Sacrifice

In life we often choose to make personal sacrifices to better our family.  And as my brother recently reminded me... Sometimes we end up sacrificing ourselves AND our family to the cause, company, etc.  This can especially happen if you are a people pleaser, have a type A personality, are obsessive about things, and always give 110%.

Last year I took a part time job to help pay my sons private school tuition.  For the first time in my life instead of taking over the world I really stuck to boundaries I had set up to preserve family life. Over a year later the job is not so flexible and pushing full time. It was time to make a choice about my personal goals for my family and myself.  Although I really enjoyed the work and am sure I could have been successful in the future, after much contemplation I felt the apple I had selected to feed my family was now poisoning my family.
My husband has always done well enough for us to be comfortable, even spoiled and sometimes careless.  Compared to many I don't have the right to complain.  Although new sacrifices will have to be made, I look forward to carefree summer of picnics and free concerts in the park.

Summer Cravings! Lime Cream Vanilla?

OK, it really has been a long rainy winter here in the NW and it doesn't look to end soon. Because as we all know the sun doesn't come out up here until July 5th.   After 13 years the rain and clouds are really getting to me this season and I worried I might be depressed.  Turns out I am not the only one.  It's been much colder here and apparently the weatherman has charts to prove I am not crazy! 

And so I continue on... chasing bits of blue sky in hope of feeling that sun on myself.  In the meantime, I am officially diagnosing myself with scurvy because the only thing I seem to crave lately is lime....

 All this time I thought there was nothing better than nice cold Coke and Lime!  Until one day antique shopping with my Dad we stopped at a 7-11 to let Awsumb pick out a little treat and what do I find....

SUMMERTIME LIME!  The new Lime Cream Vanilla Slurpee!  I don't even like Slurpee's but the boys do and in the summer I will occasionally get a small one.  Well, my obsession led us to a late night hunt this weekend for a 7-11 in our neighborhood that is carrying this new flavor.  And boy was it worth it!  YUM!

And you know what this means... It's will be my number one flavor on the 2011- Free Slurpee Day - Brain Freeze Rally!  That's right, mark your calendar's, it's coming up.  July 11th Free Slurpee Day at 7-11. Contest rules coming soon... (click to read about 2010's Epic Free Slurpee Run!) We hope your family will join us as we see how many free Slurpee's it's takes to freeze your brain!

SUCK FOR YOUR LIVES!

So today we stopped for lunch at Taco Time, which just happens to be the chosen restaurant in our area to debut Coke Freestyle.  Have you tried these new soda dispensers?  What's not to love about a high tech - touch screen soda machine with over 100 choices.. mix and match for unlimited combinations!

So as I am trying to convince my son to try a Lime Rickey (Sprite, Grape Syrup and Lime) it comes to me... A Lime Vanilla Diet Coke...  2/3rds Diet Coke and Lime, 1/3 Diet Coke and Vanilla!  PERFECTION!

What's your favorite soda combination?

Easter

Look at these cute 'sushi peeps' (rice krispy treats wrapped in fruit rollups) some friends dropped off today.  Everybody loves springtime... there's baseball, tulips, daylight savings time, chocolate bunnies and of course, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus.

 

Many years ago a friend of mine brought over this Easter basket filled with numbered eggs, which are filled with small objects and slips of paper that tell about the Resurrection of Jesus.  Every year we turn to the basket for a quick object lessons at church and family home evening.  Kenneth usually shares it with his home teaching families.  I am often asked if I have a copy of the scriptures, so here you are...

Egg 1: One sacrament cup (Matt. 26:39)

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Egg 2: Three dimes (Matthew. 26:14)

“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”

Egg 3: Twine with knots in it (Matt. 27:1)

“When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”

Egg 4: A piece of soap (Matt. 27:24)

“When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”

Egg 5: Square of red fabric (Matt. 27:28)

“And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.”

Egg 6: Nail (Matt. 27:31)

“And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.”

Egg 7: Two dice (Matt. 27:35)

“And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there.”

Egg 8: Tiny rocks (Matt. 27:50, 51 & 54)

“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.”

Egg 9: Strip of white cloth (Matt. 27:57)

“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathæa, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”

Egg 10: A stone (Matthew 27:65)

“Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

Egg 11: Tiny bag of spices (Mark 16:1-4)

“And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.”

Egg 12: An empty egg (Mark 16:5-6)

“And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.”

What does your family do to remember the Ressurection?

Popcorn, Peanuts, Cracker Jacks!

Awsumb, Kenneth and Wendy

August 2003 Safeco Field

Baseball season is finally here!  You know you have been season ticket holders too long when you have favorite ushers and you know the vendors at the stadium and all their little silly rhymes... When Awsumb was in preschool the teacher reported he loved to play with the toy cash register and yell, "Beer, here!" 

I don't know what it is about baseball, but I just love it!  I always have... though Kenneth will beg to differ because his memories of me as a teenager watching baseball were more about me reading a fashion magazine and not paying attention to the game at all.  Kenneth and I often argue about what our first "date" was because we didn't "date" so much as become friends and decide to get married.  But one of our earliest memories of each other is when on family vacation our parents planned for us all to meet up at a Dodgers-Cubs game in the 80's. I still have my ticket stub!

But that's just the thing... Baseball isn't just baseball, it's being out in the open air on a warm summer evening.  Even if you don't like sports, how can you not love an evening at the ballpark?

To some people baseball might seem slow or even boring...  which honestly might be some of the reasons I like it - there is plenty of time for me to talk AND figure out what's going on!  Actually, it's really a game of strategy and I think that's why I love it so much!  It's all about the figures, numbers and stats!

Baseball is like a good novel...  introduce characters, set up a basic plot, add a twist and hope for a happy ending!

The game of baseball is not unlike a lifelong, well-worn, comfortable love affair: After a time, you know what to expect, but you can never predict what will happen. You also learn how to forgive," writes Anna Holmes on Why Smart Women Love Baseball

As Kenneth and I come up on 16 years of marriage we are like a baseball game, well worn and comfortable.  And although we know what we can expect from each other, we can never predict what will happen next - and yes, we both have learned how to forgive!

From little league to major league I rather be at the ballpark than just about anywhere else on a summer evening!  I'm not alone, baseball is often referred to as The Great American Pastime and just maybe it really does have magical powers to heal broken hearts as it did after 9/11 as seen in Nine Innings From Ground Zero.

I do have one pet peeve regarding baseball...If you know what's good for you - you'd better remove that sticker from your cap!

Awesome!

I guess my little guy is getting too old for Easter pictures with his little argyle sweater vest.  But I had to get some spring portraits so I grabbed his new baseball hat, favorite new comic book and we ran out the door to get a couple snaps from the quick photo place at the mall. 

Definitely a smug-mug... but too cute for words! 

 Awsumb just happened to be wearing this shirt today...

he would wear it everyday if I let him!

I just love that every time Awsumb gets a new hat

that's a little big, it make his ears stick out! 

I am not sure who wanted this book more,

Awsumb or Daddy,

but as soon as I saw it I knew it would

be coming home to live with us! 

The Complete Peanuts 

Vol. 1 by Charles Shulz

Vintage comics in chronological order...

Awsumb was just as fascinated by these old Peanuts strips

as the first time he saw original drawings of Mickey Mouse

Little Slugger

All too grown up!

Awesome catch!

You can never buy just one!

Click Summertime to read about the reason I started taking my own props for pictures

Dangerous things you should let your children do...

Remember when you played in that empty field or lot near your house? Remember when you rode your bike until you were lost and had to find your way home?  Remember when you played outside until dark?  Remember when you discovered where Dad kept the fireworks in the garage?

We fill our kids schedules with classes and team sports,  make them wear bike helmets and football pads to play on anything with wheels.  Why are we sheltering our kids so much today and what from?  Is the world really so different?  Of course we want our kids to be safe.  But maybe we are limiting exploration and free play a little too much.  It's time to rethink some of our restrictions...

Read  50 Dangerous Things (You should let your children do) by Gever Tulley



In Jean Liedloff's book, The Continuum Concept, she reflects on time spend living with Stone Age Indians in South America.  She observed that without boundaries although there were many dangers like pits, fire, knives, etc. Babies quickly learn to avoid such literal pitfalls and young children are taught and trusted to use what we would consider dangerous tools, safely. 

My father said he always knew when my brother had gotten into things in the garage (Uh hum.. fireworks)... but he felt letting him have the freedom to explore that a bit kept him from getting into bigger trouble.

Awsumb's Uncle sent him a fancy pocket knife for his birthday when he was 8... although we had all the safety talks and demos... it still took him getting a small cut while he was working on something alone one day for him to learn the full lesson...

OK, So I am not ready to let my 9 year old take the subway alone in NYC... But, I did let my son cook his own breakfast in the toaster oven this morning...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Read my review of Nurture Shock

What do you remember doing that you would never let your kids do today? 

What things do you think we need to let our kids do again?

Killer UNO RULES!

Coming up on 16 years and here's another piece to The Love Story. You could say that if it wasn't for Killer UNO! I wouldn't have married Kenneth.  I always loved to play games, but after the preteen years I just didn't play games very often.  I had gone out with Kenneth a couple times 'just because' and one lazy Sunday afternoon while a friend and I were visiting Kenneth called and invited us over for Game Night, which was a weekly Sunday occasion at the Hardy house.  "No way," I protested to my friend... "He is such a NERD!"  But my friend thought it would be fun to see Kenneth's brother Greg, and it wasn't like we had much else to do.... And that's the beginning of my metamorphose into a Board Game Geek.

After 16 years we have decided these are the most balanced rules...

UNO! Awsumb-Hardy House Rules

1. Dealing- Begin with 2 UNO decks. Dealer chooses how many cards are dealt. (1-?) (Wendy is known for dealing only one card, leaving all players scrambling to quickly turn over their cards and scream UNO! Often a game will end there, other times a one card deal leads to a very long game- it just depends on the cards in the deck!)

2. Play- Play starts with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise until reversed. Play begins the second the dealer flips the first card. (You may flip the top card before all players are ready, or make sure your own cards are in order first! This can be used as strategy because matches may be played immediately after the play begins.  Kenneth is known for not sorting his cards as strategy to mix up the person who may receive them later in the game.)

3. Draw 'til you play. If a player has no legal card to play, the play must continue to draw from the pile until a playable card is drawn. Shuffle as needed. If you draw Wild cards, you don't have to play them but you must play the first matching color card you draw.

4. Matching- Any player can play out of turn if you can make an exact match to the current card. Play then continues from that person on, skipping the players in between the last played card and the match. If you have two identical cards in your hand then you can play both at the same time. This is particularly good when it is 2 (identical) draw-cards, or 2 (identical) reverse cards, etc. (2 Reverse= no change. 2 Skip = skip 2 players)

5. Match and play- A variation of the matching rule is to allow the person who matched to match and then play a legal card from their hand, giving them an extra turn. (This rule is controversial, so it is optional.)

6. Draw Stacks- Any Draw card starts a draw stack. Instead of drawing the appropriate cards, a player may “fight” with another draw card, ADDING to the draw effects and sending it on to the next player. You can “fight” a draw with any Draw Two, Reverse, Skip or a Wild Draw Four. Normal color rules apply. The number cards and the standard Wild card cannot be played in the draw stack. (Skip cards may also be stacked, sending the skip around the table)

7. Wild Cards- In normal play, you can play a Wild Draw Four, even if you have any of the appropriate color available. When playing any Wild card, in normal play or in the stack, you must still declare the new color and cannot use the same color.

8. Sixes & Nines- Sixes and nines may be played interchangeably. Beware, if you are caught you must draw six or nine!

9. Pass on Zero- When any one of the "0" cards are played everyone must pass their hand to the adjacent person in the direction of play. Only after a swap or draw stack has completed is a final winner determined… and it may NOT be the person who originally “played their last card.”

10. Switch on Zero- A variation for the “0” card is to allow the player who plays the “0” the option of switching hands with another player.

11. Going Out- Be cautious of playing a draw card or a “0” as your final card, it will trigger additional action! The hand does not end until play is resolved and, if you end up drawing cards, play will continue.

12. Scoring- The winner is the one who gets rid of all their cards first, and then everyone "counts" their remaining cards (as in the usual game- remaining numbers are added together, Draw Two, Reverse, Skip or Wild - 20 points; Wild Draw Four- 50 points). The game stops when the first player gets to 500, and the one with the lowest score wins!

13. Pirates- In honor of Little Awsumb (Optional) Players must cheat – Suggested methods include, but are not limited to…

looking at other players' hands, playing two or more cards at once to get rid of them faster,

hiding cards anywhere you can (up sleeves, under the table or back on the deck),

playing the wrong card when no one is looking (if caught player draw that # of cards),

passing and not playing cards you may want to keep for a future draw stack…

Players must use pirate voices and say "arggh" a lot (adds to the atmosphere)

Killer UNO servers as a really good 'gateway game' to introduce new friends to our board game nights and our ever growing collection of good quality strategy board games.

What are your House Rule variations?

Washing Stuffies

Official instructions will tell you to spot clean a stuffed animal.  But when you live with OCD and severe allergies this just isn't going to cut it!  I have successfully been regularly washing my child's favorite furry companions over the past 10 years.

When the preschool class Teddy Bear came for a visit at our house, Teddy had to go through a full decontamination process. Whoever came up with that idea, to pass Teddy around... oh, how did I want to wring their neck!  To think of all the homes it had been to simple gave me a panic attack. And to top it off, he came with a full suitcase of blankets, clothes and things the kids had donated to the furry bundle of cooties... I mean, come on, that's what it was. Included with the bear was a journal of all the homes he had been to and places he had been, the movie theater, camping, etc. Yuck, yuck, yuck!  I totally washed that thing to death - along with all it's belongings gambling that it wouldn't fall apart!

Before washing always check the seams and make any repairs needed.

Wash in zippered pillow case.  This will contain the stuffing in case it falls apart.  If you use a thick flannel, it can also keep things like the eyes from getting scratched. I learned that lesson the hard way after I washed The Grinch.  Just a few scratches of his eyes and he looked like a green devil.  Thus, he was no longer fun to hold  and sadly, he was eventually used as some sort of joke gift!

Use fabric softener or dryer sheets and they might even come out softer than before!

The high heat of a drying cycle can also kill dust mites and other cooties.

Other alternatives include:  Spot cleaning, which was the best I could do with the beloved Bob the Builder because he contained a sound box... Eventually we just had to put him to rest.

Sprinkle baking soda in a large paper sack, enclose stuffy inside and shake to freshen bad odors.

Freeze stuffies for a day or two.  But this one breaks my rules about contamination.

And finally, regularly vacuuming stuffed animals and other things that can't be washed is always a good thing.

I was just thinking that keeping them each enclosed in individual Ziplock bags would be a great idea... But as any literate Kmart shopper knows:

Warning: To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages or playpens. The plastic bag could block nose and mouth and prevent breathing. This bag is not a toy.

My final tip about stuffed animals is where to keep them. I purchased coordinating laundry basket to act as a sort of "dog bed" for Awsumb's stuffed animals.  And finally - don't be afraid to throw them out!  No matter how much they are loved, if it became too contaminated I would toss one in a heartbeat!  Seeing kids drag around filthy blankets and stuffed animals is just beyond gross to me.  Because I know this can be hard on a little one I do my best to help my son keep his most favorites safe. 

How you do keep your kids stuffed animals clean and contained?

Meet Rusty

As I rescued Rusty, yet again from another fate worse than death, I realized I needed to photograph this little guy.  Awsumb has many stuffies and loves them all equally. There is probably a top 10, but he rotates through them all pretty regularly. Wherever you find Awsumb you will also usually find 2 or 3 of these furry creatures around, just to keep him company while he reads or plays with toys.  But none of them compare to his beloved Rusty, with his oversized head, pouty little face, floppy ears and rust colored fur.

When Awsumb was just a baby and could finally sit in the front of the shopping cart we took a trip to Fred Meyer and found this classic stuffed puppy with babysoft fur.  Although Awsumb was too little to understand I handed him this tiny stuffy and said, "If you can hold onto him until the checkout stand, you can keep him." He squeezed him tight all the way through the store and just as we were getting in line he dropped him on the floor.  Nonetheless... Rusty came home to live with us that day.

Since that time Rusty has been a faithful companion to Awsumb. He often went unnoticed because he was small.  But as the years went by it became apparent that he was special.  Awsumb reserved him for times he needed the most personal comfort.  Awsumb carries him around and holds him by his neck, in which after all these year the stuffing has completely broken down.  Rusty is so tiny that he can be jammed into a pocket or at the bottom of a bag.

Unbenounced to me he went to many firsts with Awsumb, including the first week of 1st Grade. Although, Awsumb had been in preschool for 3 years he just had to have his most treasured companion with him when he went to the big new school.  At the end of the week when I discovered he had been hiding him in his backpack everyday I questioned Awsumb. Because of my contamination issues I was pretty upset that he had taken him out of the house without asking permission.  His reponse was, "I kept him in my backpack so I would know he was there, just in case I needed him."

Because he is just a little guy I don't think I have ever caught him in a photo with Awsumb. And because Awsumb treasures him so, he is usually tucked away safely in his room.  Rusty has survived many trips through the washing machine and is softer than the day we brougtht him home.  I hope Awsumb has him to love forever!

My little brother had a stuffed dog name Woofy.  My Auntie had a favorite doll Tookie.  I named all my baby dolls Mary because she was the mother of Jesus.  What do you remember about your favorite stuffy?

Update: It's all worth it when you find a little note on your bed.  We took Awsumb to the batting cages today And all I'll say about it is that it was epic and I still feel contaminated!

"Thanks for the fun things today. Thank you for cleaning Rusty, I was very worried. You two can share him for the night, you earned it.  :)  Love, Awsumb"

Oh, and he gave me two Zingers snack cakes. (Which have recently become a hot commodity around our house.)

The Story of the World

Awsumb as Indiana Jones - March 2011

In his quest to become an archaeologist I suggested Awsumb read all he can about history.  When his Hardy Grandparents sent money for Christmas I was excited to finally purchase a series of books I found out about through home school moms.  The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer is a great series for young elementary age kids.  You can purchase workbooks to go along with them, but I just wanted them to be fun reading. I figured we could read a chapter together each day, but Awsumb was so excited about them that he has gone ahead without me and just finished Volume 1.  Each chapter he has been so excited to share what he is learning as he connects things from his life in modern times, current events and religion.  I am so excited about HIS excitement.

When Awsumb read the chapter on the young King Tut he said, "Mom, King Tut died at age 18. The book didn't say how... I just have to know how, he was so young!  Was it disease?  What?" The next day checked out and read three children's books about King Tut from the school library.

I am so thrilled for his hunger for knowledge and glad he has a love of reading.  These would be great books to read together as a family with young children to inspire them to learn more about history.

I recently read  A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It's a quick read or a fun listen as an audio book.  Check out the children's book he wrote, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything.  It begins with the Big Bang to What Now?  Awsumb also received this at Christmas and loves leisurely looking through the bright illustrations.

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Hardy!