Family - It's a Vivas Thing!

Oct 08 2009

Laughable Moment #22

Tonight was by far one of the funniest times I've had in a long while. The Talented One needed a *professional* outfit for one of the classes he is taking. We dropped Chicken Noodle Butt off at AWANAS and headed to the mall. Unfortunately, we didn't finish our shopping on time, so we headed over to pick him up and then back to the mall to purchase shoes for his outfit.

And boy was Chicken Noodle Butt wound up! He was just going nuts; had so much energy! He had his little red vest on and just cracked me up! As we headed downstairs, he giggled at being able to go on "those cool stairs, Aunt Hope!" I had to grab him to keep him from falling in his clumsiness!

Once we were in the shoe store, he went ballistic! The boy was dancing and boogying like there was no tomorrow! The sales clerks were cracking up as he shook his bootie to the music and had not a care in the world! We managed to have him dance his way out of the store and back up the escalators and decided to have a Cinnabon since we hadn't had dinner and we don't usually get them because two of my children have food allergies.

The boy wanted a big one, so we got him one.

And he managed to eat almost the whole thing! He was in cinnamon heaven! Frosting all over the face, hands; you name it! The Talented One headed off to the bathroom to clean him up (the little one barely missing the wall since he NEVER watches where he is walking!), while B-boo and I cleaned up the table and headed to the car. Just as we walked out the door, B-boo started hurrying me up as she demanded the keys, saying, "He's coming, Mom!"

I turned around to see him come out with his little cousin running…and then saw him swoop his cousin up like a sack of potatoes and RACE to the car. Those crazy teens wanted to fight over the front seat! I was laughing so hard I had to stop in the parking lot to keep from peeing my pants! The Talented One ran past me with Chicken Noodle Butt under his arms, laughing hysterically at the fun he was having!

Once we got into the car, I exclaimed to the teens that they were lucky the kid had been carried instead of running because he's so clumsy he'd have ended up in the ER…to which he replied,

"And I would have farted!" out of the blue.

Which threw us into another round of laughter.

Then he talked of going to Mars and wanted to know if it could fly. He was like this all the way home.

As we got him settled down and ready for bed, he had just one comment for his Uncle.

"Uncle Art, the Fart!"

I'm not sure he should go to AWANAS anymore!

Oct 07 2009

Listen and Obey

This morning was not at all what I expected it to be. To start off, I had a hard time waking up; not good when you have a gazillion kids to get to school and a van to the mechanic. But my hubby was so good and tried to give me rest. So, he took the kids to school, then took the van to the mechanic, got a ride home and then took the Smart One to school, too! All so that I could have a calm morning and not have to do anything else but get the youngest two on the bus. He tried.

But the youngest two were not listening very well today. Things like brushing teeth and combing hair, putting their dirty clothes away all became a frustration. And I wondered to myself, "What will it take to get them to listen to me? To see the importance of what I am asking, and that it is for their benefit?" Asking simple things of them should not be so hard.

As we were trying to get shoes and backpacks on, the Drama Queen opened the door to watch for the bus. We do this every morning. But this morning was different.

Because somehow, in the midst of me begging the little ones to get their shoes and backpacks on, our pups disappeared. They have never left the front yard and usually listen to me when I tell them to stay in the house. We never even saw them leave. But in a flurry of motion and fear, the Drama Queen screamed that the pups were gone! Joey heard her and came running back into the house. He knows where he belongs and where he is safe. Roxy, however, was nowhere to be found.

Crazy Lady in Purple Pajamas Runs Around the Neighborhood This Morning!

The Drama Queen, in a panic, took off down the street (on the sidewalk) after the pup. It is a VERY busy street in the mornings! I screamed at her, "STOP!" and then I turned around to the two who weren't listening so well and yelled at them to stop and not step out of the house. About this time, a lady yelled at me that our pup was on the corner…across the very busy street. And the pup wasn't listening.

I told the Drama Queen to stay put at the house and ran across the street after making sure it was safe to cross. As I called the dumb dog, she started to run toward me, then realized that she may be in trouble, and instead darted back across the street towards our house. For once, people were actually paying attention to the school zone that is in front of my house! They could see what was happening and stopped.

As the pup ran towards the house, a car was approaching near our home. The Drama Queen bolted down our driveway after her. I again yelled at her to "Stop!" She did. The pup was scared silly by this time and ran into the safety of the Drama Queen's arms, who promptly kenneled both dogs. Exhausted, the pups plopped down and fell asleep.

The bus showed up about that time, and the youngest two, still frozen at the door, woke up and put their shoes on and headed to the bus, with me escorting them. The Drama Queen burst into tears of apologies. As we sat down to talk about what had just happened, she burst out, "But mom, I stopped when you told me to!"

She did.

So did the the youngest two.

When it's big; when it's important, they listen. And Obey.

After we calmed down, I began to think about how this lesson was about me and what had happened this morning. Too often, we ignore the small things that are meant to help us. Do we read our Bible daily? Do we keep our fellowship with Him? Do we do the little things that He asks of us?

Or do we wait until we're in trouble and then start listening?

"But God, when it's important, I listen to you!"

Lord, help me to do the small things, so that when the big things come, I'll know how to follow you.

²This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

1 John 5:2-3

Oct 05 2009

Blogs R Us

There are certain people who have asked when am I going to blog about them. I've told them that I'm trying to come up with something, but when I blog, it usually isn't planned. It just happens. Something has to inspire me. Take this past weekend, for instance.

Friday night, I volunteered to take a group of girls shopping for clothes. Some adults might think it's weird for adults to hang with the teens, but I happen to love it. I've been part of our youth ministry now for over four years! Anyway, we had our serious shopping time at the mall. Ok, I lied. It was anything but serious. I laughed and laughed. We laughed at how how clumsy certain girls are; at racing through parking lots. We laughed at dresses and pants and how they are supposed to be worn.

We laughed at boots.

We ended up at one store after the mall had closed and discovered fun clothes to try on. See, this is what I like about shopping with girls. They are willing to try on anything just to see what they'd look like. And when they're in groups, you can talk each other into almost anything! I remember going shopping with my mom and we'd try on all sorts of formal dresses, etc, because we could.

The pictures were so funny, I had to blog about it. If you know these girls, you know that they'd never wear anything like this in public…or even out of a dressing room, which makes it even funnier!

Oh my word how I laughed at this photo!

With these girls, it's not all about shopping although we did come away with some cute stuff! I can call them at the drop of a hat for hard work and they'll show up! They have helped me get my house in order for a party (yes, for them) on more than one occasion. And they help clean up after! They'll also babysit at the last minute for forgotten appointments and even peel potatoes with spiders in them!

This weekend was not only about shopping, but creating.

And being silly!

and harassing small children!

Ok, this was actually his idea!

And just when I thought I was done for the weekend, we had an extra day. So we did this!

Because nothing goes better with a new outfit, then a new hair color!

Oct 01 2009

Typewriters and Technology

Yesterday, the Smart One and I were having a conversation. We were talking about school, the classes that he is taking and so forth as we drove to bowling. He had a release and at the top it stated "Please print or type." He wanted to know what it meant to type it.

Oy.

How times have changed.

As I tried to explain to him what a typewriter was, he exclaimed, "Oh! I've seen one of those before! I saw one on the history channel."

Great. I really am old.

We talked about how, when I was in high school, the cool class to get into was typewriting! It was a class that you couldn't take until you're sophomore year. We'd all sit in front of our typewriters and learn how to type, have contests on who could type the fastest, especially without making a mistake. We talked about ribbons and white-out. He laughed.

Today, students have to take computer classes. And they're boring. Why? Because by the time they take the classes, most students already know how to do most of the stuff they're being taught! My 8 year old can type with the best of them, knows how to use the internet and much more. Why,I remember the first time hubby mentioned the internet to me. He wanted it; I thought it was silly. These days, I don't know what I'd do without it! I had to use it just to type this blog!

The Smart One wanted to know if typewriters are still made. To be honest, I wasn't sure, so I Googled it. And this is what I found at Office Depot:

The biggest advantages of the modern-day electronic typewriter and new typewriter ribbons:

Typewriters
these days are much more advanced and useful than ever before. LCD
displays shown clearly in the window of the typewriter show you exactly
what you've typed so that you no longer have to look at your paper to
see what's on it. Typewriters today also have automatic correction
systems, which make errors a thing of the past. Plus, typewriters have
an era of personalization to them. Imagine sending a VIP a typewritten
letter—when's the last time they've received one of those?
One of the biggest advantages of the modern day typewriter
is the ability to write in several different languages. Unless your
computer has specialized software or a program installed that you've
actually learned how to use, it cannot even match this capability. This
may be especially important for writing letters to clients overseas,
especially personalized notes that show you care and that they're
important to you.

So, basically today's typewriters are just another version of a simplified computer. Ha Ha! Even funnier, there are programs that allow you're computer keyboard to sound like a typewriter!

Home Typist adds typewriter sounds to your computer keyboard. The
program is useful for home typists. At every touch of the keyboard
there is the new sound, which makes the process of typing more
interesting, amuses and reduces stress and helps to produce rhythmic
typing.

My, how times have changed; I thought a simple massage from hubby would reduce my stress!

Sep 30 2009

20 Degrees

20 Degrees. That's how much the temperature dropped in the last 24 hours. We saw it coming. And we laughed. Because we knew what that meant for a certain member of our family.

We mention Colorado for Christmas and she visibly flinches. "But Mom, there will be snow! We live in the desert!" Colorado in the summer; she can hardly wait. Colorado in the winter…she'll pass. It's the same for winter activities. Dad takes the kids up to play in the snow; she's happy to stay behind.

You see, she says we live in the desert for a reason. And because we live in the desert, she firmly believes that the weather should never fall below…oh, 90 degrees. So when it went from 96 yesterday to 76 today, we knew B-boo was going to be having issues. And this morning, sure enough, it's not only in the 60's, it also WINDY!

Poor B-boo. I made sure she had her hot chocolate this morning. Well, actually, I was still making the Talented One's omelet, but I heated up the milk. I made sure it was hot, too. Apparently, too hot, in my eagerness to keep her warm this morning.

And then she noticed the WIND. Poor, poor desert girl. She just couldn't help it; comments about living in the desert just kept pouring out of her mouth.

And we grinned. And we giggled. And we tried really hard not to make fun of her.

The Talented One went on and on about how beautiful the weather is. He loves it. I remarked that I'll be able to leave the windows open! (That would have to wait until she was gone to school.)

It's really not that cold. It's not cold at all; unless you're B-boo, the only person I know who will wear a hoodie in 100 degree weather.

And so it came time to actually leave the house. The Talented One and I giggled all the way out the door while she mumbled about hurrying up to get in the van. And she made it without freezing, too. And I thought all was well.

Until I heard her yell out, "You heartless jerk!"

And I saw the Talented One laugh with glee.

He wasn't very nice; he'd turned the air conditioner on full blast on his sister.

It's so nice having a large family!