Blogging Experiment Ends

Do you see the little one in pinkish purple, running in the opposite direction of the others? That is how I feel. I'm the little one in pinkish purple, and I'm running in the wrong direction for my family.

I have had a family journal type of blog for a while, but thought I would give real blogging a try. I had dreams, visions, of possibly, eventually, supplementing our income in even a small way. I have learned so much, and am totally impressed with the busy mommas that make it work!

A month of this blogging education has taught me that I am probably NOT one of those mommas that can make it work. I feel my family has suffered a bit during my blogging adventure. I should spend a lot more time in my kitchen, around my homeschool table, and a lot LESS time online.

It has been fun, enjoyable, and I could see really getting into it. However, there are five little munchkins that God placed in my care, to raise as Godly young folks, to feed and nurture them responsibly. They are such a BLESSING. They deserve all of me, and not just a distracted, frazzled me.

God bless the beautiful women, the Christian wives and mothers and daughters who are blogging inspirations and give wonderful tips and advice for my earthly home and my spiritual encouragement! I truly appreciate the resources I find in the blogging world.

Thanks to the small group of followers, and the sweet comments I gathered in the last few weeks. It has been fun! God bless you all.

~Hannah, a very merry mommy

Brutal Honesty

Honesty is, of course, the best policy, but perhaps a little lesson on tactfulness should be added to the homeschool agenda. In the last 24 hours, I've heard the following statements come from the mouths of my babes:

*Mommy, it's time to do that thing you do to your hair. Those gray streaks are showing all through the front again.


*Daddy, it's too bad you have that great big hole in the back of your head where no hair grows.

Awwww, sweet and brutal honesty. :)

WWJD?

Two of my munchkins, brother and sister, were arguing, tugging on an empty box that they both wanted. Squabbling amongst the kiddos had been unusually high this week, so I sat them both down to discuss some fruits of the spirit - love, joy, peace, etc... We talked of being nice to one another, loving one another, and treating one another the way they wished to be treated. We spent time discussing the joys of sharing.

They both listened attentively, so I asked sister what she thought would make Jesus happy. She thought for a few seconds and confidently said, "I think it would make Jesus really happy if brother let me play with the box now."

***sigh***

Facebook Thoughts

Once upon a time, I thought Facebook was a waste of time. A silly time sucker. Definitely NOT for me. Then one day a BFF told me I should join, that it was really great and I would love it. Bound by the implied laws of BFFhood, I joined. And she was right, I loved it!

I spent a decade not knowing the whereabouts of some dear old friends. Now thanks to Facebook, I not only know where they are and what they are doing, I know what their kids look like, what kind of dog they have and what they ate for supper! It is a good thing especially for moms who spend most of their day conversing with munchkins.

It is amusing to observe what type of posters people are.

Vague posters: people who post simple fragmented phrases like "sick of it" or "well that figures" or something that makes you wonder what they are talking about but leaves you feeling like you are not important enough to know.

Detailed posters: people who post 5, 789 times a day, on every single thought that pops into their heads from the moment they stumble out of bed to the moment they crawl back into it.

Emotional posters: people whose posts are full of "OMG" and "LOL" and "ROFL" and "Bwahahaha" and "Squeeeee" and "Phhft" and "Woohoo" and so on.

Healthnut posters: people who love to tell you how much they have exercised, how many miles they have run, how many calories they have burned, how many hours they have spent at the gym.......they make me tired.

Philosophical posters: people who post quotes, esoteric thoughts, links to scientific articles, etc.... You know who you are. :)

Holy posters: people who feel it is their duty to personally save every Facebook friend from eternal damnation. Hey, I'm not judging, just observing. ;)

Tight lipped posters: people who rarely post and when they do, it's short, lacking in detail, to the point, with no unnecessary adjectives.

Unhappy in love posters: people who will never be happy with their boyfriend/girlfriend and feel the need to share their every thought on this subject with all their FB peeps on a daily basis.

Happy in love posters: people who share TOO MUCH INFORMATION about the love in their lives. Gross!

Salesman posters: people who never miss an opportunity to push their wares, be it tupperware, jewelry, makeup, organic cleaning supplies or acme wart removers. (Ok, admittedly, I've not seen any FB friends selling acme wart removers)

Photo happy posters: people who post 14 gazillion photos of everything from their baby's first smile to their weird Uncle Buford's ingrown toenail. A special breed of this type of poster is the "I-love-me-pic-happy-poster". The ones who post tons of pics of themselves, mostly standing in front of a mirror. Many of said pics are of a duck face pose. ***shudder*** Who ever came up with that?! Can we say STUPID or what? But I digress....

Spelling challenged posters: people who you never knew (until you knew them on Facebook) failed every spelling course they ever took. What about punctuation and capitalization? Don't get me started.

What type of Facebooker are you? I'm not sure what I am.

What type of Facebook Friender are you? I'm a bit reserved. I don't befriend every Tom, Dick or Sally that I met once in the bathroom at a ballgame in fifth grade. I prefer to keep my friend list at a more intimate level.

Are you a Facebook gamer? I have not gotten into the so & so needs a cow bell or so & so found a truffle or so & so scored a brilliant score on a word game thingy. Just not my cup of tea. In fact, it gives me great pleasure to click the "x" and "hide" these activities.

Some say Facebook is a complete waste of time. I disagree. And here's why.

Last year, my sweet niece Bella, who was about 18 months old at the time, became very sick. She was taken to the doctor several times, but they dismissed it as a viral bug that needed to run its course. Too late they discovered she had e coli poisoning. Her kidneys started to shut down and she was at death's door. Many did not believe she would survive. In a matter of seconds, thanks to a Facebook prayer request posts, friends all over this country began to pray for the healing of Bella. They put her on their church prayer lists and had their friends and family praying. Can you imagine how long it would have taken to track down that many people by phone? God did answer those prayers and sweet Bella is bouncing around today, and it is a blessing to have her tiny little arms about my neck for a hug.

I have also witnessed the answered prayer for healing for my Grandmother, who should have died from a serious cancer surgery, but survived and is cancer free! Many prayers have been answered for me and many of my Facebook friends. It is awesome, and makes my heart merry!

Almost Naked Day

Wow, that was close. One more day without doing the laundry and this cartoon would have been our reality. My heart is merry because for about 45 minutes, right between the end of supper and the bedtime snack, every single item in our household of seven is CLEAN. I know it won't last, but it sure feels good for a little while. Thank you, Lord, for plenty of clothes and modern day machines to keep them tidy!

Nosey Giggles

I watched this three times, and now have to meditate on the "I don't need another baby right now" thought.

This little one sure makes your heart merry! What a cutie-pie!

Fuzzy Wuzzy Chicks!

We stopped in the local farm store to look at the new baby chicks. Is there anything cuter than a fuzzy wuzzy chick?!!! Little yellow fluffy lumpy balls on two tiny orange stick legs, running about yelling, "CHEEP!" nonstop as if to say, "Buy me! Buy me! Buy me!" My goodness, it was tempting, but we are sardine impersonators at the moment. Adding another living, breathing creature to our living space is NOT an option. Besides, those cute little balls of fuzz are going to grow up and form a pecking order and brutally assault their own kind, and then they won't seem so darn cute. But I digress......

Here are a few recent quotes from my own little chicks, and no matter how big they get, they will always make my heart merry. :)

We were driving down a busy road when my eleven year old said, "Mommy, it's against the law to use your cruise control on this road. That sign said you will get a $250 fine for cruising!"

While walking around a busy store, my eight year old said, "Mommy, what does 'hoopauz' mean?" I had him repeat the word several times before I realized he had read "Whoop A$$" on a BBQ sauce bottle. Not being the time nor the place to get into this particular discussion, I told him it was sort of a naughty word. He said, "oh" and just went on to the next interesting thing in his line of vision. Man, I wish it were always that easy to answer their questions!

Fifteen minutes into our TWO THOUSAND MILE road trip, my four year old asked, "Mommy, are we almost there???"

My son was reading a book to his sisters, when the six year old started doing the popular potty dance. She took off running down the hall at top speed toward the bathroom and yelled, "PAUSE the book! I don't want to miss anything!" Maybe we should think about cutting back on TV/movie time.

My eight year old kept asking me where do you buy chlorine, and how much does it cost. After several days of questioning, I finally had to ask him why he wanted chlorine. He said because he wanted to smell good like daddy. It took me a few minutes to figure out he meant to say "cologne".

We have moved many times in the last few years, and lived in many states. After the last move, my four year old asked, "Mommy, have we ever lived on planet Earth?" Poor kid. Maybe we should think about putting down roots. On planet Earth, of course.

We were having a family discussion on the awesomeness that was Abraham Lincoln. I said that he was a "very good president". The six year old thought about that for a minute and said, "Oh. Then he and Obama would probably fight a lot." Smart kid. :)

Yesterday we drove passed a McDonalds and my 18 month old squealed, "ICE CWEAM!!!!!". That, my friends, is equal parts funny AND sad. I'm not at all sure an 18 month old should be able to recognize a McDonalds from her carseat, OR that she should know that you get ice cream there. That mommy-of-the-year-award is slipping away again. :/

Oh, life is fun. My heart is merry. :)