Super Cool Giveaway!

Last year, I spent from January to September creating new recipes, testing them, taking pictures of the finished product, and then eating delicious food. What I was doing was creating a cookbook for a Christmas present for family and close friends. I got the idea from Michelle who did it the previous year.

My recipe book has 79 recipes including appetizers, soups, salads, vegetarian, desserts, and main dishes. There are color photos of every single recipe. It's valued at $19; that's what it cost me to make each one. It's pretty darn cool if I do say so myself.

I have one left, and the bad news is that it's sitting un-used and unappreciated on my bookshelf, but the good news is that one of you can have it! Leave me a comment convincing me that you should be the lucky winner. If you live away from Irvine, I'll mail it to you.

I will decide the winner on Sunday, March 21st.

Whine Online

Today, I do not want to be a mother (which is really ironic because in my last post, I was feeling so grateful for all the wonderful things God has given me). I really do love my kids, don't get me wrong, but lately, I'm so frustrated with Ethan. I'm almost at my wit's end with him. He seems like such an angry child lately. For example, when we're playing games, I let him win about half the time (sometimes more); but when he doesn't win, he screams "I WANTED TO WIN!" and throws things around. He'll grab a toy from Benji, and when Benji cries, Ethan yells "STOP CRYING, BENJI!" He's very disrespectful to Chad and me, saying things like "I will never come to dinner. I will never eat that. I will never go upstairs. I will never take a bath." He is disciplined, sometimes with a time out, sometimes with a loving but serious talking-to, sometimes with a spanking. No matter what the discipline, it seems to make him more angry.

Someone told me that around this age (4), they go through a very selfish phase. That's fine, but I still have to teach him not to be so selfish and to be respectful.

What's the root problem? Does he feel like I don't love him enough? I tell him more than once a day that I love him. I try my hardest to be patient and loving at all times (even when I discipline).

If we're not at Disneyland or watching a movie or if he's not at preschool, Ethan asks me constantly, "Mommy, will you play with me? Mommy, will you play with me?" I really hate the imagination play he loves to do. Here's how it goes: we each get a transformer, a Lego man, or a Batcave inhabitant; we make them talk to each other, a bad guy comes along, they fight off the bad guy, they talk some more, the bad guy comes back, they fight him off again, blah blah blah. It's SO BORING! But I do it because he loves it. When he asks me to play with him, I'll set the timer, and say, "I'll play with you for 20 minutes, then I have to..." When the time is up, he begs for more and gets upset when I say no.

My kids are not into crafts, coloring, play-do, puzzles, Candy Land. It's all imagination play with Ethan, and I despise it.

WHAT DO I DO? How do I play with him without hating it while I'm doing it? How do I teach this child that it's okay not to win? That it's not okay to throw things around? How to be respectful to his parents and to other children?

Any advice appreciated. If you have a lot to say, call me.

Dear God

I don't thank you nearly enough. I don't praise you nearly enough. I don't appreciate you nearly enough. And for those, I am sorry. But let me begin to fix that right now.

Thank for you my children. I have never had a miscarriage (that I know of); I have never experienced infertility; I have had two wonderful vaginal births. I have never lost a child. Thank you that my children are alive, healthy, happy, and cognizant. Thank you for the unexplainable joy that I experience through them. My life is so much fuller and beautiful because of them. Thank you.

Thank you for my husband. Thank you that he is living, healthy, enjoys being home with his family. Thank you that he loves you, seeks to serve you, desires to be a holy man. Thank you that he is faithful and loyal and that he loves me and has patience with me. The longer I live and the more lousy husbands I meet, the more I'm grateful to you for giving me a husband as loving and helpful as Chad.

Thank for you always providing for us. I should never complain about our finances because you have never let us down in that area. Especially after reading an article about the devastation in Haiti, I'm so grateful that I have a standing home with a roof and walls. A kitchen with electricity, two window units, a heater. I get to take a shower every day. How much do I take that for granted?! We eat meat several times a week; we don't have to eat the same foods every day like some people do. We have tons of toys for our children, a computer, shelves of books, a tv and DVD player. My children have never wanted for a clean diaper, diaper rash cream, food to eat, or clean clothes. Thank you so much for all these material possessions that make my life easy and simple and comfortable.

And finally, but certainly not lease, thank you for life. For the promise of eternal life, the promise of being in your presence for ever! The promise of seeing loved ones again, of a perfect body, of no pain. I will lack nothing; everything will be complete. I usually take for granted that you "sent your son to save us from our sins." Then I stop and think about it. Would I give up one of my children for someone? No. But you did because you love me that much. You love ME! You sent Christ to cover for my sins, so that I can be with you someday. I look forward to that, to being in my forever home, near to you. Thank you for forgiving me.

Mini-van advice desperately needed

Okay, folks, it's for real this time. Our old car (a 1988 BTW, so when I say "old," I really mean old) is at death's doorstep. We're going to get a new car! Very exciting. Anyway, who of you have mini-vans or non gas-guzzling SUVs? What kind is it? What do you like or dislike about it?

We're going to do this soon before the Oldsmobile slips into the grave, so send your advice now!

136,000 reasons I should get pregnant by August

I heard the other day that by the time the average woman turns 30, she only has 12 % of her eggs left! Granted, that's 136,000 eggs, but still...

Worse than a horror movie

That's right; Halloween 2, Scream, The Others ... They got nothin' on me. I took on Rena's challenge and found some horrifying pictures from high school. Be prepared. I've warned you. Here's one of me in home ec class. That's my friend Sarah who's making bunny ears on me. Isn't she a great friend. By the way, I'm NOT posting the picture of Sarah and I on "twin day," wearing matching vests. It's just too shocking for words.

And here's me next to my brothers, whom I have hidden in order to spare them the humiliation I am now subjecting myself to. Don't ask me what the heck I was doing in this picture, because I wouldn't be able to tell you.
And this one is truly awful. I had been crying, so my face is extra pink and splotchy.
HOWEVER, I must not have looked that bad. I think I just didn't know how to dress. What with the tapered jeans and the baggy shirts, I mean. Here's me at senior prom with my date, Jess. That was my first date ever ... in my life. See, I don't look terrible here, do I? Just a little goofy.
And now that you've had a good laugh and your sides are aching, I pass on the challenge to you! Find an equally terrifying picture of yourself from high school and post it on your blog. I want to see those 80's styles, people! Bring it on!

Oh my gosh, SNOW in Texas!!

Here's Benji trying on a beanie before we go to Texas.

Here's Kate and Ethan in the holiday spirit making a gingerbread house. Cleaning up after this was a .... a difficult task.
Christmas Eve, we flew to Texas, and it was snowing!!! There were about 3 inches of snow in Grammy's back yard. We attempted a snowman, but the snow was too powdery and didn't stick. This is the best we could do:
Not very impressive, is it?
The next day, Christmas Day, the snow had all stuck. It was a white Christmas! Here's Ethan running through the snow:
And who are these fine-looking people?
That afternoon, the snow was beginning to melt, so it stuck very nicely, and we made this fabulous 4 1/2 foot all fellow. Chad added ears to it, so it became a snow bear. Then he added antennae, so it was a snow-bear-alien:
Isn't he handome? His smile and eyebrows are made out of almonds and cashews.
Wow, that is an amazing snowman:
Two days after Christmas, we went to see some ice sculptures in Grapevine. My favorite was this amazing manger scene. You can't really tell from the picture, but they are life-sized sculptures. It was really cool.
Chad and I had our SEVENTH anniversary on the 28th. Here's a nice sign that Shonda and Amanda made for us:
One day, my family all went to a state park. Here we are having a jolly time, except for Ethan:

Here's my incredibly strange brother and his fiance Amanda. She's super cool.
Ethan turned FOUR on Jan 1! Here's Ethan wearing one of his birthday presents.
And Shonda and I created this impressive gingerbread clock tower with connecting cobblestone bridge.