She's No Geordi

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge

Grace is now at the age where her disabilities are becoming more noticeable. When we are out in public, normally someone will comment on her hair or how cute she is. Then they pause.

They don't want to stare, but they can tell something is different about her. So far, only two people have come out and made comments about her 'special needs'. Both were very kind, but it still broke my heart.

People can tell my baby is different.

A few days ago at the grocery store, we were picking up some ground beef. The lady working the counter talked to Grace....and then she did 'the pause'. Because of her visual impairment, Grace couldn't tell where the woman's voice was coming from. So while Grace was turning her head, 'scanning' to find the woman, I quickly said, "Oh, she's visually impaired and is trying to figure out where your voice was coming from."

The woman responded, "Oh! My brother is mentally handicapped!"

*Sigh*

 I understand that when people are faced with something different and maybe a little uncomfortable, the knee-jerk reaction is to compare it to something in their own lives. But as this woman rambled on about her brother and the hole in his heart and yada, yada, yada, I just wanted to yell  at her. IT'S NOT THE SAME THING.

It's okay to notice that things are different with my daughter. It's okay to make kind comments about her. It's even VERY okay to ask questions! But please don't lump all disabled people into the same group. Each person is very, very different.

As we were leaving, the woman laughed. "You know, in her lifetime they may be able to do something to help her! Maybe she will end up like that guy on Star Trek with that visor that helps him see!"

"Maybe!" I laughed and turned to walk away.

"Psh, what does she know?" I thought to myself. "Grace is no weird Star Trek character. She's not Geordi La Forge!" 

"She's a kick-ass Captain Kathryn Janeway, damn it!"

Now excuse me, my dork is showing. Let me go tuck that back in. :)

To Do List for July 12 through 18

For this week:
1. Clean out Brenna's Closet
2. Clean out Riley's closet
3. Swap treadmill and scrapbooking desk (they are trading rooms!)
4. Call the picture people and Olan Mills regarding pic appointments (I prefer the picture people, my mother in law wants Olan Mills - so I found coupons for both places!)
5. Measure closet for shelving
6. Clean fish tank (We are getting Riley some fish this week...)

I may add more things to the list, but this is all I can think of that I want to accomplish right now. It's been a long AND WONDERFUL weekend! Will post pics of Brenna's birthday party soon!

Two Down...

Today I tackled two of the items on my list (I know! It's not even July yet!). I have to give lots of credit to Simple Mom because I got both of my 'solutions' from her!

Which two items am I able to now cross off the list? First down is the daily routine. I basically stole the daily routine from this post and tweaked it a little to make it my own. It is flexible enough that I really think it will work well for us - but will still give me a guideline each day that I'm looking for.

Second item down was the family budget!! This really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I went to Pear Budget and signed up for the free trial. The website walked me through everything and was SO simple to use.

Ah, I'm starting to like this feeling of accomplishment...:-)

* On a side note, last night Riley was 'helping' us fold laundry. Once we were finished, Jeff said, "Thanks bubb!" How does Riley respond? "It's all part of the job." WHAT?? I thought we would die laughing. Where the heck does he get this stuff??

We had an exciting and spontaneous visit to a petting zoo today...hope to post about it tomorrow!

Let's Get It Started...And Then Maybe Finish It

Hi, my name is Bethany and I'm a starter.

Hi Bethany!

I have a very bad habit of starting things and then never really finish them. For example, right now I am reading 5 books. I have them scattered all over the house, primarily in our two bathrooms (because really, where else am I going to get peace a quiet?) Another example? My husband and I have been married for almost 6 years and I still haven't finished our wedding scrapbook. It's not like I have stacks and stacks of pictures to still put in it. No, the pictures are all in there. What haven't I finished yet? The journaling on the very last page. That's it. I know what I want it to say, but I haven't finished it because I want the perfect paper, font, spacing, etc.

I read recently that starting things and not finishing them is a sign of a perfectionist. This makes me laugh because when I think of a perfectionist I think Martha Stewart - and Martha I am NOT! But the explanation made sense. It said something to the effect of, "We start things but are so afraid of failure or not doing it 'just right' that we just keep putting it off until we have time to do it 'perfectly'". Huh. So I'm starting a challenge. I'm going to make a list of ten things I've started and haven't finished and then finish them by the end of July. I will not start any new books, new craft projects, etc. until the list is finished! I'll be updating my blog with my progress...see the side bar for my list of projects to do!

Have anything you would like to finish? Join my challenge!

Today I ...

• Was stood up for an appointment
  
• Got a flat tire
  
• Changed the flat tire in 90 degree weather, heels and a skirt
• Was hung up on twice
• Lost my patience with Riley more than once
• Forgot to go to the library and will have a million dollars in overdue fees
  
• Still have a to-do list a mile long

But I also...

• Snuggled with both kids in bed for an hour this morning watching Seasame Street
• Listened to Brenna squeal while watching the fish at the pet store
• Didn't have to cook dinner
• And I also found this

It's been a good day.

Menu Plan Monday

This week it will be:

Monday - Garlic Chicken and Mushrooms
Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry
Wednesday - Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Thursday - Turkey Burgers
Friday - Pizza

I learned a trick from Simple Mom. I used Google Calendar (I used this anyway for my personal schedule) and made a calendar specifically for menu planning. I picked 14 recipes that we normally have and added them as events for the next two weeks - then edited the event to repeat every other week! So a month's worth of menus done in a snap!

Check out Simple Mom's blog...it's quickly become one of my favorites! Then hop over to Org Junkie's website for more menu ideas!

Anything that makes life easier...

I recently picked up the Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets to give them a whirl. (They were on sale and I had a sweet coupon!). The verdict? I give it an A!


The Pros:

• One sheet really does do everything - even though they only come with 20 sheets it still works out to be cheaper than buying detergent, softener and dryer sheets.


• They smell good!



• They did a good job of cleaning and softening our clothes. I was worried - I thought it wouldn't do the trick on getting out all the little boy and baby messes we have. But the clothes were really clean!

The Cons:

• It doesn't smell quite as good as Gain...my previous favorite.


• There is no way to break them up to do a smaller load. This is a minor thing for me though. With the four of us, when do we NOT have a full load of laundry?

They retail for $5.99 for a 20 sheet starter set. There was a $2 coupon in the paper last Sunday. You can also get a coupon for them here. Purex also will donate $1 to a female entrepreneur to help her bring her family out of poverty. I'm helping Dexie - donated $3 already. :-)

Purex Changes Lives Widget

Shared via AddThis

Hey Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?

Today after I left work, I went across the street to Speedway to put gas in my car. As I was standing there at the pump, a man walked over to me and said,

" Excuse me Miss, my wife and I are really short on money and need gas. We have
13 cents. Could you spare a few dollars?"

I told him I didn't have any cash on me. He thanked me and walked away. Meanwhile the ten dollar bill I had started burning a hole in my pocket. And I felt guilty. Should I have given him the money? Offered to buy him the gas? Why did he ask me? Because I looked like a nice person? Or an easy target?

His car was parked next to mine - an older blue car with the back driver's side window busted out and covered with a thick blanket. A woman was in the passenger seat and she had her head down - maybe out of embarrassement or frustration? As I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw him asking the man in the pump next to mine, who also told him no. I drove down the road and prayed that if he really was that desperate for money, that God would direct someone to him to help - someone nicer than me.

What should I have done? What would you do?

The Perfect Cheer...

Who's that girl writing on her blog?

It's Me! It's Me!

I said, who's that girl finally writing her blog?

It's Me! It's ME!

Uh huh, uh huh. Uh huh uh huh uh huh.

MIGHTY B!

Show of hands of who did the cheer just like Ariana and Craig would have??

Yeah, that's what I thought!

Hello dear readers. It's nice to see you again. Things have been a little wacky in the hive - and to be honest - I have terrible time management skills. But I'm going to work on making the blog a priority again. Thank you for missing me. 8-)

Some updates I'd like to make:

• Weight loss Wednesday will be back! Some new things have been occuring 'round here and I have a new-found fever to lose my middle.
• I'd like to pick a day (or two) where I post a picture of my everyday things. I miss scrapbooking and want to remember these times...but don't have the time right now to sit and create a page. So hopefully, documenting them on the blog will do until I can get around to the actual creating process. This will mean that I have to find the cord to my camera, which brings me to my next update:
• I'd like to start focusing on 'issues' that we have as women, mothers, HUMANS and find 'solutions' for them. I love reading 'self-help-ish' type stuff and think this has the potential to be both entertaining and helpful. We'll see. :-)

  So here's a small taste of what's to come. I'm working on a new header, checking out The Cutest Blog on the Block for a new background (if you happen to use their backgrounds, I encourage you to donate on their website! They have such awesome, easy to use backgrounds...let's help keep them free!) Lots more news to share with ya'll, so visit again soon!
  

How YOU doing?

It seems that I tend to blog about things and then just abruptly stop...(sorry mom!) so here is an update on the Rudd's thus far...

Riley is sleeping in his own bed! It was much easier than I thought it would be. I guess it was just time. He still puts up a little protest, but is content when you agree to read three books and watch some episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine. (Yes, my 2 1/2 yr old son has a tv in his room. I swore my kids would NOT have tv's in their room, especially so young! But it keeps him in his bed and allows us to watch something OTHER than Thomas and Friends.) He's such a good kid - says "please" and "thank you" and helps out with his sister. Little boys don't come any sweeter than this.

Brenna is a hibernating bear right now. She's moved up to eating 6 oz at a time and is CONSTANTLY SLEEPING! Last night, she slept from about 5 pm to 4:30 the next morning! She's growing like a weed and is so so sweet for the few hours she is awake. :-) She may look like her daddy, but she's as photogenic as her mom. Which is not at all. She's so precious when she smiles so I tried to catch a picture of her this afternoon and this is what I got...

Terrified Brenna

Brenna giving me the ol' stink eye.

And doing her best dead possum impression.

I did get ONE semi-blurry, but super sweet one. It showcases her pretty red hair.

Jeff is doing really well. Working hard among all the layoffs his company is doing. The RV industry is really awful in Elkhart County right now - the NY Times even did a story on how Elkhart is the "white hot center of the meltdown in the American economy". (Click here to read the story) Jeff works in IT (a.k.a. the computer guy) and not in the actual factories, so he does have some job security. I'm grateful to have a computer nerd for a husband! He's a good man and an awesome father.

Me - well, I'm good. I some how thought it would be a good idea to sign up for the craft fair at work, because I don't have enough on my plate with two kids, a house and a full time job. So I've been making cards like a mad woman. It's next week, so we'll see how I do! I've had some requests for my stuff already! I just hope I don't disappoint! I'll try and post some pictures of my creations before they are sold.

The whole "weight loss Wednesday" has been put on the back burner. I could come up with a thousand excuses why, but honestly my inner brat has won out recently and I just don't want to eat well and exercise. As much as I know I should and as good as I felt when I was going strong! I do really really really want to do the 5k that Mandy Hall is holding in March in honor of her son Connor. I am going to do it. I just need to get my brat in line. Like the Japanese proverb, Fall down seven times - stand up eight!

So what's up with you?

(p.s. how do you like the look of the Mighty B's blog?? I did the header myself! It only took me about four hours and a million google searches for tutorials on how to use Photoshop! HA! But now that I have it figured out, (sort of) I can't wait to make more! Start a blog! I'll design your header for you!! Only $29.95!)

A Week in my Life - Wednesday Pics

Make a Smilebox slideshow

One Month To Live

I have several things I want to post today. Not sure if I'll get around to all of it, but I wanted to be sure to post this. Before I met Jeff and moved up north, I had started attending a church in Kokomo. I really loved attending Oakbrook. It felt like no other church I had ever attending - and I have yet to attend one like it. Mark Malin has a true gift for presenting a message that is thought provoking and relevant to everyday life.

I was THRILLED when I stumbled on their website one day and found I could listen to the messages online and even download them to my iPhone through iTunes. The current series is called "One Month To Live". I've only listened to the first service, but it was amazing. See for yourself...

I can't wait to hear the next service.