Summer To Dos and Expectations

Summer! It's the time of year all teachers look forward to. A time to delete the alarms, recharge, and go on vacation. It can also be a time when families get on each other's nerves. This summer, I've tried to combat that with three things. 
1. A summer to do list. 
2. Summer camps for both kids
3. Vacation

The plan was for everyone in the family to make a To Do list for the summer. Peyton made his and I've made mine. Kaleb is a little harder to nail down, and Eric doesn't exactly get a summer. Peyton's list includes: going to the beach, splash pad, mountains, park, movie theater, and water park as well as taking a giant bubble bath, playing on the slip n slide, making a fire and roasting hot dogs & marshmallows, and doing a movie night/pallet night. I'd say all of these are accomplishable. My list includes: read 5 books, plan out how to teach writing next year, go to 5 places (beach, mountains, New Orleans, Global Wildlife, and one other), eat snow cones, teach the boys to swim, update one room of the house, and get my weight into the 130s. *Mostly* accomplishable, I hope.

The kids have never really done summer camps before. We've done VBS every year forever and will continue to do that, but this summer we've scheduled two camps for each kid. Basically all of June is filled with camp, which I think the kids will love. Peyton is doing an art sculpture camp and Astro Camp. Kaleb is doing an art camp and church camp. We're going to try to sneak in a couple of soccer lessons throughout the summer, too. He says he wants to play again in the fall and we definitely encourage that.

Vacation this year has been sort of back and forth. We've gone between San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, and finally landed on Chattanooga. The boys have always gone to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area with my family, so this will be something new for them with the Satterwhites. We're planning on going to Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, and of course, playing in creeks and waterfalls. That'll be the last week in July. Like, we get back the day before I go to my first work day. But I think it'll be fun. 

Playlists

Spotify is my jam. I can make playlists and add to them constantly, unlike mix CDs. I used to have about 7 or 8 playlists, but then they all got deleted soooo fresh start. Right now I only have 2 playlists, Sleepy Mix and Worship Mix. I plan to add a Hymn Mix and a Christmas Mix soon. Riveting, I know. So here are my songs (thus far) for my Sleepy Mix and Worship Mix.

Sleepy Mix

• "Moon River" (Peyton's song)
• "Oh How He Loves"
• "Hallelujah"
• "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Kaleb's song)
• "I See Fire" (Ed Sheeran's Hobbit song)
• "Dream a Little Dream of Me"
• "Perfect"
• "Mexico"
• "Fix You" (the original sleepy song)
• "Let it Be"
• "Make you Feel my Love"
• "Scarborough Fair" (really, any Simon and Garfunkel song)
• "Down to the River to Pray" ( Shout out to O Brother Where Art Thou)

Worship Mix

• "Resurrecting" (an old favorite)
• "O Come to the Altar"
• "King of the World" (pretty much my life)
• "Great are You Lord"
• "Death was Arrested"
• "Lamb of God"
• "Jailbreak"
• "Reckless Love" (new favorite)
• "How Deep the Father's Love"
• "What a Beautiful Name"
• "All My Hope"
• "Glorious Day"
• "Oceans"
• "Worthy of your Name"
• "Grace so Glorious"
• "Good, Good Father"

5 Minute Writing Prompt: Your Childhood Bedroom

My childhood bedroom will always be at 555 Bradford Drive. I shared it with my sisters. At one point there was a queen bed (that's still at my mom's house) and a white bunk bed. We weren't allowed to sleep in the bunk bed together because we laughed and played too much. We had a dark dresser where I kept many books. It was also my dresser as a teenager. Doilies were involved. We also had a CD player that made me feel like I was older than my few meager years. That bedroom always makes me think of the country greats of the 90s -Shania Twain, John Michael Montgomery, George Strait, Garth Brooks- and the CD Hide 'Em in Your Heart. I also think of the time we were so 'bad' that my mom came in to talk to us, and she cried. Which, of course, made all of us cry, too. I'm pretty sure I had a New Kids on the Block poster on the back of a door, but I never really listened to them. I remember waiting in my bed on Christmas Eve to see if I could 'catch' Santa. I'd wake up and go in, only to see my parents watching tv. A few hours later I'd wake up again, and all of the presents would be there. Ever since we sold that house, I've wanted to go back and see that room. But, I think it would make me sad for it to be different.

I'm a Bad Republican...

I've been thinking a lot lately about gun control. I mean, who hasn't? The tragedy in Florida is only one of countless other school shootings. Not to mention, movie theaters, malls, homes, churches, etc. I'm not a very good Republican. I don't follow all issues along party lines. Some I do - I'm pro-choice, pro-traditional marriage, pro-arming teachers. But I'm also pro-gun control. I think some of the reasons people are up in arms (pun intended) about gun control is that it's misunderstood. Gun control doesn't say you can't buy a gun. It's not taking away your "right to bear arms." Gun control says, "Go ahead and buy a gun. But first let's check your criminal and mental history." How is that a bad thing? We already know we don't want criminals having guns, but we're legally selling guns to them anyway. There's a big deal about mental health issues, but we're legally selling guns to them anyway. Will gun control solve all shootings? Of course not! The heart of the problem is sin and that we live in a fallen world. Until Jesus returns, people are going to make these terrible decisions that have terrible consequences. But, to me, it doesn't make sense not to have some sort of control of weapons. I mean, I can't go to Walmart and buy Advil Cold and Sinus, but I can buy a gun. ?? Also, why are assault rifles even sold? Are you going to shoot a deer or a duck with an AK-47? No. (I assume - I'm not much of a hunter) You know the phrase, "Nothing good happens after midnight."? Well, nothing good happens with an assault rifle. No one is saying people should surrender all of their guns and not defend themselves. But, seriously, why is it so ridiculous to want some sort of plan to make things better?

Five Things on my Mind

In an efffort to blog more this year, I'm going to do little updates like this sporadically. Here are the five things I've been thinking about recently.

1. The Greatest Showman Here's a little known fact about me. When I like something I become *somewhat* obsessed with it for a little bit. Right now, that's The Greatest Showman. I love musicals (and Zac Efron) and this one is great! From what I can tell it's not very accurate in its content because Barnum was kind of a creepy jerk, but in the movie he's awesome. I've seen it twice and have listened to the soundtrack several times on Spotify. And I may or may not have googled videos of behind the scenes, interviews, bloopers, and the trailer. 

2. Talking as Fast as I Can I LOVE Lauren Graham. I mean, sure, she's a little more liberal than I'd like, but it's Hollywood so who isn't? My mom, sisters, and I have been loyal fans of "Gilmore Girls" since the beginning. Also, I've started rewatching "Parenthood." Let's face it, she's golden. I'm not typically into nonfiction books. They bore me. But, occasionally, I find it interesting to read about people I like. I've read a couple of books celebrities have written (The Duggers, Chip and Joanna) but it's few and far between. I love her (have I mentioned that yet?) and this book is so interesting. She writes the way she talks, full of tangents and rhetorical questions. If you liked Lorelaei's character, this book will be worth your time to read. But don't ask me for it. I'll have to add you to a waiting list. 

3. New York has been on my mind lately. We went in October to see "Hamilton" (which was amazing!! obviously). We did a LOT of things while we were there. Like, pretty much everything. Each night when we got back to our hotel room, we basically fell into bed and couldn't move. I still have a blister on my big toe from all of the walking. I thought, when we left, that I was satisfied with my experiences in the NYC and didn't need to go back. But since then, I've really missed it. Not so much all of the people, but the big buildings and the energy and the overall...gumption of the city. I've starting planning things I want to do on our next trip. And, of course, I'd love to go during the holiday season.

4. Y'all! My shipping for Jamko is intense. I seriously may travel back to New York at the end of the season if these two don't make serious strides towards their relationship just to talk to the writers of the show and give them a piece of my mind. I know "Blue Bloods" is kind of not the most popular show for people in my age demographic, but I LOVE Jamie and Eddie. It's almost beyond words how much I want them to be together. Remember my obsessive behavior I mentioned? It really starts showing its ugly head when this topic comes up. I can't count how many times I've watched their kiss on YouTube. I basically have their dialogue memorized. Seriously.

5. Tomorrow is my birthday dinner. I haven't had a birthday party of any sorts since my 21st birthday at O'Charleys. Honestly, I've been hesitant to put myself out there for fear of no one coming. However, I've made some great girl friends at church and invited about 10 of them for a birthday dinner. Most are coming and I'm SUPER excited about it. Here's to 33!

Blog New Years Goals, Stop Blogging the Rest of the Year, Repeat

Ok, it's that time again. Time to blog my New Year's Resolutions...for 2018. Almost two years since a new blog post. I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff that's happened since then, BUT, I don't recall. Before I get into 2018 resolutions, I feel like I should at least give an update on the one resolution from 2017 I stuck to (remember). My goal was to read 20 new books in 2017. I stopped keeping up with them in June, but I think I read around 25 new books this year. So, yay me! 

Onward to my 2018 resolutions 

I'm splitting my resolutions into 5 categories and I have all year to complete them. Those are the only ones I tend to keep.

1. Spiritual - Read through the Bible again. Last time I did this I read it through chronologically from Genesis to Revelations. This time I want to read specific parts (although still chronologically because that's how I roll). I'm starting with Paul's letters. There are 13 letters so I estimate it will take me about a month if I average three chapters a day. After that I want to move on to the other books of the New Testament that aren't the gospels. Finally, the gospels. Then I'll move on to the Old Testament. I'm hoping that by reading the New Testament first, some things in the Old Testament will have a new meaning.

2. Familial - Be my children's greatest cheerleader. So often I'll discuss their negative traits with people *hoping to get some reassurance that it's not just my kids* and leave out the wonderful parts about them. I'm not going to lie. Some (ahem, most) days are difficult. I think part of it is I'm not fully aware of what drives, triggers, and upsets my children. Not really. So in becoming their greatest cheerleader, I'm expecting to learn more about them as well.

3. Financial - We are magnets for the unexpected expenses. It's almost humorous. But this year we're going to really try to get most of our debt paid off. The goal is that by the end of 2018 all that will be left is our house note, car note, and student loans. I know what you're thinking...what else is there? Let's just say, too much. If we can get them paid off I'll be happy to share what all they were.

4. Health - What? I'm going to make a goal to lose weight? How original! But, really, now's the perfect time. By the end of 2018 I want to have lost 20 pounds. I feel like that's a realistic goal. Then again, I feel like this girl represents me perfectly.

5. Fun - Learn how to do new things. I'm not sure yet what this entails, but I have some ideas. I want to learn how to bake bread. Okay, I have one idea. Surely more will follow. I almost always set book goals for each year, but I don't think I'm going to do that this year. Unless maybe my goal would be to read all of the books I currently own but haven't read yet. Yeah...

So there we go. When I look back on this January 1, 2019 (woah! sci-fi much?) I'll at least be able to see what (if anything) I accomplished. 'Til then...

Yearly Goal Update

Remember how one of my goals was to go on an international mission trip? I know you do because I'm sure you've been checking daily to see how things are progressing. Well, the wait (albeit short) is over. In July, I'm going to Guatemala! I don't know a whole lot about Guatemala except for what people have told me who have been there on the same mission trip from years past. So far I've gathered that the weather is perfect (mid 70s all year round), the food is great, and the people are amazing. Sounds like a plan to me. I'll be working in a malnutrition center everyday during that week. Basically, if parents can't feed their children they can drop them off at this malnutrition center. They can come visit once a week, and when the children are properly nourished they can go back with their families. I'll be going with an organization called Orphan's Heart. 

There are several mission trips that will be happening with our church this year, so when I felt God telling me this was the right time to go, I knew I had some choices. At first, I was going to go to Haiti and help teachers there with educational things. It sounds perfect for me, right? I mean, I teach. But I couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't where I was supposed to go. I felt like I needed to work with orphans or children in need of care. When I heard about this trip to Guatemala, the nagging feeling immediately went away. THIS was my mission trip.

I'm not sure how things will work out financially (about $1700) or with the boys. I'm sure that it'll be hard to be away from them, in a different country, where I can't talk to them all the time or see their faces, and where Eric will have to take some time from work or enlist help in taking care of them, but God will work it out. He wants me there and He can take care of it. I'll leave you with some pictures of Guatemala:

Book Review: Fight Club

While we were planning our Christmas trip to the beach, I knew it was going to be rainy (of course-last time we went there was a hurricane, so you could say this was an improvement). I love a good rainy day because they're the perfect excuse to read all day without being considered a nerd or lazy. The problem with reading books comes when you don't know what book you want to read. I've tried the thing where you go to a bookstore and look for a book that "speaks to you." Let me tell you, it doesn't work for me. There are just too many options. It's like finding a needle in a needle stack. But I didn't have a book in mind, so I tried. While browsing, I saw this book - Fight Club.

If you've seen the movie, you've read the book. It's one of the most accurate book to movie translations I've seen. Of course there were a few minor differences, but overall, it was pretty spot on. Saying that, it's obscene and vulgar just like the movie. The overall concept is so, so interesting, but, in my opinion, the best part of the book was the afterword. It gives information about the book/movie that I found fascinating. For instance, did you know that the book was originally a short story? It's true! The whole story was originally just chapter 6 from the book. The rest of the book came from stories from his friends (he has some pretty gross friends it seems). He also says that people find him and ask him where fight clubs are currently being held. Overall, I'd say watch the movie (because, um, hello! Brad Pitt!) and find the afterword online. 

Goals and Such

Sooo I feel like I'm on repeat when I say I'm a bad blogger, but the fact that I didn't blog at all in 2015  somehow gives me the right to say it again. I'm not promising that I'm going to be awesome at it this year, but I'll definitely be better than last year. I mean, I'm already soon better with this first post. Since it's the first day of the new year I feel obligated to share my goals for 2016. I try not to make too many goals because I know myself and know that I have low will power. I've made one weekly goal, two monthly goals, and two yearly goals. Last year I had a goal to read the Bible all the way through. We, as part of our church, started a study called The Readers Guide to the Bible. Essentially it's a year-long study of the Bible chronologically. I'm not going to lie. Most of the year I did terrible. I felt like I was playing catch up for most of the year. I got bogged down in the Old Testament and had to binge read the New Testament. I'm happy (and honestly surprised) to say that I finished Revelations on December 30th. Doing the study helped me realize that making a goal to read the Bible everyday isn't realistic for me. I hope that this time I can go deeper into smaller sections of the Bible.
My weekly goal is to spend more days in the Word than out of it. It could be 7 and 0 or even 4 and 3 for those super busy/tiring/where-did-all-my-time-go weeks. My monthly goals are to 1) save from every paycheck we get and 2) go on more dates with Eric. At least once a month. That gets tricky because we don't live in the same place as our parents and that severely cuts down on cheap (i.e. free) babysitting options. Darn kids these days want to be paid for working. (And stay off my lawn!) my yearly goals are to 1) donate blood. I know, I know. I'm 30 years old and have never donated blood. It's terrible. I have no excuse except fear. But this is the year to conquer that fear. And 2) go on a mission trip. I've felt called to go on an international mission trip for over a year now, but haven't felt like the kids were old enough for me to leave them for a week or more. Our church does several every year, and I'd like to be a part of one. I'm not sure which one, but I know they go to Haiti and Guatemala every year. They've also gone to Scotland. That would be preferable because they at least speak English. I'm still praying about it, and I'll be sure to post a monthly goal update to let you know how things are going.

Our Only Offensive

I'm not going to lie. I'm TERRIBLE at reading my Bible and getting things out of it. I know what the problem is, too. I'm lazy and selfish. I want to watch "Gilmore Girls" or read one of my several crazy YA books (for the umpteenth time). But I really need to get back into reading the Bible. So the other day I read the section in Ephesians 6 about putting on the armor of God. I've read it many times before, but something stuck out to me this time. I wanted to go through each piece of armor in depth and really 'get' what it was about. Now, I'm sure that these revelations for me will be 'duh' moments for you. 

The body armor of God's righteousness: God's holiness is what covers us. The body armor protects us from the blows the Enemy throws at us. It's main purpose is to prevent amputation and decapitation in battle. Without God's righteousness covering us, we don't even stand a chance.
The belt of truth: We should secure His righteousness around us with the truth and the knowledge that He is the holy Lord. When we doubt the absolute truth of it, His righteousness slips. He continues to cover us, but WE feel less secure in Him.
The helmet of salvation: Let's face it, without a head, we're pretty much useless. And without salvation, we can't fight in the unseen war. The salvation through Jesus is what protects our mind from Enemy intruders. We have to be careful what we see, hear, say, and think.
The shoes of peace: I imagine going into battle is scary. You don't know for sure if you'll survive it. The peace of the Good News should guide our steps so that even if we should (and do) fear what's up ahead, we can go forward knowing God is in control. Without that, I'm not sure we'd ever move.
The shield of faith: Armor is necessary. So is a shield. It is the closest thing we've come so far to a weapon in battle. Granted, it may not be a great weapon, but it can protect for sure. If our faith is strong, so is our shield. If our faith is weak, it might as well be made of plywood. The battle is continuous, and the Enemy knows just how to attack us. We have to always be on our guard, and part of that is being strong in the faith.

**The sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word** This is the part that really got me.
So far, all of the pieces of armor have been for defense. They have helped us survive. BUT, without the Bible, without being fully immersed in His Word, we are always being attacked. We never gain ground. We are just trying to make it through another day. God's Word is our offense - our sword. If we are ever going to feel like we are gaining ground, defeating the Enemy, and not just being bombarded, we have to read the Bible and use it as our guide. I wouldn't go into a battle without a weapon, so why am I walking day by day into a spiritual, unseen war against me with the ultimate enemy leading the helm WITHOUT a sword!? I want this revelation God gave me to change the way I read the Bible and the frequency I read it. 

Many Plans

I've had many plans recently. Big plans and little ones. I've wanted to make a tree skirt, make a cushion for this old rocking chair in the boys' room, make a cushion for the glider in the backyard, make a "ghost garden" for Halloween, finish the attic, take the kids to Disney World, and adopt. I'm sure you can sort the plans into big and little on your own. Eric and I have been talking about adopting lately. I love my boys, and I wouldn't trade them for anything, but I still don't feel like our family is complete. I would really like to have a daughter.

Call it motherly instinct or whatever, but there are things I'm sad about missing out on with only boys. And as Eric pointed out, most of them involve dresses or accessories. I always envisioned myself having a house full of girls -4 to be precise- and ended up with a house full of boys. I want to buy those adorable little dresses and headbands. I want to be able to take prom pictures of my kids (since they're always at the girl's house for the big reveal). I want to go wedding dress shopping. I want to paint fingernails and cook together. Yes, I know that boys can cook, too, but it's different. God calls his children to adopt and care for those in need.

The thing is, the house we just bought has only 2 bedrooms. I love our house. It's cute and charming and amazing. But it only has 2 bedrooms. Not really any room for another child. Thus the idea to finish the attic and turn it into 2 more bedrooms and a bathroom. It's not a terribly big attic, but I think two smallish rooms would fit up there. If we did that we'd also have to make a staircase. This seems like it's going to add up pretty quickly. We don't have an estimate or anything yet.

As I was thinking about all of these things I want to do, I realized that even though there is a lot up in the air concerning some of these decisions, someone already knows what's going to happen. God is already 5 years down the road in my future. He knows if I have a job in Jones County, if we have another little one added to our family, if our attic is finished or if we're even in the same house. He knows it all. And while I still struggle with my personal timeline, it's comforting to know that nothing is going to be a surprise for God. That He's going to see our family through everything.

Book Review: Speaker for the Dead

This is the sequel to Ender's Game. It was a little hard to get into at first. The first chapter had so many new people and concepts that I didn't think I would like it. I was under the impression it was about something totally different than it actually WAS about, so I was confused for the first few chapters. In Speaker for the Dead the readers finds himself on a new alien planet, Lusitania, with a new species. Card does a good job describing these aliens in terms our minds can understand. The Speaker for the Dead is called when one (or two or three) people from Lusitania die. The Speaker's job is to find out everything he can about the dead person and tell his or her life story. To make society understand that person. The Speaker comes to Lusitania and changes the perceptions of everyone and everything on the planet...and maybe beyond. If you're reading this after reading Ender's Game, don't expect the same plot, feel, or even characters really. Some of the characters do come back in this book, but reading it felt completely different than reading Ender's Game. Personally, I liked Ender's Game better. This book had some pretty "out there" concepts. I'm going to start reading the next book in the series, Xenocide, that I think will pick up where this one leaves off. Of course, I'll let you know.

My Top Three This Week

1. I'm really into "Downton Abbey" (who isn't!) so I keep seeing the previews for "Sherlock." Eric and I decided to start watching it since it's on Netflix. (Plus, those crazy Brits have seasons that only consist of 3-7 episodes but each episode lasts 1-2 hours. Not sure what's going on there.) We've finished season 1 and are halfway through season 2. Season 3 just premiered so we'll probably be able to catch up before next Sunday's new episode. All that to say that I've REALLY gotten into it. It's pretty darn good. I still don't see what all the fuss is about Benedict Cumberbatch, but he makes an excellent Sherlock.

2. Some of the new music that's out. Namely, Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," Bastille's "Pompeii," Flo Rida's "How I Feel," and "Lorde's "Team." What can I say? I love a good bass line. I'm so tired of all the typical dance music that can all be interchanged with each other. Ugh! Move on! These songs are original and interesting, and have some awesome music.

3. It's no secret that I'm a big Saints fan. And if it is then I haven't been showing it off as much as I should. Since the Seahawks beat the Saints in the playoff game, and because of the postgame interview given by the Seahawks player, my third favorite thing this week is the Denver Broncos. I'm sure everyone saw the video of the football player acting a fool. I've also read the articles that say he's a great guy who pulled himself up from nothing and made himself famous. Yeah, I get that people have bad moments. His just happened to be on tv. He made me a Broncos fan for the Super Bowl. That and because Peyton Manning is a good ole boy from Mississippi.

Book Review: Ender's Game

This is a book I have always meant to read but never got around to it. I've seen it sitting on my dad's bookshelf since I was little. I've heard about it, so it's good enough to be famous. But it took seeing the movie to find the motivation to read the book. I honestly didn't even want to go see the movie. I went with Eric because he wanted to see it, and he saw a girly movie with me the last time. Marital compromise at it's finest. You know how the book is always better than the movie? (I think I'm just going to start watching the movie first. That way I won't be disappointed.) In this case, the movie was very close to the book. There was one part that I thought was just too sci-fi-y for my taste, but otherwise it was a movie I just kept thinking about. Now, on to the book review...the title of this post...the reason for it.

Side note: I always try to choose the picture that matches the version of the book I actually read.
Another side note: I won't choose the book with the movie picture as the cover. It's a little quirk I inherited from Eric.

Ender's Game is a book about a futuristic post-war Earth terrified of the "buggers" who they fear will come back to fight the humans until they are extinct. The adults in charge have been searching for someone, namely a child, to command their armies in the event of another attack. Children are born for this reason. They are tested, pushed, and, most of the time, sent away for not having the right qualities. This book follows Ender Wiggins. He is an exceptional young boy who just may have what it takes to end the buggers once and for all. It chronicles his time at Battle School and Command School. If you haven't seen the movie, then I won't ruin it for you, but WHOA! Shocker there near the end. Am I right? It may be a bit too science fiction for some people's taste, but it's a classic for a reason. There's so much more to it than aliens and outer space. The battle tactics and the glimpse into Ender's mind make it all the better. You should definitely read it. It's a quick read, though the chapters are a bit long, with lots of action to roll you along.

The Little Things I Learn

One of the prayers I've been praying lately is, "Lord, teach me to parent Kaleb the way he needs to be parented; not necessarily the way I want to parent him." It's no surprise that we've had some trying moments and days with our 4 year old. Since I've started changing the way I pray for him, I've had some pretty big realizations.

1. He is sensitive. He doesn't like to be laughed at or for anyone to even think he's different. Just this morning he was upset on the way to church because he was scared his friends would laugh at his new brown shoes. At FOUR he's worried about being accepted. A little part of me hurts to realize he's at that point.
What that means: He needs me (and other adults) to affirm him. I believe one of his love languages is Words of Affirmation, like his Daddy. He needs time to be alone and he needs me to be sensitive to how he's feeling.

2. Partly because of #1, he doesn't respond to yelling. He's just like me. If a teacher or other adult ever yelled at me I shut down and got incredibly angry. Kaleb has some of these tendencies. He doesn't necessarily shut down, but he does get incredibly angry. And since he's a four year old little boy, he channels that anger the only way that makes sense to him. He yells, throws things, and cries. We call it "flipping the switch." Once he calms down he's back to sweet, but, holy moly, until that happens, it's almost unbearable. 
What that means: I have to control my anger. That doesn't mean that he gets away with not doing what we've said, but it means I don't yell at him. I can speak firmly, but screaming does no good for either of us.

3. He wants a lot of attention. I know that all kids need attention, but he craves it. He wants to do things on his own, but we need to be watching him or at least in the same room with him while he's doing them. He'll drive cars by himself, but he wants us to look at how fast they'r'e going or the cool tricks they're doing. He's always telling us to pretend he's a baby. I think it's because we speak in the nicer, babyish voice and pay him ore attention.
What that means: I'm going to have to go crazy for a little while. When I get home from teaching I just want to sit for a few minutes and relax. Yeah, that's not likely to happen. And, honestly, it frustrates me. I know that when I had kids I had to die to some of my ways. Peace, quiet, a clean house, etc. But he'll only be little for a while longer. I need to play with him now.

Book Review: Gone Girl

As previously stated, my New Year's resolution was to be more intentional. I've realized that my personality also requires me to have goals. I wanted to be more intentional about reading, so I set a goal of 20 books this year. Here's the first one of the new year.

Gone Girl is another one of those books that will soon be turned into a movie. I'd heard a lot of hype about it, so I definitely wanted to read it. I had never read a mystery/thriller novel before, so I went into it with some trepidation.
Aside: I've always been a very...visual/emotional/empathetic person. I couldn't watch a movie in which someone died without crying. I couldn't watch anything remotely scary because my imagination would run wild and I'd be awake for multiple nights. So I knew that this might be a little trying/difficult/challenging for me.
Overall, I felt like it was a very well-written, well-thought out book. It's written in three parts. The first part tells the story from the husband's point of view after discovering his wife is missing. The second and third parts are written from a couple of different perspectives. Honestly, I felt like I'd been tricked a little bit. The first part was very interesting, and almost had you rooting for the husband AND the wife. There were some expletives, but not too many. The second part was a total turn around.The story was still interesting, but the language was almost unbearable. I almost stopped reading it because of all of the bad words. I mean, really, every bad or offensive word you can think of was in there...with a stronghold. If I didn't REALLY want to see whodunnit I would have stopped. Based on the storyline, I would recommend reading it. Based on the language, I would recommend staying far away. If you aren't easily offended by raunchy, foul words, proceed. If you are, I don't know that you would make it through part 2. I'd suggest reading a mystery/thriller book by a different author. I'm glad I finished it, and I'm still thinking over the ending, but I wasn't even tempted to read the "sneak peek" of the next book for fear I would have to immediately wash my ears out with soap.

One's Enough

This is from our New Year's card

I do New Year's Resolutions differently every year. One year I had one resolution per month, one year I had a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly resolution, and one year I had a resolution I knew I could keep (get married). This year, I have one resolution that encompasses every aspect of my life. Be more intentional. What does this mean? What does this look like?

In my relationship with Father:

• Intentionally take the time to spend in the Word and in prayer. Make it a priority instead of an after thought.
• Go to church with a purpose. Not just to say I went and check it off my weekly To Do List.

In my relationship with Eric:

• Use the time we get to spend together wisely. Not always sitting beside each other on our respective laptops, sometimes (embarrassingly) chatting with each other online when we're sitting one foot apart.
• Think about what he needs and wants. 

In my relationship with my kids:

• Spend time WITH them, not near them.
• Enact some rules that should have been in place all along.
• Teach them about Jesus at any possible moment.

In my actions:

• Speak kindly, wisely, and encouragingly.
• Spend free time in a constructive manner (mostly reading).

I'm not entirely sure how this is going to work out, but at the end of 2014 (assuming Jesus hasn't returned) I want to have been a productive, constructive Christian wife and mother.

Book Review: A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet

First of all, let me say that I've been a terrible blogger lately. There really hasn't been a lot going on lately that's blog-worthy. There are some things that I'd rather forget (i.e. Kaleb's...erm...performance at the church's Christmas program) and some "winter blues" feelings that didn't seem right to post. So here I am, getting back into the swing of things with something I love...books! 

Over Thanksgiving, we went to Meridian to visit some family we don't get to see as often as either of us would like. We just somehow forget to make the effort to do anything about it. (I feel a New Year's Resolution in the making.) While all the nephews were playing at my aunt's house, I saw this book laying/lying/lieing/whatever on the coffee table. I picked it up, thinking it might be a new Southern cookbook or even a grief book, since my uncle died about 6 years ago. But it wasn't. It was a collection of stories, SOUTHERN stories, from a woman living in Birmingham but who grew up in a small town in Mississippi. I love the South, and I love books about the South. My favorite book of all time is Gone With the Wind, so there ya go. This book embodies Southern values: faith, family, food, manners, and laughter. 

She chronicles specific memories from her childhood all the way through adulthood. In one particularly hilarious chapter, well, I won't ruin it for you, but suffice it to say I was crying and shaking with laughter. My husband was asleep and I was trying so hard not to wake him up with my laughing. Eventually I just put a pillow over my face and let it out. I had to get up out of the bed and leave the room I was laughing so hard. You'll know it when you get to it. The last chapter is a collection of recipes from the foods she mentions in the book. That's always a bonus! 

I recommend this book to anyone who lives in the South, is curious about life in the South, or likes to read. 

Book Review: The Book Thief

This book will be in theaters soon so I wanted to read it first. It had been on my to-read list for awhile, but I hadn't gotten around to it. Well, I should've read it earlier. I LOVED it. It's set in Nazi Germany and the narrator is Death. That in and of itself grabbed my attention. (I've been interested in books about the Holocaust and WWII ever since we read The Devil's Arithmetic in 7th grade.) What I didn't know was that the author was so good at writing. There were so many phrases that he used to describe settings and events that painted such a vivid picture in my mind. I wrote down the page numbers down so I could come back and fill y'all in, but then I had to turn the book back into the library. Whoops! I loved how Death described things and how he told the story. I loved how realistic it ended. I just loved it. It's been getting some pretty high praise for good reasons.

Letter to One Year Old Peyton

Dear Peyton,

          Here we are. Your first birthday. It seems like yesterday we brought you home as a tiny little guy. And yet, it seems like you’ve been a part of our family forever. I guess in a way you have. God knew you would be our little bundle of love since the beginning of time. Words can’t express how much we love and cherish you.

          You weigh 22 pounds and are 28 inches tall. Everyone tells us how adorable you are. You have the biggest blue eyes and little chubby cheeks. We say they’re “full of sugars” and then give you lots of kisses. I remember when you came home you were a tiny, skinny little baby who wouldn’t go to sleep unless I was holding you. Now you’re a beautiful, chubby little boy who sleeps all night in your crib in your own room.

          You had a little scare when you were born and then a few months later at Christmas time. You have a sacral dimple on you back and we had to get an xray of your spine to make sure there were no abnormalities. Obviously there weren’t. You also got RSV on Christmas Day. We ended up taking you to the emergency room and you stayed in the hospital a few days. It was so sad to see you with a tiny IV in your hand (and then foot), but you were such a trooper! Because of the RSV you get coughs and congestion more, but now we just give you a breathing treatment and send you on your way. We’re so thankful that nothing turned out to be too serious.

          You still take a bottle right now, but by the end of the month we hope to have you fully switched over to whole milk in a sippy cup. You LOVE to eat. You’ll eat Puffs, other baby snacks, and then anything else we give you. You’re very expressive. You can say “mama,” “dada,” “bye,” and “hi.” I swear I heard you say “thank you” after I gave you a snack one day. You’ll pick up a phone, hold it to your ear, and say “hi” or sometimes “hi dada.” When your food is all gone, you’ll look at us, and hold up your hands like you’re asking “where’d it all go?”

          I can’t quite tell yet what you’re really going to like as a toddler/preschooler. You really like computers and phones so maybe you’ll be a technology guy like your daddy. You also love to dance whenever you hear music so maybe you’ll be a music guy…like your daddy. Then again, you like to play with Kaleb’s cars so maybe you’ll be a car guy like your brother.

          I can already tell you’re going to be a very smart, sweet, curious boy. You love being held and wave to everyone. I love picking you up from the daycare or nursery because you get a huge grin on your face, crawl over to me, and hold your hands up to be picked up. You are such a joy, and we love being your parents.

Forever and always,

Mama and Daddy