slacker mom unite!

Once again research suggests that slacker moms are doing their kids a favor . . .

(thank you Planet Nomad for the link)

What do you say?

My son - 2 1/2 running around here without pants on cause he's at the point in potty training where he is learning that chonies (underpants) are not diapers - anyway back to the point . . .

Whenever I'm serving the ketchup and it comes out with a *thhbth*

my boy will say "scuse me"

Every.single.time.

Come and visit and I'll show ya.

You've got to meet my new friend. . .

Guinevere's Thoughts on Nothing in Particular is just delightful! I met her at the blogging party, and she wrote a post here that resonates with me and for those who know me . . .
So here's some linky love for Guinevere!
Because trying to sign "time warp continuum" is as thrilling as it sounds.

Live long and Prosper, y'all~

God fills in the gaps

Often - and I do mean often - I feel like I am barely getting by.
You know, that you are doing so many things that you are doing little well.
Well, every since my friend Virginia passed away, my efforts towards the deaf women's retreat have been half hearted.
She was my co-conspirator - ya know?

Enough people wanted the women's deaf retreat to happen that I quite literally trudged on. This time planning with a co-missionary interpreter, Yesenia. She also is a mother to three young boys. So between that mother and this one, I'd say our planning and organization could best be described as "winged".

But you know, God filled in every gap where we missed it . . . . the speaker, Yamile Grey, was a deaf, on-fire, spirited Colombian who really really had a heart for these ladies.
We had 7 women come - so including us (Yamile, Yesenia and myself) we were 11. That is Grrreat, really!

The place right on the ocean was beautiful, and God really anointed the classes.
It was thrown together, but came out beautifully.

One special note, back when Virginia and I were first planning this we had said that if we could get a church to sponsor it we'd like to surprise all the ladies to a fancy dinner since our theme was "Come dine with Me."

After she passed away I was able to get that sponsoring so then my next task was to find a restaurant to take them to. I was blessed to be able to work a deal with what in downtown Ensenada is considered one of the more fancy-er places to eat "El Rey Sol". French/Mexican cuisine and french decor - The women LOVED IT! They said they felt like queens!

They kept taking pictures of the entrees as they came in.

I took a moment and pointed out that this is exactly what Virginia had hoped for them. And although we wish she where here with us, we knew she was at a banquet much finer than this . . .

Yesenia said "Thanks for making us cry, Michelle"

It was a blessed time.

Now for pictures!

There is one picture thrown in here of a close up of me - very non-flattering - it is a shot of an allergic reaction I had to who-knows-what that made my eyes swell up. The picture is actually of me doing better, but you can still see the puffiness . . .
And the baby is mine. The only guy allowed on this trip because he's still nursing.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

But before I go . . .

Today I head out to our deaf women's retreat . . .

But before I do, I just wanted to tell you a bit about a few of the wonderful gals I met at the blogging party . . . which was huge, if you missed it.

This is Modern Mom "about" 2003/2005 New job title: Mom!
Presently: Features researcher, freelance writer; toy & product tester & reviewer.
Previously: TV Producer, Communications liaison, Project Manager, development & marketing. 2001 Candidate for Master’s in Education. 2000 Released original indie album.
1999 BA Communications.
1998 Mrs. Connecticut-America.
1995 New job title: Wife!
1995 Honors graduate, Associates Degree: Sign Language Interpreting/Deaf Studies.
1991 Continental Singer.
1989 Art school.

How cool is that? Of course my interest was piqued at the reference to sign language, and she quotes the movie "The Princess Bride" to boot . . . .
Since popping over to her party I've found her posts oh-so-funny with a dash of deep thinking and a mix of irony and satire to spice it up . . . a winner in my book.

Then I also met and have since enjoyed Jenni from Our life with 3 Girls she has girls about the same age as my three and so we can sigh in unison. Also, I appreciate that her post are often nice and short - due to the young three at hand - to which I greatly empathise . . .

I want to mention Cheryl from The 29:11 Promise. A mother of three and a pastors wife, and she writes of family and thoughts and things. 'Sides, she's a great comment-er.

Finally I'm going to mention a new blog party-er who's ministry is very similar to what we are doing - My life as JulieMom is about JulieMom and her family. They are missionaries to the deaf in South Africa. Her husband is deaf and she is a (hearing) mother of three girls. Plus she is a hoot. Watch out for her sense of humor, it will hit you blind sighted . . . .

There are many more - about 1500 more to be exact - although I didn't get to meet them all, perhaps I will be slowly mentioning a few more that I've come to like along the way - but I've GOT TO PACK!

OK - so I'm off again for this women's retreat . . .I'll take lot ' o pictures and be back later . . .
Ta ta for now y'all!

Emailed to me by a friend.

How to Get Everything Done When You Have Kids
By Berengaria

The laundry is piling up, the kitty litter reeks, the bills have toppled over onto the floor, you hardly recognize your spouse, your son wants a ride to practice, your daughter needs new dance shoes pronto and the to-do list takes up three-quarters of a yellow legal pad; how did this happen? It’s those kids, eating up all of your precious time again. Isn’t there a way to get it all done? Can’t life become more manageable? Sure it can! Follow these steps to learn how to get everything done when you have kids:

Instructions
Difficulty: Challenging

Step 1:

Children=slave labor; okay, so the toddler will be useless in the cleaning department, but any kid from age three up can be of use picking up toys, doing dishes, loading laundry, wiping surfaces, vacuuming, dusting, feeding and cleaning up after pets. Preschoolers can handle a pooper scooper as well as anyone, and enjoy it more than most.

Step 2:

Stuff extracurriculars; does your kid really need soccer, violin lessons, chess club, band practice, SAT prep or volunteer hours? Surely they can get enough lessons during school hours, along with the other 39 kids in their classroom? B-list colleges cost less anyway, and with all that extra time they’ll have, the house should be spotless. With all the extra time you have, you could take a nap on the couch.

Step 3:

Give away half your belongings; most of us have too much stuff. Stuff robs us of time, energy and brain space while we search for other stuff, rearrange our homes to fit more stuff, and shop for different stuff. When you cross extraneous shopping off the list, time will suddenly surface, your home will feel freer, and you’ll find that hamster you’ve been looking for since May.

Step 4:

Give up your dreams. Sure, pursuing that promotion was exciting, challenging and rewarding, but the long hours were making it impossible to keep the piles down, keep date night with your spouse a regular thing and keep the kids in shoes that fit. While you’re at it, give up regular bathing (a real time stealer), personal grooming, exercise, hobbies and friendships; there’ll be time for you when you’re dead.

Step 5:

Redefine “everything”; yes, bills must be paid—preferably on time, cars must be maintained and filled with gas, humans and animals must be fed on a regular basis and attendance at school and work is a must. Everything else is a choice. How clean does a home need to be? Not very. Do you need to attend every single game your child plays in? Probably not. Does your child need dance shoes tonight? Maybe, but can she borrow some from a friend until you can get to the store? Do you need to supply healthy, well-balanced meals every night, like your sister does? Heck no, that’s what cold cereal is for. Lowering your standards when overloaded can lighten your mood and make “everything” more fun.

Tips & Warnings

• If you’re uncomfortable requiring labor for room and board, bribe your children into good behavior and a healthy work ethic by providing goodies, gold stars, privileges and smiles in return for effort.
  
• If skipping all the after-school activities seems heartless (and unwise), offer choices with location in mind; after-school activities actually at school saves transport, as do activities that allow walking, carpooling or bus riding as travel options.
  
• Think about space before you shop; give birthday presents and holiday gifts that don’t add clutter, or take up the recipient’s already crowded space. Other parents will love you.
  
• Giving away half your belongings seems daunting, but once you begin, it gives you a glow, knowing your unused suits will clothe homeless women or men searching for jobs, your forgotten toys will go to children who can’t afford them, and your cans of corned beef hash will go from the back of your pantry onto someone’s plate.
  
• Look across the table; is your spouse as overwhelmed as you are? Do you feel like you have the world on your shoulders, and he or she feels like going bowling with buddies for the third time this week? Check in with your partner about sharing the load before you’re tempted to go out for beer and cigarettes, and never come back.
  
• Send the children away for a week when everything has piled up and you’re feeling panicked. Isn’t that what grandparents are for? Godparents? Incredibly supportive siblings? Nanny services? Highly paid responsible teenagers? Camp?
  
• Don’t even think about keeping up with the Jones’s; spending effort to maintain lawn standards, buy brand-name clothing, keep a spotless car or entertain lavishly in a manner similar to an unnamed décor/entertaining magazine magnate is silly when you have kids to take care of and bills to pay. Leave that to the retired, the independently wealthy, and the social climbers who will send their children to expensive, exclusive therapists to help them get over their parents’ emotional and physical absence.
  
• Hire help. It could be a housecleaner, an accountant or someone to take care of the dog poop---anyone who can help ease your burden for a modest fee.
  
• Delegate your nemesis to another member of the household; sometimes the laundry is the straw that breaks the camel's back, for others, it is the dishes. Your most hated chore may be a breeze to another family member; discover that member and DELEGATE.
  
• Getting buried in the minutiae of life can keep you from enjoying the life you’ve chosen; reminding yourself of the goals you’ve achieved, the people you love and the effort you put into caring for everyone, even when overwhelmed, may help keep everything in perspective and save your sense of humor.
  
• Never allow unsupervised hours after school if you want your child to reach adulthood without pregnancy, drug use, gaming addiction, juvenile delinquency or social isolation. Maybe that’s what all those piano lessons were really for when you were fifteen…
  
• Don’t set the toddler or young school-age children onto the bills—you’ll end up dissatisfied, more stressed, and repossessed.
  
• Ignore Step 4; dreams are what get us through the day, and what tomorrow can be made of (and bathing is a really good idea). Neglecting yourself helps no one.

Taking a mini-break

Hello everyone!

I had a blast meeting some neat people at the blogging party and I will be writing about them when we get back -
Were going to take a few family days, and then on Wednesday I will be picking up our guest speaker for our deaf women's retreat . . . once she is settled I'll be back on line . .
Until then!
HUGS to you all . . .

THAT IT! I'M DONE!

I CAN. NOT. visit ONE MORE blog!

My kids are neglected, my chores are pathetically undone and for PETES SAKE - we need to eat something besides popcorn and the bag of chocolates that my 4 year old found (while she was scrounging around trying to find something to eat for herself)

But - OH MY WORD - did you see all the ladies at the party?

The count was 1443 - when I threw in the towel . . .

How does one go about picking and choosing who to visit? And did you or someone you know visit them all? That deserve a prize!!!!
My spirit is willing but my husband comes home soon and I need to go pick up those chocolate wrappers before he does . . .

Videos I've found linking around this party

Three little words

If you expressed in three words what you were thinking . . . what would it be?

Welcome to the party!

Welcome! My name is Michelle, I grew up mostly in Minnesota. Graduated with a double BA in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology from a way to expensive private college in St.Paul to become a full time missionary in Mexico where I taught at Rancho Sordo Mudo (christian school for the deaf) and met my husband. We've since moved to the neighboring city of Ensenada to work with the deaf ministry here.

Come on in! It's noisy out here with all the traffic, but better once you get in the house.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My husband does construction and when there is an opportunity he likes to take deaf with him to work on the projects he is involved in.

But this blog mostly is me being a mother, a wife and a friend. I like to keep it light hearted. Humor! I love good humor, even if I have to laugh at myself - or I'd probably go insane.

It may be too late . . .

Some answers for some frequently asked questions:

Yes, there are different sign languages for each country, each ethnicity (I know there is a Mayan Sign Language as well as a Mexican Sign language)

I don't know why we don't all just sign one sign language, but I bet the reason is very similar as to why we don't all speak one language.

No, I don't read braille, and neither do any of my deaf friends.

Well - it's coffee time again - yes, in my Cornningware cup.

There are a lot of people at this party so I'll let you go back to meeting them - but again, thanks for stopping by!

By the way - There are over 1000 people at the party and LOTS of prizes . . . you don't even need to be a blogger! Checka checka !! I do have an American shipping address so I'm in the running for some prizes!

My top 5 are

1. 72 — Webcam Provided by Liz
2. 103 — Pink Brick Box Play Sets Provided by: LEGO
3. A blog makeover by any of these: 24, 45, 67, or 123
4. 70 — Chocolate Provided by: The Chocolistas
5. 142 — Ballerina Barrette Hairclip Holder Provided by: Nissa’s Niceties

Then in no particular order . . .96, 84, 94, 131, 50, 77, 55, 59, 117, 49, 100, 143, 146, 116, 107, 112, 130, 140, 60, and 129.

A bit over stated . . .

*ugh*

I'm sitting for a bit because nothing else is working on me right now.

I did the healthy thing and pulled out a "Pilate's for the soul" . . a shaped by faith DVD.

Really nice, by the way, but for me - with 40 . . .um, OK, 50 extra pounds that I need to shed this first go at it was KILLER!

Half way through the leg lifts which should have been lovely and easy according to the non-sweaty and graceful lady on the screen -but are not! -translated by yours truly to barely discernible awkward flops and jerks - I express to my mother, who is sitting in the comfy faithful brown armchair sorting socks*how I love you brown armchair!* , that I can not lift my leg. I.CAN.NOT.MOVE.IT.one more time!

To which she replies - not joking-at all:

"Oh no, that's not good, if you can't move it you'll become paralyzed!"

Really folks . . .she was concerned for my atrophying legs . . .

I know I'm in bad shape - but pu-leeezzz!

Now, I'm waiting for that "burst of energy after a good workout" . . .

waiting . .

waiting . . .

. . . .

*myth*