A NEW WILD OLIVE PLUG

I've said it before, and I will say it again! Wild Olive Tees ROCK! When I posted about them before, you guys mentioned that they didn't have "big" (your words, not mine!)girl sizes. Well, they do now! Another thing, since my last Wild Olive plug, I have placed my own order. I am here to tell you, not only do the tees rock, but the customer service rocks even more!

Also this month they are donating a portion of the proceeds to Love Without Boundaries which is an awesome charity helping sweet children in China. It is no secret how burdened my heart is for the orphans in China. So, if there is a way to help them, I am all for it!

So go over and check out the cool t-shirts! They have a few new designs you wont want to miss. And if anyone wants to buy me one, I wear a size L, thankyouverymuch.

YO, YO, YO

Today I took a break from the computer. I feel like I waste so much time sitting with the laptop in my lap. So I shut 'er down. Honestly, I was productive, but not nearly as much as I thought. Turns out, I found many other useless things to waste time on. My daughter's corn rows being one of them.

That's right, corn rows. She watched Ni Hao, Kai-lan and I braided her hair. She actually looked darn cute for a gangsta.



Look at her:

Of course, after hours of having tight little corn rows, her hair was a hot mess. As crazy as it was, she loved it "curly". Remember going to bed with braids so when you woke up, it would be "curly"? That is one of my favorite childhood memories. Anywho...check her out:



Don't be jealous.

OUR LITTLE SCHOOL

Most of you know that we homeschool. We started a couple of years ago (wow, that seems crazy) when Jackson was four. Four. Jeez, it blows my mind how quickly time passes. Anyway, we started out slow, taking our time working through the assignments. We have let "life" teach a lot of the lessons, while working on math and phonics. It has been nice and slack relaxed.

Jackson has wrapped up kindergarten and will officially begin first grade (he has been doing some first grade work already). While we have grown quite used to the pace we have taken, it is hardcore time. We (and by we, I mean me) have decided that year round school will work best for us. Jackson is a "use it or lose it" kind of kid. Also, we tend to take lots of five three day weekends. First grade is no joke, though. We even have to register with the state!

Julianna will also officially start preschool too. So it will be fun learning to balance teaching them both. Haha, I say fun, what I really mean is nuts. Throw Jameson into the mix and I may need some drugs. Strong drugs.

So in preparation for our new school year to begin, I worked in my school room today. I organized and cleaned the mess we left it in two weeks ago. It is now neat, clean and organized! I am ready to start! Now to just convince Jackson. Maybe I will take this week and ease him into it, lol. Here are a couple of pictures of my sweet, little school. [Our Last Name] Christian Academy.

DIVORCE

I have been thinking about divorce lately, and just how destructive it is. I have a friend (and I use that term very loosely) that is divorced. She has two small children, about Jackson and Julianna's age, that she and her ex husband share custody of. She is living the way probably half of America is living.

I just can't wrap my mind around this way of life. My "friend", Sara*, seems completely ok with not having her kids half the time. In fact, she seems to use her time away from them to "live it up". I have to be honest here, if I had to send my kids off for a weekend, or a week, or lord help me, a holiday? I would DIE. It isn't that I wouldn't trust them with Brad, I absolutely would. I would just miss so much. I would feel so empty. Then, eventually, Brad would meet someone new. That someone new would be around my kids all the time, stepping in as their mommy. Oh lord, it makes me cringe to even go there.

I understand that people get divorced all the time. I also understand that this kind of thing has been happening for a very long time. I, myself, am from a broken family. However, just because this seems to be America's norm, it doesn't make it right. We are so selfish and self-involved, that when we become unhappy with our spouses, it doesn't matter who we hurt when we leave them. As long as we are happy in the end, right?

Fortunately, I have an awesome marriage and an awesome husband. However, it did not start out that way. The first couple of years were torture. We were both miserable. But, we made a commitment to each other and to God Himself. For better or worse, and there was a lot of "worse" in the beginning. But now, it is all "better" and I am so glad we stuck it out.

If things were to turn ugly, I can tell you what I wouldn't do - I wouldn't leave my family. I have three little ones counting on me. Counting on me to be an example. Counting on me to teach them what is right. Counting on me to show them that when things don't go our way, we don't run. We stick it out, we honor our commitments. We fight for what we believe in. We rely on Jesus to help us through the hard times.

Remember the post on the Fruits of the spirit? I believe that with patience and love (and a lot of forgiveness), you can make a marriage work, no matter what.

*names changed

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

I started this as something completely different. As I finished up the post, I realized that Jesus was telling me to take a completely different route to share this story, so that is what I am doing...

What are the fruits of the spirit anyway? The term comes from Galatians 5:22-23, and it says that you will know someone is a Christian because they will exhibit these attributes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Hm. Self control. I struggle a bit with this one (well, with some others too, but we will save those for another day, lol). Here's a little story for you. Recently, I was given a new medication for migraine prevention. One of the side effects of this medication is weight loss. I am going to be honest, once I knew that, I no longer cared about the migraine part. I was so stoked that I could get a little pill that would make me lose weight and help prevent headaches too! So I ran took the prescription to the pharmacy to be filled.

So I started the medicine that night. I woke up Saturday morning and weighed. LOL. I don't really know what made me think it would work that quickly, but whatever. Anyway, over the course of the next few days, I started feeling very peculiar. I noticed that all soda tasted totally flat (GASP. What would I do with out my DEW?). My hands started tingling. No big deal, I was told to expect some of that. However, the more time went on, the more I started to flake out. I couldn't speak right. In the shower I tried to move my leg and only my foot moved. I constantly felt like I was drunk. It got worse and worse. Not to mention, my headaches were worse. I was so out of sorts, at one point during my bible study last Friday, I asked my friend if I was drooling on myself. LOL. I really felt like something was terribly wrong.

So I stopped taking it. I feel like a new person. Once the fog lifted, I started thinking. I was relying on a drug to make me have self control. I couldn't, or wouldn't, control myself. I knew the bible commanded it, and I wanted self control, but not if it meant I had to well, actually control myself. LOL. So I was excited that I finally was going to have something that made me. I wouldn't have to diet, I could just take this little pill, and I would just lose weight. I thought it would be that easy.

I wonder what Jesus would think of that? "Yeah, it is easy to be a Christian as long as I have a pill to make me behave like one. I can't do it on my own." I don't believe that attitude would make Him proud. I don't believe that is making any real sacrifice. We are to live as Christ, but what if we don't have a neat little pill to do it for us?

"FAKE NAILS"

This morning unbeknownst to me, my four year old climbed up on the counter to get a cup out of the cabinet. While up there, she spotted a pack of little girl press on nails on top of the refrigerator. Now, keep in mind, the nails were on top of the fridge for a reason. You see, I have learned the hard way that my sweet little girl might have touch of OCD (I can't imagine where she gets that from). Anyway, even polish makes my sweet little angel crazy. She goes berserk gets a little annoyed if the polish gets even slightly chipped. She stomps her feet, demanding always asks politely to have them repolished. So, I knew that press on nails would be a thorn in my her side. However, she found them, and that was that. Considering the fact that she got them for Christmas, I figured I had hid them long enough and I knew it was just a matter of time anyway.

So I sit her on the counter and we get started. Immediately the OCD kicks in she loved them! I told her they would not stay on for very long. She mentioned that she wanted to wear them to church -ON WEDNESDAY. I politely shared with her that they would not last five minutes until Wednesday, but try to enjoy them while they did. Soon, the boys came in, and joined the fun. It was actually pretty funny. Jackson told me not to take his picture. LOL! I told him that was not an option, and he said, "Well, at least don't put it on the internet." HA! Does he not know me at all? Does he not realize I was going to do that immediately after I was done? For what its worth, the nails didn't even last long enough for me to upload the pictures. Imagine that. As I was leaving the kitchen, she was shrieking, with all the drama she could muster, "Mom! My fake nails are coming offfffffff!" I probably fixed them 12 times in five minutes. Anyway, so here are a few pictures of the ordeal fun.

Moments before the OCD kicks in:



Wait for it:


Here it comes:


She just can't handle it:


She is her mother's child, already trying to figure out how to get them off:


The boys in on the action:



Next up, the hair salon. Yes, I am full aware that all three of my children need it. Thankyouverymuch.

COULD I BE A DANIEL?

I just began the Beth Moore bible study, Daniel. Most of us probably remember hearing the story of Daniel when we were kids. How Daniel was cast into a den of lions, and the lions left him alone. What we probably don't remember (or ever knew) was what kind of man Daniel was. Well, I have only begun to scratch the surface of Daniel's story, but it has already cut deep through my heart.

I never, in a million years, would have guessed that I would marry a pastor. I am sure most people that knew me would not have guessed that either. Well, along came Brad and the rest is history. With Brad being in the ministry, I quickly realized that I couldn't be myself with a lot of the people we hung around with. I started referring to myself during those times as "Church Michele". Sadly enough, that name has stuck around, and I have still found myself using it. For instance, even right now, I have friends from our current church that I can be myself with and I have friends that I have to be "Church Michele" with. Up until tonight, I never saw anything wrong with that.

During my bible study tonight Beth Moore was talking about integrity and the decisions we make living in our world today. She said, "The lifeblood of integrity is becoming the same person no matter where we are - no matter who's around." Hm. Think she might have been talking to me? She went on to say that integrity depends on consistency and it calls you not only to live inside out, but it keeps the outside from coming in. In the world today, I want to do all I can to keep the world out. Every where we look morality is dissolving around us. We have to be consistent with our morals and keep our eyes on Jesus, or the world is going to swallow us whole.

I am going to strive to be "Church Michele" all the time. That isn't a bad thing. That is an awesome thing. I feel so ashamed that for so long, I used that term so negatively. I want every ounce of my being to be "Church Michele". I want to be culturally relevant without becoming spiritually irrelevant. I want to live a life of integrity.

I want to be a Daniel.

THE SAME BABY DADDY

Contrary to what one might believe. When I was pregnant with Jameson, I remember saying, "I hope my new baby looks just like Jackson." I really thought he would. I mean how could we have two boys that looked so completely different? I don't know, but I do know this - they are both stinkin cute!

*note - please do not look at how filthy my little guy's shirt is, lol!*

MPBC PRAISE BAND

Can I brag on my husband again? It wasn't long ago, that I posted Passion. Well, since the Passion Play, my hubby and the praise band have been hard at work making our worship service, well, worshipful. Every. Single. Sunday. The presence of Jesus is amazing! Honestly, it is very easy to give my hubby and the band credit, but it isn't really them that make the service so powerful. Sure, they are instruments, but God Himself orchestrates it all. And man! He never misses a beat, does He? Watch. Listen. Experience. Worship.

~*~ Make sure you pause my playlist at the bottom of the blog before playing the video. ~*~

WE HAVE A WEINER!

WOW! My first ever bloggy give away was such a success (note the dripping sarcasm)! With the overwhelming response, I had to use random.org to keep the giveaway fair (ok, sarcasm aside, I really did use random.org to generate the winner. 'Cause I am fair like that.)

So the winner of the very cute hair clippy from BriarClaire is... drumroll please... JNet! WOO HOO! Jnet, I will email you to get your mailing address. And if you ever decide to have a give away of your own and you feel like making my little girl a Daisy Dreams Dress, she wears a size 6.

Thanks for entering guys! Congrats Jnet! And sorry to the rest of the girls that didn't win!