My husband has accepted a position at a new engineering firm. I am really sad to see him leave his job of over eight years because he has enjoyed it all these years, but a growing family and things such as BILLS drove him to interview in search of a salary increase. He has had a couple of extra days at home before he begins his new job on Monday. We’ve spent our time with Dad at doctor’s appointments, car repairs, and shopping for some much needed work clothes for him.
It was as we pulled into our driveway from one of these errands that Jason’s phone rang. He put the vehicle in park, fumbled through his jean pockets, and finally got to the phone as it stopped ringing. He pushed the button, but didn’t hear anyone. He didn’t know who it was, but dialed back anyway leaving a message saying that he was returning the call. He pushed the button to end the connection.
“It stinks in here. Does someone have diarrhea?” I called out loudly toward the back of the van as only a mom does.
It was then that my husband heard something coming from his phone. “Hello?” he answered. It was Jason’s new employer who was, as it turned out, still very much on the line!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Water Works Park. All opinions are my own.
We are so excited for summer! Since we homeschool our summers may be a little different from other kids as when we’re home we’ll still be doing math and reading and lots of learning, but when we have a chance to go out and enjoy some water and sun you know we will! We are excited to visit Water Works Park in Denton, TX!
It sounds like Water Works Park has everything needed to make this an awesome summer! They offer exciting Aquatic Explorer Camps, Kayaking Camps, and swim lessons for kids on summer vacation, and also offer day care and summer camp field trips.
Enjoy four giant water slides, a lazy river, a children’s play pool, sand volleyball, and more. For more information, please visit the Water Works Website
Our neighborhood has a party for everyone a couple of times a year. It is lots of fun with free hot dogs, cotton candy, and snacks for the kids. They always have a jump house and my kid’s favorite thing is the DJ. He has been there every time so far and has fun music and dancing for the kids.
As you can see my crew gets pretty wild and crazy. That’s because there are prizes! Actually every kid ends up with a prize, but for first dibs you’ve got to be enthusiastic. I laughed and laughed and enjoyed watching. The DJ called Joy for the first prize and said she made up a new dance move: swat the fly. Hey, she chose her prize and was very happy.
At the end the DJ let me choose a prize to take home for Bobby who spent most of the day in his stroller. I chose the glow stick bracelet pack and figured the kids would all have fun with that.
One night that week I let the kids all take their bracelets and play with them in the dark. I knew they were having fun from the excited squeals. Then after about 15 minutes I could tell that fun had turned into extreme excitement. What was going on? I tiptoed up the stairs, opened the bedroom door to find:
This! One bracelet had leaked. In trying to clean it up my daughter realized that her hands were glowing and that some had spilled on her pillow. That was more fun than she could sand. Pretty soon they were purposefully breaking their bracelets and FLINGING the glowing liquid all over the room!
Carpet, walls, clothes–everywhere! Before I had given the toys to the children I read the package. It said they were non-toxic, but should one leak to clean it up right away because it might stain. I looked all over the room. “Oh my!” I hoped it all wouldn’t stain. Then I thought how much fun that would have been when I was a child, and I just couldn’t squelch it. “Hold on,” I said as I ran to get my camera. They enjoyed the fun until the stuff ceased to glow, though I did have them quit flinging the liquid around the room! So far it doesn’t look like it stained so all’s well!
Growing up I remember hearing my mother tell stories of various family members that struggled with bedwetting. My mom and her siblings lived in a boarding house for a little while when their parents were missionaries. It was a house of horrors to some of those poor children and thankfully my grandparents realized that things were not as they seemed. But one of the stories I remember was about my mom’s brother and how he suffered at that place because of bedwetting. They would make him get up every night, go outside, hand wash his bedding and hang it up. There was no concern for his feelings. Everyone knew.
Later I remember hearing about my cousin who slept with an alarm to help him with his bedwetting. I was told that bedwetting was hereditary and from a young age I purposed to make things as easy for my kids as I could should they struggle in this area.
I have not been an early potty trainer. I remember hearing that when a child is potty trained early it’s really the parent that is trained as usually it requires a parent to remember to send a child to the potty frequently to avoid accidents. For me disposable diapers and sleep pants are a blessing. I would much rather pay for the sleep pants than have to wash bedding and clean up accidents frequently.
I have found that for my children, letting them use sleep pants as long as they have trouble with bedwetting is so much easier for them and for me. Kids like waking up wet even less than I like getting up to help them with their bedding. They are less embarrassed and frustrated.
Did you know that over 5 million kids a year experience bedwetting and it is one of the most common experiences during childhood development?
White Cloud Sleep Pants have been developed to provide exceptional comfort and leakage protection while looking like underwear. White Cloud Sleep Pants offer thin, discrete absorbent protection for your child. They have soft, stretchy sides that fit like real underwear, plus leak guards to help protect against leaks. The soft inner liner is hypoallergenic and treated with vitamin E and aloe for skin protection.
Each bag contains two unisex graphic designs and at $7.75, White Cloud offers exceptional value.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud Sleep Pants.
It was so fun to catch up with my sister! You know these days I’m busy even when I’m not busy, you know? We’ve had lots of extra things going on lately that make things busier, but also more fun! My sister went on a crazy road trip and then came to visit us for a couple of days before heading home. She brought her son Adam. My crew was incredibly thrilled to have him around!
I was so excited to take everyone to It’Z Family Food & Fun to eat lunch and play games. So many times I used to have friends or family over, but could never do anything or go anywhere, because of course everything costs money. I just loved having that money set aside that I’ve made through the website so that we could go out and do something while I had family here! Thank you so much for reading about our family adventures!
We ate pizza in the movie theater room while we watched Wreck It Ralph. And then we let the kids play!
It’Z has changed quite a bit since the last time we were there. There is no longer a kiddie section though some of the rides remain. They took out the go carts and put in a bowling alley instead.
It took my kids a while to find some of their favorite games, but they were all there! Grace especially loves the simulated roller coaster rides. She loves real roller coasters more than the older two girls! I guess she’s just at the right age to enjoy it all!
Faith raked in the tickets on the monster machine!
Bobby hung out in the stroller most of the afternoon and was just happy to look all around. We stopped by the buffet once again for dessert before heading home. Fun was had by all!
I had made a pot of beans and left them on the stove. My husband was tinkering around near there so I mentioned that the pot of beans was probably still hot. “Oh is that what stinks?” he asked.
The only answer he received was my open mouthed silence. Oh well, and then some laughter of course.
He walked around for a little while, and then declared that no in fact the stench was coming from the dog. Well, good to know it wasn’t my cooking! Though, I don’t know, I suppose I’ve made a meal or two that really flopped!
Although the general population around here probably doesn’t celebrate cinco de mayo, I thought it was really fun that we had Mexican food for our church potluck.
My family would not let me get by without making a Tres Leches cake (Left). It’s one of their favorites. The spoapilla cheesecake (right) was awesome. I need the recipe for that.
My family and friends in Mexico have helped keep me stocked with Mexican dresses for the girls,
And guayaberas for the boys.
The kids wear their clothes often, but I try to make sure they have them on for cinco de mayo!
They looked so cute that I meant to have a group photo of them and even talked about stopping and taking photos in the beautiful Texas wild flowers, but we were just too tired by the time we were on our way home.
At first the kids had been a little sad that cinco de mayo fell on a Sunday, but with a little celebration at home the day before and lots of yummy Mexican food at church they were all very happy and satisfied!
And now the conclusion of my parents’ story giving birth in Costa Rica and the fate of Nick. If you’ve missed their tale it begins at Missionary Travel Stories.
The next day we went to visit our doctor. I wasn’t worried about having our first baby in Costa Rica because I spoke Spanish and felt at home in Central America. I believe Dr. Cabezas was Costa Rican, but he spoke English and had studied in the States. I liked him and felt very confident immediately. He worked at the Latin American Mission Hospital, (I believe its name was Clínica Bíblica). Someone here in the States asked me if my children were born under very primitive conditions, but that was definitely not the case.
Hal got busy right away to build a changing table for our new baby. It was just the right height for me, and we padded the top to make it comfortable. I wrote elsewhere that we never got to use the changing table because the first time I put our newborn baby on it, she almost jumped off.
As I said, we got to our new house on Thursday night. Sara was born on Tuesday night, or actually very early Wednesday morning. I was only in the hospital a few hours, I think it was five. Dr. Cabezas stayed with me the whole time. Sara was born breach (bottom first) and the doctor told us later that a Caesarean is customary in such a case, but he was confident it wouldn’t be necessary, and it wasn’t, for which we thanked the Lord.
The story of our trip from the States to Costa Rica began with Nick, our bird dog pup, and I’ll end it with him. My parents wrote us that the bus driver did indeed take him to the Bible Institute where they lived. They, as well as the students, immediately fell in love with him. We were looking forward to making the necessary arrangements to take him with us from Managua to Costa Rica in December, as we planned to visit my parents during the Language School Christmas holidays. But . . . Alas! One of the students left the yard gate open and Nick went out exploring. He came back with a little puppy in his mouth. My dad scolded him, so he ran back out with the puppy and we never saw him again. Hal says of all the dogs we have had over the years, he still remembers Nick with the most affection. He was such a loveable dog that I like to think he found a happy home with someone who cared about him.
I’m one of those people that love appetizers and finger foods. When I go to a restaurant, it’s usually the appetizers that look the best to me. Christmas parties? I’m happy with the snack foods and dips. So you shouldn’t be surprised that I figured out how to have Velveeta & Rotel Cheese dip as a main dish!
Yum! We enjoy Queso with tortilla chips. This is a meal that makes all the kids smile.
And here is my secret ingredient:
Steamfresh Lightly Seasoned Southwestern Style Rice with corn, peppers, and onions.
Queso recipe:
1 lb Velveeta
1 can Rotel with green chilies
1 lb ground beef, browned
1 package Steamfresh Lightly Seasoned Southwestern Style Rice with corn, peppers, and onions cooked according to package directions.
Place cheese, Rotel, ground beef, and Seamfresh vegetables in a 2 quart heavy sauce pan on medium low until the cheese is melted and piping hot. Stir frequently. Also may place in a slow cooker for 2-3 hours until hot.
I have been so blessed to be able to send the kids to a one day a week school for homeschooled kids. They get to do lots of things like PE, art, and music in a school setting while learning from home most of the time. It also gives me a day to run errands and grocery shop without all of my little helpers! I really appreciate that they get to be a part of a school program. Last week they put on a Super Hero musical. It was so cute.
I was especially proud of my eleven year old who is very quiet (when she is not at home). She really wanted a part in the play and was thrilled to come home and tell me she tried out for a solo and was given the part! She learned the part on her own in her room with the CD player. I get mommy warm fuzzies all over just watching this.
As I was trying to get a little video of the other girls this little boy caught my eye. He was so cute! I just loved watching him. It’s always hard for the kindergarteners to stand up there for the entire program. Every year there is one little cutie that steals the show. It seems like just the other day it was my Joy picking the Santa fuzz off of her neighbor’s dress during the program! She is now very dignified in the spot light which is great…and a little sad!
My husband has accepted a position at a new engineering firm. I am really sad to see him leave his job of over eight years because he has enjoyed it all these years, but a growing family and things such as BILLS drove him to interview in search of a salary increase. He has had a couple of extra days at home before he begins his new job on Monday. We’ve spent our time with Dad at doctor’s appointments, car repairs, and shopping for some much needed work clothes for him.
