Search Results for: blog theres nothing to do

Do Your Kids Freak Out When They See Someone In a Wheelchair?

Here’s proof that every gray cloud has a silver lining: When my beloved (dearly, dearly beloved) grandmother suffered a series of strokes a couple of years ago our entire family was devastated. The woman who had loved us unconditionally all of our lives was suddenly stripped of her dignity. She could no longer walk, talk or move around without the aid of another human being or electronic apparatus. It tore my heart out to see my energetic grandmother confined to a wheelchair, eating pulverized food from a baby spoon, barely able to keep her head upright. Fortunately, with the help … Continue reading →

Keep Your Budget Fresh

Budgeting can be very good for finances, but very hard on your psyche. A budget is a financial diet. Like food diets and exercise programs we can become bored and want to do something, anything, except what we’re doing. So how do we stay on a budget? How do we keep the budget relationship fresh, new, and exciting? Just like with a diet or exercise plan, we have to make changes to keep things interesting. We tend to stray off of our diets because we want the foods we’re used to eating. Our new diet is a healthier way of … Continue reading →

All About Attitude

So much depends on our attitude towards the people we meet and the circumstances in our lives, circumstances often over which we have no control. In Philippians 1 Paul has a lot to teach us about attitude. Though he was in prison at the time of writing this letter to the Philippians and might have bemoaned his fate, he did not. Instead he saw that it would turn out for his deliverance. He could have sat on his behind and did nothing while in prison. Instead he chose to write and encourage those in the church with his words of … Continue reading →

Ending a Food Love Affair

Dear Cookie, Although it pains me, I will have to bid you a fond farewell. I can no longer be tempted by your witchy ways. You can be chocolate chip one day, peanut butter the next and so on. The temptations never cease so I can no longer flirt with danger. Sadly, The Struggling Dieter Dear Ice Cream, Smooth and creamy…though it calls my name I must not reply. Forgive me for ignoring your sweet advances but the time has come to set aside my desire. My taste buds say “yes” but my hips say “can take one more inch!” … Continue reading →

Tempted to Cheat…on a Diet

As I walk through my house I am on a high knowing that all day I have stuck to my diet. Feeling proud of myself I make my way to the kitchen for a scheduled afternoon snack of veggies and cottage cheese. Certain nothing can break my stride I open the refrigerator door to find nothing. No veggies. No cottage cheese. Nothing. Quizzically I look at the calendar on my fridge and realize its Friday. Friday is day I go to the grocery store. I’m too hungry to go the grocery store now. Mercy, I’ve eaten nothing but rabbit food … Continue reading →

Ready… Aim… Poop!

“Ready, aim, fire!” I’m convinced that if my daughter could talk, she’d be saying that phrase every time I change her diaper. During her week-long stay in the hospital, she successfully pooped on my mom, my husband, the nurses, and me. She’s a pro at fooling people into thinking she’s done pooping. She’ll let out a bunch of grunts, accomplish a few good poop explosions, and everything will be calm for quite awhile. “Time to change her diaper,” we’d all think. The unsuspecting victim would calmly slide a new diaper underneath her, undo the dirty diaper, and get ready to … Continue reading →

My Decision To Stay Home

When people hear that I quit my teaching job to be at home full-time with my daughter, they often respond, “You are so lucky that you can afford to do that.” I indeed feel very lucky. I know I’m blessed, and I’m thankful for it. Contrary to what people might think, however, I don’t stay home because we have piles of money just sitting around. I don’t live in a situation where we have so much money that I decided I might as well not work. In fact, my husband is a full-time student. Not only do we not have … Continue reading →

Ever Wonder Why You Bother?

Do you ever wonder why you bother? Sometimes I do? And it’s usually when things don’t turn out the way I expect. I suspect some of you are no different. We go into a situation, we pray for guidance and we have our own ideas of how we want God to answer the prayer. That had been my case. I’d prayed about a situation and then acted in faith. Months went by and I kept faithful in prayer and hope. Unlike the situation mentioned in the prayer that never fails, then the answer came and it was what I expected. … Continue reading →

Zhu Zhu Mania!

I don’t drink, but I now see why other parents do. I seriously considered knocking back a few stiff libations after spending countless hours (see: THREE SOLID WEEKS) trying to get my hands on a Zhu Zhu Pet. A Zhu who? If you have a young child at home, then I don’t have to explain, but for the rest of you moms and dads, who haven’t been sucked into Zhu Zhu hell, allow me to elaborate. Zhu Zhu Pets are the hottest toys since Tickle Me Elmo, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Tamagotchi “digital pet,” Furby, and every other must-have plastic … Continue reading →

Toy Invasion

Is there a room in your house that doesn’t have a single toy in it? Yesterday I realized that the only place in our home that has not been infiltrated by my preschooler’s toys is the laundry room. And that room only qualifies as the “winner” if I don’t count the tiny pile of plastic animals I extracted from my daughter’s pockets the other day. The jungle creatures have temporarily set up residence on top of the dryer. The rest of our abode looks like the inside of a daycare facility. There are piles of plastic dinosaurs in the hallway, … Continue reading →