Robby Turns 9

It is so hard to believe that Robby is turning 9! It really wasn't that long ago that he came into this world, was it?!? He is growing up so fast. I can't hardly keep up. This year has flown by and I almost can't remember what he was like when he turned 8. So here are the things I want to remember about my amazing son on his 9th birthday.
He loves Jesus! Of course, this is the most important. And, he loves people! He has such a tender heart for the things of God and to love others. If this was all I could write about Robby, it would be more than enough. Obviously, I want my children to be successful and accomplished in life, but I hope that this is the first thing most people see in him.
Robby is a talented musician. I am amazed at his ability to hear a song and play it on the piano. He has already constructed several songs that are really quite good. He loves his piano lessons and I never have to ask him to practice. In fact, I often have to tell him to stop.
He is a great big brother. He loves his sister and is always helping Melanie and watching out for her. I love that he feels a responsibility to protect her and care for her.
If you ask Robby what he wants to be when he grows up, he will tell you he wants to be a Chef and a Missionary/Pastor. He hasn't quite figured out how he will do it all, but he is determined. He's not sure if he will share the gospel with others while he is studying the culinary arts in Italy or France. Or, if he will have his own Food Network show called "Rev. Rob". He has asked if he can observe a culinary class or take one for kids. If he isn't on the piano, he wants to help me in the kitchen.
There are so many things about Robby that I love. It would take up too much of the blogosphere for me to list them all! Robby really enjoys a good "acrostic", so here is my acrostic just for you Rob!!

R - Really Cool - you are just a cool kid!
O - Observant of others' needs.
B - Brainy - Mr. Smarty Pants
E - Energetic - I wish I could bottle it up and sell it.
R - Real- you are who you are and you aren't afraid to be yourself.
T - Talented in so many ways!

I love you, Robster!!

Works for Me Wednesday

I loved, I mean LUH-HUVED, being the mother of my infants. I'm sure my husband will remind me of the moments when a toddler was crying in a crib, an infant crying on the loveseat and a momma crying on the couch. BUT, I really did love it. I loved nursing my babies and holding them close. I didn't hate getting up in the middle of the night. I loved to watch them recognize my face and voice, their eyes lighting up with joy at seeing me. Robby was such an "angel" baby. Textbook baby. He did everything babies are supposed to do right on time or early. Melanie was much more difficult, until we discovered she was lactose intollerant and then she too was pretty easy as well. I think one of the key elements that helped was following a schedule each day. In honor of all my friends who are having babies, here is my Works(ed) for Me Wednesday tip.
The EASY Schedule (credit to Tracy Hogg and her book The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer). This is a simple scheduling model that allows for flexibility and yet keeps the baby's environment stable. "E" is for Eat. Start your baby with a 2 hour routine that begins with eating. Feed the baby at regular intervals and then the baby knows when to expect food and feels satisfied without over eating.
"A" is for Activity. Follow up feeding time with an activity. With newborn infants this will be talking to him, bathing or even just a few minutes with a toy. As the baby gets bigger and feedings are spread out to 3 hours or more, this is a good time for tummy time, bouncy seats, reading books and playing with developmental toys. At first activities will be 15 minutes to 30 minutes of active time, but eventually it will work up to 30-60 minutes.
"S" is for sleep. Now, is the time to lay your baby down to sleep. The first few days babies do seem to sleep all the time, but eventually they need some awake time. By spacing out the feeding and sleeping with an activity in between, the baby learns to fall asleep on his own. This helps to avoid a baby who falls asleep every time they are fed, which can lead to a baby falling asleep too quickly and never quite getting a satisfying meal.
And, finally, "Y" is for You! While baby sleeps Momma gets some "me" time. Take a shower, pick up the house a little, cook a meal or, better yet, take a nap, too!!
This worked great for me, even with a fussy baby. We did our best to stick to this simple routine for about the first year- year and a half. Stretching out the activity and nap times to accomodate a growning child. My kids were able to sleep through car rides, grocery shopping and even concerts if it was during their normal "sleep" time. It helped everyone, including baby, to know what to expect from the day. It also simplified babysitting, whether it was Dad, Grandma or a teenager, the babysitter knew what to do and what to expect. Of course, there are always minor glitches and times when the schedule has to shift, but IT WORKED FOR ME! Hope it works for you too!

Help! Technical (Blog) Difficulties

OK Friends, I am trying to edit my template for my blog, here, and I can not figure out how to add a list of the blogs I read. Does anyone in bloggy land have the "code" that I can put into my template to list the blogs I like to read?
Thanks!!!

Works for Me Wednesday - Quick breakfast biscuits

This is a great and easy breakfast biscuit that everyone loves. It is easy to make ahead, refridgerate, and warm up on a busy morning.
Ingredients:
1 tube "Grands" sized refridgerator biscuits
6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped or cooked crumbled sausage
1 cup shredded cheese, your choice
5-6 eggs, beaten with a little milk and a tsp of bisquick mix, dash of salt and pepper or any spices you like.

Take each biscuit and tear a little of it off so you have 12 equal size portions (instead of the 6-8 that come in the tube). Press each biscuit into a muffin tin cup - prepared with Pam cooking spray. Sprinkle the chopped meat and shredded cheese into each biscuit cup. Pour a little beaten egg mixture into each cup, but don't fill it full. Bake at the temperature listed on the biscuit tube for 20-22 minutes until the egg puffs up like a cupcake and is set in the middle. If you overfill the egg, it will spill over onto your oven, so a cookie sheet on the lower rack is helpful. You can eat them right away or keep them in the fridge for up to a week (if they last that long). Pop one in the microwave for 20-40 seconds and you have a hot breakfast on the go! Works for Me!

Spring

Ahh, March 1st. To me, this is the day that I feel like Spring should begin. It is now March and I am done with Winter. Done. Usually by now, I am so "Done" I begin to plan my "Welcome Spring" party. The first weekend of March, I have a party for my family with brightly colored balloons, a big bouquet of bright mixed flowers and all our favorite warm weather foods. We crank the heat in the house for the afternoon put on shorts and watch a fun (warm) movie. No "Snow Buddies" or "Eight Below"! One year, I pulled out the plastic pool into the middle of the room and the kids sat in it in their swimming suits. They did end up covering up with a blanket after a few minutes but it sure was fun.
And, even though it hasn't been below zero and record breaking snow fall, I think we will hold to our little tradition and have a "Welcome Spring" party any way. The menu will probably still have hamburgers, but this time Bill will actually grill them outside since we can, and potato salad and baked beans. It has always helped me get through those last few weeks of winter weather in anticipation of warmer days ahead.
Spring really is a time to hope and look to the future. Several of my friends both here and up North are having babies. The thought of a new life coming in spring is so fitting. I hope that those I love will find hope and joy in this fresh beginning.
Spring also holds fun events for our family. And, this Spring has many. Bill and Robby's birthdays. My brother's wedding will be in April. Spring Carnaval at school. And, then it seems, school is out and summer is here! I am so excited to seem what this spring will hold!

Daily Joy

The other day I was rushing about after coming home from work; eating a quick dinner of ham and bean soup, pushing the kids to the showers and practicing spelling words. As my daughter finished her spelling words and was drawing some pictures in one room, I heard some tinkling on the piano keys in another room.
Robby was practicing for his piano lessons, playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" over and over again, but with different techniques and rhythms. I watched his slender fingers strike the keys and his wrists rise with the expertise of a seasoned pianist. I began to think of my children, how they've grown so quickly, how talented and unique they each are. Robby is obviously musical. (Robby is obsessed with classical music and composers right now. He can name "pieces" composed by Mozart, Bach or Chopin and identify them when we are in public places). He has just begun piano lessons two weeks ago and is on his "4th" lesson. He has taught himself to play all sorts of songs long before formal lessons began. He has been eating up the new knowledge and practicing every day, without us needing to push him or even remind him.
As I watched and listend to Robby, I thought of Melanie and what unique talents she posesses. She is a budding artist. She could spend hours drawing and coloring. And, inspite of her parents' lack of artistic talent, she seems to have it. Her drawings of puppies, animals and even people are really good! (She is obsessed with dogs right now. Every library book is about different breeds of dogs, dog rescue stories, etc. She can also identify dogs that she knows to match the different breeds). She is also so tender hearted. She so often puts the wants and needs of others ahead of her own.
Tears came to my eyes at that moment, watching Robby and thinking of Melanie and the beautiful and amazing people they are becoming! They really are my greatest joy!

Round Peg

I have almost always worked outside the home off and on, but I have not worked full time since becoming a mom. Until a little over a year ago. Some dramatic changes in my family and the downturn of the economy led to the need for me to take on the majority of the breadwinning responsibilities. I was fortunate to have a part time job as a youth and family counselor that allowed me to go full time simply by taking on more clients/families. I know that having that job was a blessing straight from the Lord. One problem... it was very stressful! I would set up a schedule with my clients and it would often change at the last minute. This work seemed very chaotic, no routine, no set schedule. It seemed like I was always running late. I worked into the evenings at least a couple days a week and I had hours of paperwork to do. I usually put it off till it involved an all-nighter. And since I am no longer 20 years old and 125 lbs., living off diet coke and bagels, I don't do all-nighters very well. I knew I couldn't maintain that schedule for very long. I often felt like I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.

As Bill and I have continued to pursue God's adventure for our lives, I sought full time employment in a variety of places. My hope was to stay in a human/social service related field, but to get out of direct client services. Or, at least have a set schedule. I interviewed for a job in our new community as a prevention specialist with the non-profit division of a chamber of commerce. It seemed like a great fit for me and I liked the non-profit element in a community based profit organization. I was so excited when they offered me the job. They needed me to start working two weeks from that day. No Problem... HA! We flew into action, packed our house and made arrangements to rent a house "Down South". Three days after moving, I started my new job. I was really excited about having a set schedule and not taking work home.
I have been with my new job for almost 5 months and I love it! Having a set schedule has really helped me to develop a good routine. I am usually one of the first few people to arrive at work and very rarely late. My family knows when to expect me and I don't have to worry about having enough "hours" to support our family financially.
Bill's schedule is a little chaotic with Starbucks, right now, but we continue to pray and believe that the right opportunity will open up for him to return to professional ministry. We know that this is what God has for our family and we trust that He has a perfect plan for making that happen. Although, we still have a ways to go, I am beginning to feel a little more like a round peg.