Random Act of Kindness

I desperately needed to go to the grocery store today. We were in need of some essentials like bananas (I am surprised R hasn't morphed into one of these yet), milk, tissue with lotion for my very sore nose, etc... I usually do all of my shopping at Target, but my Mom convinced me to go to Tom Thumb yesterday. She had told me they have these family size Lean Cuisine dinners, but there not Lean Cuisine..they are a Safeway Brand and therefore much cheaper then Lean Cuisine! Score...Easy, Healthy and relatively inexpensive! All things dear to my heart right now! I also found in that same Brand ( I believe it is Eating Right) some canned whole wheat ravioli. I decided to pick up a few cans and see if Ryder would have anything to do with it...and he LOVED it! Super Score, because he has become a Very Picky Eater! I usually avoid Tom Thumb because I have in my head that it is more expensive then Target or Kroger, but by looking for the Red Tags, I spent about the same or maybe a little less.

OK, on to the point of the Blog Title. By the time we finished at the store, it was lunchtime and I was really wanting me some ChickaFlicka aka Chick-fil-a. Ryder won't eat Chick-fil-a no matter how many times I try, so I had already decided to just get myself the Chargrilled Fruit Salad that I so dearly love and go home to fix his lunch. I pull into the parking lot and the drive-thru line is wrapped around the building. So we sit...I wanted this salad really bad and we sit some more. I order and when I get up to the window I hold out my money for the lady. She says, "No Ma'am I don't need your money, the Car in front of you paid for your meal, too". I was confused and said, "On purpose?". She said, "Yes". Wow. So, I told her I would pay for the Car behind me. She said, "No, you don't want to do that, they have a huge order.". So now, I am looking for a way to randomly make someone's day and pay forward the good deed that was bestowed on me! Just puts a smile on your face!

Fingers Crossed

I am keeping my fingers crossed that my first trimester woes are starting to wind themselves down. I have had some horrible "Evening" Sickness. Honestly, I should be thankful that it is only evening hours, because if my memory serves me correctly with Ryder it lasted more of the day. This morning, I actually thought I might want a special treat from my Tassimo machine. For those of you unaware, a Tassimo makes hot tea/latte/cappucino/hot chocolate with the push of a button. For the last six weeks just the vision of that machine made me want to gag, much less the idea of actually drinking something out of it. I gave the water tank a good scrub down this morning and fixed myself a decaf peppermint mocha and it tasted delish! I was so excited!

To boot, I have been suffering with an icky cold since Saturday evening and am thanking goodness for my husband and mother-in-law. They both took Ryder off my hands so I could get some much needed rest. Feeling up to coffee was a high note for me this morning, since just two nights ago I was dry-heaving into the toilet and blowing an endless amount of yuck out of my nose. So sorry for the graphics, but that was a LOW note for me! Anyway, keep your fingers crossed along with me that this morning is not just a fluke and my husband and son can have their real Wife and Mom back very soon! LOL!

Mom...You better Look Behind You!

We decided to make a trip to the Dallas Aquarium yesterday! I have always heard amazing things about the place and Matt had friends visiting from McAllen, TX, so we thought it would be a fun place to take them. Ryder LOVED it! He got really excited, laughed at all of the animals and sea creatures and bounced up an down in his stroller! Its great for adults, too! Lots of very interesting things to see! I was a little nervous when we got there because there was a sign posted saying they were expecting 600 students for the day. Luckily, we got there just after lunch so most of the field trips were winding down and we were able to easily maneuver through the exhibits. Matt was attempting to take our picture in the top photo, but Ryder seems to be a little more interested in what was going on behind us and not the camera!

Lent

Today marks the beginning of the season on Lent, the forty days leading up to Easter. Lent is the time of year where we turn away from those things that block our relationship with God and others. I always get excited this time of year because it means Spring is finally on it's way. In fact, the word Lent comes from the word "Lencten" which means "Spring".

Every Ash Wednesday I "Give up" some vice I have for Lent. This year I decided it would be Facebook. I spend countless hours perusing the social networking site. I can not resist being nosy into other people's lives. Sure, I have touched base with friends I haven't seen in years, but that is pretty much the extent of it. Nothing more, no lunches, no lets get together; just a nice exchange of good to see you!

I was laying in bed awake last night trying to think of something that would really be a sacrifice for me to give up. Obviously, Facebook is what I came up with. Superficial, maybe...but it is something I look forward to every day. Logging on and checking in on the status of all those people I know or may have encountered at least a few times in my life. Even though I have made no long lost reunion connection, it somehow passes Ryder's nap-time hours away.

In the past, I have given up things like "Diet Coke". But, isn't Lent supposed to be spent becoming aware of our sins and the promise of forgiveness...a time when we turn away from those things that block us from God. In reality, how does not drinking a Diet Coke bring me closer to God? I guess the same could be said in Facebook. How does perusing a social networking site keep me from God? I'm not sure that it directly does, but indirectly I am sure the time I spend there does.

Today I thought to myself, what if I spent the time I normally spend on Facebook doing something productive, praying, or helping others? How much more worthwhile would I feel?
How much less stressed out would I be if I wasn't finishing up my Bible Study at 10:00 PM the night before class because I didn't finish earlier due to my incessant reading of Facebook statuses? How great would it be to finish all of my work reports during the day and not spend time on them at night after my husband gets home? After all, I don't get to see that much of him during the week anyway. How great would it be to say YES when my husband asks me if I've said my prayers as I am running around like a Chicken with my Head cut off? Maybe, just maybe I won't be that Chicken with his head cut off!

So Goodbye Facebook for now. I am sure after this period of reflection I will be back for more! For now though, I am going to make a huge effort to become closer to God and really examine the Sins in my life. I am going to try and Blog more often because it is so therapeutic and I really think we can learn and share so much from these little post!

Ha Ha!!

"Ha Ha!" That seems to be our new favorite phrase...especially when Mommy questions something that he has done. Here was our dialogue earlier this afternoon:

Me: Ryder, why is your shirt all wet?
R: Ha Ha! (followed by a huge smile)
Me: Ryder, show Mommy what you were doing.
R: Leads me to his turtle that lights up and sings which is now soaking wet and says, "Ha Ha!" (again followed by a huge smile)
Me: Ryder, it is not nice to get turtle wet. It hurts him.
R: Ha Ha!

I tried so hard to stay sounding firm, when all I really wanted to do was laugh...or should I say, "Ha Ha!". Again, it was my fault for giving him access to a faucet...but it makes me wonder...Do you suppose his little mind really thinks that if he can convince me to think something is funny, I won't be upset with him? I never cease to be amazed by how quickly their little minds seem to work!

In case you were wondering what "Trouble" looks like, he is top left striking a pose!

Look Mom....I can turn the water on!

I am not sure why, but my son is fascinated with Water and pretty much anything that contains water. Especially Toilets and more recently bathtubs. Everyone assured me that his toilet fetish would be a quick phase...mmm...not so much. He LOVES to put stuff like hairbrushes, lotion, toothpaste, etc...into the toilet and then takes it a step further to see if he can make it disappear when he presses that fancy little lever down. So far, we haven't had any major plumbing fiascos. Thank Goodness!

This week his fascination has turned to our big bathtub. He took a bath in it on Tuesday, because I was feeling really bad and to be quite frank was too worn down to walk upstairs to his bathroom. While taking a bath he realized he could turn the knobs and water would come out. Thankfully, he can only get the cold water to turn on because the hot water is really hot in that tub. Ever since figuring this magnificent little trick out, I can walk in my bathroom to the sound of running water and a bathtub full of goodies. And, let me just say that he is sooo proud of his new skill!

My dear, sweet husband is probably (slash the probably "IS") reading this right now and saying to himself, "She gives him way too much freedom". He has said to me on multiple occasions that it is as simple as keeping the door to our room closed. It is, he is absolutely right, but that stinker has figured out how to get our door open. Not sure how..because it is a knob, not a lever. But, I promise you, I closed the door the minute we got home today and while I came in to check email I heard the rascal in there. Let's just say, I can not wait for pool season! He can dump as many toys as he wants on those steps and I promise you he will not get bored for hours!

Happy Valentine's Day!