The Strongest people are the ones that ask for help.
That strength comes not in always knowing what to do, but when and how to ask for help and receive help graciously.

Me to Tallyn: "It's lunch time. What do you want to eat?"
"I'm not sure."
"You need to decide and put some socks on. It's cold in here."
Tallyn: "I have socks on. They're invisible."

Tallyn-ism #204 "Daddy-betes" (diabetes)
Tallyn was playing outside with her stuffed cheetah and a tea set. She was encouraging her cheetah to have a snack with her tea. "Come on, Kitty. You should eat something. You don't want to get Daddy-betes." (Daddy-betes: when Daddy gets low blood sugar and gets Hangry.)

Thought of the Day: When animals lose their antlers in the spring, does it make a sound?

Confidence is born of Experience.
Fierceness is born of Knowledge.
*New life goal: to utilize my experiences to walk into new situations with instinctual fierceness.
~Courtesy of "Fierce" Bible Study conversation with some brilliant ladies

Everyone has something they can teach you. Be humble and attentive enough to hear it.

After a double-header for travel baseball with my son's U13 team, my daughter and I were on our way back home when my daughter pipes up from the backseat, "Mom? Can I be a Baseball Mom when I grow up?"

Yesterday's Thought-of-the-Day: If you ever feel unneeded as a mother, just try to take a sick day.

Yesterday's Thought Of The Day: There's cheese in my pocket. HOW..? I mean, Why..? Wait, WHEN...?

Papa-ism #2, 16, 35, 47, 59, 83..... In response to everything I ever complained about: "Builds character."

Papa-ism #5; as repeated every hunting season regarding dressing in layers: "You can always take it off, but you can't put it on if you don't have it!"

Tallyn-ism #191 "Marriaged"
"Mom? Are Mickey and Mary marriaged?" (Married)

Tallyn-ism #189 "Medicine"
"Mom, can I have a medicine sandwich for lunch today?" (Venison sausage)

Thought of the Day: I need to invent a dryer that tumbles laundry dry AND right-side-out!!

Today's Funny-Not-Funny Thought of the Day:
"That better be slime on my floor and not blood!"

There is healing in nature.

While at summer camp as a kid, every time we would pray, we would end with, "Amen. Devil said? 'Bummer, Dude!'"
When I started praying with the kids, to lighten the mood after praying for our health, forgiveness, and general well-being, I would end it the same way. I've done it with the kids now for years. A few weeks ago, Pastor talked in church about the meaning of the word, "Amen", so I thought I would drop some knowledge on Tallyn.
After prayers one night, I asked her, "Do you know what 'Amen' means? It means 'Let it be so.'"
The she piped up, "And do you know what 'Bummer, Dude' means? It means, 'Awww, Biscuits!'"

Tallyn-ism #148 "Extracising"
After watering the garden, Tallyn walks over to Daddy and starts doing something that resembles a push-up: "Daddy! I'm doing some extracising!" (exercising)

The purest, truest definition of HOPE: When the dogs can't remember if today is a Walk Day.

You know you are THE Eternal Optimist when you think "WTF" stands for "Wow, That's Fantastic!"

Question of the Day, from a billboard in Reno, applicable to 99% of life situations: WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?

Tallyn-ism #94 "Hanitizer"
Watching an old Tom & Jerry cartoon, Tallyn felt the need to inform me: "Mom? Did you know? When you get sour things in your eye, like hanitizer, it will burn your eyeballs." (hand sanitizer)

Tallyn-ism #82 "Protein"
At the dinnertable, eager to display her knowledge of health and mental fitness (and just when I'm beginning to think my pearls of wisdom are truly sinking in), my daughter spouts, "Getting a good night's rest is good protein for you."

For my last birthday, I requested my husband get a haircut and trim up his beard. Hunting season tradition in our house allows for this to go by the wayside, but as season was almost over, I made my request. He reluctantly went to the barbershop. He came back home wearing his hat, which Trajan made him take off and promptly told him he looked much younger with the "regular" haircut.
"Do I have to trim the beard too?" my husband asked.
"YES!" my son and I answered simultaneously.
Trent sighed and went into the bathroom. When he came out with only about a quarter-inch beard and no hat on, the dogs went off barking because they didn't recognize him!

Later that day, I took out the trash and noticed a pile of fur or something in the snow by the trash cans. Our dogs have been know to kill the feral cats around the property, so I had to get a closer look to see if I needed to dispose of it. Trent was coaching our son in basketball on the patio and I called to him as I was studying what the mass could be, "What is this? It looks like an animal died!"
Trent took his hat off his head, held it over his heart and bowed his head (right about the time I realized the mess was his beard hair that he cut off and threw outside) and said, "An animal DID die."

Tallyn-ism #53: "Camel-flash"
Tallyn was looking at different wallpapers for my Gen 1 iPod touch. "I really like this one that's camel-flash." (It was pink camoflage.)

Tallyn-ism #49: "Stinked"
"Mom. Did you know? When there were dinosaurs, there was this volcano. And this volcano made lots of ash and smoke and the dinosaurs couldn't breathe any more and they got stinked."

Yep, I'm the Cool Mom. When my son (6th grade) was getting ready for his 3rd dance, he came out to ask me HOW HE LOOKED. He wore the shoes I got him for Christmas (dark camo Hey Dudes), changed his jeans at my recommendation, and I complimented him on his choice of sweatshirt (short-sleeve hoodie). He looked as debonair as a 6th grade guy can in this day and age. When his dad saw him come home after the dance, he said, "I've been trying to get you to wear that sweatshirt for weeks! I thought you didn't like it."
"Mom said I look nice in it." !!! I win!

Last Sunday night, I was attempting to explain to my 5-year-old the correlation between the Holy Communion at church and the Last Supper story in her kids' Bible that we've read. I had just got to the part about how when we take Communion, we are supposed to be remembering Jesus' sacrifice of dying for us, and she says,
"It's too bad that Jesus had to die on that power pole."

Tallyn was very excited to help me with the big-girl chore of putting away the Christmas decorations. Her Kindergarten knowledge came through when she said,
"This is going to be F-U-N AWESOME!"

Question of the Day: If you have no sense of smell, does your body still reap the benefits of aromatherapy?

I feel like dogs only truly figure out their place in the world when you bring home another puppy.

I'd just picked up my 6th-grader son and my kindergartener daughter from school. My son said that one of the nicer girls in his class who he was friends with was going to teach him how to dance so he didn't embarrass himself at the school dance the next day. I, of course, acted offended.
"Why wouldn't you ask me, your mother, to teach you? I'm a good dancer!"
"I didn't know you actually danced!"
"Well, what do you think we did at my wedding?"
My daughter piped up from the backseat: "I know! You got married!"
(She got a piece of Halloween candy for THAT correct answer when we got home.)

You know you're all grown up when you look outside at the freshly fallen snow against the crisp early morning light and instead of thoughts of Christmas, snowmen, sledding, snow balls, and snow days, you immediately start calculating the time to clear off the vehicles, extra time to drive to school and work, the time to shovel, bring in more wood, and then make sure you can get out again tomorrow. *sigh*

Sometimes FAMILY is more a choice and an attitude than facts and statistics.

My daughter was playing with another girl recently. They last played together 2 years ago and for the life of me, I couldn't remember her name.
When we were getting ready for bed I asked, "Did you have fun playing tonight, Tallyn?"
"Yes!"
"What's that girl's name again? I forgot."
"Manners."
I thought it was odd, but figured she heard it wrong or got her wires crossed. I'd just ask her grandma the next day...
Later that night Trent asked me, "Did Tallyn have fun playing with Patience?"
I about died laughing! Tallyn associated the girl's name with something I'm always harping on her about!

If you try to time getting new carpet with life events like puppies and kids (seasonal monsoons and the mud that follows, seasonal ash, dust, smoke), you quickly realize... You will never get new carpet.

Which is why I have this sign in my kitchen: "Sorry about the mess, but we live here."

My mom recently sent me a sign: "My housekeeping style is best described as, 'There appears to have been a struggle...'"

...Then there are the days when pausing to eat or go to the bathroom feels like I'm wasting my time.

My daughter and I were in a waiting room and the cleaning lady was working around us.
Me: "You know, I used to be an office cleaning lady."
Tallyn: "I know."
Me: "What do you mean 'I know'?? You haven't been around long enough to have heard all of my stories and experiences!"
Tallyn, completely straight-faced: "I was with God watching you then."

My 5-year-old daughter and I were enjoying ice cream in the yard. She said, "The bottom of the cone is the best part of ice cream."
"I agree. Although I'm not sure there's a bad part about ice cream."
"Yes, there is. It melts!"
Touche, Baby Girl!

Our (now two-year-old) butterfly-chasing wirehair Frank was at our pond for a walk. He'd had limited exposure to deep water up to this point, so it concerned me a little bit when he fell in. We've never had a wirehair sink before, so I figured he'd be fine. I watched him cough, panic, sputter, and then he appeared to be having some kind of siezure. His head darted all over and he started swimming in circles. Then zig-zags. Then he started snapping his jaw like he was eating. It took almost two minutes before I figured out Frank was chasing and trying to eat
...Dragon flies.

One day at a time. Because NO ONE can do more than that.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
Biggest lie ever told.

While getting ready for bed one night, my almost-five-year-old daughter Tallyn and I were in the bathroom. Tallyn was playing quietly and I had a soapy washcloth scrubbing my face, when all of the sudden she screams.
"BOO!"
I jumped out of my skin, got soap in my eyes, and screamed, "What happened?!"
Sweet and innocent as could be, she said, "I had the hiccups..."

After reading Bible stories to my almost-five-year-old, we said prayers and she was working me over trying to get me to read her one more. I have a hard time saying NO when it involves my kids WANTING to learn about God, so I was ready to cave when she started pouting. Full puppy-dog-eyes and pouty bottom lip.
"I can do that too," I said, and scrunched up my face. "It's called the sourpuss face." My diversion worked; she started to laugh.
Then she says, "Do it again! Do the sourkraut face!!"

"You like someone because. You love someone although."
~Henry de Montherlant

Trent-ism; This quote effectively ended a lively debate about whether baseball is fun or work:
"Fun is a byproduct of hard work and doing well."

Papa-ism (Wisdom of Papa Dale) #58 Inspiration to move faster: "We're burnin' daylight!"

Papa-ism #106 Always seeing the bright side: "Well, that's still better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!"

These days my daughter only naps when she's not feeling well. Last weekend she not only napped, but didn't wake up when I opened her door. After giving her another 20 minutes, I went in and woke her up.
"You must have been tired! I tried to wake you up earlier," I said.
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and said, "Well, you didn't do a very good job."

Ever have thoughts so loud you realize you're arguing with yourself...out loud... and you're not sure when you started?

After some rough calculations, we discovered that we need to use bagless vacuum cleaners, and empty them back outside. On the property.
...Or risk losing about an acre per year.

If Sandra Bullock's portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy is even 75% accurate, I know who I want to be like when I grow up (THE BLIND SIDE. Outstanding movie!)

...And you can know for a fact you're not quite 100% grown up yet when the music you blare in your vehicle (when you're by yourself) shakes the OUTER rearview mirror... to the point of distortion. :D Pretty soon you'll be blaring it because you can't hear it, but for now it's just because you WANT TO.

My mother just called me "OLD SCHOOL." I don't see that as a bad thing.

After 5 days of repeated conversations about how Christmas is about GIVING-- not GETTING-- my son happens upon a ripped $5 bill in a snowy parking lot. We exchanged it for one that wasn't ripped at the service desk. Before we hit our next grocery stop, he decided to put it in the Salvation Army bucket.
I win. :)

Yesterday's Thought of the day: You're the mother of a 4-year-old girl; glitter in the carpet should come as a surprise to no one.

After 5 days with my 4-year-old talking non-stop and not following any instructions I had for her, I had run out of patience.
"Honey, you're pushing all of my buttons tonight and about 18 I don't even have!"
She looked at me, cocked her head, and said, "I'll give them back. Here's five."
(I had to walk away covering my mouth so I wouldn't laugh in front of her.)

It is better to be admittedly human than seemingly perfect.

Thought of the day: Do deer stumble on the rocks like I do?

Yesterday's thought: How does a bathroom rug that doesn't move gather so much debris underneath itself?

Be prepared for that moment in the future when you look back and wonder, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!"
Could be in reference to your hair, your style, your opinions,...
Some perspectives take a lifetime of experiences to forge; to understand that you weren't always right.
Be prepared.

There's a big difference between acting OLD and acting MATURE.

Very real debate: Do the daily chores...or wait and see if this year's wildfire burns my house to the ground?

I realize after the fact that our house is completely safe; dirt doesn't burn!

Everything happens for a reason.

I guess you're all grown up when you see the value in silence.

The Olympics are proof that not everyone is a winner.

The Olympics are also proof that hope drives determination, which fuels hard work and practice, which feeds sacrifice and perseverance and more hope. All of which are essential for success.

Sometimes on the way to a dream you get lost and find a better one.
(~source unknown)

There are really only 2 reasons to light your oven in the summer:
Pizza and homemade blackberry pie:)

41 years and I never once pondered the shape and function of a cowboy hat. Herding dogs up the road on a quad in 100-degree heat and a headwind and all of the sudden it makes complete sense.

Question of the day courtesy of my four-year-old: Does God have a truck?
Me: No, God doesn't need a truck.
Her: Then how do we get to heaven?

At this point, I'm torn between cleaning my floors... and throwing down seed and growing some corn.

Say what you mean and
mean what you say.

Never get so consumed by trying to look cool that you don't try hard at everything else.

It's been 105 degrees the past 3 days, and in the 90s the week before that:
Me, to my son: "Trajan, you're out on the patio every day; why didn't you tell me that this section of lawn in the front was DEAD?"
"Well, I try not to complain..."

It saddens me to know that there are folks out there who will never know the value/pride/feeling of a truly worthwhile, yet hard day's work.

When faced with a large, difficult task,
1. Do your research.
2. Get prepared.
3. Then take it one step/mile/task at a time until it's done.
You don't cross the country taking all 2,000 miles at once. But you can take THIS mile. Then the next one...

I missed the memo;
What age is it that moms become too cool to swim and play with their kids at the pool?

Our 1-year-old wirehair chases butterflies. He points them, chases them, and eats them if he catches them. ...I'm not quite sure what to do with that.

Startling realization: If not for the fact that my son needs a clean baseball uniform, our laundry would never get done.

Always be positive and encouraging when cheering on a sporting event. You never know when the wind will switch or stall and then everyone can hear every word from your spot in deep left field.

I miss a news program that begins at Objective and ends near Positive. I miss Paul Harvey News and Comment, The Rest of the Story, and For What It's Worth.

Question of the day courtesy of my almost-four-year-old: Do germs have teeth?
(Me, mouth open, brain scrambled: uh... ah... Daddy! Do germs have teeth?
Daddy, laughing: Ah... I don't think so?)

2 daytime hours to myself for the first time in weeks and what do I sit down to watch with my glass of wine? "Bluey". Why? BECAUSE I MISS MY KIDS!

Vacuuming is a lot more fun when the dogs think it's alive... and after them.

My son told me tonight he's HAPPY.
I win :)

It's taken 41 years and two kids, but I'm finally cool. My 3-year-old wants to be just like me because I know all the words to all the songs I play in my truck and I booty dance in my seat.

Being 3: Remember when the most difficult thing we had to do was lie completely still and close our eyes and try to go to sleep?

Life is too short to make all of the mistakes yourself.

The blessing and the curse of it all is this: NOTHING LASTS.

Love is watching the same movie 2,000 times because your kids love it.

At the end of the day, you may not always like how you feel, but you need to like WHO YOU ARE.

If you don't like the way the world is going, step back and look more closely at the people and things right in front of you. Consider the smaller victories.

...Then there are the days that can be fixed with an awesome playlist.

...Then there are the days that dressing a 2-year-old girl should be an Olympic sport.

Peace is the mental distance you put between your thoughts and your current predicament.

As the Mom, you're taken for granted until you're not there and/or everything falls apart.

As the Mom, you are the glue keeping everyone fed, bathed, alive, and together.

Always act kinder than you feel.

If you cannot FIX IT, CHANGE IT, or CONTROL IT, then LET IT GO. (As heard on the radio.)

I am convinced we were not put on a planet bursting at the seams with people to suffer alone. SHARE YOUR JOURNEY. You will lighten your load and others will not feel so alone.

After taking some pictures (impromptu family photos) and viewing them, I thought, "Ugh! I look old."
When those exact words came out of Trent a moment later, I asked, "When did we get old?"
"RECENTLY!!"

Bravery or ignorance?

I've lost the parenting war. One crying over incorrectly done homework, the other banished to her room for her attitude.... And then she sneaks out of her room to comfort her brother with a hug.
All is not lost.

I need to approach life more like my 3-year-old singing Frozen 2 songs: What she lacks in talent, she makes up for in GUSTO!

As the Mom, all of the reasons I do anything and everything boil down to: BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!! (Fact taken from Bluey Episode "Sticky Gecko")

It is a good thing that we don't know what's coming. And that time only moves forward.. And that everything changes.