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Because I only have time for bullet points

December 8, 2009 by Kelli

– I have just a short amount of time to spend on the computer today so this is going to be a random bullet list of all the things on my mind today. Aren’t you excited?!

– I was at church until 11:00 last night rehearsing for the musical which opens this Thursday! Please come watch it if you’re in town. It’s going to be great. Tonight is dress rehearsal, tomorrow we have the night off and Thursday we open. There are six performances you can attend and you can purchase tickets here. There are only a few tickets left for the Thursday evening show and the Sunday afternoon show, but Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night all have plenty of seating still available! Bring your kids – it will be fun for everyone!

– It’s amazing how productive I become when my schedule is jam packed. Already this morning I’ve bathed, fed and dressed three kids; I’ve vacuumed the floors in the entire house; I’ve folded a load of laundry and I’ve cleaned a bathroom. I will be gone most of the morning helping set up for the musical, then I plan to stay busy this afternoon getting my house in order before going back to church. Whew – it’s like running a marathon.

– When I gave the kids their gluten free cereal with Almond Milk the other day, Sloan asked me if I was feeding them poison. Nice.

– On the plus side, I did manage to get Landon to eat an entire plate of Salmon yesterday! And Sloan and Tia both polished off a large helping of broccoli last night. Landon took one bite and gagged, but at least he tried it. We’re making progress.

– While I’m done with a majority of my Christmas preparations, I still have a lot to do. Next week will be as crazy as this week trying to prepare.

– I went to a Bible study yesterday morning that really convicted me on my need to be more intentional about educating my kids on the true meaning of Christmas. I came home with a ton of ideas. Now if I could only find the time to implement them…

– I really want to send out Christmas cards, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen this year. We’ll see how next week pans out.

– Every morning after Sloan gets on the school bus, I let Tia watch Handy Manny and the Imagination Movers. I feel a little guilty about allowing her to sit and watch TV for that long every single morning. But it allows me to get things done like blogging, showering and cleaning up so I push the guilt aside. Is that terrible?!

– I feel sad about the Tiger Woods situation. My heart hurts for them.

– I just sneezed all over the keyboard. I need to go get some cleaner and wipe this up. Have a happy Tuesday and get your tickets for the Christmas dessert musical theater at First E-Free this weekend!

Ba-Bye.

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Kids, Life, Random Tagged With: A Time for Christmas, First Evangelical Free Church St. Louis

The Three Wise Men, the Construction Worker and the Lady Down the Street

December 7, 2009 by Kelli

How’s that for a title?

I don’t have a nice, fancy nativity set. Actually, a few years ago, I got the Willow Tree Nativity set for Christmas from my mom. But I think, in an attempt to organize my exploding basement, I may have accidentally thrown it away the very same year I received it.

See – that’s what happens when you try and become organized. That’s why I choose to remain blissfully un-organized…

We do have, however, the Little People Nativity set and I love it! I love that the kids can play with it and I can teach them about the birth of Christ without being worried that they’re going to brake or harm a precious heriloom.

I also love that every day as I walk past the shelf where the nativity is housed, there is a new addition to the scene. It makes me laugh:

There are, of course, the three wise men (one black, one white and one Asian), the Angel, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a camel, a donkey and a sheep. Traditional, sweet, politically correct…

But if you look closely, there’s also an alligator from the Bayou:

A Panda from the Orient who stands alongside some random conductor guy who, I assume, works for Union Pacific:

Then there’s the construction worker and grandma from down the street:

And Lightening McQueen – because nothing says the birth of Jesus like a talking race car:

And, of course, not to be left out – Luke Skywalker and C-3PO have made it into the scene. Because Jesus loves the Jedi just as much as he loves you and me, I am most certain.

At one point there was also an older fella who I believe was Moses from the Little People Noah’s Ark set that graced the stable, but he seems to have wandered off for the time being. And I mean really, can you blame the guy? If I’d spent 40 days and nights aboard a ship full of animals, I might not want to hang around a stable either…

What I love most about the little scene my kids have created, though, is the fact that no matter how they lay it out – they always have all the characters pointed toward the center – Christ. And it’s a good reminder of what the season is all about, isn’t it? It’s about the birth of a Savior who came to save us all.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Kids, Kids do the darndest things Tagged With: Little People Nativity Scene, Willow Tree Nativity Scene

Attempt Number One – Meh…

December 3, 2009 by Kelli

I am attempting to overhaul our eating habits. In general we don’t eat terribly unhealthy, but I have gotten very lazy in my food preperation in the last several months, to where I’ve found myself feeding my kids endless amounts of already prepared, processed food that tends to be cheaper and easier to fix.

But I, myself, have felt very sluggish lately. And I’ve already told you about my severe hormonal imbalances, which are also causing stomach issues. I need to detox my diet a bit and I need to help my children understand that healthy food can be good.

It can, I swear! Ah – if I can’t convince you guys, I’ll never convince them!

I haven’t gone to the grocery store for awhile because I’ve been trying to get all the food I’ve previously bought out of the house first. Yesterday, however, when I opened up the refridgerator and a couple of moths hit me in the face, I decided it was time to hit the market.

I stocked up on a lot of fruits and vegetables. I tried to buy foods that were either gluten and wheat free or low on the glycemic index. I bought Almond Butter and Almond milk (I also bought cow’s milk, but I will use it sparsely). I stocked up on almonds and walnuts and dried fruit, which I plan to mix together to make a trail mix that my children will most likely NOT love.

I bought grass fed beef and hormone free chicken. I bought Salmon, which I plan on taking one bite of and then promptly giving the rest to my husband because…ew.

I also bought a box of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate dipped peppermint cookies because it jumped in my cart and I could not for the life of me put it back on the shelf.

Ahem.

So – I came home, put away the bags of beautiful, colorful groceries, placed my paper bags in the recycle bin (organic whole foods and recycling? GO ME!) and prepared lunch for the kids.

What did I make, you ask?

I made Gluten Free Brown Rice pasta and I added some sauteed bell peppers (my kids love green peppers) a little bit of Olive Oil and a little bit of cheese. It was scrumptous.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the kids agree…

Those were their plates after they left the table.

I was all, “Mmmm…Isn’t this delicious guys?” And they were all, “No.”

Okay, so I didn’t have very high expectations. My kids, in general, aren’t a huge fan of pasta. But I hoped the colors and the cheese and the all over beauty of my healthy creation would lure them in. Not so much. They did eat the Organic, whole yogurt I gave them, though.

Yay.

I wonder how they’re going to feel about the Almond Butter and Honey sandwiches that I will prepare on Gluten Free bread for dinner?

Any guesses on how long this dietary change of ours will last?

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Motherhood, Random

It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

December 2, 2009 by Kelli

We have Decked the Halls here in the Stuart home. The house smells of pine and there is a lovely glow as the lights from the tree, the mantle and the outside warm up the living area.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…although they have been carelessly pulled down more than once by a certain soon to be two year old.

We’ve laid beneath the tree and ooh’ed and aah’ed as we looked up between the branches at all the twinkling lights.

Everyone had a turn placing the angel at the top of the tree. And Lee came out with scratches on his nose from his face being shoved into the branches of the tree.

When I took the picture of the three of them in front of the completed tree, Tia insisted upon having her picture taken with her best friend, her doll Jadem. Yes, Jadem.

Incidentally, I received that very doll for Christmas 22 years ago. I called her Jessie. I told Tia that and she looked at me as though I’d sprouted a second head.

“No, mom. ‘Dis baby ith a boy baby and boy babies ith not named Jessie. Hith name ith Jadem.”

And that was that.

Hope you’re all having a Merry Christmas season. Fa la la la laaaaaa, la la la laaaaa!

Filed Under: Christmas, Family, Holidays, Kids, Tia

The Miracle of Adoption

December 1, 2009 by Kelli

I love the process of adoption. I have several friends who have either already adopted children or who are in the process of adopting and I am always amazed and awed at how beautiful it is to watch a child go from a future of uncertainty into a future of love and protection. The process of adoption is truly a miracle.

Last night, I got a call that one of my dearest friends was headed to the hospital to pick up an 11 day old baby boy who needed a home. She and her husband had been patiently waiting for several months for a call that there was a child that needed them and last night, God brought that yearning to fruition in a miraculous way.

They were not expecting an infant. They were planning on an older child. But God had a different plan. At 4:30, they got a call from their adotion case worker and by 9:00 they were home with a precious 6 pound baby boy.

Isn’t God miraculous?

This morning, as I was reflecting on last night’s events I read this in Galations – “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Because you are sons, God has sent foth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father'” Galations 4:4-6

Whenever I look at a child who has been adopted into a loving family, I am reminded once again of our adoption as heirs to the throne – we are the adopted children of God.

What would this tiny baby’s life have been like if Amy and Andrew had decided not to give him a home? If no one had given him a home? How desolate would life have been for this child to have no one to love him? No one to open their arms and give him the full rights of a son?

But, indeed, there was a home for him. A home ordained from the beginning of time by the Creator Himself. And with that home come all the rights of a full fledged son. This child will always know love. He will always know acceptance and grace, mercy and community. And he will be raised to know who his true Father is by two parents are fully committed to teaching their children of God’s grace.

Isn’t that beautiful? Do you understand the picture that paints for us – followers of the God above all creation? We too have been adopted unto Him. We are His children and with that come all the privileges that are bestowed upon a child from his Father. We don’t deserve it. We could have been left alone, desolate, without the knowledge of unconditional love and acceptance.

But we were not left alone. Just like this child was not left parentless in a hospital. Just like the Chinese boy that our friends adopted was not left in an orphanage. Just like Andrew and Amy’s first son was not left in a foster home. No, we were not left alone. We were brought into the fold; called out for a purpose and given the title Child of God.

Yes, adoption is a beautiful thing. I find myself moved every time I look at these adopted children and I see their faces light up as they look at their parents. They’re young now, so they don’t understand the miracle that’s taken place in their lives. But someday…someday they’ll know.

I sometimes forget the miracle that’s taken place in my own life. It is a miracle to be a child of God. It is a miracle to be grafted from darkness into the light of a family. It is a miracle.

Rejoice with me today in the miracle of adoption, will you?

Filed Under: Adoption, Family, Life, Random Tagged With: Adoption

I am a Black Friday Convert

November 30, 2009 by Kelli

I hate shopping. Really, truly hate shopping. It ranks just below going to the dentist or the gynecologist. I just don’t find it to be enjoyable. Unless, of course, I have money to spend (which is rare) which makes it just slightly more fun.

I’m the kind of person who usually knows what she wants, runs in the store, picks it up and I’m out again. I am not good at finding deals because I don’t have the patience to sift through racks of clothes. I admire people who can do that.

So I never thought I would venture out on Black Friday. You know, because it involves shopping – and shopping in the dark, no less. Thursday afternoon I laughed at all the Facebook status updates as people exitedly proclaimed they were getting up at 2:30 am to go shopping. Ugh. Sounded miserable. I sat in my little comfy office chair and scoffed at their foolishness.

Then I talked to a friend who brainwashed convinced me that there were really good deals to be had and that it was fun to get up early and save money. And, against my better judgement, curiosity got the best of me and I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I should give it a try.

“You should make a list,” she suggested. “Write down the things you want so you’ll be organized and can really hit the best stores.”

That was a brilliant idea. Except that a list requires organization. And organized I am not. I tried to make a list – I really did. I got on the Black Friday deals website – but the sight of all those stores completely overwhelmed me and I began to panic and gave up on the list making. I was just going to wing it.

So I decided, despite my lack of a list, to go for it. But I was not going to get up in the middle of the night. No sir. Because I am smarter than that.

I set the alarm for 5:00 on Friday morning. As I did so, I once again questioned my sanity. Was I really going to get out of bed at the crack of dawn to shop?

But, having made up my mind to try it, I shut down the little Jiminey Cricket in my head and pushed set. And true to my word, the next morning I rolled out of bed around 5:15. Five minutes later, I turned my frigid car on and tried to warm up. Then I looked at the clock.

It said 4:22. It said 4:22 IN THE A.M. What?!

Then it hit me. The kids were messing around the day before with the alarm clock. They must have set the clock an hour ahead. So there I sat – one of those looney people who gets up in the middle of the night to go shopping. I briefly considered going back to bed, but decided since I was up I’d better make the most of it.

And you know what? I had a blast!

I did score major deals and got the kids some great gifts that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. And the other people that were shopping with me weren’t a bunch of crazy robots – they were just enjoying the experience. We laughed and talked as we waited in line. There was a fun energy in the air. We were all hopped up on adrenaline. We compared items, talked about our families, laughed at how crazy it was to be standing in line at 4:45 in the morning. It was fun!

At one point, as I stood in the longest shopping line I’ve ever stood in with my cart full of crazy cheap items, I got a little light headed. It was a combination of the money savings, the adrenaline rush and extreme fatigue. It was awesome. Better than any drug.

At 8:15, Lee called as I stood in my fifth line of the morning and told me he needed to leave for work in a half an hour. So I raced home, picked up the kids and headed back to the mall.

Because I wasn’t done. Me – the girl who hates shopping. I wanted more. And I got more!

But only a little more because I forgot a stroller and I can only wrangle three kids for so long before the experience becomes miserable for all involved.

And then we went to see Santa. Because, you see, I bought the presents the kids have been asking for and, knowing my kids, it would not be entirely unlikely for them to change their minds before Christmas and say they wanted something else.

So I made them give their wish lists to Santa so that when they change their minds later I can say, “Oooohhh…Sorry – you already told Santa what you want. Can’t change it now.”

So at 11:00, I came home for good. My shopping is all but completed and I saved close to 300 dollars in the process. Just typing that makes me get all giddy and shaky.

I, my friends, am an official Black Friday convert.

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Life, Random, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Black Friday

Re-post: The Pilgrims Have Landed: A Brief History

November 26, 2009 by Kelli

I originally posted this on November 21st of last year, but it bears another posting mainly because I don’t feel like coming up with anything original today and because sometimes you just need to laugh at yourself…

When I was fifteen years old, I went on my first mission trip to the former Soviet Union. We spent two weeks in Belarus and Moscow. Part of our program was to go to different schools and show pictures of our every day lives and explain what life was like for us as American teenagers.

One of my pictures was of my family celebrating Thanksgiving. The first time it was my turn to speak, I was very, very nervous. I wanted to make sure I spoke slowly enough for the students to understand me and I was afraid of leaving out important details. I should have been more worried about giving false information…

When I got to the Thanksgiving picture I was on a bit of a roll but was still dealing with my nerves. As I spoke about Thanksgiving, suddenly our leaders and interpreters in the back of the room started laughing. As I went on, I noticed them laughing more and more visibly. After the program was over, I came over to them, wondering what on earth I’d said that was so hysterical. Apparently, my explanation of Thanksgiving was this:

“This is a picture of my family celebrating Thanksgiving. In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving to remember…the…pilgrims landing, um, on earth. So we get together and have a big meal together…”

Seriously? The pilgrims landing on earth? That was my first legitimate and real blonde moment. I’ve only had a handful of those in my lifetime, most between the ages of 15 and 20. Needless to say, I have never lived that down. People still bring it up – namely my parents.

So here I am, much older and wiser. And to comemorate my wisdom and the Thanksgiving holiday, here is a brief history of Thanksgiving:

*In 1621, the colonists of Plymouth and the Wapanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest. Gathering together for a large feast, everyone pitched in to prepare the meal. Historians can’t say for sure what foods were actually consumed during the feast, but they know that venison and wild fowl were on the list due to journal records. *

Gathering to give thanks for the harvest was actually a longstanding tradition with the colonists, and there are several recorded events that took place before the 1621 meeting. Nevertheless, the feast of 1621 has long been acknowledged as the first official Thanksgiving and it is this meeting that we celebrate yearly. We celebrate to thank our Maker for the blessings He has bestowed upon us, for the way that He has provided, for the bounty that we are all blessed to share.

And we thank Him that the pilgrims landed on earth…

Geez.

*For more information go to this website.

Filed Under: blast from the past, Holidays, Life, Thanksgiving Tagged With: History of Thanksgiving

Today…

November 25, 2009 by Kelli

I am thankful for a husband who let me go out last night with some girlfriends, then let me sleep in this morning because he knows I don’t feel good.

I am thankful for girlfriends who will go with me to see Little House on the Prairie: The Musical and who will wait outside the stage door in the cold in the hopes that we might get to meet Melissa Gilbert only to be disappointed when we find out she had a reception to attend so she wouldn’t be greeting fans. *sad face*

I am thankful for a blond haired little boy who crawled up in bed with me this morning and gave me a slobbery kiss on the cheek to wake me up. Then we snuggled and he told knock knock jokes as only a near two year old can. Best. wake up call. EVER.

I am thankful for a little girl who is running around the house in a bright blue dance leotard.

I am thankful for the speech patterns of a three year old. Tia came home from school yesterday and told me this: “Hey mom. Hayden bwought a thnack to thchool today. He bwought ’nuffins (muffins). Well, but dey wasn’t weally ’nuffin. They was somfin. They was somfin talled ’nuffins.” Oh my gosh – cute.

I am thankful for a bigger little blonde haired boy who has found a passion for reading and who is getting better at it every day. And I’m thankful that he’s trying to write his own stories now. The other day he drew a picture of a house and wrote underneath: I like my haws. My mom and dad like it to. My haws is prite. I have 5 pepl in my famle. They ar lee, kele, sloan, tia, landin.

I am thankful for five days in which we have nothing to do. We haven’t had that amount of free time in a long, long time.

I am thankful for the family and friends that we are going to spend the day with tomorrow.

I am thankful that even though we’re all feeling a little under the weather and are all fighting colds, this is the first sickness that’s invaded our home so far this winter.

I am thankful for the many, many things that I’ve been blessed with. God is so good.

What are you thankful for?

Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Thankful

Taking Care of Business

November 23, 2009 by Kelli

– First of all, I am going to announce the winner of the Testament Focused drawing. I now know why I don’t like doing giveaways. I wish every one of you could win and I hate that I only get to pick one winner – or that Random.org only got to pick one winner for me. If I could afford it, I would buy and ship a book out to every one of you.

But I can’t afford it, so you’ll have to buy your own! Ha!

Anyway, drumroll please…

The lucky winner of the Testament Focused drawing is…

Number 9 – Nicole from Here’s the Diehl!

Congratulations, Nicole. I’ll get that book to you as soon as it comes in and I’ve had a chance to look through it myself 🙂

To the rest of you – thanks for playing and I am really sorry you didn’t win. But you can still get a copy for yourself and don’t forget that 100% of the first 25 copies sold goes to Soaring Wings Ranch.

– It was another busy weekend for the Stuart family. Daddy was out of town, which always lends itself to insanity. We watched the movie Up on Friday night. I laughed to not cry through the first half hour of the movie, then genuinely laughed the second half. It’s a very sweet film.

– While Lee was gone, I noticed it was rather frigid in our house and realized the furnace was blowing cold air. so, with Lee talking me through it over the phone, I managed to relight the pilot light on the furnace thereby restoring warmth and order to my home.

Because I am She-ra.

– Saturday we got to stay home in the morning and I got some laundry done while the kids attempted to drive me insane played quietly around the house. Then we headed out the door to visit with a sweet friend who’s in town for a little while before going home to greet her husband who is fighting for our freedoms in Afghanistan!

We love you Jeremy!

– Sunday I woke up to discover that my voodoo face cream apparently works by burning the skin off my face. I guess I got it too close to my eyes because both eyes were swollen shut and the skin was rather enflamed. An ice pack and a lot of lotion later, I headed out the door where I spent the next 11 hours at church leading worship, making Christmas crafts with Sloan, singing Christmas carols for the craft workshop and previewing scene one from our upcoming Christmas musical!

Whew – I’m still exhausted.

– When I returned home, I wrote this article for the St. Louis Blogger’s Guild in which I took a rather unpopular opinion on an incident that took place here in St. Louis. You’ll have to read the article to know what I’m talking about, but I still firmly belive that while Kurt Greenbaum may be known as a bit of a jerk around town, the person posting the comment had no business doing so from school grounds and I therefore think he is suffering a dreadful consequence for his foolishness.

Not many people agree with me. There is widespread belief that Kurt Greenbaum violated an unspoken code of conduct on the web and he is being slaughtered for it. Perhaps that is the case, but the fact remains that this school employee still made a foolish choice.

It’s a tough situation.

If you haven’t read the article you have no idea what I’m talking about.

– Now I’m home, still nursing swollen eyes and trying to gear myself up to put away the mountains of laundry I washed this weekend. I also may pull out a few Christmas decorations, much to my husband’s chagrin. He has this crazy idea that we shouldn’t start celebrating Christmas until after Thanksgiving!

I know, right?!

Filed Under: Blogging, Christmas, Giveaway, Holidays, Life, Random Tagged With: A Time for Christmas, Kurt Greenbaum, Soaring Wings Ranch, Testament Focused

Is this Russia?

November 19, 2009 by Kelli

Tonight was the semi-annual Russian-American School concert and it was nothing short of adorable (albeit a little drawn out…).

And because this is a mommy blog and I’m a proud cheesy mom, I am going to document tonight’s happenings with great zeal. Because that’s what I do! I don’t scrapbook people – this is all I’ve got.

There was singing, dancing, acting and so much adorability (totally a word) I left with a sugar high. Just take a look:

Isn’t she yummy? She did so well. She said her poem loud and clear and wasn’t nervous at all. It was an on night for sweet Katya (or Katinka as the Russians call her).

My performance shy first born chose to play it cool. But when he recited the poem I told you about a few weeks ago, he incited quite a bit of praise from the very proud and impressed crowd. And so as not to embarrass the poor child, I did not let out the “Whoop!” that so desperately yearned to escape. I simply gave him a tender golf clap and blinked hard against tears of pride.

I. am. a. dork.

And because I know you’re dying to watch, here is a short clip of them reciting their poems. Seriously, it’s 38 seconds long. Happy viewing and Happy Friday!