Happy Saturday Morning????

 

Yes, you are right.  Your are looking at the bottom rack of my dishwasher.  Sitting on my kitchen floor.  Full of dirty dishes.  Yay. 

Happy Saturday morning.

It all started with David and I laying in bed a little late catching up.  We finished our first week of school.  He was gone for a couple of days, having just returned the night before.  We were discussing  what life held, how the next several months were going to look. Etc.   Then we head to the kitchen to fix breakfast.

I noticed that the floor looked a little warped along some of the boards.  I explained to David that yesterday I noticed a little water on the floor, but it was right after Katie had been working on her tea party/restaurant project.   I asked her if she had spilled some water and she said yes, so I assumed that's what it was.  But I wasn't 100% convinced.  Then life went on.

It was right in front of the dishwasher, so as we cooked breakfast, David and I discussed that this was probably the problem.  (that sounds funny).   He even glanced under the sink to rule that out.  At that moment I was so thankful that I had forgotten to run the dishwasher last night.  We would have woken up to a soggy floor.  So proud of myself for thinking ahead, I filled up one side of the sink with soapy water to be prepared for washing dishes and grabbed some paper plates.  As we finished breakfast, David asked me to be thinking of what today needed to hold to be prepared for next week (more on that later).  We can live without a dishwasher, so it didn't seem pressing at the time.

After  breakfast, I noticed more puddles on the floor.  Hmmm, that's weird.  Upon further investigation, we discovered that it was the sink.  Pouring out whenever the water was turned on. (Are you remembering that full sink of soapy water I was so proud of?)  He finds the leak in the faucet.  At least it is something he can fix. 

So now,  it is 10:45.  My dishwasher has been pulled out to dry out from underneath it.  Towels have been used to sop up water.  Fans are everywhere to dry up the water.  (Did I mention that the water seeped under the floors half way across my kitchen?)  We are headed to Lowe's to get replacement faucet.  We think.  As I type, he is finding another leak.  Maybe.  One thing is leading to another so who knows how this will end up. 

But for now, here is how things stand:

We get to eat out for lunch.  See my kitchen counter.  (Just for the record, I am not desperate enough to wash dishes in the tub yet)

David has shut off the water main.  It didn't shut off completely. 

He sure is having fun using his pipe wrench.  That is about all the fun he is having at the moment.

Bear has to stay in his kennel.  Oh, but wait.  Couldn't I let him lick the dirty dishes?  That would be an idea.  Make him feel like a productive member of the family.  In addition to his rodent killing.

This is our Saturday.  It looks like we may get to start our week off without a functioning kitchen.  Our second week of school.  Our first week with everything on the schedule. 

God knows.  He planned that.  Making us more dependent on Him.

That does make for a Happy Saturday morning.  (Now, if I can only keep that perspective!)

It's Addicting

Dates with my hubby?  Without a doubt

Hugs from my kids?  Can change a day

Chocolate? Absolutely

Teenagers?  They make me laugh

Yes, I confess.  I am addicted to teenagers.   You will remember from previous posts that we help out with our junior high kids at church.  And came about it in an interesting way. (You can read about it right here.) 

Well, we are still hanging in there with them.  And this was also part of our crazy busy summer.  One week in particular.  My addiction to them is the only reason why I would wake up early, tote them all over our great ctiy, and work outside with them in the worst heat this city has seen in a long time. 

Instead of going away to serve other communities, our group stays here for our "missions trip".  The kids stay at our church all week, dividing up into various groups to serve several different ministries throughout our city.  It has been a great way to get these kids aware of the world around them, just down the road.

Since we have a child old enough to be on this trip, we shipped her off to the church for a week.  But, never fear, she got to see me and her siblings all week.  She felt blessed, I'm sure. :)  Really, it was only for a few minutes each morning, and maybe a hug in the afternoon if she was lucky.

For most of the week, Jake, Katie, and I woke up at the crack of dawn, packed some lunches and were at the church by 7:45 am.  From there, we heard a devotional before loading up our van as full as it could get and heading to a local ministry to put on a vacation Bible school.  Jake helped and Katie got to participate, and say Bible verses for candy.   After lunch, we loaded up and went to another ministry to do yard and maintenance work.   I sort of floated a bit, having done this trip before, so a couple of days I dropped those two off (with a car full of teenagers),  left them there (yes, there were adults too),
and went to help out somewhere else.

 . 

Oh, yes.  That was the week that the heat index was 121.  Nice.

But I loved every minute of it.

Why?  Cause they are really great kids, my three included.   They make me laugh, make me worry, make my think I am going to pull my hair out if they leave their garbage on the table one more time, make me wonder if they will ever make it out the other side.  They yell "Moose" randomly at each other, hit each other with pool noodles, love to be crazy, love to eat, taught me how to play buck-buck, force me to stay sleep deprived whenever I am with them for more than a few hours. 

But most of all - they need to know they are loved - by God and by those around them. 

 That's what it's all about. 

Making relationships to bring them closer to Christ. 

 That's what keeps me coming back.

I'm addicted.

Swimmers...Take Your Mark

Ever since the summer of '05, our kiddos have been part of a summer league swim team.  With the exception of the summer of '09, that is what makes up the bulk of our summer.  Practices a couple of times each week, meets on Thursday nights, with city-wide championship on a hot July Saturday.

In years past, it worked wonderfully.  We would be up and out the door by 7:30 for 8 swim practice.  When practice was over, we would stay and hang out at the pool, home by lunch.  Lovely. 

As they have gotten older, they are busier, and we are split into two practices.  Yes, the are conveniently back to back, but everyone still has to get up and there by 8.  There is also the option of evening practice as well.. Now that they are older and can stay up later, we did this option much more as a whole family this year.  David and I would get some time with the kids, and some excercise of our own. 

This year, each of our kiddos was the youngest in their age group.  But they didn't let that get them down.  They worked hard and swam so super well.  They each placed in at least one individual event at the city championship!  And all strokes were legal!!  Way to go Pritchards!!

And our team won the city championship in our division!!  Yay, Bluefins!!

The only thing different about this year's swim season- This mom didn't take any pictures.  Sigh.  Katie took this one of herself at practice one day.  The rest is a taste of what it was like from last year. :)

Still Here!

Don't worry.  We're still around.  Although these days, you will most likely see us with a car full of kids, some belonging to me, some not, in a blue van with stickers on the side.   All of whom will be sweating to death because our rear air doesn't work unless it is on high, and I can't stand not being able to hear.  And we haven't been able to get it fixed, because I have needed the van to tote everyone around for the last 6 weeks. 

So what have we done for the last several weeks?  I won't get into all the details, but I will leave you with a few words in summary: busy, hot, full of talking, lots of gasoline, swimming, swim meets, service projects, church, camp, art camp, puppy, dog, kennel, poop, vets, poison ivy - twice, beach, friends, cold treats, prayer, changed hearts, new directions.   There, I think that about covers it. 

So, where does that leave us now?  Trying to regain some lost sanity.  (Is that even possible?)  Especially by cleaning, and as I am typing this I hear two of my kids loudly saying "Ewww" as they clean out the van.  Hmm, wonder what they found?  Hee, hee. 

Yes, we are having forced cleaning.  Before you report me to the authorities, let me explain that if we didn't have forced cleaning, my children may be taken away from me due to unsanitary conditions.  It's not really that bad, but it is certainly in need of attention. 

Okay, I have really digressed. 

The point is, we're still here.  I can't wait to hopefully blog about alot of those words I mentioned above.  They are worth remembering. 

 
Now, to instruct on a few more cleaning needs, then it's time to get ready for city swim meet tomorrow!!  So excited!!  Go Bluefins!!

Up for Air

I actually have a few moments.  It's a miracle.  This summer has been a whirlwind of busyness.  Some things for pleasure, some things not.  It is just how our summers roll. 

But, I was given a gift today.  I gift of time and I though I would take a few of those extra moments and let you know about it. 

Back in the early part of May sometime I received in the mail the lovely jury summons.  Yeah.  Exciting. Here it works like this - you go one day, with about 3,000 people and pick the week of that term that works best for you.  It was for the May term, which goes May thru September.  Okay, I though, I will shoot for sometime after July.  As luck would have it, the weeks that I get to choose from are smack dab in the middle of the craziest part of our summer.  As I fretted mulled over the weeks, and sent numerous texts to David, I went for the lesser of the evils, 4th of July week.

The reasons were that it was a shorter week, due to everything being closed on Monday, and it was a holiday. Hmm, maybe judges, an attorney or two, and maybe a couple of witnesses might take vacation that week.  I thought I would take a chance.

So, I reported this morning like a dutiful citizen.  In my dress code (skirt or slacks which fall below the ankle) I walked out the door around 7:30 am, leaving my children (whom had seen very little of in the last week) asleep and the dog outside. 

Fastforward 4 hours.  It's 11:40.  The secretary had already come in once and called for two jury pools about an hour before, when here walks in the jury commissioner.  If you have never served before, here we have a great commissioner who has a dry sense of humor.  Who wouldn't, having to deal with the public like he does on a daily basis.  And face it, we can be a bunch of idiots sometimes. 

Back to the story - 11:40, jury commissioner.  He comes up and says he knows we are thinking he will send us to lunch now.  He says he isn't sending us to lunch.  At this point, I am thinking we must all be being called for a trial and they will feed us lunch in the jury room, maybe.  He then proceeds to tell us we are done for the day!!  Who-hoo!  Then he tells us - are you ready for this- we are done for the week!!  Who-hoo!! 

I think I selected my week well. 

So I can blog for a minute.  :) 
Now, out the door for a vet appointment for our horse puppy.

Can't wait to blog about my week last week.  Even better than getting off jury duty for a week.

Book Reviews- Books to Avoid

I am an avid reader and am so pleased that my kids have taken a love to books as well.  (Well, a couple of them anyway.)  This also presents its self with challenges in today's world, finding appropriate books for my kids as they get older.  I am full of great ideas for up to, say 5th grade, but after that I am at a loss.
This tends to lead to discussions with my fellow moms about books that our kids can choose from. 

Because I love books so much and am trying to find great books for my kids, I thought I would start an occasional book review post.  Some kids books, some adult books, some fiction, some non-fiction.  It would be great for you to comment on books you and your kids enjoy or would advise we avoid.

I don't know what it will say about my first book reviews to post about books to avoid, but hey, that's what a reviw is for isn't it.  And you may not agree, but that's ok too.

Several months ago, I was having one of those "what kid books to avoid" discussions with two dear friends.  I made note of two of these books.  Well, wouldn't you know it.  In May both of these books made an entrance into our home.  One physically and one in conversation.  In the same week.  So, I got to reading.  And I wanted to share with you my reviews as these are very popular books among kids today.

Hunger Games - This is a pop-culture book series, highly popular among tweens and teens alike.  One young girl mentioned that her teacher was reading it aloud to the class.  Which left me quite appalled.  And here's why.  It takes place in post-apocalyptic America, which is now divided into 12 districts.  In order to pay homage to the Capital and to provide reality tv entertainment, each year these districts participate in the Hunger Games.  The process is this - all citizens ages 12-16 (or it may be 19, I can't remember) have their names placed in a drawing.  There are various ways that your name could be put in there multiple times, increasing your chances of getting drawn.  Each year a boy's name and girl's name gets drawn.  These select 24 then compete in the Hunger Games- a survivor-esque type competition where each of the 24 battle it out to see who is the lone survivor.  No, they don't get voted off.  They die.  Either by natural causes or get killed by the other participants.  So basically, it is teens killing teens for reality tv entertainment.  And yes, it is being read aloud at school.   This is what teens are reading.  Unfortunately for these teens, it is very very well written.  It makes you not want to put it down.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Do I think it should be completely off limits?  Probably not, depending on what your older teen can handle.  Notice I said "older teen".  It is not for the young impressionable tween or teen.  Unless you want them reading about teens killing teens.

Christy Miller- This is a series of books focused on the life of a 14 yr old girl and I believe continues through her college years.  It is very popular among the Christian tween/teen girl set.  But I had heard that it was one to avoid.  When it started getting mentioned I felt that I needed to see for myself.  So, my review may offend some, but this is truly an opinion with facts of the book drawn in.  My disclaimer is that I only read book 1 of the series.  But, frankly, that was enough.  This first book in this series touches on the following topics, some more in depth than others - dating, flirting, materialism, unchaperoned parties, marijuana use, underage drinking, suicidal thoughts, pre-marital relations, death of a peer, birth control pills, divorce.   These are all things Christy faces in some form or fashion in this summer of her life, while visiting with her aunt and uncle.   For today's Christian girl, I feel that there are better things to be filling her mind with than these topics.   Now, as one person I mentioned this to said, this book may have its place for a Christian girl to recommend to a non-believing friend who may be dealing with some of these issues.  It would be a subtle way to introduce her to Christ, as it does weave Christ and salvation into the story.   Again, maybe not a book to totally avoid, but certainly for the older teen and be prepared to read it with them to discuss the issues it deals with.

Take it for what it is worth.  Some of you may be thinking I have lost my mind in my critiques, but these are just my opinions.  

I'm thinking my next review will be books for great enjoyment!!

Clifford

I will assume most of you are familiar with the story of Clifford, the Big Red Dog.  Those books were some of my favorites as a kid and I loved gettng them in the Scholastic Book Fair book order that we got about once a semester.  Since I have had children, there has been a PBS show based on the books.

If you are not familiar with it, basically it goes like this.  A young girl, named Emily Elizabeth is given the runt puppy of a litter.  This "runt", who is named Clifford, grows at a phenomenal rate and eventually is about as large as a house.  Despite the difficulties caring for this large canine, Emily Elizabeth and her family are committed to raising Clifford.  (I assume they must have taken out a loan to pay for the dog food.)  The books follow Clifford's antics as he copes with being such a big dog in such a little world.

Last night I was looking at Bear laying on the kitchen floor.  I told David we mis-named him.

We should have named him Clifford.

I am not sure pictures can do it justice, but the dog is huge.  A horse really.  Oh, wait...a bear.

He turned 11 weeks old this past Thursday.  At 9 weeks he weighed 22 lbs.  Four days later he weighed 24 lbs, 11 oz.  He fits well in his extra-large kennel.  His paws barely fit in the palm of my

hand. 

His feats now include  standing up and looking over the kitchen table. Successfully knocking down baby gates.  The one he can't knock down he can stand and look over with his paws resting over the top.  A week ago he knocked the garbage can in the kitchen completely over. 

The large physical size also presents itself with very large, sharp puppy teeth and the ability to jump really high. 

We also tend to forget his is still a puppy.  A very young puppy who still has lots to learn.

One who will hopefully not eat us out of house and home.