Some interesting news (or not)

I realized I haven't blogged in awhile, so I sat down to fill you all in with some incredibly interesting tidbit from our family.

I got nothin'.

Life's crazy over here, but nothing seems too blog-worthy. I'll settle with a mini-update on our lives. Hope you don't fall asleep.

My oldest daughter is involved in a production of The Jungle Book in our community theater. She is a bear, and gets to sing and dance several songs. The practices are taking over our lives, but it's been worth it. She loves it and can't wait for the performances this weekend. After Jungle Book is over, lest we have a moment to catch our breath, the next weekend is Annie tryouts. She is super pumped about trying out for that one, and I must admit I am excited as well. When Annie came out in the 80s, I (not so) secretly thought that I should have been cast as Annie (red hair. . .). Perhaps I will live vicariously through my daughter in the coming months. . .

My older two boys are playing soccer at the Y. They are having a lot of fun, and we are enjoying watching them learn the game. My 9 year old is pretty aggressive, and my 6 year old is pretty silly. Either way, they're both having a ball.

I just finished the switch of kids' clothes from summer to winter.

Dear reader, are you still awake? This post is actually boring me! I think I will end now, lest you drool on your keyboard. Hopefully some sort of bloggy inspiration will hit me in the near future.

The silliness is at full tilt over here.

A panda.

A glow-in-the-dark cat.

A racecar.

A bat.

No, these are not things I've found under the couch, although that is not too far-fetched a possibility. No, these are silly bands.

And they have taken over.

My children's wrists used to be lovely, soft, and bare. Now when I go to stroke their sweet arms (as I am wont to do, much to their dismay), my unsuspecting hand gets tangled up in silly bands. At various times, it is possible to find more than an inch or two of their arms covered by this new, child-friendly bling.

The other day, my 4 year old and I were at a friend's house. He had worn over one silly band (a feat in and of itself) and somewhere through the day, couldn't find it. We searched for several minutes, listening to his tearful comments about how we were "never going to find it". My friend finally offered one her son's (many) bands as a replacement, which he reluctantly accepted. We left, with my son somewhat pacified.

Later that night, my son was preparing to get into the tub. As he took off his shirt, he discovered his silly band, high upon his arm, under his shirtsleeve. It had been there the whole time.

Silly bands. Oh, the angst they cause.

Ten surprising things

Over at Testosterhome, Rachel is blogging about 10 surprising things about herself. I thought I would try, because I know you are all dying to know more about me. Let's see how far I can get.

1. I cannot stand to be in a kitchen where the cabinet doors are open. I close them constantly, even if I am unloading the dishwasher and will be back to open them momentarily.

2. I have a favorite freckle. Weird, I know.

3. I always wanted five kids and to marry a pastor. God has blessed me.

4. I love fountain cokes. I will settle for diet or coke zero, but I really prefer the full calorie business.

5. I had a dog named Rusty when I was growing up. He had red hair just like me.

6. My high school class only had 25 students.

7. I hate gardening. Love the results, but hate doing it. Thankfully my husband enjoys it and does it well.

8. I was a cashier at Target for six years during high school and college.

9. The first car I drove in high school was a brown '78 station wagon. I was the envy of all my friends.

10. I have a large collection of Precious Moments.

Okay, that was seriously hard. About 5 or 6 I really started slowing down. Am I truly that unsurprising? Probably.

Sleep aid

I recently discovered this wonderful CD of Bible passages set to music. I bought it for our house and for a friend's new baby.

It is amazing.

I have been playing it for my all-boys-room at bedtime. Bedtime used to consist of me tucking them in, telling them to stay in their beds, me walking out. Several minutes later, I would hear banging, jumping, fighting, laughing. They were just having trouble winding down.

Enter this CD.

I can't say they are perfect (well, I could, but you would know I'm lying), but the bedtime routine has greatly improved. They may talk a bit, but for the most part they just lay right down and listen to the soothing music.

Click on the link- they have samples to listen to. I highly recommend it!

Non-Labor Day

This past weekend, my husband and I went north for four and a half days. Our weekend had very little "labor" in it. . .this is the extent of our hard work:

- sleeping in late

- tasting oh-so-many-wines

- eating gourmet dinners

- viewing a magnificent sand dune in the gusting wind (this actually was a bit laborious!)

- napping

- lounging on the beach

- shopping (oh the horrors!)

We did have to set up the camper and deal with some rain and cold temperatures. But camping without children is amazingly simple and relaxing! Our parents watched the children over the weekend, and we are very grateful. It was fabulous to relax together, to finish our sentences, to talk about things other than schedules and poop.

We got in late Monday afternoon, and hit the ground running. It was wonderful to see the kids again, but all the work and chores. . .our campsite is calling my name. . .