"The Heart of TV"

I'll admit it, I love watching Hallmark movies. They are without bad language, sex and skin. There are a lot of families in the movies, the holidays are celebrated, and there is always a happy ending. I can watch them while doing other things. I watch them more during the holidays, but I also watch them on YouTube the rest of the year too. I let my girls watch some of them, especially if baking cookies and the North Pole are key players. As I think about these movies, I've made some conclusions about the things they might be misrepresenting to my kiddos. I'm thankful we do more talking than watching and that we can enjoy the entertainment and still keep our values in tact.

BEWARE: Things you might believe if you watch a lot of Hallmark movies:
1. To fall in love you must have long hair. (Only one Hallmark movie has a main actress with short hair, Window Wonderland)
2. To have that special moment of a handsome man touching your face you only have to get mustard, cookie icing or marshmallow topping on your lip. He will not be able to resist wiping it off with his finger and the music will build, everytime.
3. Sleeveless dresses are perfectly acceptable at Christmas dinners, even though everyone else is wearing layers, long sleeves and Christmas sweaters. Bare shoulders are especially appropriate if you are in front of a window, under mistletoe, and it starts snowing outside.
4. There is a big possibility that Santa really exists and that his manufacturing plant is disguised in a small northern town.
5. The Christmas Spirit comes when you believe in Santa and romance in December.

Quote of the Day

Scene: in the car brainstorming what I can make for dinner. 

Jordan: Pizza!

Sheridan: We just had that!

Jordan: Cheese dip!

Sheridan: You always say that! No, no, how about some kind of pasta and chicken?

Cam: "I don't want that, my tastebads just can't handle it." 

LONGGGG WEEKEND

Last weekend I was sick. On the third day I thought maybe it was the flu, but I made a quick recovery when I got extra sleep, so I don't know what I had. There's never a good time to be sick, but I grieve that it should've been a fun weekend for the kids (they were out of school on Friday!) and yet, they took care of themselves for most of two days and ate quite a bit of frozen food. They were great, used their imagination (set up a doll hospital downstairs), and took the initiative to help with a few meals when I really just couldn't get up.

It always catches me off guard when my kids step up and do more than I expect. It shouldn't, but it does. I mean, the whole idea of parenting is to parent for the future, for the long haul. Parenting isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, and I've been running it for over 21 years. When my kids show what they've learned, whether it be an attitude or an action, it's like a little pat on the back from God for me to just keep going.

Of course, I felt sorry for myself first. Of course, I doubted God's timing on the weekend to be sick. But of course, He is God, and He is able. And we all survived!

A Day in the Life

4:00am Heard shuffling feet above my bed
4:02am Confirm with Richard that he can hear sounds too
4:10am Richard goes out and shines light above our room, and a raccoon sticks his head out then returns. Richard notices the flashing is torn up at the corner of the roof where the raccoon has gotten in.
4:30am All is quiet and we fall back asleep
4:45am We hear trash truck and realize we forgot to put out cans
4:48am Richard puts out trash as first truck got recyclables
5:00am All is quiet and we go back to sleep.
5:01am Feet start dancing over our head.
5:15am Richard and I start discussing how to get a raccoon out from the attic without scaring him into the rest of the attic. All this we are not willing to do before the children awake.
6:45am Richard texts landlord, tells him he is going out of town for the weekend and I'm a little uptight about a raccoon being in the attic. Also mentions that it's supposed to storm all day and the roof is open.
8:00am Landlord says someone will come and fix roof around lunchtime.
9:00am Jordan's award assembly
1:30pm Cameron's first choir musical. He's a tomato.
2:20pm No show from anyone to fix house. Location of raccoon, unknown. Rain falling since 8am.
2:50pm Richard climbs in attic, bangs pans to run out raccoon if he's still in there. Then climbs on roof and covers hole and torn flashing with cinder blocks.
3:00pm Landlord says someone will come fix hole tomorrow.
5:00pm Richard headed to Oxford to call the Hogs!
6:10pm Call time for Cameron's musical at the elementary school.
6:30pm Cameron, as Tony the Tomato.
8:00pm Dinner, comfy clothes and a movie. Tornado watch until 9:30pm.

Adoption Day

Today is National Adoption Day. We are so thankful our adoption journey is in the past, and that last year, this day was our official adoption day as a family. This year we chose to celebrate by praying for many more children, especially Marvin, to have their own adoption day anniversary very soon.

Verse of the Week

Children in the Corn!

The kids were off Friday so we headed up to NWA to visit on e of the corn mazes. I'ave never been, but have wanted to go for a couple years. Sheridan was spending the day with a friend, so it was just Richard and I, Jordan and Cameron! We picked up Audra and Annelise and even though it was threatening to rain, we had a fun time wandering the acre of corn, collecting clues and finding our way out. The rain kept most folks away, I'm sure, so we let the 4 kiddos run and run through the maze by themselves. I feel confident they walked and ran a couple miles getting lost on purpose for about an hour. We all loved being outside and at the end of the maze...the rain started falling as we ran to the car!