talk, but I'm going to include the notes I took below as my gift to you this Christmas. He suggests 3 things to do this season to celebrate:

1. Rejoice in the birth of our Savior

• When Christ was born the angels sang in heaven, the veil was parted, and all could hear the good tidings of great joy.
• Wise men fell down and worshipped Him and gave gifts
• Take TIME and REJOICE

2. Ponder His influence in our lives today

• slow down and reconsider what matters most
• Time of: remembrance, friendship, forgiveness
• Time to: renew, recommit, obey His commandments

3. Look steadfastly for His coming

• There is HOPE in His return
• It will be a time of: peace, joy, and learning

Look for the good!

Merry Christmas!

"Degifting"

From Urban Dictionary.com...

1. A mutual agreement to suspend holiday gifts for at least one season, usually within a single family or circle of friends.

2. The act of replacing useless and pointless merchandise with something more meaningful, such as a charitable donation, service project or holiday party.

3. Wal-Mart's biggest nightmare.

Ya gotta love definiton number 3, don't ya? That's what caught my eye. Personally, my take on it might be: A mutual agreement to suspend the exchange of gift cards.

What would your definition be?

WW: Tasha on the Rock Wall

NTS: Don't Lose Cell Phone

It causes a lot of dilemmas.

It does, however, cause for a quite afternoon. Or two. Or three.

The timeline has yet to be determined.

Thank You Google!

"55th Anniversary: Rosa Parks refuses to move."

Hopefully we all know the history of Rosa Parks and the difference that she made in a world that was refusing to take action to change the injustice she and many others like her were facing. If you don't, go google it (or click on a link below!). It's important. It's important to understand the history or our nation, the mistakes we've made, and the way we need to move forward. It's more important to learn from our mistakes, and the mistakes of others, and not let it happen again. People say, "history repeats itself" and I have to wonder why. Why we would we repeat our mistakes?

What is my take-away from this day? This anniversary? Change and Hope. I like the powerful words behind the actions that Rosa Parks took. The tag line to the Google image, and suggestion that one person can make a difference...

55th Anniversary: Rosa Parks refuses to move
(from wikipedia) US Congress calls her, "the mother of the freedom movement".
Rosa Parks Biography- Academy of Achievement
Rosa Parks: The Woman who Changed a Nation

So, thank you Google! Thank you for reminding me that there is hope. There is hope in change, even when it takes patience and fortitude to get there. And, thank you for reminding me that it sometimes takes a lot of courage to make a difference, enact change, and fight for freedom.