I'm a Proud Mama!!! Not to mention relieved.

In the last year or so, I have noticed my kids getting more and more unruly and disrespectful. And after talking to several other moms, also complaining of the same things, David and I decided it was time to grab ahold of the reigns and be the parents again. I have been praying for the right methods, books, techniques, people.....you name it....to come along that would help me be a better mom for my kids. Tatum is the poster-child for strong willed. ( Not too far off from her mama! This brings it's own set of challenges.) And Eden is so "sweet" that it's hard for me to punish when she needs it because she is just too "cute." (And yes, I do mean she puts on the "innocent" face when in trouble.)

This past weekend while in Branson, I went into the Christian Book Outlet to browse around. I saw this book by Dr. Kevin Leman. "Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change your Child's Attitude, Behavior and Character in 5 days." A miracle cure....right. But, my mom had told me about Dr. Leman and his funny, no nonsense tips to parenting and I was intrigued. I bought the book and read it in the first 12 hours. NO KIDDING...instant results! My kids have had an almost 180 degree turn around in manners, sibling love and obedience. David and I are amazed. The best part is that we aren't stressed at all. Our family is becoming so much closer because we are aren't yelling or threatening each other! Go figure!

The icing on the cake was tonight at church....and I wasn't even there to witness it! I was feeling bad this afternoon so David and the girls went on to church a little early. Before we parted ways I called the girls over to me (they came on the FIRST call) and I told them that because I wasn't there they needed to be extra good for daddy while he had to give the devotional. "Okay mom! We will. Hope you feel better." Off they went to church. After church, one of our friends pulled David aside and told him that Eden was SO good in class AND Tatum had used such nice manners. (All of this was unprompted! And about "preacher's kids" at that! :) hehe!) David called just to tell me all of this.....he's proud too! I might sound like a babbling mom...but a week ago I was ready to pull my hair out. This week, I have new RESPECTFUL kids. I have always loved them.....but now I LIKE them! :) hehe!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a way back to being the parent. (It would actually be a good book for teachers too!!!) I am sure that we will continue to have our ups and downs, but for a family that has tried LOTS of "methods" and failed......I found one that has great results! Yeah!!!

Dr. Kevin Leman has several other books that are pretty good. ( I have all of these...but never realized who wrote them until I read this most recent one! :))
Sex Starts in the Kitchen ( obviously a book on marriage!)
The Birth Order Book
How to Make Your Children Mind Without Losing Yours

I hope that you will find time to read some of his books. They really are funny!

Huh?

This past weekend we went to Branson, just the four of us. About the time we were pulling onto 76, the girls were getting pretty antsy in the back seat. Apparently, Tatum was bugging Eden and then all of a sudden we hear Eden yell at the top of her lungs...." I hate you Tatum! I wish I had a brother!" Other than the obvious, "You don't hate anyone, especially your sister" speech, David and I didn't really know what to say. It was really funny. A brother? Do brothers not annoy you as much as a sister?

I've Been Tagged

Stacy Stacy tagged me...so here you go.

*Maybe I should...exercise more.

*I love the smell of.. ha ha. I don't have a smeller so anything would be cool!

*People would say that I...am very crafty.

*I don't understand why...Clinton seems to get the shaft in the weather department.

*When I wake up in the morning...do the same thing as yesterday..and the day before
that....and...

*I lost my will power to...refer to question one.

*Life is wonderful with...my family, friends and faith in God. Nothing else matters.

*My past made me...never underestimate the power of a good friends' shoulder.

*I get annoyed when...I don't get alot accomplished in a day.

*Parties are....really fun with a big group of church people....crazy I say!

*Dogs are...slobbery, hairy, smelly, a waste. ( I am not a fan.)

*Cats are...making my eyes itch these days.

*Tomorrow I am going to...start our family vacation to Branson....can't wait!

*I have a low tolerance for...lazy people who expect "us" to take care of all their $$$ problems.

*I'm totally terrified of...someone stealing my kids. It's a phobia I have.

*I wonder why I thought my life would be...glamerous.....it's not really. :)

*Never in my life...would I guess I would be living in a SMALL town.

*High school was something that...I was glad to finish.

*When I'm nervous...I get sick at my stomach

*Take my advice...finish college before having any children...but if you don't wait...FINISH...you
will be glad you did. I was!

*Making my bed is...a must in my house. I can't stand to look at unkempt beds. (It only take a
second anyway.)

*I'm almost always...thinking of how to change the decor in the room that I am in.

*I'm addicted to...my computer, decorating and orange juice.

*I want someone...to build my house....like on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! :) 7 days. please.

I tag Shelley, Jamey and Nat!!! Have fun!!

10 Things I Began Loving Recently

In No particular order......

10. The Movie "PS: I Love You." -This was such a suprise. I had never even heard of this movie, but David's q'ed it for our NetFlix account. WONDERFUL!!! WATCH IT!!!

9. Finn Comfort shoes- I have really high arches, and after years of wearing very cute ,but cheap, shoes, my arches were finally giving me fits. I have paid dearly for them..to the tune of $205 ....but my feet are thanking me. NO nails being driven in the soles of my feet! Life is good.

8. Sewing purses- Okay, this isn't that new, but I love being able to sew a bag to match any outfit in a matter of an hour. Fun and economical.

7. NetFlix- Hello? Who would have thought? This is such a fun thing. You get movies almost daily. And who doesn't love getting fun stuff in the mail instead of bills? And besides, we were spending tons on rentals from the Movie Gallery and Direct TV thing.

6. Blogging- Obviously, I have gotten pretty addicted to the blog world. :) I love to read and catch up on my friends lives. ( Have to admit that I get pretty sad when there isn't much update for a few days! :))

5. Direct Buy- Yes, we were suckered into going to sit through a Direct Buy presentation. But, much to our suprise, it really wasn't a rip off! So we bought into it and are saving literally tens of thousands on our house building adventure! Yeah for us! (Note: Wouldn''t be worth it unless you were doing some serious furninture buying/renovations/ home building.)

4. OTHER People's Babies- I love that tons of my friends are having babies. I personally have no interest in having anymore of my own. ( I am complete!) But I do miss buying baby stuff. Now, with the recent baby boom, I get my "baby-stuff-buying" fix. Thanks to all you mommies!!

3. Watching dirt movers- Okay, kinda nerdy about this one. I LOVE watching the big equipment out at our land digging and grading the dirt. I haven't decided if it's because I know it "progress" or if it is really just fun to watch! :) Maybe a little of both.

2. Funny Quotes from my kids- This one I have loved the whole time, but they have been doing and saying some really funny things lately. I love it.

1. The anticipation of my week- This week I have a spa day, a sale at my mom's school, and then three day mini-vacation in Branson. I am so EXCITED! This is going to be a great week. Hope you all have a great week too!

I'll Fly Away.....In the morning.

Sometimes I wish that I could just set up a hidden camera on my row at church. Because David is preaching, I am on my own during church. Many times I have to remind my girls to sit down and don't wisper...wispering is generally louder than talking with them. But sometimes, in those sweet moments I catch them worshiping our God just as if they were just small adults. Well, today was NOT one of those days, however, I got a good little chuckle at Eden.

We began to sing "I'll Fly Away" and her little face lit up because she knows that song very well. Because we were standing while we sang (it was "the song before the lesson" you know! It's scriptural!) she tugged on my shirt, and in the most grown up voice a four year old with a lisp can use, she said, "Oh mama, I know this song, I have been singing it for years." Then she turned back towards the front and began singing again. I laughed to myself. She is such a funny kid.

It's a Hard Knock Life....for them.

After much frustration David and I are trying a new form of punishment....Manual Labor. We have tried the spanking thing, time-outs (hahaha!) and taking away "bridge-ledges." None of those seemed to be making a difference in the negative behaviors (AKA: Bedtime battles) we are trying to correct. So last night as I lay those precious girls down to sleep, I threatened them with lots of big, ugly chores if they got out of bed. Well, 10 minutes later we heard pitter patter of 4 little feet into the living room. So they each got one chore added to the list. Over and over again they kept getting up and the list grew and grew.

After breakfast this morning it was time to begin our chores. Tatum got the joy of scrubbing toilets....and she did a pretty good job btw. Eden had to fold clothes and hang them up on the closet....she is our dawdler. :) Anyway, as I am walking down the hall "supervising" the slavehands, I hear the faint sound of singing coming from Eden's room. As I walked closer I was able to make out what she was singing......."It's a hard knock life for us.....It's a hard knock life for us....." It was all I could do to hold my laughter in until I was out of earshot.

We just recently watched to newest version of Annie...not quite as good as the original but still cute nonetheless. My kids were mesmerized by all the singing....and we are a singing family so it just comes naturally. But the orphans really plucked a heart string apparently because they have talked about those "girls that had no home," on several occations.

I guess my kids have it rough....or so they say.....but maybe they will stay in bed at night now.

Just call me Ms. Hannigan!!!

The English Language According to Tatum and Eden

I have been trying to compile a list of "cuteness" words that my kids have made up. I think I might have enough to make a post worth while.

"Pepper Coke" : This is probably not too hard to figure out. The funny thing is now David and I

Refer to Dr. Pepper as "pepper coke." (Courtesy of Tatum)

"Chicken Land": This refers to one of our favorite places to eat.....Kentucky Fried Chicken.

(Courtesy of Tatum)

"Glittering" : What you are doing when you throw trash (or cigarettes) out your window.

(Courtesy of Eden)

"Bridge-ledges": This is what is taken away when you don't finish your chores or throw a fit.

(Courtesy of Tatum....while "lecturing" Eden on the importance of cleaning.)

"Chunk-a-cheese": Again, not to hard to figure out. My favorite is when they refer to "Chunk"

himself. :) (They both use this one!)

""Puter": This is the computer. Favorite website is "nockin".com (Noggin).

(Tatum again.)

"Boobie-Bathingsuit": This is any bathing suit that has either a triangle-shaped top or a bikini.

We are pretty strict on bathing suits.....easy to say no now, than when

they are 16 and wanting to prance around in a string! :) This is great until

we are around other children who are allowed to wear such "boobie suits"

to swim....it can get embarrassing when my kids point it out. (Tatum!!)

"Favrick": This is what I use to make purses, drapes and sometimes their clothes! (Fabric)

(Courtesy of Eden.)

"Storm-ado": This is what has had us in hiding on a weekly basis the last 4 months.

(Courtesy of Eden) Actually a pretty accurate name for it! :)

:Hal-ley Dishelle": Our good friends baby girl. Her real name is Hadley Michelle.

(Courtesy of Eden)

"O-gur-rat": This actually has two definitions

1. Yogurt

2. Refers to the cartoon "Rugrats"

"to-ma-to": (Imagine in a very British accent) You guessed it...the red veggie/fruit that we eat.

(Tatum again.)

"Bammed": This is what happens when you play around at bedtime and fall out of bed...you bam

your head on the dresser.

(They both use it.)

"Mister-sippy": This would be the last state we lived in. (Mississippi...Just in case you didn't

know.) (Tatum again.)

"Lift-gloss": What you put on your lips to make them shiny. (Eden's!)

"Ober-awl": Another two definition word. ( I don't see the similarities at all! :))

1. bra

2. Overalls

"Boppie": The name of Eden's (very sad looking) stuffed rabbit.

"Wessilin Sizzlin": Western Sizzlin (Tatum!)

That's all for now...I will periodically update as new words are added to the repertoire.

What funny names do you have around your house??? Please share!

I almost forgot!!!

Because of the crazy weather we had last Saturday, I almost forgot to write about my Mother's Day. (Again, sorry for no pictures...USB cord is still missing.) But I did add some color with a really neat painting from art.com. :)

Sunday morning, I was greeted by two short, but very cute, girls complete with flowers, cards and mini-cupcakes. (These are my favorite...nevermind there were 24 and I have been trying desperatly to get back to my size 4!!) :) There was a card from the girls that told me how fabulous I was and then David gave me a card that talked to me. The girls found this one rather entertaining because it said the word "poop." Now, why would he give me a card that talks and says "poop" you ask? Well, it was a man giving me permission to take a day to myself and go to the spa...where I can talk to other woman about things other than...you guessed it....POOP! :) So yes, my Mother's Day gift was a trip to Lindsay's spa to get the works! I can't wait. I go on Tuesday! This is the 4th time David has tried to "give" me the spa treatment. However, he never actually paid for the services...just gave me permission. When it came down to it I wouldn't go because we could use the money for something else. (He always got mad at me for it too!) This time he has taken care of all of that, so all I have to do is GO and BE PAMPERED. Ahhhhh........

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful hubby that knows I need a day away to recharge! (Thanks, Lord for sending him my way.)

Death Defying House.....What????

As you have heard, we are in the midst of building a house. (No easy feat for those of you pondering this idea!) Anyhoo, I was googling Craftsman style houses because that is my favorite style of home. I ran across thousands....maybe millions....of wonderful hits. And then I ran across this......

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/garden/20080403_DESTINY_FEATURE/index.html

This architect couple claims to have designed a home that won't let you die. It is the craziest "thing"....home......I have ever seen. They say that a home is supposed to make you UNcomfortable and therefore make you press on to live longer. To me it looks like something I pay good money to take my kids to for an afternoon of energy burning so they will sleep good that night. But, what do I know! :) I DO know that I prefer flat floors and a normal chairs. And I am a huge fan of color, but maybe not these.

David's New Job.

Now before everyone panics, David is STILL preaching in Choctaw! :) However, he is getting to fulfull one of his dreams. Coaching football. Because of the cut backs in our school system, many of the coaches had to be let go. This left one high school football coach with a lot of work ahead of him. Enter David. He has agreed to help our football coach for the upcoming season. I am excited for him and I know he will LOVE it. Now we have someone we know on the field at the football games. Go Yellowjackets!!!

More "Severe Weather."

I feel like all the posts lately have been about some natural disaster. Well, here is another one. :)

Saturday afternoon, we decided to do our Mother's Day dinner with my mom, because Sunday's are rather difficult in the life of a minister. We went to Searcy to meet up with the rest of the family. We were at Lindsay ( my sister) and Steve's house trying to decide where to eat. After lots of back and forth and no decisions.....it was late so we decided to stay and eat in Searcy. (Partly because the weather was looking a little rough, and we didn't want to drive in it.) We decided to eat at Roma's. As we were finishing up our dinner, David's phone rang. It was our friend, Dale. (If you recall the flood post.....he is the same one who told us about the water! We would be in a world of hurt if not for Dale and his meteorologist skills! :)) Anyway, Dale told David that we should watch the weather because a "tornado like" storm was headed towards Searcy. My dad went out to the car to get his weather scanner so we could keep tabs on the storm. A few minutes later, Dale called back and mentioned that we should be seeking shelter in 4 minutes. Luckily, we had already decided that we needed to go.

When we got out to the cars, my dad told us to follow him. We were headed to Harding's Admin building. It didn't take but 3 minutes to get to Harding, but it seemed like an eternity. When we turned down the road to Harding, there sat 2 funnel clouds in the sky. I promise they weren't 100 yards away. It was then that they bottom fell out of the sky and we could hardly see the road. We DID make it to Harding, but we could already tell the pressure in the air had changed a little.....and the sky was BLACK. ( A little too familiar from the February 5th tornado.)

Needless to say, we hauled it into the basement of the admin building and ended up soaking wet and nauseous. But, okay. Fortunately, no tornadoes touched down in Searcy.

I think that I could handle all the weather issues if it weren't for my kids. They have really taken this weather the hardest. The slightest drizzle or wind, and they are at the door with shoes on ready to head for shelter. I hate that I can't control this for them. Goodness knows I would. I know mine aren't the only ones that are traumatized by the recent storms. My prayer is that God would grant peace to all those children out there who have seen, and lived through, the destruction that is caused by tornadoes.

We are here!!!!

Just a quick post..... we are alive. The tornados that came through hit 10 miles south of us. We haven't been able to get online because lightening hit the computer modem. please pray for those families that lost loved ones. Once again, it has hit (literally) close to home. Clean up still wasn't done from the first tornado, now there are two more to add to it. Thanks for all the concern and prayers! I promise to post a real post later!