Babies, Brownies and Blessings

I joined a club a few weeks ago. A Bridge club. We meet every Tuesday night from 6:30-9 p.m. I love playing games and jumped at the chance to have a night away from my delightful, yet exhausting children. So when my father-in-law offered to watch the kids so I could go learn Bridge from his mom (Grandma) I jumped up and down and said YESSSS!!! :) Do you know anything about the game of Bridge? I didn't know a darn thing. We've been playing for 4 weeks now and I can honestly say I know a little more than "not a darn thing". It's a deliciously complicated game. There's bidding, trump, conventions, tricks, game, book... Grandma is an excellent teacher and has been patient with her pupils. I'm not the only beginner in this club. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are also part of the bridge club and they've never played before either. You have to have 4 people to play the game so that rounds out our little group. And because we're pret...

 Norman Rockwell gets a lot of lip service in our house. Whenever we talk about our ideals we wonder: how would this look in a Norman Rockwell painting? Maybe we should get new bracelets made: WWNRP (What Would Norman Rockwell Paint). Ok, that may be taking it just a step too far. :) We both came into our marriage with different paintings. My painting reflected the practices and traditions of my youth. Bri's centered around his family's way of celebrating and relating. We discovered early on that there were a lot of differences. Most of which, when meshed together, created a beautiful new picture. We've just had to learn to share the canvas. Over the last ten years we've had a few "Rockwell" moments of our own. Children provide many without any intentionality. Sam, looking all too thrilled with the traditional Luke 2 Bible reading  before opening gifts at the Melby Christmas. The boys shoveling in shorts and boots...  The reason I go...

Every year I struggle with stocking stuffer ideas. I just can't think of anything good. I sound just like my mom when I say that... My mom knit these stockings, isn't she amazing?! And yes, we do now have one for Claire, too. This year I came up with a few ideas and I'm excited to go get them. Better yet, the boys will be thrilled when they pull out the following items: Bandaids (what kid doesn't LOVE bandaids!) Gum Toothpaste (the boys are always asking to get the "Diego" toothpaste so now I will!) Flashlight Hot Wheels cars Underwear One more thing checked off the mental list! What's in your kids' stockings this year?

Vacation days are a hot commodity around here. Bri only gets ten days of vacation (and 2 personal days) a year. His company doesn't allow him time off without pay. His attendance is monitored. Our budget doesn't allow many "mental health" days. Much planning goes into the cashing in of those beloved free days. Deer hunting is a must so a day or two for that. Occassionally a holiday requires a vacation day for travel. October is so beautiful, a vacation day or two so he can enjoy a fall evening. And so on... Each day is maximized. Nice weather: fish in the morning and again in the late day. It's great to have no concern for time. It's a vacation day. Make it count. Now, Bri is great about giving up some of his days for us. He takes some of his time just to be a family. And to give me a hand on a particularily difficult day. But there's something quite sacred about those vacation days. I've never worked a 9-5, 5 days a week job. I...

Sometimes it's the unusual moments that make the biggest impact. That tell me how blessed I am. I'm not talking about the "I just had a new baby" moments, or the "lost a loved one too soon" moments. More random. Like yesterday. While discussing how preschool went for BigBoy #1 he mentioned that some boys saw his butt in the bathroom and laughed at him. Red flag, but nothing to truly be concerned about. More questions revealed that he was using the urinal and some 1st or 2nd graders came in. Even at the urinal, his pants tend to be down around his ankles. Hence the butt-sighting and the laughing. (Right about now you're probably getting concerned that I'm going to go into way too much detail about yet another bodily function . I assure you I'm going a different direction, hang in there!) Relieved that it was not a huge deal and that he wasn't traumatized, I went back to making lunch. Down the hall I overhear Bri... "Do you...

It's 5:45 am. I hear a light flick on downstairs as I'm getting ready for work. Listen to see who and why... A little grunting. Hmm, guess BigBoy #1 had to poop. I went down to help him wipe and tell him to get back to bed. And to take a look. You can tell a lot about a kid by their poop. Now, I haven't always been into poop. In fact, growing up, I wasn't even allowed to say poop, let alone talk about it. We Melbys went "Big Job" or "#2". And in case you were wondering, fart was a four letter word, too. We tooted. I will say that I'm not too big on my 3 year old saying fart. I call it gas. He yells "I farted, hahahahaha". I think Grandma just about has a heart attack every time she hears it (and I still cringe). ANYWAY... Back to Big Job aka #2 aka poop aka stool, etc. My in-laws are the ones who clued me into the merits of having healthy bowel movements. I had never heard of colon blow (psyllium husk) until I b...

I'm a water girl. And a water snob. I like spring water, not water that is purified by reverse osmosis (Aquafina, Dasani). There is a difference and I can totally tell! I've never been into pop. Not big on carbonation. And it makes this girl belch like you wouldn't believe. The last few years I've taken to  tea in the morning. I love a warm drink when I wake. I just discovered two new favorite warm drinks that are so delish! Trader Joes makes both and they are to die for. I love Chai Tea and the Trader Joes version is awesome! At $4 a can, that saves me a ton over Starbucks and it tastes just as good. They are also carrying a new mint hot chocolate for Christmas. It has little bits of bittersweet chocolate in it. OH YUM!!! If you have a chance to check it out, it's worth every penny of $5 a can. I bought a few for teacher gifts this year. Now, any warm drink just isn't complete without a squirt of whipped cream. I have a half pint isi...