Stormy

Gustav is on his way.

Thank goodness for Mark otherwise I'd be totally unprepared. I'm more the 'It's not gonna be that bad' type. We're pretty far inland so we usually get some wind and rain, but nothing really bad. That's the way to jinx us, huh? Knocking on my head right now.

I'm also Mrs. Last Minute and went to the store in my hometown today at 1:00, only to find that had closed up shop at 12:00. You snooze, you lose.

We do have a few batteries, a couple of working flashlights, a generator, and lots of junk food. Isn't that all you need?

I'll check in after Gustav leaves town.

Oh, and the book giveaway. The lucky winner is Cheryl! And it's her birthday weekend too! Cheryl, send your mailing address to me (frogola69@yahoo.com) and the book will be coming your way.

Want to win a book?

Do you like getting free stuff? Is the sky blue? Are you watching Olympic swimming competitions just to check out the guys’ hot bodies? Okay, so ‘yes’.

I’m joining in a little game started by Kia at ‘Good Enough Mama’. She had a children’s book giveaway, and I won a free book. Go me. So, now it’s up to me to ‘pay it forward’ and give a book of my own (or of John M’s own). Poor child doesn’t even know I’m raiding his bookshelf.

I’ve chosen the book, ‘Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale’. Sorry, I couldn’t part with the original ‘Rainbow Fish’ because it’s one of my favorites (oh yeah, I mean one of John M.’s favorites). I think ‘Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale’ is the third in the series and its lesson is one of seeing past physical differences and acceptance. It’s a sweet story and has beautiful artwork. And did I mention, it’s FREE!

If you would like to win it, for your kid (or yourself), you need to leave a comment. It doesn’t have to be about why you want the book, just any old comment will do. ‘I love cheese’, etc.

On Sunday August 31st, I will put all of the entrants’ names in a bowl and have John M. choose the winner.

If you’re the winner, you get the book and you get to ‘pay it forward’ with a book giveaway of your own. And maybe I’ll win yours and we can start this whole process again. Won’t that be fun?

Bits of Thanks

I notice these days I offer lots of short prayers, recognizing small things I’m thankful for during the day.

My mini-prayers usually go something like this ‘Thank you Lord for (fill in the blank here) being able to pick
Anna up from cheerleading’. Or ‘Thank you God for letting me find that (fill in the blank here) I was looking
for.’

I feel silly for doing it sometimes, but I figure a small prayer to recognize something good is better than no prayer at all. For someone who rarely makes it to church for one reason or another, it’s a step in the right direction.

I wonder, does anyone else do this? Let me know.

(The teachers at John’s school take pictures during the week and post them. He tends to look a little worried in each one.)

7th, 5th, Pre-School

Regrets

Any month, Any day, 2003

Dear Renee,

I know the girls make you crazy sometimes, fighting, arguing, not leaving your side for more than a couple of minutes at a time, whining, saying 'Mamaaaa' until you want to scream.

I know that sometimes it just seems like one more chore to go next door and visit with your grandparents and find out what's going on with their lives.

It's just a little too easy to walk across the yard and go and hang out with your mom and dad. You take it for granted every single day of your life.

But, one day all too soon, in just a few short years, so much of it will be taken away from you. So many of the people who formed who you are today will be gone. So will the innocence of your little girls; them needing you and wanting to spend every second with you. Don't take it for granted.

One day, very soon you'll want it all back so badly, it'll hurt your heart to think of how it used to be.