Wani's World

Valentine's Day Interview & Giveaway!!

2012-02-14T09:35:00.003-05:00

As you may know, I am a big fan of movies. I love to watch them, quote them, be captivated by them... while my movie tastes are broad I have a special place in my sappy heart for love stories. When I saw the trailer for The Vow I nearly cried. I told you I was sappy. Check it out:

Obviously I was easily taken in by the storyline. True love. Who doesn't love a good love story like that? But when I found out it was based on a true story, my heart skipped a beat. It completely changed the way I looked at the movie. This isn't just a cute heart-warming story made up by creative writers. This is the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter.

Their book shares about their unusual love story: Life as Kim and Krickitt Carpenter knew it was shattered beyond recognition on November 24, 1993, two months after their marriage, when their car was hit from behind by a fast-moving truck. A massive head injury left Krickitt in a coma for weeks.
When she finally emerged from the coma, she recognized her parents and everyone else-but she didn't know Kim. She had no idea who he was. The "Krickitt" Kim had married essentially died in the accident.
The Vow is the true tale of the reconstruction of two lives and a marriage after an event so shattering that most others would have parted ways long ago. Though it was not easy, and it tested every fiber of who they were, Kim and Krickitt fell in love all over again.

Here is an interview with Kim and Krickitt on the Today Show yesterday. And the one below is an older video of the two of them sharing about their unique story.

I was blessed to be able to do a phone interview with Kim and Krickitt today, Valentine's Day.

Wani - How do you feel about the way your story was adapted into a movie?

Kim & Krickitt - We we very happy with the way the movie turned out. We understand that there is a certain amount of artistic liberty that needed to happen but we felt that the studios (Sony and Spyglass) were very respectful of our requests. Originally the movie was supposed to be rated "R" and they were willing to make some changes to accommodate our desires for the movie, and we were willing to compromise on some things as well.
Both Channing and Rachel were very diligent in researching us, watching interviews and reading our book. They did a really good job in portraying us.

Wani -What kind of a role did your faith play in how you both handled the incredible situation you were in after the accident?

Kim - Between our two sets of parents they have celebrated over a hundred anniversaries. They set such an example of commitment and faithfulness. And I know without the Lord we would not have made it. We strong in faith but we are weak.

Krickitt - Once I realized what had happened, that I was married to a man named Kim. I had made vows, "in sickness and in health". I knew there was no out. I would honor the commitments I had made. It wasn't easy. I started digging into and hanging onto scripture like: "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philipians 4:13 and "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28. I knew God is true to His word. And after eighteen years of marriage now we have our two children (ages 11yr and 8yr) and they are the good that has come from this.

Wani - What advice do you have for married couples going through hard times?

Krickitt - I would say: get a support system in place, find a church and get counseling, watch your wedding video. You made vows to one another before God, we need to back our words with actions. Show our kids an example of faithfulness. Find ways to focus on the good in each other instead of the bad. And forgiveness is key.

Kim -Over time people change. As the years go by and you both go through changes, keep in contact with the things that brought you together in the first place. Find ways to stay positive and compromise. If you set an example of commitment and faithfulness in your life you can effect those around you.

W - What would you like for people to take away from your story/the movie?

K&K -Marriage is hard. We take these vows: til death do us part. Sadly our society has allowed our vows to lose their meaning and our foundations to be weakened. Through all of this, our experiences, writing the book and our story being made into a record breaking movie, we are just a normal couple and we hope that our story can inspire change and bring glory to the Lord.

What a huge blessing it was to speak with Kim and Krickitt this morning. I would have liked to sit down over coffee and chat some more! They do seem like a very normal couple who, through God's help, have overcome huge obstacles. What a refreshing change from the typical movie love story that is all about sex and instant gratification. The Vow is about faithfulness and honoring our commitments and working through hard times. Thank you to the Carpenters for being willing to share their story with the world. May God bless you with many more happy years together!

And now for the fabulous Valentine's Day giveaway!! I have some promotional items for The Vow that I'd love to share with some lucky winner: The Vow movie soundtrack and some love Vow-chers (coupons) to share with your special someone. If you would like to enter to win you have five possible ways to enter: 1) mandatory entry: become a follower of Wani's World. 2) "like" Wani's World blog and Etsy store on facebook. 3) "like" Kim & Krickitt Carpenter on facebook. 4) "like" The Vow book on facebook. 5) The Vow movie on facebook. For each entry you must come back here and comment on this post telling me you have done them.

This giveaway will be open until February 19th (my b-day) and I'll post the winner! Good Luck and Happy Valentine's Day!!

1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Playdate Fun!

2012-02-13T13:55:00.003-05:00

We had a very busy morning! I invited a few of our homeschooling friends over for a Valentine's playdate. We enjoyed a little craft time. The kids made "I love you this much" cards.

Then my dad come by with his train and the kids got a ride around the neighborhood. ;-) Our parties would not be near as cool without my dad and his toys!
Of course us moms had to do some visiting too.And what is a get together without some yummy food? ;-)
Thanks for the fun time!

2012 Goals update

2012-02-10T08:35:00.001-05:00

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -- Thomas Edison

“It takes a person who is wide awake to make his dream come true.” (Roger Babson)

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” (Zig Ziglar)

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

An underlying theme in a lot of my goals for this year seems to be "being proactive". In my life I think am realizing that I want certain things to happen but don't make the necessary effort to make them a reality and then I'm disappointed that nothing has changed. I can see this is many areas of my life now. I think it may stem from the fact that there is so much in my life that I really cannot do anything to "fix": my kids' developmental delays, my husband's sleeping problems... maybe I've gotten used to not being able to change anything and I've allowed that to keep me from doing the things that I actually do have control over.

But lately I am really working hard to my mindset. I have been stepping outside my comfort zone and stretching myself. I am trying to be deliberate about making things happen. Little things, like purposely planning playdates and having couples over for dinner. Things that I used to say "we should get together"... but we never actually would get around to it. It is my prayer that these small steps will, over time, make a larger impact on my life.

I read an article on The Importance of Knowing What You Want to Accomplish that really spoke to me. In it Joshua Becker talks about how our goals mold and shape us and the choices that we make in our lives. Toward the end of the article he asks the question: What then, with the one life that you have to live, do you most desire to accomplish?

Honestly... in some ways I am still figuring it out. But ultimately, I want my life to glorify God, to be a devoted wife and mother, inspire those around me and I want to love my life. I believe I still have a ways to go. But I'm working on it. And that is a step in the right direction.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

I looked up the Serenity Prayer for the purpose of this post and was surprised - I had only ever heard the first four lines. I did not realize it was longer. What powerful words I have missed out on for all this time. Those are words to live by.

Coming Up...

2012-02-08T19:39:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about a couple opportunities that are coming up! Tonight I'm attending a screening of The Vow and on Valentine's Day I will be doing an interview with the couple that inspired the movie. How cool is that?!?

Also, I'm eager to sit down with my hubby and watch the soon to be released inner city football documentary Undefeated:

Vids of my kids...

2012-02-06T09:10:00.006-05:00

I finally got around to uploading all the videos that have been building up on the video camera for over two years onto the computer. Nate helped me pick out one of each of the kids to share with you all.

Here is a video of Nate reading a story that he wrote. This was taken last fall.

Here is a recent video of Joe taking steps in his walker. We are so excited about the progress he has made.

Over the past few weeks Christine has taken off in the area of self feeding. She is drinking out of a straw and picking up and feeding herself bites. So cute!!

Etsy Update and Giveaway

2012-02-02T15:52:00.000-05:00

I've recently added new items to my Etsy Store and created a facebook page for the Wani's World blog and store. I'd love to get the word out so please help me! I will be doing giveaways when I reach 25, 50 and 100 fans. Spread the word!

St. Patty's Day Shabby Chiffon Clip

Purple Passion Satin Flower Headband

Put the Lime in the Coconut - fabric flower headband

Those are just some samples of the fun projects I have listed on the Wani's World Etsy store right now. There are more where those came from so check it out!!

sweet skirt

2012-01-31T14:57:00.004-05:00

Awhile back I bought a bag of designer fabric scraps on Etsy. I am too cheap to buy designer fabrics normally so I was pretty excited. Well, it was a surprise bag so I didn't really know what fabrics or patterns I'd be getting. When it arrived I was less than excited. Most of the pieces were fabrics (terrycloth, chenille) that I have no idea what to do with, and the others are small enough that its hard to find projects to use them for. There were a few pieces of fabric that coordinated and I was able to piece together a skirt for Christine. Here it is... isn't my little model the cutest?!? ;-)

Planning Gifts

2012-01-28T16:12:00.002-05:00

I've planned ahead for our Christmas gifts for awhile now but I sort of winged it when it came to birthdays throughout the year. This year I am doing it differently. I made up a Word.doc that I can refer back to and update as I buy things on sale and make things throughout the year. So I can keep track of how much I have spent, what I have bought for whom, etc. I have it broken down by month, and have the family and friends that I typically buy gifts for listed under the appropriate month. Then I add the gift info as I buy/make something for that person something like this:

January
Mom - dvd $5, frame (on sale with coupon) with pictures of grandkids $15 (originally $30)
Shannon - purse (sale) $10, handmade headband $3 (supplies)

February
Dad - tickets to the movies (deal on Groupon) $8, Old Navy t-shirt $5 (on clearance - originally $20)
Nate - Lego set $15 (website sale 50% off), Star Wars book set (Half Price Books) $5

You get the idea. As you can see, we have a pretty modest budget for gifts - its around $20 for most of our family and $50 or so for our kids. Sometimes it takes creative shopping/planning to get the most for our dollar and put together nice gifts for a minimal amount of money.
I expect this pre-planning will help me to avoid over-buying like I have in the past. In past years I would buy things on sale with someone in mind and stash them for later but forget about them. But now I'll be keeping track and know who I already have purchased stuff for. If you need help planning your gift purchases here are a few posts on budgeting for gifts. A few of these are Christmas posts but are easily applied to buying birthday gifts.

A Guide to Budget for Gifts You Can Afford

Clutter-free "Consumable" Gift Ideas

30 Gifts Under $25

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2Cor 9:7

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen

2012-01-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

I was contacted to do a post about an upcoming movie release. I usually keep up with new movie releases but somehow I missed this one. From reading a bit about it and watching the trailer I am sure this will be on my watch list!

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen: From the beloved director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire comes the inspirational comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. A visionary sheik (Amr Waked) has a big dream - to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative (Emily Blunt) to turn his dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on for its potential as a 'good will' story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Texas Chicken Chowder

2012-01-22T17:49:00.001-05:00

Recently my sister sent me a recipe for White Chicken Chili. It sounds so yummy but I didn't have all the ingredients. I ended up improvising with what I already had in the pantry and made up a yummy dish I have named:

Texas Chicken Chowder

1lb cooked chicken cut up
1 can nacho cheese
1 can cr. chicken soup
2 cups cooked rice
2 cans beans (I used one can pinto and one can of black beans)
1/2-1 cup milk or broth
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp taco/chili seasoning (or more if you like it hot)

Mix it all together in a pot and heat on medium until bubbly. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, jalapenos, tortilla chips, etc.

If you end up trying it out let me know what you think of it! Thanks!

Linking up to:

I've been Tagged!

2012-01-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

Lisa over at Ramblings of The Cool Chick tagged me!

Post these rules.
1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
3. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
*No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." Legitimately tag 11 people!!

1. Eleven Random Things about me... (was having a hard time deciding what to say about myself so I just used the questions that I came up with for the next round of bloggers that I tag).

- What celebrity do you think you look most like? I would have to say either Jennifer Gardner or Rachel Ray
- What is your favorite bible verse OR book of the bible? Jeremiah 29:11
- Who could you not live without? I automatically started going down the list of my family and was about to pick my hubby but truly I would have no life without my savior Jesus.
- If you could live anywhere for a year (money is no object) where would it be? There are so many places I'd love to go, to live... but I think I'd choose Italy... or Greece... or Hawaii... ;-)
- What Disney princess are you most like? I used to think Belle, but I kind of think Rapunzel now. Tangled is my new favorite Disney movie.
- What is your proudest moment? Giving birth to my daughter at home with my loved ones around.
- What is your least favorite food?
- Name one food you could never give up: at the risk of being a stereotypical girl - CHOCOLATE!
- If you had to choose just one hobby/interest to pursue - what would it be? This would be terribly difficult for me. I have a lot of interests: photography, scrapbooking, crafts, sewing... I think I'd have to choose photography. Though I'm really thankful that I don't actually have to choose just one!
- Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year? I'd rather think of it as goal setting. ;-)
- What is your favorite quality about yourself? I am a caretaker. I love my friends and family with great passion and I do my best to be there for them however I can.

2. Answer the Questions the tagger set for you...

1. Who do you admire most and why?
my grandfather - he was a POW in WWII
2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
teacher
3. What is your favorite beverage?
cherry coke
4. Dogs or Cats?
cats all the way
5. What is your least favorite exercise to do?
um... running - I have a horrible mental picture of what I think I look like when I run... its probably exaggerated but I can't get it out of my head.
6. What is one thing you have done that you aren't proud of?
occasionally when my kids are screaming I scream back. bad mommy. :-(
7. If you could do 3 things on your bucket list tomorrow, what would they be?
travel somewhere tropical, skinny dip, make love on the beach.
8. If you could go on a trip anywhere, where would you go?
Italy
9. What is your favorite book?
currently The Hunger Games trilogy
10. What is your favorite candy bar?
Snickers
11. If you could tell someone from your past one thing, what would you say?
I would ask my childhood friend why we grew apart.

3. Make up 11 new questions for the bloggers you tag...

- What celebrity do you think you look most like?
- What is your favorite bible verse OR book of the bible?
- Who could you not live without?
- If you could live anywhere for a year (money is no object) where would it be?
- What Disney princess are you most like?
- What is your proudest moment?
- What is your least favorite food?
- Name one food you could never give up:
- If you had to choose just one hobby/interest to pursue - what would it be?
- Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year?
- What is your favorite quality about yourself?

4. I tagged:
http://whitsworld-whitney.blogspot.com/
http://www.forgetfulone.com/
http://funandfaithful.blogspot.com/
http://missmoe-thesearethedaysofmylife.blogspot.com/
http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/
http://jnavara-homeschoolchronicles.blogspot.com/
http://www.vwbblog.com/
http://nine-ninety-one.blogspot.com/
http://midsummermeanderings.blogspot.com/
http://moldingmindshomeschool.blogspot.com/
http://ladybug-chronicles.blogspot.com/

Homeschool-Mom-Swap

2012-01-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

Awhile back The Homeschool Post organized a swap especially for homeschool moms. My partner Whit of Whit's World and I have a lot in common, more than just similar blog names! She has two boys that keep her busy and is just starting out homeschooling her oldest this year.

Here is a pix of the swap package that I put together for Whit. I am a bargain shopper and a DIYer so I was able to pack a lot of punch. I included:
a copy of 1/2 Price Living by Ellie Kay - to help stay money smart in this tough economy
a mom's pocket planner - to keep her crazy schedule organized
Restaurant.com certificate - so she can go on a date w/ her hubby!
some purple lip gloss and nail polish - to pamper herself a little bit
yummy chocolatey treats - cause who doesn't need a little chocolate fix once in awhile?
an apron & wreath that I made especially for her - because I know she loves the color purple!
And for her boys I slipped in some animal stickers and a science experiment book.

I really hope that Whit enjoyed the package as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I am enjoying getting to know her through our emails and her blog posts. Stop by Whit's World and say "hi" sometime!

Just a short time after I sent Whit her package she had some health problems. I think its been a difficult time for her and her family. She has been unable to reciprocate with a swap package for me. At first I was kind of pretty disappointed. Its a swap, there is supposed be gifts exchanged, not just one sent - right? But the more I thought and prayed about it I reminded myself that a gift should be given without the expectation of a gift being returned. Regardless of whether she was able to return the gift, I was blessed by sharing my gift with her. It was so much fun for me to put the package together for Whit. I hope she was as blessed by it as I was in giving it. I pray for God's blessings to be showered on Whit and her family.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2Corinthians 9:7

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

Hearts at Home

2012-01-18T23:40:00.007-05:00

This is the year. My year to finally attend a Hearts at Home conference! I have been pregnant or nursing (with minimal gaps) for basically the past seven years. And the closest conference to us is always near or close to the same weekend as my church's lady's retreat. I've always been conflicted about which to choose. Well, I'm going for it! I can hardly explain my excitement. Does that sound nerdy?

Some of the featured speakers this year are: Michelle Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting and Dr. Juli Slattery of Focus on the Family Ministries, and The Fly Lady . Gathering with thousands of moms, Hearts at Home main sessions are high energy opportunities to laugh and learn. Through drama, music, and speakers who understand the real challenges of motherhood, you'll find your vision refreshed, your heart full, and your perspective transformed. Main sessions will take place at the beginning of your conference day and immediately following your workshop breakouts.

Here is a clip from a previous Hearts at Home conference:

I am sure that I am not the only one who can relate to that skit! ;-)

What is Pinterest?

2012-01-13T17:55:00.003-05:00

I think there might still be a few of you who are wondering what exactly Pinterest is. Well... it is a virtual bulletin board where you can "pin" websites or blog posts for you to refer back to later. You can pin onto categorized boards to keep your pins organized. This is a great tool for keeping track of websites or blog posts that you know you'll want/need to use later. I love it. I have found it helpful on many occasions. I have boards for cooking, crafts, style, etc. Here is a sampling of what my Pinterest boards are like:

My Creative Homeschool Ideas Board has stuff like this in it:

Paint Chip Word Maker

30 (educational) webSites for Kids who Finish Early

I have a few recipe boards. One is: Good Eats - Breakfasts - I love finding recipes online!

Egg and Spinach Mini-quiches

I have tons of things pinned in: Sweet Sewing Ideas

20 Great Baby Gear Sewing Tutorials

** Warning this site is addictive. There are tons of great ideas on here. But if you are not careful you'll end up spending more time pinning than crafting or cooking or... you get the picture. ;-)

CURRENTLY

2012-01-09T12:56:00.000-05:00

Right this minute I am:

1. Listening: to two of my kiddos fighting naptime. Not in a bad way, just jabbering away to themselves. Cute!

2. Eating: the last bit of popcorn from my lunch. Have I mentioned lately how much I love popcorn? A lot!

3. Drinking: well... actually nothing. I know, I'm terrible. I've been failing miserably at drinking my 8 glasses of water a day... gonna go get one now!

4. Wearing: One of my favorite sweaters (blue v-neck from Old Navy), jeans... ponytail... its mommy-chic. ;-)

5. Feeling: teetering toward depressed. Christine had a First Steps evaluation this morning. And while the therapists were nice as can be, these things always remind me of all the things that my kid cannot do and it puts me in a funk. :-P

6. Weather: its sunny and chilly, but still somewhat unseasonably warm for January in the midwest.

7. Wanting: a break from reality.

8. Needing: a break from reality. ;-) but seriously.

9. Thinking: about my chipped fingernails.

10. Enjoying: the three scrapbook pages I completed yesterday. Haven't scrapped in awhile and forgot how much I love it. And totally need to catch up! I got pix piling up!

**got this idea from a Pinterest Pin. Love it!

Nate

2012-01-08T10:09:00.004-05:00

School is going well. I really like the way the curriculum we are using is structured. However, sometimes I feel like it is moving a little slowly. I'm torn between following the assigned tasks/chapters/worksheets/etc, and wanting to move things along so Nate is not bored. Up til now we have basically stuck to the program but Nate has done a lot of additional reading and other educational activities. I'm hoping that the next year is a little more challenging for him. We'll see. I'm not opposed to switching to another curriculum if that is what Nate needs. But I want to give this one a fair try first.

As I mentioned, Nate has been reading up a storm. He got a few second hand books and devoured them! They were abridged versions of Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and Moby Dick. Nate read them in just a few days. We have been getting back into the habit of going to the library again which has helped him to find new books to read too. He has also gotten into the Franny K Stein books, the Bailey School Kids series and of course he still loves the Magic Treehouse Books. He loves anything with an adventure or a mystery to solve. It is so great to see his love of reading and learning grow.
I read an article online: School ADD isn't Homeschool ADD. And while I am not ready to try to get Nate diagnosed as ADD or anything else, he is a very curious and energetic kid. Because I was home educated I do not have a public school experience of my own to pull from. Its possible that he would be fine in public school. But more than likely someone with Nate's level of energy and precociousness would end up with a similar outcome as the boy in the article (teacher recommending ADD medication). I am confident that he will thrive more in the flexible educational environment here at home than he would in the structured public school system. As always I am constantly seeking God's blessing and guidance with both our child rearing and education decisions. If at any time Isaac and I feel God leading us to put Nate into the public school system we would certainly do so. But for now we are confident that we are on the right path.

Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Christine

2012-01-05T16:19:00.004-05:00

Christine is continuing with her First Steps therapies: PT, OT, DT and Speech. She is making steady progress... slow but steady. Christine has become such a good eater. She loves to eat all tastes and textures of food. She is starting to get the hang of self feeding. She still has a ways to go but she's starting to get it.
Christine is very much a momma's girl right now. She is such the drama queen when she is out of my sight, or even if she just doesn't get what she wants. She gets this pouty cry going... its kind of pathetic, in a cute way. She is turning into a little chatterbox when the mood strikes her. She babbles and chatters on. We love to hear her little sounds (when she's not being pouty). ;-)

Luke 1:80
The child grew and became strong in spirit.

Nine Years...

2012-01-04T08:58:00.008-05:00

Today is our ninth anniversary. Its hard to believe that its been so long. And yet I can hardly picture my life without my wonderful husband. He is not perfect. He comes with his own unique brand of challenges and quirks. But he loves and adores me and our children. He supports us financially, and emotionally. He leads us spiritually. He thinks I am the most wonderful, beautiful woman he has ever seen. I mean, who can resist that? ;-) I am so thankful for my DH and I look forward to many more happy years together. I love you!

In case you didn't know... Marriage is hard work. It takes us both giving 100% all of the time. And when one of us stops giving 100% it is noticeable. We can feel the effects in our relationship and the way we connect emotionally and physically. Thankfully there are tons of resources out there to help support healthy marriages. Here are a few websites that I like to visit for marriage tips and encouragement.

Jill Savage has a weekly post called Marriage Monday with tips to keep your marriage thriving.

CWIVES - Christian Wives Initiating, Valuing and Enjoying Sex

Women Living Well - good biblical perspective on marriage and family

Time Warp Wife - she has lots of biblical tips about marriage, family life, time management, etc.

So, this year I suggested to my husband that we do something a little different for our anniversary. Instead of buying each other gifts we're exchanging "Date Nights"... I got the idea from this post I found on Pinterest. They were suggesting it as a wedding gift but I figured, why not adapt it for our purposes? So I have gathered a few restaurant.com certificates, gift cards and movie passes (I got discounted ones at AAA) and bundled them in envelopes for preplanned dates for us to open and use throughout the year. Some of them are simple nearby places that we frequent anyway, but others are more elaborate (mystery dinner theater). We are guilty of doing the whole "What do you want to do?" "I dunno, watcha wanna do?" thing on date nights. I hope the preplanned dates will keep us from doing that so much this year! ;-)

If you are interested in putting together your own preplanned date kits or just want some date night ideas check out these websites:

The Dating Divas

Redbook 100 Great Dates

Budget Date Ideas in Indy

List of Top 10 Marriage Websites

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7-12

Personal Goals for 2012

2012-01-02T23:22:00.004-05:00

Just need to be clear. This is not a list of New Year's resolutions. (I think I'm telling myself that more than I am telling you. ;-) I read this post from Money Saving Mom recently that got me thinking about my lack of real goal setting. So often I am just doing what I have to do to get through the day/week/month that I don't set a lot of personal goals.
It was really good to sit down and really think about what my priorities are, and what I want to accomplish this year within each priority area. I used the printable goal setting outline from MSM's post and came up with a few things for me to focus on this year. Here are a couple highlights from that list:

Priority: Strengthening Marriage
- pray and read the Bible together more
- be intentional about putting date nights on the calendar
- plan 2 or more overnight dates this year
- watch less tv together

Priority: Health & Fitness
- schedule gym time w/ workout buddy (Beth)
- use more healthy recipes and smoothies
- find more active family activities/outings

Priority: Time Management
- implement a doable cleaning schedule for the whole family (include more delegation)
- minimize tv/computer time
- regularly de-clutter
- play & read with the kids more

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:14

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. - Psalm 37:5

2011: A Year in Review...

2011-12-31T11:59:00.001-05:00

Well, its New Year's Eve... The end of the year... 2011 has been a busy one. Christine starting First Steps therapy shortly before her first birthday. We had our road trip to New Mexico over spring break. Joe getting additional therapies outside of his developmental preschool. Putting our house on the market... unsuccessfully. Nate starting first grade and playing Upward football in the fall. And a hundred other small things in between. No huge milestones necessarily... but a lot of little ones. I mean, look how much my kiddos have grown!

Even thought things are often difficult... we are incredibly blessed. God is good, all the time. We're so thankful for His protection and provision. We are eager to see what He has in store for us in the year to come.
Thank you for following our journey. God bless and keep you!

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. - Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)

"You crowned the year with Your bounty and goodness…" - Psalm 65:11 (Amplified Bible)

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

**linking to Embrace the Camera

JoeJoe

2011-12-29T16:19:00.009-05:00

Poopy fingers were becoming a daily problem here. Joe has taken a liking to putting his hands down his pants (and diaper). Its not easy to find onesies in a size 5T... So we had to improvise. I bought bed corner straps at Walmart (almost identical to these I found on Amazon). We attach this strap to Joe's shirt in the front and back (between his legs) to keep his shirt tucked in and his hands out of his diapers... so far so good! We have yet to have any poopy fingers since we implemented this system! Yeah!

Joe has developed a jealous streak. I thought that we would have trouble right after Christine was born but he seemed unaffected by her presence until the past couple of months. Now he throws a fit if I sit to nurse her, or anything. There have been a few times that I have resorted to sitting on the stairs to nurse Christine because Joe wouldn't stop grabbing and pinching both Christine and I while she was feeding. Its been very draining. I have run out of energy and patience.

Joe has been taking some good steps lately, literally. With proper support he is actually taking some steps. It has been so encouraging to see this happening. Milestones are few and far between with Joe so this is a really big deal for us. We're discussing the possibility of getting him a new walker that would hopefully encourage him to initiate more reciprocal motion with his legs instead of trying to scoot around two footed. Whenever that happens then we will then be able to adjust his old walker to fit Christine and start working on walking with her.

Coming up after the new year Joe's school schedule will be changing... I had him transferred back to the AM developmental preschool class. I am really hoping that he'll go back to what we were doing last year: school, lunch, nap... because non-napping Joe has not been a good thing around here. He has been irritable and whiny. Even though I'm not looking forward to having to get him up early to be on the bus, I think ultimately its going to be better for our family schedule. Also, I have been talking with his PT (outside of school) about getting him into OT and possibly Speech at that office as well. So hopefully all these changes will go smoothly.

Christmas Recap

2011-12-27T10:16:00.006-05:00

We were blessed with several wonderful Christmas gatherings this year. It was a busy Christmas weekend but full of fun and family. Friday we had my family over to our house for a yummy menu of lasagna, spinach alfredo, and bruschetta.

We read the Christmas story from the book of Luke before opening our presents together. Christine got this awesome zebra that she loves! Nate and my nephew had a blast playing in the paper. And Joe was just excited to have everyone there. Isaac and Nate had a couple of good games of chess. Then Isaac played with my sister's boyfriend and let him win. I think. ;-)
The only thing missing from the day was my sister who moved to Georgia this year. sigh... its our first Christmas apart. It was weird to not have her there to share the day with us.

Saturday was Christmas Eve which is always spent at my Grandma's house with all our family on my dad's side. He is #8 of ten kids so needless to say its a full house! As usual I'm negligent in taking pictures at this particular event. But it was a special time as always.

Christmas day we had the rare pleasure to stay home and just do Christmas on our own. No running to anyone else's house, or having guests. Just us. Relaxing together. It was a blessing. I made us a yummy brunch of casserole and cinnamon rolls.

Then we enjoyed sharing our gifts with one another... have I mentioned lately how cute my kids are? Nate loved the hats I got him. He is always playing "Spy" games and now he has hats to go with his disguises... and a special pad to write his spy notes on.

The day after Christmas we shared dinner with my inlaws and were again overwhelmed by their generosity. The kids got a lot of fun toys. They love spending time with their cousins too. Here is a pix of Nate and his cousin showing off their toothless grins.
Christine had such fun playing with Grandma's beads.
And here we are... hopefully we'll get a better group shot in the spring at our family photo session. ;-)

Anyway, that about wraps up our Christmas season... I'm ready to tackle the New Year! ;-)

Merry Christmas to YOU!

2011-12-25T08:21:00.001-05:00

The sounds of Christmas songs
Echoes through my mind
And brings much joy to my heart
As I sing those happy rhymes
But so much more than that
I think of God's great gift
Of sending Jesus Christ a babe
To heal and to forgive
So as we sing with joyful hearts
Let's think of Jesus Christ
And how He came that first Christmas
To give to us new life

© By M.S.Lowndes

Normally I write a yearly update letter to accompany our Christmas cards and pictures. But this year I combined all three into one. What better way to cut costs and time? So here it is, our 2011 Christmas card/pix/letter. I pray that everyone has a wonderful Christmas season and year to come! God Bless You!

Dolphin Tale DVD winner!

2011-12-24T23:59:00.002-05:00

My family and I enjoyed this movie over the weekend. While the grown up boys did poke fun at it a little bit... the rest of us thought it was a delightful family film. I'm eager to announce that the winner of the Dolphin Tale DVD giveaway from Alcon is:
Kara!
Thanks to all who entered! Hoping to have more fun giveaways to come!

Oh yeah, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

War Horse

2011-12-22T23:06:00.002-05:00

Looking for a good movie to see over the holiday weekend? Check out the new Steven Spielberg movie War Horse:

Steven Spielberg’s WAR HORSE has been nominated as a Best Film by the
Golden Globes. It is being hailed by Time Magazine as “the perfect Christmas
gift.” Focus on the Family calls it “a powerful film”

This would be a great film for families with teenagers. It opens in theaters everywhere on Christmas day. If you see it let me know what you think!

Stocking TaDa!

2011-12-19T09:22:00.007-05:00

This year I made it my mission to make new stockings for our family. We've had generic fluffy store bought ones that are nice but I really wanted to make some that could be family treasures. So I scoured the internet, mostly on Pinterest, and found lots of stocking ideas and tutorials. Eventually I was able to narrow them down to what I wanted. Sort of. ;-)

Purple Panda's Striped Stocking tutorial

Diary of Quilter's Easy Stocking tutorial

inspiration stocking pix on Flickr

and then for the two tutorials that I actually used:

Pattern Patti's A Dotty Stocking tutorial

Mommy For Reals' Quilted Stocking tutorial
- I had intended on embroidering our names like in Mommy For Reals' tutorial but in my head I was thinking I could do that later... not so much. So, now I'm looking at methods to put our names on them. Any suggestions?

So... primarily I used Pattern Patti's tute, but clearly I did the topsy turvy quilted stripes on one side and the polka dot monogram on the other. I now wish I had gotten coordinating solid fabric to do the monograms but not sure there is anything to be done about it now. Anyway, even though there are a couple of things that I would do differently I am still totally proud of them and can't wait to hang them up for the rest of the Christmas season and for many more years to come.

Linking up to these awesome blogs:

Motivate me Monday @ Keeping It Simple

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T.

How do you $pend Christmas?

2011-12-17T09:38:00.000-05:00

Recently my husband shared with me how his coworker was saying how she didn't know how she was going to afford all the many things her kids were picking out for Christmas... she felt an obligation to buy them all of these things because that's what you do at Christmas, right? My husband reminded her that there is no reason to spend outside of their means to meet a socially imposed Christmas quota. She was empowered by his words and set a reasonable Christmas budget for her family.

Its interesting to see and hear about how different families celebrate Christmas. I have noticed a stark contrast between my own family and my husband's. My family keeps it fairly frugal while my mother-in-law spends more on our three kids than my husband and I do on Christmas as a whole. According to a Gallup Poll from October 2011 the average US spending on Christmas will be something like $700…. but the truth is in the numbers….

25% around $1000
25% $500 to $999
30% $100 to $499
14% Unsure
6% Less than $100

Even with the economy being rough we are still spending ridiculous amounts of money on unimportant, frivolous trinkets and toys. I mean, would Christmas cease to be Christmas if we didn't spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on gifts that will be played with or worn for a short time and then end up in the Goodwill bin? What if we could spend less and enjoy the Christmas season more?

I don't know about you but my house is cluttered enough now. There are very few things that we truly need. We are already blessed. My kids don't need to get brand new toys from a dozen different family members. I would much rather take that money and use it for something important, and meaningful. Every year I try to talk my husband into skipping gifts and using that money toward a family trip where we will build our relationships and make memories.

[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

How does that video make you feel? It made me feel remorseful for our relatively modest Christmas spending. How much do we waste on the unimportant? What could you do to make your family's Christmas more meaningful and less about stuff? Here are a few resources to give you some ideas:

About.com - How to Budget Holiday Spending
MoneySavingMom's Clutter-free Christmas series
Focus on The Family - Meaningful Christmas
Get Rich Slowly - A DIY Christmas
My Simpler Life - Ideas for a Less Expensive, More Meaningful Christmas
About.com - Top 5 Christmas Charities

Ultimately this is the only thing that matters during the Christmas season and all year long:

“God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (GALATIANS 4:5).

Dolphin Tale DVD giveaway!!

2011-12-13T14:41:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to be hosting a great giveaway from Alcon! And truthfully, my son is stoked about it too! They have sent me a DVD of the family film: Dolphin Tale (to be released on DVD on December 20th)

Swimming free, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is named Winter. But her fight for survival has just begun. Losing her tail may cost Winter her life. It will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle—a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help thousands of people around the world. The real Winter, who plays herself in “Dolphin Tale,” today serves as a symbol of courage and hope to millions of people—especially those facing their own physical challenges—who have been touched by her remarkable story of recovery and rehabilitation.

"This year's best family film!"
- Gorman Woodfin, CBN Television

“Truly Inspiring.”
- Pete Hammond, BoxOffice Magazine

Now for the best part!! Alcon has sending me a copy of the Dolphin Tale dvd for me to giveaway! So... if you want to be entered to win this adorable family film please comment on this post with your email address (mandatory for giveaway entry). For extra entries you can 1) be a follower of Wani's World 2) like Dolphin Tale on facebook - if you do the extra entries please leave additional comments telling me you have done them. The giveaway will be open until 12/24/11 and then I will post the winner!
**Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Christmas Craft Inspiration!

2011-12-12T11:12:00.003-05:00

I love Christmas crafts! There are so many great projects to be done this time of year! Here are a few of my favorite links to fun holiday crafts - the first three are to projects that I actually have done... the other two are ones that would love to do but haven't gotten around to doing yet!

Burlap Christmas Wreath

Build Your Own Snowman Kit

Advent Calendar Activity Ideas

Fabric Scrap Christmas Tree Art

Twelve Days of Christmas Treats and Story

Keepin' It Real...

2011-12-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

I have been told by people here and there that they think I have it together. I've gotten the impression from some friends that they think my house is always tidy and we eat homemade meals every day, that I happily do school, crafts and therapy with my kids every day... I am sorry but I must be giving off the wrong vibes because none of that is true.

I blog hop a lot and there have been several blogs and specific blog posts that have inspired me to be more transparent both in my blog "life" and my real life relationships. Kelle Hampton shares about the very special birth story of her daughter Nella (who has down syndrome). Lindsay at LeeLaLa shares the secret story of her past and an honest look at depression. Nichelle @ VintageWannaBee shares about life after her accident and her daily struggles during recovery. Ellen @ Love That Max shares openly about life with her son Max, who has Cerebral Palsy. Here is the post about his birth. Ashley of Little Miss Momma shares about living with her very personal secret here and here.

Obviously there is a part of me (and maybe everyone) that wants to look like I have it all together. That I can do it all with a joyful spirit and never get weary or lose my temper. But its not real. It is a lie. I do not want to be a liar. I want to be honest. I want to be sincere so that other people who have days when they feel like they are a failure, like life is overwhelming, like they want to trade their kids in for a better behaved set, like they want to smother their snoring husband in his sleep... so all those people (like me) know that they are not alone. None of us are alone. Because these women and others have been able to share difficult things in their lives I feel empowered to share some of mine. I'm gonna start with... I have days when:

I feel like everyone in my life deserves better than me...

I consciously eat my emotions... a lot...

I feel like God picked the wrong person for this job (my life)... that there are people out there who would totally do it better than I am...

I want to run away from home... seriously...

I avoid making new friends because I don't want to have explain about my kids' developmental delays...

I use the internet as an escape from my life, a tool to avoid dealing with my kids...

I wish Jesus would come back so I don't have to deal with the frustrations in my life anymore...

I feel like everything "wrong" in my life is punishment for something I've done (though I have no idea what that is.)...

I wonder if anyone would miss me if I was gone...

All of us do not share all of the same struggles but we do all struggle. And in that we can find commonality. We can find connections where there were none. We can build relationships in unexpected places. Find people who can relate, encourage and support us through the tough days and can rejoice and celebrate with us on the great days!

Chrismas Swaps

2011-12-07T10:22:00.006-05:00

Recently I have participated in a couple of swaps online. Its always fun to give and receive packages in the mail! Here are some of the goodies we have been blessed with:

My swap partner Amy seemed super busy so she didn't communicate with me much but did bless me with these great handmade items: ribbon rose headband, beaded bracelet, fabric flower clip and hand stamped Christmas card.
Clearly she is a talented crafter! Thanks, Amy!

Kids Christmas Craft Swap - via The Homeschool Lounge

I had some issues along the way with this swap. I sent my partner's kids an edible Christmas craft and her son was diabetic so I had to send her another thing... it was a little embarrassing. But in the end it was fine. Nate got a couple of fun Christmas crafts including this foam wreath which he did within minutes of opening the package.

Christine

2011-12-05T10:09:00.004-05:00

Christine is such a beautiful blessing to us. She is full of smiles and cuddles and she warms our hearts daily. She has become quite the momma's girl... which while flattering is a little much at times. She has moments when she will not be happy without me which can be exhausting. And she has gotten to where her mood is very easily effected by Joe. He is rather moody himself lately and if he is screaming or crying for any reason well then so is Christine.... not good for mommy's nerves. Or Nate's. But we do our best to stay sane in spite the overwhelming amount of crying that seems to go on here sometimes.
Christine is continuing with all four of her therapies (PT, OT, DT and Speech) through First Steps. Progress is slow but steady... we're used to that after all we've been through with Joe. She is gaining in strength all the time. She is eating all sorts of foods and textures though we're still working on getting her to self-feed consistently. She has gotten to the stage where she basically cries through most of her PT (where she works the hardest) but as soon as the therapist starts filling out her paperwork at the end of the session Christine settles down and is happy again. She is a really sweet baby girl and all who know her love her. I mean, look at that face! How could you not love that cute face!? ;-)

Smoothies?

2011-12-03T21:32:00.000-05:00

My first smoothie attempt... was bumpy. The worst part was that I had bought this giant bag of spinach at Costco for just this purpose but the last couple of weeks have been busy and I kind of forgot about it until this morning. So when I pulled the spinach out of the fridge... I'm sure you can imagine the slimy mess. But I had the motivation (and I had already poured apple juice into the blender so I was committed) and I improvised!
After checking out a few websites (What is a green smoothie?, Green Smoothie Recipes & Detoxing with Green Smoothies...) and getting an idea of the kids of fruit and vegi combinations that other people are doing with their smoothies I just decided to wing it using what I had. Here is what I ended up with:

2 cups apple juice
1 apple cut up
1 banana
1/2 bag baby carrots
1 bag frozen mixed berries
1/8 cup flax seed
2 Tbspn honey
2 Tbspn coconut oil

All in all... not a bad way to start my morning. I will be trying this again. With fresh spinach next time! ;-)

Book Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-01T23:59:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom book giveaway is: Danielle. I will be in touch with her and she will receive her own copy of this heartwarming story about life's purpose. Don't forget to check out the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of Have a Little Faith available on dvd now!
Thanks!

Our Homeschool Day

2011-11-28T10:58:00.002-05:00

Homeschooling is a joy and a challenge. I am still trying to figure out what works for us. With Christine's therapies and Joe's developmental preschool schedule... I'm often working school in wherever I can fit it in. Some days Nate and I get a good start on school right after breakfast and are finished by lunch. Other days we are finishing up subjects as I am cooking dinner. Or sometimes I stick to the core subjects and skip the fluff.
As I have mentioned before we are using Heart of Dakota Little Hearts for His Glory this year. Here is what is assigned daily:

Bible Study
Reading about History
Phonics
Storytime
Math Exploration
Fine Motor Skills/Handwriting
Corresponding Music
Rhymes in Motion
rotating Science/Art/Drama

*the last three subjects are the ones that the curriculum suggests as optional and we bypass on really busy days (such as days when we have field trips or such).

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T08:03:00.002-05:00

This year Thanksgiving Day started unlike any other for me. My friend and I got to participate in the ninth annual Drumstick Dash which is a fund raiser for Wheeler Mission Ministry in Indianapolis, Indiana. Here we are when we got to the parking lot. We were all cheerful and bright eyed. After an hour of waiting in the brisk November air for a shuttle from the parking lot to the event we were a little less bright eyed to say the least.
In fact we were on one of the last two shuttles and the roads were already blocked off for the race by the time the shuttle picked us up so they dropped us off a couple of blocks from the starting line. Rather than fight through this mass of 15,000+ people to get to the start we decided to just jump in where they dropped us off. We were not running competitively anyway, seeing as I am really out of shape and Jess gets shinsplints really badly.
The crowd was pretty overwhelming at times. I have never participated in an event like this so it was a completely new experience for me. It was very exciting to be a part of something with thousands of other people all working together for a worthy cause. Wheeler Mission Ministries is a non-denominational, Christian, social services organization, which provides critically needed goods and services to the homeless, poor, and needy of central Indiana without regard to race, color, creed, national origin or religion.

And here we are post race proudly sporting our Drumstick Dash shirts, ready to head to our respective family Thanksgiving gatherings. What a great way to start the holiday! Thanks for doing it by my side, Jess! Love ya!

The rest of the Thanksgiving day and weekend has included gatherings at my Grandma's house (which is always a full house) and my inlaws which is a smaller gathering but with an awesome spread! My MIL is an great cook. Here are links to the foods that I personally made for this year's Thanksgiving feasts.

Food:
Pigs in a Blanket
Pumpkin Cookies
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad (this one I actually use the Aldi version of this and add a bag of frozen peas and carrots, extra bacon bits and a cup of shredded cheese)

Pumpkin Mousse Pie (I used cheesecake Jello instead of vanilla - Yum! Would have been just a bit better if the guys hadn't let it sit out so long, it was a little more like pudding than like pie by the time I ate it. But still good. ;-)
S'mores Pie (this called for you to make your own whip cream and I just bought mine because Meijer was out of whipping cream. It worked just fine. Everyone loved it!)
Pecan Bars (delish!!)

Reassurance

2011-11-24T10:51:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I have days, maybe weeks where I feel alone. I may be surrounded by people, heck, I'm nearly always with my kids at least... so I rarely am physically alone. But inside... I feel it. It is during those times that I have to remind myself that I am never alone.

But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance. Psalm 22:19

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24 (KJV)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me....How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You." (Psalm 139:1-10 & 17-18)

Have a Little Faith BOOK Giveaway!!!

2011-11-21T19:08:00.011-05:00

I have been asked to do another giveaway! Yay! This time it is a copy of Mitch Albom's book: Have a Little Faith which is going to be released as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Here is a little about the story:

Henry Covington was a Detroit preacher who overcame – along with his wife, Annette, played by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose (“Dreamgirls,” “Caroline, Or Change”) – a life mired in drugs and crime. Mitch Albom, portrayed in the movie by Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”), met the reverend-in-recovery when he wrote newspaper columns about homeless people and homeless shelters. Covington’s I Am My Brother’s Keeper Church provided food and a place -- on the church floor -- where homeless people could sleep.

The other central character in Albom’s book and movie is New Jersey Rabbi Albert Lewis, played by Academy Award winner Martin Landau (“Ed Wood,” “Entourage”). “The Reb,” as Albom calls him, asks Albom – who had briefly attended the rabbi’s synagogue as a child -- to write his eulogy.

On the surface, these two larger-than-life characters, the charismatic African-American preacher and the feisty, funny rabbi, could hardly be more different. But they each in their own way profoundly affect the writer. It’s a story about life’s purpose – losing belief and finding it again – and about the divine spark inside all of us. One man’s journey is really everyone’s story.

I am looking forward to reading my copy of Have a Little Faith over the holidays. If you would like to enter to win your own copy of this heartwarming book please comment on this post with your email address (mandatory for giveaway entry). For extra entries you can 1) become a follower of Wani's World 2) like Mitch Albom on facebook - if you do the extra entries please leave additional comments telling me you have done them. The giveaway will be open until 12/1/11 and then I will post the winner (maybe even multiple winners, you never know! ;-)
**Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Love Languages

2011-11-18T19:10:00.000-05:00

Marriage is work. There are no perfect people, therefore there are no perfect relationships.

Italian Tonight!

2011-11-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

I like to improv cook a lot. Its not fancy, just try variations of dishes that I have made before. Sometimes its out of necessity because we are missing some ingredients. Its always (ok, maybe not always ;-) fun to see what I come up with. Just the other night I wanted to make a french bread pizza but didn't have the usual sausage and pepperoni so I used canned chicken instead. Yum!

French Bread Chicken Pizza

1 loaf French Bread
Slice loaf in half and lay open on baking sheet.
Top with Sauce/Spread
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used Pampered Chef Parmesan Garlic Seasoning)
Then mix together:
1 can chicken or 1 cup of shredded chicken
1 Tablespoon olive oil (garlic infused)
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning or pesto
And spread over bread. Then top with your choice of toppings:
1/2-3/4 cup chopped spinach
chopped peppers
diced zucchini
1-2cups of shredded cheese - I used slices of provolone, shredded Mexican style cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350degrees until toasty (about 20min)! Yum!

Taming the TV too

2011-11-12T14:44:00.001-05:00

I'm a sucker for tv shows. It doesn't take much for me to get hooked on a new show. When I was growing up we didn't watch a whole lot of tv but we did get to enjoy the Friday night ritual of "TGIF". In college I remember arranging my schedule around "Must See TV" and going to my friends' dorm room to watch Friends and ER together. My hubby and I were big Lost fans (though we disagree on how we feel about the way it ended).
Over the years I have noticed the quality of television changing. In some ways its getting better; the acting, special effects, etc. But in others I think the quality is going down. I cannot think of any shows that are genuinely family friendly anymore. When I was a teen we watched Saved By The Bell now teens are watching Gossip Girl, Secret Life of the American Teenager and Skins. I read an interesting article comparing what teens in the '80s were watching versus current trends in teen viewing. What a huge difference in the content of shows marketed toward teens now. The media is encouraging teenage sexuality and substance abuse more and more.

According to an article on the Presidential Prayer Team's website: “Television carries the imprimatur of acceptability for all kinds of activities,” according to popular culture expert and Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson. “Once prime time television decides to absorb something, it becomes a stamp of normalcy. It’s no longer controversial. It’s no longer a big deal. It makes it a casual, accepted sort of thing.”

As someone who has pretty traditional family values I have had to reevaluate my own tv viewing. Do I want to support shows that do not share my values? It seems to me that most tv shows now do not have any values at all. I have been convicted about my tv choices for awhile. And over time I have chosen to say goodbye to a few of my old tv shows... Glee, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Vampire Diaries... I have by no means found any perfect shows, but because it is so hard to find quality tv viewing, we primarily are watching older shows on Netflix now.

Everyone has different views on values and tv viewing. I am not trying to convince anyone to give up anything. Just sharing about what I have been thinking about. Do you need help deciding what tv shows and movies are appropriate for your family viewing? Here are a few resources to give you the needed information to make educated decisions about your screen time.
Plugged In - gives reviews and content breakdowns for movies and tv shows
ScreenIt.com - full content reviews
TheFish.com - offers a Christian look at pop culture

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Little Angels Giveaway Winners!

2011-11-11T23:11:00.001-05:00

I'm here to announce the winners of the Little Angels DVD giveaway...

Coley
Julie R.
Beth
Lehi
Jenn

I'll be in contact with you ladies and making arrangements to get your dvds to you! Please check out Little Angels online or facebook.

Homeschool Group Projects Ta-Da

2011-11-09T18:31:00.004-05:00

I get inspiration from so many blogs and websites. I love that through the internet we are able to share our love of many other hobbies and activities. Here are a few of the projects we completed in the papercrafting class I did for the kindergarten and first graders in our homeschool group this fall semester.

We made contact paper stained glass windows. I used this tutorial as a guide to get me started. I was going to give the kids shapes to fill in like she does in the tutorial but I decided I didn't want to cut out 20 shapes. So I just let them do their own thing (Nate's is on the right in the pix, his was supposed to be Daffy Duck). Some of them were pretty clear what the kids were trying to make and others... well lets say they were more "modern" art. ;-)

Here is Nate with our paper pumpkin ta-da. He was so proud. ;-) I got the idea from Craftaholics Anonymous. She posted a tutorial HERE. It worked pretty well... but since I was using the hot glue I had to do most of it and the kids could only help so much... I am learning as I go with this class. By the time the semester is over I'll have finally gotten the hang of it. ;-)I was inspired by this tutorial on My Blessed Life and modified it for the kids. We let them use a lot of stickers and they had a good time with this one.

For awhile now I have been seeing tutorials for silhouette projects on a several blogs. This one and this one are the ones that I referenced when I planned this silhouette project for the class. I combined the silhouette idea with paper covered notebooks using this tutorial. So the first day of classes I took photos of the kids and got prints made. I cut their silhouettes out then taped them face down on a large sheet of cardboard and spray painted them black. I pre-cut the decorative paper before the class time. Once in class we had the kids do all the gluing. I found pre-cut paper frames at Target (in the school supply clearance) and the kids glued those to the front and pasted their silhouette inside the frame. I was pretty proud. ;-)

There was a lot of trial and error for me with this class. I've not taught in a setting like this before and it was a learning experience for me. Figuring out what the kids were capable of doing in the amount of time we had was a challenge. I almost feel like I was just getting the hang of things as the semester was ending. But the leadership must have liked what I did with the class because they asked me to teach it again next semester for the second graders. I am a little more confident going into this next semester now that I've already done most of the pre-planning and have already done it once. Hopefully things will go smoothly in the spring too!

DIY Wreath

2011-11-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

I've been getting my craft on! Take a look at my latest "ta-da"!!
I did not take step by step pix of this but I do have a few links if you are interested. I was inspired by some ideas I found on Pinterest. Here is a link that shows how to make a wreath form out of plumbing foam tubing. Have I mentioned how much I love to save money? ;-)
First I assembled the wreath form - basically just sealed it, curved it into a circle and taped it closed with heavy duty duck tape. Then I wrapped 2in strips of fabric around the form and hot glued it to the foam form.

After it was all wrapped, I added the flowers to finish it off. Here is a tutorial for the felt flowers I used. I'm not going to say for who but this wreath is going to be a gift for someone. I'll be blogging about that soon enough. ;-)

Hearty Pumpkin Pancakes - YUM!

2011-11-04T08:20:00.001-04:00

For me pumpkin is a seasonal treat and I eat the heck out of it during the fall and winter seasons! A while back I did a google search for Pumpkin Pancakes and found several recipes that I modified into what I found worked for us. I love it!

Hearty Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey or maple syrup

4 Tablespoons. packed brown sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon apple or pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

optional - 1 cup chopped nuts, chocolate chips or butterscotch chips (or if you're crunchy you could add flax seed, oatmeal or other healthy add-ons).

1. In a large bowl combine eggs and remaining wet ingredients. Stir sugar, spices and other dry ingredients into wet mixture until slightly lumpy.

2. Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium heat. For each pancake pour approximately 1/8 cup batter onto griddle - I like to fit four small pancakes on a square pan. Cook until golden; turn when tops are bubbly and edges are slightly dry (about 1 to 2 minutes per side). I don't usually get a good count on how many pancakes this makes because we eat them as we make them - but I paid attention today and got a count of about 30 sm/med pancakes! Top these babies with your choice of syrup, caramel drizzle or cream cheese frosting!

Little Angels DVD Review and Giveaway!

2011-10-31T19:58:00.002-04:00

Recently I was given a preview sample of Little Angels, a new dvd for preschoolers from Roma Downey and Phil Lollar (co-creator of Adventures in Odyssey). Here is what the website has to say about Little Angels:Discover the joy of learning and friendship with a heavenly new collection! From Executive Producer Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") and Writer Phil Lollar ("Adventures in Odyssey") comes the much-anticipated faith-based educational series, LITTLE ANGELS, soaring onto DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

LITTLE ANGELS is an animated DVD series created exclusively for preschool-aged children to teach not only practical learning skills, like ABCs and 1,2,3s, but also to introduce them to the spiritual, moral and ethical principles of the Bible. Of course, we think it's terrific! (We might be biased...) But don't just take our word for it - for the first time in their organization's history, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) has awarded a Seal-of-Approval to LITTLE ANGELS.

Pre-school twins Alex and Zoe are blessed to have eight Little Angels watching over them - literally! These Little Angels "live" on the ceiling of their bedroom, painted there so they are the first things the kids see when they wake up in the morning and the last thing they see before they fall asleep at night. The angels come to life when the children need them most, helping guide them through the challenges of their young lives.

LITTLE ANGELS DVD is released in CBA stores nationwide Tuesday November 1st!

So one afternoon I sat down with my six year old and watched Little Angels together. Nate loved it! He has been singing the songs around the house and asking when we can get another Little Angels dvd. It seems like cute and engaging kids show. I'm looking forward to seeing more from these cute Little Angels!

Now for the good part!! Grace Hill Media is sending me a copy of the Little Angels dvd for a giveaway! So... if you want to be entered to win this adorable children's video please comment on this post with your email address (mandatory for giveaway entry). For extra entries you can 1) become a follower of Wani's World 2) like Little Angels on facebook - if you do the extra entries please leave additional comments telling me you have done them. The giveaway will be open until 11/11/11 and then I will post multiple winners! Giveaway is open to US residents only.

** I was given a preview sample dvd of Little Angels from Grace Hill Media in exchange for my honest feedback. All the opinions expressed are my own.

Joe update

2011-10-29T10:09:00.008-04:00

Joe recently got new orthotics. The Pediatric AFO is a molded leg support to help maintain alignment of the bones in the foot and ankle. An AFO will support the foot and provide maximum stability if weakness is present. This is his third pair. The first were just one solid piece that went up to mid-calf. The next pair were two pieces, one short solid pair that went just above his ankles (for all the time use) and those fitted into a taller solid pair that went to upper calf (for standing/walking). This pair is two pieces like the last wet but the larger part is hinged to help encourage walking. We are hopeful that this change will help Joe with his walking as his progress is obviously very slow. Joe also got a SPIO compression vest from his physical therapist. I had never heard of them until recently. From what I understand they are supposed to help via muscular support and sensory input. Here is what the SPIO website says about them: Stabilizing Pressure Input Orthosis (SPIO™) assists patients with stability and proprioceptive deficits. While its still early, we have not seen a big difference since getting the compression vest. With every new thing we try a part of me hopes that this will be "the thing" that changes everything. But it never seems to be true.
Developmental Preschool seems to be going well. But we're kind of in the position of "no news is good news" right now. When Joe started dev-preschool in the spring of '10 we got notes home daily telling us what he did each day. Then last school year they said the notes took too long and they implemented a new system of communication via dry erase board in Joe's backpack and they would circle pictures of the activities that he did each day. This year we get a weekly newsletter telling us the theme for the week and we get notes telling us when he's out of diapers or had a grumpy day. Its been quite frustrating to have the communication go down every year. We get ongoing advice from several people who have more experience in the special needs world and we're discussing the potential of writing it into his IEP that they have to give us daily or weekly updates about what he is doing specifically. I'm not good at being hard nosed and I think that is what needs to happen here.
At home... well... Joe has been rather difficult to manage. He is into everything; opening cabinet doors, getting into trouble at every turn. When I sit down to nurse Christine, Joe throws a big fit and tries to pinch and grab at her and I. He is fascinated by Christine's hair clips and pulls her hair with a death grip. We often barricade off one part of the room or another to keep Joe from hurting Christine. He has found this high pitch screech that is enough to drive me mad. Nate notices when I get really frustrated and he has started saying "Joe just turned on the light in Mom's grumpy room". What? Where does he come up with stuff?
As always, please keep us in your prayers.

Mark 9:36-37 - "He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.'" (NIV)

Out-of Control

2011-10-25T11:23:00.002-04:00

So lately I have realized that my computer time has gotten out of control. I am wasting time on a number of websites when I could and should be doing more important things. I have considered deleting my account on facebook, and/or Pinterest... but I am sad to say I would probably find other ways to waste time online. So I have come up with a checklist of things I need to do before I allow myself any screen-time. I'm going to keep a timer on the desk next to the computer and use it to help limit my time online also.

Here is the checklist I'll be using.

Mom's Daily Checklist:

(complete before doing anything recreational)

__ Dress/Shower/Etc

__ Devotional/Read Bible/Quiet Time

__ Plan out day's events/meals/etc

__ Homeschool with Nate

__ PT/OT/VT/Speech therapy activities with Joe

__ PT/OT/VT/Speech therapy activities with Christine
__ Read book to kids

Obviously everyone's list would be different but feel free to use any part of this if you need a little help keeping your computer habit under control too. ;-)

Operation Christmas Child - Craft Night

2011-10-22T17:03:00.001-04:00

Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas project, brings joy and hope to needy children around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God's love. Since 1993, more than 86 million shoe box gifts have been delivered to children in more than 130 countries.

A lovely lady from my church was led to coordinate a special craft night to make skirts to put in our Operation Christmas Child gift boxes. We all met at our church, some of us with our sewing machines, some who had no sewing experience at all but were there with willing hearts and hands, ready to serve in whatever way they could. We were a busy group, sewing, ironing, threading elastic and clipping strings... What a huge blessing it was to serve alongside all these wonderful ladies and see the fruit of our labor: by the end of the evening (which was shorter than expected because things went so smoothly) we had made 35 skirts that were paired with brand new shirts and hair clips. It is amazing to think about the thirty-five little girls all over the world that will be receiving new outfits this Christmas. Our hope is that these girls will feel the love of Jesus Christ when they get these gift boxes packed with love from us.
In few weeks our church will be having an Operation Christmas Child event and our children will be learning about OCC and what they do, they'll get to do crafts and write letters to the kids who will be receiving the boxes and of course the kids will get to help stuff the boxes as well. It is going to be a very special event and hopefully we'll be able to use it to teach our children how blessed we are here in America and how to be a cheerful giver and share the love of Jesus with other children across the globe in such a tangible way.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse. You and your kids or friends can pack a shoe box for a child and share the love of Jesus Christ. National Collection Week is November 14-21, 2011. Visit their Web site to learn more about how you can change a child's life through a simple shoe box gift. To participate, order free materials by visiting www.samaritanspurse.org/occ or calling 1-800-353-5949.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

2011-10-19T12:52:00.002-04:00

This dish is becoming one of my favorites and I have to share it! Its easy and fresh! We use generic frozen boneless buffalo wings (even though the buffalo wings are not that hot we usually use chicken nuggets for the kids), cheese, tortillas, salad and toppings (this time we had diced green peppers, tomatoes and avocados).
Basically you mix and match the toppings to your taste and wrap it all up! We like to top ours off with sour cream and/or hot sauces (I've been known to use leftover Taco Bell packets). So simple and so delicious!
Do you have any easy crowd pleasers at your house? I'm always looking for new meal ideas!

SnowMen movie

2011-10-15T21:15:00.001-04:00

Recently I was contacted to preview and review a new movie. It was one that I had not heard of before but after reading about it and watching the following trailer I was curious. Here is what the press room had to say about the movie.

Snowmen is a humorous and heartfelt coming-of-age story about three unlikely heroes and the winter that changed their lives forever. What will be your legacy? What will you build that lasts? Snowmen prompts audiences of all ages to ask these life-defining questions,
while affirming that it's not what you do that matters so much as how you do it.

I believe it is important to help with the grassroots efforts of movies like Snowmen which have the ability to engage, empower and entertain the family -- and which embody family values and teach strength of character.

Snowmen was created by the producers of notable films including The Passion of The Christ, The Ultimate Gift, and Braveheart. The film stars Bobby Coleman (Last Song), Ray Liotta (Wild Hogs), Bobb’e J. Thompson (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), Josh Flitter (Ace Ventura Jr.) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future).

Just tonight we sat down for family movie night and watched it together; my husband, myself, Nate (6yrs), Joe (4yrs) and Christine (1yr). As my husband and I have been going through the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies list we have become more critical of movies in general. We have begun to take notice of directorial styles and screenplay. Honestly our expectations for Snowmen were not overly high.

We ended up being pleasantly surprised with the quality of Snowmen. My husband said he thought it was much better than its contemporaries. Family films are often stereotypically cheesy both in the script and the acting but this was not. The main character Billy is played by Bobby Coleman a young up and comer. He did a great job and he was supported well by a few seasoned veterans including Ray Liotta. The two of them made a very touching father-son in this powerful story.

I will add that Nate (6yr) is an especially curious boy and this movie inspired a lot of probing questions both during and after the movie. I think I would use your judgement when watching the movie with kids any younger than 6yr old because of the seriousness of some of the themes: bullies, cancer, what happens when we die, etc. I am certain we will be having conversations on these topics for days to come.

All in all we found Snowmen to be a delightful and profound movie that will appeal to a wide range of ages making it ideal for family viewing. You can learn more about Snowmen by visiting www.Snowmenmovie.com.

*I was given a preview of the movie in exchange for my feedback but my opinions are all my own.

Regrouping...

2011-10-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

As I might have mentioned before, our home has been on the market since the spring. We have had a few showings here and there but not any serious interest. Originally we put it on the market because we fell in love with a house that seemed to meet nearly all of our future home criteria. It had an acre yard, an extra bedroom, a basement, etc. But it was a short sale and they could not accept a contingent offer so we put our house on the market in the hopes that it would sell quickly and we'd be able to make an offer on that home. Well, our house did not sell and that house did.
So we proceeded to see homes all over the county. Some were good and some were really bad. Then a few weeks ago we stumbled upon another home that seemed to meet as many or more of our criteria and we again began to picture ourselves in this "new" home, seeing the kids play in the yard... We put in an offer (contingent on the sale of our home - and we lowered our home's price to encourage a quicker sale) and it was countered with a reasonable offer that we were prepared to take. Before we had a chance to respond to their offer we got a call from our realtor that the owners had received another offer, one that was not contingent, and the took it.
Again the home that we had envisioned growing old together in is now someone else's home. We are still dealing with the frustration and disappointment and trying to regroup and decide what this means for us. Are we supposed to be patient and the "right" house will come along? Or are all these signs that we should learn to be content where we are? We're not sure what God is trying to teach us through this.
Yesterday as I was driving to an appointment I thought of a couple of my son's bible memory verses. And I was reminded how good it is for me to be learning them alongside him. I am thankful for the word of God that I have hidden in my heart to help me in times of struggle. So, even though we don't know what is going to happen with the house situation we do know that God is handling it. He is taking care of every detail as we sit here and do our best not to worry about it. While its not always easy for me to not be in control... sometimes I'm glad I'm not. I know whatever the plan He has for us is its way better than what I could come up with. Thank you God!

Psalm 121:2 - My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Silver Lining...

2011-10-10T00:12:00.000-04:00

Sunday we took the annual fall trip to Brown County. Its so lovely this time of year and my husband's family has been going there every fall since his parents were in college together. They are big on traditions - they're all OCD like that... seriously. ;-) As we're leaving church to get ready to head down to Nashville together we realize my hubby's car has a flat tire. Completely flat. Well, we decide to deal with it later so we can get a move on.
So we loaded up the five of us, my hubs' parents and his bro and sis-in-law and their two boys into our two minivans. Along with all our food and goodies for our cookout lunch. We have a fairly enjoyable two hour drive down... fall foliage, my MIL entertaining Nate in the backseat... Just before we get to the state park my bro-in-law gets called in to work at the hospital (he hadn't realized he was on call this weekend). So we transferred all the food and my hubs' parents into our van and much to my nephews' disappointment they headed back to Indy.

Not five minutes later, just inside the park entrance our van dies. After some over the phone diagnostics from my bro-in-law we figure out it is the fuel pump. So... a park ranger loads all seven of us and our stuff into a pickup and takes us up the hill to the picnic area.
Nate had a blast at the playground, making friends with the other kids that were there. He and I walked the trails around the picnic area, exploring and observing nature together. Later Nate said our walks were his favorite part of the day. ;-)

We were able to have our picnic and chill while waiting for AAA to come tow the minivan and my mom to drive down in their 15 passenger van to pick us all up and take us home.

Even though it was a really long day... and we had some challenges... we were provided for. We were not stranded on the side of the road on a rainy day. It was a beautiful fall day and my mom was available to help out and my bro-in-law is helping Isaac fix the van... God is good.

Nate's latest

2011-10-08T08:50:00.007-04:00

This fall Nate has been on an Upward Flag Football team at a church down the road. He has had practice one night a week and games every Saturday morning. In the beginning he was a little too easily distracted and unfamiliar with the game. But Nate has really worked hard and has improved a lot over the last month. At his last game he got three flags in a row and ran the whole length of the field for a touchdown! We just finished the season and we are so proud of him. Go Nate!
Well, we're nearly halfway through the semester now. Nate's first grade year is going pretty well. We are using a Heart of Dakota curriculum for 5-7yr olds: Little Hearts for His Glory. We are also in a homeschool coop/support group that we get together with for educational enrichment classes as well as field trips. Already this year we have gone to a nature park, the apple orchard, a honey farm and next week we are going to a dairy farm. I am teaching paper-crafting to his class at our homeschool group and we're having fun doing that together.
I will say that the excitement from the first couple of weeks of school has worn off now. Most days are good but we've had some days that had a little too much drama for my taste. Nate is incredibly smart. He is usually very eager to learn but sometimes he can be a perfectionist and he gets frustrated when his work is not up to his own standards. I am still learning how to help him when this comes up. We often have to have talks about adjusting our attitudes and choosing to have a good one instead of being grumpy.

Lately Nate has been really into creating his own "movie". We mostly listen to movie soundtracks in the car. Our favorites are the soundtracks to Dan in Real Life and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. He will make up parts of his movie based on the music. So a song will come on and Nate will say: "This is when the spy is chasing the bad guy who robbed the museum", etc. He has cast all his friends and family as characters in his movie. Except me, Nate says I get to be the director. ;-) He is so creative and a lot of fun!

Christine's latest

2011-10-05T08:51:00.006-04:00

While we do not see quite as dramatic of delays with Christine as we have with Joe, she is still very behind.
She has been receiving physical therapy, and occupational therapy through First Steps since the spring. And we are getting ready to add developmental therapy and speech to the roster. Recently she began receiving cranio sacral therapy from my sis-in-law as well. While our schedule is swamped at times I am hopeful that we will soon see the fruits of our labor.
We are working on her upper body strength and encouraging her to be more mobile. She can sit well but isn't confident enough to rotate her trunk much. Christine does roll to get around a little bit and we feel like she is really close to doing some army crawling. She has much better eye contact than Joe ever has. And she interacts with us much more than Joe did at this age.

For awhile we were concerned about her eating skills. She has always been a good nurser, but in the spring she was not getting the hang of babyfood or taking a cup. Over the past few months she has taken quite a liking to food and is eager to sit down to dinner with us now. She tackles a lot of table food, but we still fall back on mashed stuff when we're having things that are too crunchy or tough for her. She has gotten much better with a cup. We still thicken her drinks a bit with rice cereal but otherwise she's taking cups like a pro now. Just the other day I gave her a cup in the car and she slurped the whole thing down all by herself! She is even starting to drink from a straw a little bit (which Joe just learned how to do at the end of the last school year).
Christine is a sweet smiley girl and she is happy most of the time. She brightens our days with her giggles and cuddles. Her brothers love to play with her and she loves the attention. So sweet to see them play together!
Continued prayer for her development is coveted. Thank you!

Pinterest Projects I wanna do!!

2011-10-02T20:46:00.001-04:00

We're hoping to be moving into a "new" old house soon and I have gone Pinterest crazy with scads of links for crafty ideas for the new place. Here are a few of my faves!

This DIY daybed with storage underneath would be great in the playroom and can be used when we have overnight guests! Love it! Its pinned here.

Currently the washer and dryer are in the basement but we are discussing making the breakfast nook into the laundry room and I would love to do something like this. Its so bright and fresh! Its pinned here.
Right now the kitchen is a little on the small side so we've discussed the possibility of opening it up and having a pass through to the dining room with a bar. I have found a few that I like and this is one of my favorites. I love the molding! Its pinned here.
But then... I do really like this one too. Pinned here. I love that this one adds more storage... oh the decisions that will have to be made with this new house! I will have so many things to decide! Its so hard! Ok, one of our favorite things about the potential new place is that its on two acres - which is huge compared to our yard now which is a subdivision lot on a retention pond. We are very excited at the prospect of being able to let Nate romp around and explore... and have bonfires. I would love to make a nice brick fire pit like this one. Pinned here. Doesn't this picture just make you want some s'mores? ;-)*WARNING: Pinterest is addictive! I cannot count how many times I've clicked "Repin" in the last few weeks. So many great projects... so little time! ;-)

Heart Changer

2011-10-01T11:24:00.001-04:00

I have always been outright ProLife. But this movie makes me rethink how passive I have been. I shouldn't just stand aside and watch all these babies being murdered. We have a responsibility to theses unborn children who cannot speak up for themselves.

Joe's latest

2011-09-29T08:49:00.007-04:00

Its been busy around here as we have been falling into our new school year routine. Every week Joe goes to developmental preschool four days a week where he gets PT, OT and speech therapy. Then he also has physical therapy and vision therapy outside of school weekly. Joe was switched from the morning to the afternoon preschool and that included a change in teachers - and the adjustment of learning to go without naps. We just had Joe's parent-teacher conference last week and they say he is doing well.
His teacher and therapists report:
- he is expressing more of an opinion about things - he is seeming more aware of his surroundings and what is going on around him, and better eye contact - he is doing a better job of purposefully releasing objects and toys - enjoys the sensory room, especially the slide and ball pit - doing better separating his legs when working on walking and returning to sitting when standing
Some things that are being worked on are:
- encouraging Joe with pushing buttons to activate toys, hit a drum, etc - continuing to work on getting Joe to return his drink to the table instead of allowing him to toss it
Joe has been receiving vision therapy and we have been seeing positive results from that. Again, we have noticed an increase in his eye contact. And while we are still working on getting him to keep his glasses on, he seems to see better with them on and is tolerating them a little better every day.
My sister-in-law has started doing cranio sacral therapy with Joe. Its still early so we cannot say for sure what kind of results we are having but we are cautiously hopeful that this therapy will help Joe.
Joe can be pretty moody lately. Sometimes it is because he doesn't like what we are having for dinner, others it is out of the blue. (The pix to the left is of Joe throwing a fit at Nate's football game. I think he was mad because his snack was gone.) Also, it seems like he has had a delay in his reaction to Christine. I expected him to get jealous when she was first born and I had to nurse her constantly, etc. But he was fine until recently. Christine does still nurse a few times a day and Joe gets very unhappy when I sit down with her. He will scream and pull on her and me. If at all possible I try to nurse at times when Joe is either gone or occupied elsewhere and won't notice. Its been very tiring.
He also is getting more and more curious about all that is around him at home. He loves getting into cabinets and doors. There is not a safe surface in the house anymore, he can reach the desk top and the table, the edge of the counters in the kitchen... I wish I could say that this has motivated me to keep the house cleaner but alas, I cannot. I just move piles around as he gets into them. Is that sad?
New skill: high 5's! Joe just learned to give high 5's over the weekend. Its so fun! Anything we can get him to do to genuinely interact is always good!
Anyway, that is about all for now I guess. Continued prayers are appreciated.

Heritage Festival and Craft Booth

2011-09-26T14:23:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months a few girls and I have been working on crafts together and we decided to brave a craft booth together. It seemed like a good idea to get a more people so that the investment would be less. But as you might imagine it got complicated the more people we got involved. None of us has any experience doing a craft booth before... so we're all learning as we go.

We all worked really hard making what we decided to call "Frugal Fashions". We wanted cute accessories for girls and moms that were inexpensive. We all pitched in and everything came together very nicely. We were all proud of how nice both our merchandise and the booth looked.
The weather threatened rain all day. I think it might have scared some people away. We had a steady trickle of customers most of the day, but not a huge amount of sales. While we each made a little bit of money in the end, I doubt anyone even covered their expenses. We all have a lot of merchandise left. Some will be donated to Operation Christmas Child and some will be listed on my Etsy store.

Here we all are at the end of the long day... It was fun doing it together... but it may be awhile before we do another. It was a lot of work for not much money. I think we may have to scope out some craft fairs this year and see which ones people really go to buy. Anyway, thanks for all your hard work, girls! I love ya!

Busy Bag Swap X 2

2011-09-20T23:17:00.005-04:00

Recently I participated in an online busy bag swap with 30 families participating and then shortly after I did a swap with some friends from our church and homeschool group. Wow! I kind of wish I would have spaced them out a little bit... but I'm glad we did it and Nate and I are really enjoying the activities together, though we have yet to try them all.
Below is a pix of the 30 busy bags that came with our online swap. Wow! Lots to do!

This is a great time telling game.
And this is one of Nate's favorites so far: Art dice. Its fun to see what he comes up with!

As you can tell I have been in busy bag heaven!

Money Saving Mom has some busy bag tutorials and printables on her website. And Unsolicited Advice is where I got hooked up with the online swap - she has tons of busy bag ideas and tutorials on her blog.

Best Baby Shower Game EVER!

2011-09-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

I have been a part of many showers... and I have come to be kind of particular about the things I like and don't like about them. Sometimes there are too many games, sometimes things just seem to drag on... So when I am helping to throw a baby shower one game I always like to use is the baby shower binge.
The guests fill out the spaces with items that they think the mom-to-be will receive as a gift. As the mommy opens her presents the guests get to mark off spaces as the items are revealed, until someone gets a bingo. Its a great way to keep people involved during what can be a lengthy part of the shower.
Anyway, here is the bingo sheet that I use. Feel free to copy and paste it and print it off. I usually do two on one regular sheet of paper. Let me know if you enjoy it!

Where were you?

2011-09-11T08:52:00.004-04:00

I will always remember where I was on 9-11-01. I was going from one class to another at Vincennes University. I thought surely it couldn't be what everyone was saying it was. Even as we watched the news footage I thought it might have been an accident and not a terrorist attack. Sadly I was wrong.

Today as we remember all the lives lost in the 9-11 attacks our prayers go out to their families who still hold their memories dear. Thank you to all the men and women who serve our country to keep us safe and free.

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the hornof my salvation, my stronghold.

Homeschool Group Lesson Plans

2011-09-09T12:48:00.000-04:00

I'm excited and nervous about teaching a class for our homeschool group this year. I'll be doing a papercrafting class for eighteen K-1st graders (I think I'll have one or two adult helpers). I've taught Sunday school before, and I teach Nate all the time but this time I was on my own to come up with the projects and create the lesson plans and supply lists, etc. Here are a few projects that I am considering doing with the kiddos:

Soulful First Aid kit by Family Fun

cards and bookmarks using PageMaps for layout ideas

Paper Pumpkins by Craftaholics Anonymous

Stained Glass window with contact paper and tissue pieces - by Frills Fluff and Trucks

Kids' Recipe Book by Mommy D's Kitchen Fun

Paper Fall Banner by MyBlessedLife

Alphabet Art by The Letter 4

So, what do you think? Good choices? Let me know if you have any suggestions!

My Memories review and giveaway!

2011-09-07T08:31:00.005-04:00

Recently I was given the opportunity to review a digital scrapbooking software: My Memories Suite 2.0.
I am a traditional scrapbooker at heart but I also love photo editing and creating collages with my digital photos so I was immediately interested in trying it out.
My hubby installed it for me a couple days ago and I have been playing around with it during naptime. Its the only time I can get anything done!
I was honestly impressed with some of the layouts. Some had a lot of depth and really cute embellishments much like what I would use on a traditional scrapbook page. Then there were also some pages that were a little too simplistic for my taste but I'm sure there are people who like that style. There is the option to auto-fill the pages to make an album or you can personally choose each photo and place it into the album on your own and customize the captions and embellishments on the pages.
In addition to the templates and papers that come with the software download there are lots of extras available on the My Memories website. Some kits cost but there are also some add-ons available for free. I don't know about you but I like free!
I went ahead and "bought" some of the free extras that I really liked. I had a little trouble accessing them once downloaded (I had to have my computer guru hubby help me navigate). But once we went to the FAQ page of the website we were able to make it work.
All in all both my husband and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much we like the My Memories software. While I'm committed to continuing to scrapbook the old fashioned way for now... I do believe I will be using the MyMemories software to design our Christmas cards!
Here is one of the sample cards I've created. This uses the Spring Symphony Frame that is a free download from My Memories and the background is an image I already had on my computer. I love this collage and hope to use it as our Christmas card this year!

Now on to the good part!! My Memories has graciously offered a free download of their software to one lucky Wani's World reader! To enter this giveaway you must to 1) follow my blog. 2) Visit www.MyMemories.com. and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout, then comment here telling me which ones you chose and also leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. The winner will be chosen on September 19th. Its my half birthday ;-) So hurry up and get signed up for the giveaway!!

** WINNER - Jenn from Chronicles of a Real Homeschooling Mom!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2011-09-06T13:15:00.003-04:00

Well, I didn't get a huge response on the apron giveaway, but I guess I'll take that to mean that everyone loved my apron tutorial enough that they decided to make their own! So, Marianne and Mandarina were the only two who commented on the giveaway post but neither left contact info. So... whichever responds to this post will be the winner.

AND... the winner is Mandarina!! I'll be getting her info and sending her the apron shortly!

Lollipop T-shirt TaDa!

2011-09-06T09:53:00.004-04:00

Awhile ago I found this great tutorial from Ruffles and Stuff for these super cute Lollipop T-shirts. Last week I finally got around to giving it a go! What do you think? The purple one was my first attempt...
I liked the purple one but I was a little happier with the orange one. Originally I intended to give them away but I may not be able to part with the orange one! ;-)
So cute!

I'm linking up with Vintage WannaBee's Talent Tuesday! Check it out!

Labor Day Fun!

2011-09-06T00:00:00.003-04:00

Here are a few snapshots from our fun weekend at the lakehouse. Great time with friends and family. Good weather, good food, great people!! God is good!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 30

2011-08-30T22:20:00.001-04:00

•Day 30- Who are you?

Who am I? I asked myself this question the other day. I came up with the usual stuff: wife, mom, sister, friend, etc... But then I stopped myself. What if I wasn't any of those things? Then what would be left? Who/what would I be then? You know what the first thing that came to my mind was? Artist. That kind of surprised me. I usually shy away from calling myself that. I fall back on saying that I'm crafty, or creative but that I am not really an artist. But you know what. I am. I love to create things. Most of the time the ideas are not 100% original. I'm inspired by lots of things that I see around me both in everyday life and online. I take those inspirations and create something new with them. I do. And I love it. There you go. Kind of a break through for me. I am an artist. Whoo hoo! ;-) I guess I have learned something through this 30 day Challenge after all!

30 Day Challenge - Day 29

2011-08-29T15:20:00.002-04:00

•Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned.

Through this blog challenge I'm not sure what I've learned. I often have a a difficult time with self reflection. I would much rather talk about others than myself. I hope that over the past month, through the challenge that my readers have been able to learn more about me. ;-)

30 Day Challenge - Day 28

2011-08-28T10:13:00.006-04:00

•Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

This is a photo of me one year ago... 30yrs old, three kids, one husband... busy, tired, but still basking in the glow of having my first daughter!

I am now 31yrs old, I still have three kids and one husband. Still busy and tired. But we're all a little older. We've grown stronger as a family. The last year hasn't been very easy. There have been some real struggles. Our house is on the market, which can be pretty stressful. And as always there is the ongoing situation with Joe's special needs and now also Christine's developmental delays. It is a challenge to deal with this daily. But we continue to persevere and God is always by our sides carrying us through, even when we don't feel His presence.

30 Day Challenge - Day 27

2011-08-27T22:12:00.001-04:00

•Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?

I had been in a bit of a blogging rut. I thought doing the challenge would get me to stretch myself a bit and encourage me to blog a little more consistently. So far so good. ;-)

30 Day Challenge - Day 26

2011-08-26T14:11:00.003-04:00

•Day 26- What you think about your friends

Well... I am really blessed to have some really great friends. God has given me long term friends, short term friends, friends that I have things in common with and some that help me branch out and try new things with. Some that I can teach and some that teach me. They all hold a special place in my heart. Love you all!

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Fat Quarter Apron Tutorial for Back to 'Cool - and Giveaway!

2011-08-26T09:01:00.001-04:00

Hello Brassy Apple friends! I'm Wani and I'm so excited that its back to school time again! I love that Brassy Apple is helping us all get back into the school spirit with her Back to 'Cool - DIY Style series. I am happy to be joining in the fun by sharing a tutorial with you all! I hope you like it!

I don't know about you but I really like to wear a pretty apron while I'm cooking or cleaning. It makes me feel fun and flirty instead of gross and dirty - which is more often the case. ;-) So, today I'm going to share with you how to make an apron with just a four fat quarters. This is my cute little man modeling the apron for me because I was wearing pj's and not looking so cute. ;-) But this guy is always cute! So head on over to Brassy Apple for the full tutorial on this adorable rat quarter apron!

And just because I am cool like that... I am going to be giving away this very apron! I mean, who doesn't love a giveaway? So if you would like to enter the giveaway just become a follower of Wani's World and then leave a comment on this giveaway post telling me that you are a follower. Bonus entries if you become a follower of Brassy Apple's blog or facebook and comment telling me so. I'll announce a winner September 6th (after I get back from our Labor Day weekend at the lake!).

30 Day Challenge - Day 25

2011-08-25T10:08:00.002-04:00

•Day 25- What I would find in your bag:

on any given day you would find the following:
a large pink wallet
chapstick
diapers
coupons mostly forgotten and expired
crumpled receipts
keys to my van, my hubs' car, my house...
cell phone
half a dozen hair bands/clips
wipies
a pair of earrings that I wore to church and then stuck in my purse later after my kids tried to yank them out of my ears

30 Day Challenge - Day 24

2011-08-24T12:07:00.004-04:00

•Day 24- A letter to your parents:
Mom and Pop,
You both have served as great examples to us. I am so thankful for all the sacrifices you both have made to make a life for our family. I think I appreciate you even more now that I am a parent. I can see more clearly how much work being a spouse and parent is and you two made it look easy (most of the time ;-). Thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do in my life. What a blessing you both are. I love you.

30 Day Challenge - Day 23

2011-08-23T13:02:00.002-04:00

•Day 23- Something you crave often:
my guilty pleasure... DQ's Frozen Hot Chocolate. Technically its not really on the menu anymore but most DQ's will still make it for you. Its delicious! Here is a copycat recipe that I'm dying to try out sometime!

30 Day Challenge - Day 22

2011-08-22T22:01:00.001-04:00

•Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else

well... one thing is my unusual name... the other is I have blue eyes but my left eye has a brown streak in it.

First day of first grade...

2011-08-21T15:44:00.002-04:00

Last week we made an impromptu trip to the aquatic center near where my friend works. It was kind of a last summer fling before starting school. I'm kicking myself for not taking Nate to this place before! He liked hanging out in the lazy river. And to my surprise he loved the tube slide. I can't believe how big he is!

Last Monday we started our First Grade year of homeschooling with Nate. He was pretty excited to get started. He is such a smart boy.
This year we are using Heart of Dakota Little Hearts for His Glory. Some of the first grade stuff is a little on the easy side for him but it will pick up the pace shortly. And we'll be filling in with some additional reading.
Its good to get the year off to a good start. I'm glad that he is such an eager learner!

30 Day Challenge - Day 21

2011-08-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

•Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy

Lava cake at Chilis. YUM!

30 Day Challenge - Day 20

2011-08-20T15:51:00.002-04:00

•Day 20- What does your future hold/where would you like to be?

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

I'd love to have us living in a house closer to the country. I'd love to have all my kids healthy and strong. I have lots of ideas of things I want us to do... But I am trying to focus on what He has planned for us. That is still to be determined.

30 Day Challenge - Day 19

2011-08-19T15:51:00.001-04:00

•Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

Well... this is dumb because I just did a post about my blog/screen-name which is basically my only nickname. Its hard to really remember exactly where "WANI" came from. Its a nickname that a friend gave me - a twist on my real name. I think it was in college. If I had the nickname before college then it wasn't popularized until then. I used it a lot. I called my car the Wani-mobile. Its been interesting because it used to be just college friends called me Wani but when I started using it as my screen name more people starting using it. It could be worse. ;-)

30 Day Challenge - Day 18

2011-08-18T15:50:00.001-04:00

•Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

- I plan to someday have a house in the country where my kids can explore and romp around outside all day long.

- I dream of my children to growing up strong in their faith.

- I want to keep my marriage a priority so that Isaac and I will enjoy a long and happy life together.

30 Day Challenge - Day 17

2011-08-17T15:46:00.003-04:00

•Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
I'd like to switch with my hubs for a day. You know the Freaky Friday movies (and others like them), they always seem to have a greater appreciation for the other person after the switch. I think it'd be good for our marriage relationship if we could trade duties and responsibilities for awhile.

30 Day Challenge - Day 16

2011-08-16T15:44:00.002-04:00

•Day 16- Another picture of yourself (baby pic!)Aren't I cute? And looks a little bit like my baby girl if I do say so myself!

30 Day Challenge - Day 15

2011-08-15T16:25:00.002-04:00

•Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play

I don't have an iPod (my husband thinks they're evil ;-). But I do have a simple mp3 player... so here are ten random songs from that:

A Moment Like This - Kelly Clarkson
Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
Larry Boy Theme Song - Veggie Tales
I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
Ruthie Pigface Draper Song - Dan in Real Life soundtrack
My Escape - Relient K
Here Comes The Sun - Phil Keaggy
Stolen - Dashboard Confessional
If I Didn't Care - Amy Adams the Miss Pedigrew soundtrack
I Won't Dance - Fred Astaire

30 Day Challenge - Day 14

2011-08-14T16:23:00.001-04:00

•Day 14- A picture of you and your family

This challenge post comes at a good time because a couple weeks ago we all gathered at my parents' farm for family pictures. It was a really hot day (when hasn't it been hot this summer?) and the humidity ruined my hair but we were blessed to have the rain hold off until after we were done with the photo session. I was relieved that my mom actually enjoyed the experience (unlike last year). We were all pretty happy with the pictures (which were taken by a friend of my sister's) and I have been fiddling around with them creating different Christmas card designs. You'll have to wait and see what I come up with!

30 Day Challenge - Day 13

2011-08-13T16:22:00.001-04:00

•Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently:

I have learned from experience that letters written when I'm hurt or angry tend to not work out well for me. In the past letters have just added to the frustration of the situation. Now if it is something little I usually stew about it for awhile until I get over it. If its something big I try to go to the person and talk about it so I don't bottle it up.

30 Day Challenge - Day 12

2011-08-12T13:47:00.001-04:00

•Day 12- Your Blog Story.

Well, there isn't a lot to say I guess. I started the blog to keep friends and family informed on the day to day goings on in my life. I've expanded my topics as my life has changed a lot since I started the blog in July of '04. In the six years since then I have had three kids, started a journey in the world of special needs, started hobbies, failed at some... I'd like to think you could get to know me pretty well by reading my blog.

30 Day Challenge - Day 11

2011-08-11T15:47:00.001-04:00

•Day 11- a person you would love to meet.

30 Day Challenge - Day 10

2011-08-10T12:46:00.001-04:00

•Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored,

HAPPY

SAD

BORED

30 Day Challenge - Day 9

2011-08-09T15:45:00.001-04:00

•Day 09- Something you’re proud of
I have carried, given birth to and breastfed three beautiful children. 'nuff said. ;-)

date night!

2011-08-08T22:01:00.005-04:00

Last weekend my DH and I were blessed to get away for a night alone together. It was the first time since before Christine was born 15mos ago!

Thanks to a certificate that I got ages ago on Restaurant.com we had a lovely dinner at Chatham Tap in downtown Indy. We had never been there so we tried a few yummies off the menu: Thai Lettuce Wraps with a peanut sauce (messy but good), wings with their signature sauce (I'm not usually a wing girl... but I had a few of these for sure! I could have taken home a whole bottle of that wing sauce!), and The Robert Browning Pizza loaded with meat and fresh greens (yum!).Before we left downtown I ran into this adorable bakery next to the restaurant called The Flying Cupcake and picked up a chocolate-peanut butter and a s'mores cupcake for dessert. We had them later that night and they were melt in your mouth delicious!

Then we headed over to the Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park Inn on the eastside of Indy. Last Christmas we had bought a "family gift" which was a DNR package which included a pass to all the state parks in Indiana and a certificate to use at any state park inn. Almost 9months later we're finally using that certificate! We've stayed at a few state park inns before but this was definitely the nicest so far. The room had a sitting area with windows all around and the bathroom was definitely a few stars above the ones we've had at other state park inns (and other hotels for that matter). But we both agreed that some of the hallways reminded us of The Shining. Every time we'd walk down the hall one of us would say "red rum... red rum"... creepy! Here is a pic of the hallway:And this is obviously the real hallway from the movie:
So maybe its not exactly like it... but you'd have to be there. ;-)

The next morning we took in a little bit of the state park before heading home. There are so many cute nooks and crannies in the park. We are planning on returning with the kids sometime soon!

Anyway, it was a wonderful time to just relax and be together as a couple without having to worry about diapers and tantrums, etc.
Thanks to my awesome friend Jess for staying with my three crazy kids so we could have this time to reconnect!

30 Day Challenge - Day 8

2011-08-08T15:45:00.001-04:00

•Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
This month I plan to:

- start homeschooling first grade with Nate. We were pretty laid back for Kindergarten, but I'm looking forward to having a little more structure to first grade this year.

- complete my lesson plans for the paper-crafting class I'm teaching at our homeschool group. I was a class helper last year but this will be my first time teaching. I'm a little nervous but its something that I'm pretty good at and its a class of kindergartners and first graders... I think they'll go easy on me. ;-) I hope!

- start intentionally putting regular girls' nights on the calendar. I have been feeling disconnected from a lot of my friends and I have realized that I need to make those connections happen... they're not going to happen on their own.

- get some new doctor's appointments made for Joe and Christine. We're looking into some new docs to get some new perspective on their delays... maybe fresh eyes/minds could give us some new directions to go as far as finding a diagnosis and possible treatments.

- plan another overnight date for Isaac and I. We had such a great time on the last one (it was the first overnight date for us since before Christine was born), we need to make sure we do those more often! ;-)

30 Day Challenge - Day 7

2011-08-07T16:31:00.002-04:00

•Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has had a big impact on you

Being Joe's mom has challenged and changed me in a lot of ways. He's a precious gift of God but sometimes (amidst the frequent pinching, biting, scratching and temper tantrums...) I have to purposely remind myself of that.

30 Day Challenge - Day 6

2011-08-06T22:30:00.001-04:00

•Day 06- Favorite super hero and why

well... I'm not a big comic book reader or anything... but I do appreciate Elastigirl from The Incredibles. She finds a way to juggle it all, being a wife, mom and a superhero. Gotta love it! ;-)

"Either he's in trouble, or he's going to be." - Elastigirl

30 Day Challenge - Day 5

2011-08-05T13:29:00.002-04:00

•Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

Why settle for one picture when you could have more? ;-) Here are a few shots from our spring break trip to Albuquerque, NM. I love it there!

30 Day Challenge - Day 4

2011-08-04T14:28:00.002-04:00

•Day 04 - A habit that you wish you didn't have, and/or something that you are looking forward to.

sadly I revisit the idea of deleting my account periodically but never actually do it. I really do use facebook as an escape from reality. The thing that keeps me from quitting is that its the only connection I have to some people. But what is that saying about those relationships? Its not really a substitute for actual human contact, I know.

I have wanted to go to Hearts at Home for several years now. It is an awesome conference for moms in all stages of life. Great speakers and workshops... so up my alley! But the one nearest to me always falls near or on the same weekend as my church ladies retreat. I've always chosen the retreat over the conference... but this coming spring I'm gonna do it! I'd love to get a whole group of woman to go! It'll be awesome!

Savoring the last of summer...

2011-08-03T15:45:00.002-04:00

This summer has been crazy hot! We have still managed to make it out pretty often to the park. A couple times we made to parks with splash pads. Love it!

As you can see, those are not my hands holding my sweet Christine. I am ever thankful for the extra hands of my BFF who often joins us on our outings. She's the best!

While we have enjoyed the summer... I think we will be happy to get some relief from the heat when fall arrives!

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

2011-08-03T10:27:00.003-04:00

•Day 03- A picture of you and your friends

This is by no means all inclusive. I have been blessed with many wonderful women in my life. I just do not have pictures with all of them. I will try to remedy that! More girlfriend pix is going on my to-do list! ;-)

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

2011-08-02T10:22:00.003-04:00

•Day 02- The meaning behind your Blogger name
Well... its hard to really remember exactly where "WANI" came from. Its a nickname that a friend gave me - a twist on my real name. I think it was in college. If I had the nickname before college then it wasn't popularized until then. I used it a lot. I called my car the Wani-mobile. Its been interesting because it used to be just college friends called me Wani but when I started using it as my screen name more people starting using it. It could be worse. ;-)