The Currys...EXPOSED

Over the years, I have been the subject of much ridicule when it comes to my cleanliness.
Let's face it...
I love a clean house.
I cannot function properly without my house being in order.
Friends have mused, "Tiff, I see a pinch of dust on that end table. Better get your rag!"
"Is your house EVER messy?"
I definitely get a bad rap.
So, today, you will see the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
This is what my home looks like on a daily basis.
It's lived in. It's played in. It's eaten in.
It's raw. It's unleashed.
I'm sure it will make most readers' jaw hit the floor.
Truth be told, I am worried about the state that some of you will be in when you...
DISCOVER THE TRUTH.

Ah, yes. When you come to my house and walk through the door, you will most likely see this:

Aside from a few toys here and there, the living room is always the most presentable, awaiting any unwanted, I mean, unplanned guests. But it's what you don't see that's the kicker. It's what's behind closed doors.

No, no, no. This isn't just a bad case of the "which shoe should I wears"?.
This is a horrible case of, "I'm too lazy to pick up my shoes".

Below you will see what appears to be a pack 'n' play. Looks can be deceiving. It doubles as my husband's clothes hanging service; AKA clothes "hanging" around until my wife puts them away.

Just a teeny example of dishes that are left out. This particular popcorn bowl and cup have been lurking since Tuesday night. Nevermind the sippy cup of milk I found underneath a blanket in the toy room. I think it's safe to say that curdled milk in a sippy cup definitely warrents an automatic toss in the trash.

Ah, yes, breakfast. I had to move coloring books and Candy.land out of the way so my children could partake.

This is a fairly organized closet, but to me, it's just a sign of things that need to be done.

Bill's closet in his bathroom is definitely his area. I did, however, organize it last week.
That lasted.

Bill's bathroom. Enough said.

This is where it gets scary, folks. These are my laundry piles.

So, as you can see...I'm like most of you. I have messes. Sure, my messes may not last very long, but they are messes. It represents life. It's truth.
I could have showed you even more, but I thought I'd spare you the details of Luke's bathroom escapades or the sugar ants I found in my kitchen last week.
It just goes to show why I have a love-hate relationship with a messy house.
I hate it because it makes me cranky, stressed and to be frank, a little witchy.
I love it because when it's all cleaned up, the kids are in bed and I'm relaxed, I can take a deep breath and actually...
breathe.

Resurrection Cookies

This is something that we all must do with our kids! What a way to teach our children about the true meaning of Easter. Thanks, Paige!
Note: I chose this specific website link because of the layout, not the "If You're Happy and You Know It" tune. How annoying!

http://my.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/holiday/eastercookies.html

Just in time for Easter

Luke and I have been discussing Jesus' death quite a bit this week. It has to be a difficult concept for a four year old to understand as well as difficult for a Momma to explain.
I teach the Bible Story to the 4 and 5 year olds at Awana, and last week was the story of the crucifixion.
Deep stuff.
Deep stuff for me...
not so deep to Luke.
I mean, what's so hard to understand? God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we could be saved from our sin.
Luke has thought and thought and thought about it this week,
but at the same time, he didn't act confused or worried.
It was what it was...no questions asked.
Yesterday, Luke was sitting at the kitchen table while I was making lunch and he said, "Mommy, I want to go to heaven some day."
I froze.
I turned.
I looked at him.
I walked over to him.
I knelt down and looked him in the eyes.
"What did you say, Luke?"
"I want to go to heaven some day."
I took Luke into the living room, sat him on my lap and right then,
Luke asked Jesus to "come into his heart and live".
I was overwhelmed.
It was never meant to be hard stuff to understand.
It's quite simple, actually.
Luke has it right.
The truth is...
it's not about a certain prayer.
Or a moment.
It's about Luke coming to a point where he truly believes that Jesus died for him.

It is hard for a four year old to understand that someone we cannot see can be "in our hearts" but he compared it to the only thing he knew and understood well...
Bl.ue's Cl.ues
In every episode of the show, Blue and Steve skidoo into a picture...
much like Mary Poppins, Bert, and Jane & Michael Banks once did by "popping" into one of Bert's sidewalk drawings.
So, with all that he could, Luke explained, "Mom! Jesus just skidooed right into my heart!"

What a day. A day I will never forget.

Blogging...the good, the bad and the ugly

I have to admit; I am a horrible blogger. I really do like to blog because I like to write. And, I like the fact that I can look back through blogs of years' past and reminisce. But, there are some things that I do not like about blogging. My biggest pet peeve is downloading pictures. I think a blog with pictures is WAY more interesting than no pictures, but it takes extra time. I always think of tons of cute things to talk to you about, but get lazy in putting it into words. I've been wanting to post this video of Luke for the past week, but I know how long it will take to download it, so I skip it. Am I pathetic or what?
My friends' blogs inspire me. I wish I could be as creative as some, but then that wouldn't be 100% "me". Even now, I read back on what I have wrote and I think, "What a bunch of mumbled-jumbled disjointed phrases! Why would anyone want to read this?"
I've been meaning to change my Valentine's Day background and family CHRISTMAS PICTURE for months now and do something a little more creative. Truth is, it takes time to mess with the layout and having a different picture would actually require me to take another family picture.
I'm beginning to sound a wee bit lazy. And, yes, I'd have to agree with a little bit of that. I am bloggy lazy. I think I'm bloggy lazy because I'm not lazy in any other aspect of my life. Here are just a few of the things that occupy my time:
1. Maintaining a home
2. Preschool with Luke
3. Giving Katelyn snacks
4. Training for a 1/2 marathon
5. Supporting a successful independent business
6. Coaching a summer softball team and scheduling games
7. Playing with kids
8. Practicing the Easter cantata for our church (which you ALL should come. It will be fabulous)
9. Co-chairing Vacation Bible School
and for all of you who can't stand it when lists end with an odd number, this if for you...
10. Blogging on a very part-time basis

Now, I know that I choose all of these things, but at times, I feel like I have no choice. Do you ever feel that way? A lot of the things that I choose I truly love doing (and I can't say that training for a marathon is one of them).

I honestly do not know where I'm going with this blog. No where, probably. I want to do better. I have so many ideas floating around in my head. So, my question for all of you is...what time of day do you blog? How do you fit it in? What do you do about pictures? Isn't it annoying to you?

What a boring post. If you've made it to the end, congratulations! Now you can inspire me, or give me a swift kick in the pants.

Sickies

We have the sickies at our house. Katelyn got a cold last week. It started with a fever on Tuesday night. I took her to the doctor (again) because I thought she might have another ear infection. Apparently, a toddler having a fever and swatting at her ear means that her ears look perfect. Oh well. She continued to get this nasty runny nose and cough. On Sunday, Luke woke up with the cough and by Sunday afternoon, had a fever. It's Wednesday. He was fever-free for most of the day yesterday but woke up in the middle of the night and it had returned. Katelyn is pretty much on the mend with the exception of a little mucus.
This-has-been-terrible. I need out of the house! I need fresh air. I may just open a few windows today to let some clean air in.
And, for all you moms out there, don't you just hate toiling with the decision of whether or not you should take your child to the doctor? Should I? Shouldn't I? Maybe I should? Yep, I'm going to call. No, it's just a virus. Insanity, I tell you!

Luke on "being fit"

Luke: "Mommy? Why am I so skinny?"

Tiffany: "God made you skinny! You were only fat once and that's when you were born!"

Luke: "Mom, I'm not skinny because God made me skinny."

Tiffany: "You're not? Why do you say that?"

Luke: "I'm skinny because I work out."

And to make matters worse...

I cannot believe I used the wrong form of "right" in my last post. That is a pet peeve of mine. Note to self...proof read before you post, not after.