Denitra's Den

A New Addition To The Den

2009-08-15T17:44:00.029-04:00

[This is Denitra's Hubby filling in for this post]

Denitra has had another cub, born on Thursday in the wee hours of the morning. Here are some pictures she wanted to share with friends and family.

Denitra announces she's in labor on Facebook at around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon.

Many hours go by while Denitra does not care about posting anything to Facebook.

Denitra poses with new cub Clara in the Operating Room after a C-Section.

Clara isn't sure about all that light, the extra room and breathing the cool air and is overheard crying, "Put me back! Put me BACK!"

At birth, she weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 oz at a length of 21 inches.

Later on that day, she practices sleeping. It turns out she's good at it. Who'd a thought.

Darla visits her new little sister.

Micah is now officially a big brother (the good kind, not the evil dystopian government kind).

Mommom gets to meet grandchild number 6.

Clara missed having the same birthday as Poppop by only a few days.

Being a little jaundiced means she gets to sleep in the Bilibed. She's our little glow worm.

Daddy feels he doesn't have enough pictures yet so he sets out to photograph her waking up before being fed.

A big yawn leads to...

... a bigger scream.

Then daddy finally gets her settled down.

So Mommy's recovering pretty well from the C-Section so far. Clara's biliruben levels are stable (but still need to drop some) so all in all,

we've decided to keep her.

[This is Denitra, and I approve this message.]

The Triumph of Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

2009-08-05T14:56:00.004-04:00

Since the end of June I have had to restrict my caffeine intake dramatically. I know, I know I'm not supposed to have any during pregnancy at all, but that is more difficult than you can imagine.

One of the first questions on my mind at my first ob visit was, "How much caffeine can I have a day?" Pathetic, I know. It isn't like I drink a pot of regular coffee everyday. In fact, I might only have one cup in the morning (and hubby makes half-calf anyway) and if I need a pick me up sometime during the day I might stop by Starbucks for my favorite, "grande, non-fat latte please!"

The midwives told me that I could have 1 cup of regular coffee a day if I desired. Whohoo! So for most of the pregnancy I either had a cup of hubby's half-calf in the morning followed by a decaf Starbucks later in the day or splurged with a tall latte as my one treat for the day. This seemed to keep my desire for coffee satisfied and I apparently forgot to consider the caffeine I was ingesting in the form of iced tea and the occasional chocolate treat.

At the end of June I headed to the gym to work out one day. When I arrived I felt my heart just racing and I hadn't even worked out yet! It was running at about 130 beats per minute. They immediately sent me home and told me to call the doctor. After several weeks of visits to the midwife, primary and even a cardiologist for a monitor and echo cardiogram - I was diagnosed with pregnancy tachycardia. All it means is that my heart likes to race occasionally and add a few beats just to make things interesting!

What it meant for me was that I needed to stop exercising for the remainder of the pregnancy, rest when my heart raced and, you guessed it, stay away from caffeine even more. Naturally, that last one was the hardest! It's pretty difficult to give up coffee, iced tea and chocolate when you're headed to Virginia Beach for vacation. Nevertheless, I managed.

Eventually, after several chiropractic visits, my heart rate decided to calm down. (Apparently my twisted rib cage was aggravating the symptoms and the chiropractor was able to help reduce them with a few simple adjustments!) As a result, I have found that I do not have to rest as much these days since my heart does not usually go up beyond 120 bpm anymore. Also, the doctors said that I could have some decaf and small bits of chocolate too...how wonderful!

So in an effort to satisfy my cravings for coffee and chocolate I have been on the hunt for some chocolate chip ice cream to go along with my "grande, decaf, non-fat, light ice latte, please!" To my dismay, however, it seemed that good old chocolate chip ice cream has become obsolete in the shadows of such superstars as Moose Tracks, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, and it's more preferred cousin, Mint Chocolate Chip.

I was beginning to become convinced of the demise of Chocolate Chip ice cream after checking out what seemed to be every frozen food isle and ice cream parlor from here to the Jersey Shore. In fact, I had just given in to mourning that old comfort food, when I spotted a sale on Breyer's ice cream today at the grocery store. There it was in all it's simplistic glory: Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

What a yummy triumph!

My Mid-Life Motherhood

2009-08-03T16:22:00.003-04:00

Check out my new blog over at My Mid-Life Motherhood. I'm just getting started over there and hope to have the opportunity to share with other moms the adventure of having another baby at 40!

Tribute to Grandmom

2009-08-03T15:26:00.007-04:00

Back in May I traveled by overnight train to Florida to attend my Grandmother's funeral. Before the baby arrives (in a matter of days!), I wanted to be sure to post the tribute I wrote to baby on the way to the funeral.

During the family memories part of the ceremony my Dad read my journal entry, my Mom read a poem she had written for Grandmom years earlier, and I read a poem about Great Grandma's teddy bears that my daughter had written six years earlier at Grandmom's 90th. I broke down at the end, so it's a good thing my Dad read the journal entry - I wouldn't have been able to do it at all (even writing this post brings me to tears again.)

So before time passes by any further here is what I had chosen to pass on to my unborn baby about the Great Grandmother she missed meeting.

Wednesday, April 27, 2009

Dear Little One,

Right now you and I are headed down to Florida via the train. I haven't felt you kicking too much, so I think all this motion is rocking you to sleep.

At 24 weeks you weigh about a pound and a half and measure roughly 8 1/2 inches from "crown to rump." Basically the size of a small baby doll...and that you are - a doll baby!!

The reason we are headed to Florida is to attend my Grandmom's funeral. It is sad that you will never have the opportunity to meet Great Grandmom McNulty, but I'm sure her legacy will live on so that you will come to know who she was.

Mabel Emily Seifert McNulty went to be with the Lord on Monday, April 27, 2009 around 2 p.m. She had just turned 96 years old the previous Sunday, April 19th!

Here's a few things about her:

Marvelous Mother
Amazingly Artistic
Beautiful Bears
Entertaining Storyteller
Loved the Lord

Another way to read MABEL is: Mother's Always Bring Extra Love!

Grandmom always made me feel so loved - even though she lived so far away and I only got to see her every few years. She was very caring and motherly to me. I learned most of my crafting ability from her. She was truly an artist with her sewing and crocheting skills. Our Christmas tree is full of ornaments that Grandmom made over the years. Her most favorite craft was making teddy bears. I used to get one almost every year! I think I have a doll or bear to mark every milestone in my life!! Before Grandmom died she set aside one of her bears especially for you. So you already have your very first teddy bear from Great Grandmom!

Grandmom was always eager to tell a good story from our family tree. I enjoyed immensely the fascinating tales of our ancestors and stories of Grandmom's childhood. Your name - Clara - is in honor of Grandmom's family tree. Somewhere, somehow she was - and so are you - related to Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross. Naming you Clara is our way of honoring Grandmom and her enthusiasm for passing on all she learned of our family tree.

Lastly, Grandmom loved the Lord! From my earliest recollections I can recall Grandmom talking to me about Jesus. The stories of her life and the way she lived were a testament to her faith in Christ. I can only hope to have been such a testimony to others as she was to me and those around her.

From Grandmom, as well as those before her, to my father's generation to mine and now to you, Darla and Micah - a living legacy of faith has been passed.

May you too come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and join us in Grandmom's legacy!!

Love,
Mom

Ode to a Nut

2009-06-11T20:52:00.049-04:00

A year ago this week we lost our favorite nut: Peanut, our cat. He was the best cat EVER and I still miss him dearly. I figured it was high time to write a proper tribute about my favorite pumpkin sized feline, recording some of the antics and highlights of his years with our family.

Prior to bringing Peanut into our home, we had already had two kitties. A brother-sister duo named, ironically, Peanut and Parfait (in honor of the peanut buster parfait at DQ!) While I was very pregnant with my son, Peanut got sick and died suddenly. Naturally, I didn't handle that well. Cried for days. Original Peanut was an adorable fluffy peanut colored kitty. He was very smart and could even speak and fetch with his favorite toy: a rolled up napkin ball!

Nearly a year after Peanut passed away, friends of ours were looking for a home for their kitty, named - you guessed it - Peanut! My immediate response was to fill that Peanut shaped hole in my heart, so we took in the little nut. He adjusted fairly well, considering the strange environment with another feline in the house. He and Parfait pretty much kept their distance from each other and he attempted to escape on a daily basis. I have never seen a cat so intent on getting outside. If you put your foot in the doorway to stop him, he'd just wrestle it down, flip over and make a run for it. Despite living on a very busy street, I finally gave up and let him become an indoor/outdoor cat. He was extremely well suited to the task and seemed to really enjoy the freedom.

About a year after we adopted Peanut we moved to a more country suburban home with a big yard backing up to some woods. This was heaven for Peanut! He roamed the neighborhood, hung out in the woods, kept many wild animals away from our house and everytime I would look out the window when the kids were on the playground - there he would be standing guard. Anytime we headed out back to play we could just call his name and he would come bounding out of the bushes to greet us. Considering he had grown immensely over the years, to a whopping 22 pounds at one point, his "bounding" was quite humorous! Peanut was the quintessential fat cat. He was basically Garfield in real life. When I saw those movies I couldn't help but laugh extra loudly at the fat cat maneuvers and falls which was art imitating the life of my cat!

Peanut became a household name in our neighborhood - everybody knew and loved him. For awhile there he would come home in the summers smelling like perfume! We never did figure out with whom he was having a regular rendezvous. One time I opened the front door to let him out, I heard laughter coming from our neighbor's yard and then "Hey Peanut, come on over!" Yup, our cat had just been invited to the party!

The neighbors on our other side loved Peanut like their own cat. They had a little bed for him in their garage and sometimes he'd have sleepovers at their house. They would even let him inside their house to hang out. When Peanut passed away they came over to the grave to pay their respects and we all shared our favorite stories about our shared pet!Some of Peanut's favorite things were:

FOOD

BEGGING FOR FOODLOUNGING NEAR HIS FOODPAPER BAGS

BOXES

LOUNGING IN GENERAL

Over a year later and I still pull into the driveway missing how the big nut would run to greet me as I got out of the car. I miss his addiction to feet - he had quite a foot fetish and loved to rub his face all over anyone's feet if they'd let him. If you didn't allow him to do so, you risked getting nipped in the ankle! In general we all greatly miss the cool cat whom we lovingly remember as being a "really good dog!"

Check Your Heart

2009-04-24T14:05:00.003-04:00

The other day I heard a little blurb on our local Christian radio station encouraging listeners to take a look in their checkbooks to see what is important to them. You know, where your treasure is, so is your heart. As I am the one who carries the checkbook, I thought this sounded like a great way to check my heart and see where it lies. OK, deep breath, here goes!

Gift for baby shower
Chiropractic appointment
School Tuition
Cash for lunches
School T-Shirt
Piano registration
Doctor's office for supplements
Cash for groceries
Compassion child
Cleaning help
Hospital bill
Musical DVD from school
Taxes
Taxes
Taxes
Dentist
Cleaning help
Church lunch
Church tithe
Macy's maternity clothes
Motherhood maternity clothes
Giant groceries
PT gym use
Cash for groceries
Church tithe

So to sum it up, since the beginning of April, the checks were written for:

friend
me
kids
family
me
kids
me
family
charity
me
me
family
government
government
government
kids
me
church
church
me
me
family
me
family
church

Yup, pretty much me! 3 checks for the gov't, 5 checks for church, charity or others, 8 for our kids or family and 9 for, well, me. Hmmm, my heart sure seems to be focused on me, me, me! I think I need to do this more often to check my self spending.

Well, that was a bit of an eye opener and hopefully, it will help me curb my spending where needed. I know hubby, and our checkbook, will appreciate that:)

Pondering Easter

2009-04-14T21:32:00.002-04:00

My daughter has been doing an online devotional with some of her friends. They take turns creating a weekly email devotion and I thought that I would pass on to you some of her insights on Christ's death and resurrection. A great reminder to us all as we celebrate Easter.

Christ's death and crucifixion. Luke 23:26-49

In this passage it talks about Christ's death and the pain he went through for us. If you can imagine all he went through for his sinful people that he was faithful to for so many years, well it's unbelievable!! Jesus was God (and He still was on earth) and He came down to this sinful wicked world to walk and talk with His people. He loved the people so much he died on a cross for their sins. He was sinless and yet he took on all of our sins on that cross so we can live forever with him in heaven. Imagine having everything and coming to sacrifice yourself for these people who rejected you and some who hate you. Even God the Father rejected His son when he was on the cross because he contained all the sins of His people. He sacrificed so much for us!

Here are some questions you can answer in an e-mail and in your journal:

Can you think of anything you would die for like Jesus died for us?
When you think of the pain Christ went through for you how do you feel?
Do you feel free to give Christ all your burdens of sin to hang on that cross?
Christ died for you, are you willing to die for him?

Luke 24:1-12.

One word describes this passage perfectly!!!! AMAZING!!!!! He is risen guys!!!! The Lord Jesus Christ was under the curse of death for only a few days before He was alive again!!! This story is so amazing. I just read the passage and do you know what I just realized? Before Christ died He told His disciples He would die and then raise from the dead. But those disciples didn't believe Him!!!!! After He was raised from the dead the woman told them what the angel said but Christ's best friends didn't believe it!!! They didn't remember what their teacher said!!! They forgot about how He mentioned rising from the dead!!!! But Jesus still loved them. Even if His chosen ones give up on Him, there is no way He'll give up on us. We might doubt Him, but every word of the Bible is the truth!!!! No matter what we do, if we're a Christian we'll never be taken out of His hands! His love is so amazing!!!

Happy Easter

Knowing

2009-04-07T11:06:00.011-04:00

If you're up for an edge-of-your-seat thought provoking thrill ride then this latest Nicolas Cage blockbuster is for you. Knowing is an intriguing suspense thriller that had me hiding under my coat for much of the movie. In fact, had not an old friend of mine been one of the writers, I highly doubt I would have dared to set foot in the theater after viewing the trailer. To be honest, I was a bit concerned about what I had gotten myself into after several previews for slasher/horror flicks that preceded the movie, but I braved my fears for the sake of helping contribute to the movie's eventual #1 box office slot for opening weekend. I must say, that despite jumping out of my seat with a yelp to the amusement of movie goers around me, I was quite impressed with the film.

Instead of just another spooky doomsday flick, this one wrestles with philosophical questions of the meaning of life while providing an action packed adrenaline rush. Nicolas Cage's character is a professor of astrophysics who, in an odd turn of events, finds himself deciphering a 50 year old list of numbers to determine when and where great catastrophes will occur. He begins his journey believing that everything is random and by then end of the film is realizing that everything had been determined beforehand. The philosophical aspect of the movie falls short there, without giving meaning or purpose to such determinism - something we can find in reality if we hold to a biblical world view. But hey, it was much more thought provoking then I ever imagined a suspense thriller to be! Many will note the obvious eschatological and apocalyptic themes throughout the movie. I, however, saw more of a modern day Noahic parable with recurring themes of destruction/judgment, pre-destination, election, redemption and salvation.

In my estimation, Knowing, was like The Sixth Sense meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with action sequences reminiscent of Independence Day. All great films, to which I think Knowing aspires. The destruction scenes in the movie were disturbingly intense, with amazing special effects. In the words of my screenwriter friend, Stuart Hazeldine, "I wouldn't have your grandma see it. It's pretty dark and scary in places, especially the disaster sequences." I would also recommend keeping the kids home too, otherwise you may be in for a few weeks of nightmares. I still peer out in the woods at night half expecting to see creepy men lurking on the edge...yikes! You know a suspense thriller has done it's job when it gets into your psyche for just a bit.

Well done, Stu! I give it:

Parent's Day Faux Pas

2009-03-18T13:42:00.006-04:00

This morning was Parent's Day at my son's school, Grace Christian. I arrived around 10:30 and we had a lot of fun together - even took him out for a treat during lunch! I would be remiss, however, if I did not share my story and provide you with a good laugh for the day. The thought still brings me to tears...

To start the special day, the whole school gathered in the sanctuary for worship songs. After that several of us parents were "volunteered" by our children to participate in some skits focused on serving others. Lil' Buddy and I eagerly joined in on the skit (because, if you don't already know, I secretly long to be an actress:) I must admit that I threw myself into the character of a-stressed-out-pregnant-mom-who-breaks-down-crying-over-the-messy-house...yeah, I know, it wasn't much of a stretch for me! Apparently, my on cue crying impressed, laughter ensued and I felt that we had achieved our goal: get the most laughs while getting the lesson across!

After all the skits each grade returned to their respective classrooms. I followed my son upstairs to his 5th grade room where we settled down to play hangman before moving on to the next event. Bud was up and after a few guesses I thought I had the answer, so in true Horshack form from Welcome Back Kotter, I raised my hand and piped up, "Ooooh!Oooooh! Ooooh!" When I went to answer, I realized that I must be wrong because I thought the answer was "storm troopers", but he had written so_ _ _ t_oop_ _ _. Oops, he had written it wrong, so my guess was right and it was my turn to come up with the next word.

I was completely at a loss for anything fun to write and felt that I just couldn't live up to the Star Wars terms that had come before. So I wrote my blanks on the board and declared that it wasn't much of a fun word before I took their guesses. I had chosen the word "CLASSROOM".

One of the first guesses was the letter "S", so I eagerly filled in the appropriate blanks. A few more letters called resulting in the formation of the poor dangling stick figure. Next was called, "A!", so I naturally wrote that on the board. Immediately, I chuckled and turned bright red since, to my astonishment, I had just written a bad word on the board of my son's 5th grade class! Quickly I turned to the giggling kids and smiling parents and begged them to hurry up and pick some more letters. It took several tries, but finally my son yelled out "R!" Whew! After a few more letters I filled in the blanks and we were on our way to the cafeteria chuckling the whole time. One of the other moms just looked at me, laughing and commented, "Nice one!"

Next time I'll be much more careful with the words I choose or else my _ _ _ might be grass - oh, look, another word I should never choose for hangman!

I don't believe I'll be living this one down for quite awhile.

The Feeling of Goldfish

2009-03-05T20:10:00.003-05:00

Well, it's sure been a long time since the last post announcing my pregnancy. Things are going very well! I am nearing the end of 16 weeks, have completely replaced my wardrobe and have said good-bye to the queasiness and fatigue that plagued me during the first tri-mester.

I was never one for morning sickness, so it was quite different for me to be even queasy every day. Although, the benefit of feeling so off meant nearly no weight gain in the first tri-mester! Compared to my previous children where I gained 40 & 38 pounds respectively, I am off to a great start with only 2-3 pounds gained thus far! Starting overweight this time 'round is limiting the weight gain to 10-15 pounds and absolutely no more than 20...yikes. With my previous record, I'm a little concerned, but I do feel I'm getting a better start with this one!

I thought I started feeling the baby a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't sure. Now that there is a consistent feeling of goldfish wriggling around in my belly it is sure confirmation to me that there is life within. Having had two previous miscarriages, I can't tell you how reassuring that little goldfish sensation is - it will get me through til I can hear the heart beat again next week.

Keep on the look out in April when I hope to reveal the gender - as long as baby cooperates with the "cameras" at this months ultrasound! Naturally, Darlin' is hoping for a baby sister and Lil' Buddy is hoping for a baby brother. In addition to a healthy baby, I'm hoping for a redhead!

Hopefully, I'll be able to check in again soon to recap on the many birthday extravaganzas that we've had the past few months. This week is Buddy's birthday and I hope to create a dice cake mounted on a game board for his birthday party. I'll let you know how that turns out!

Mommy Math

2009-01-28T17:06:00.007-05:00

Following is a mini math quiz to see how many of my friends and family check in at Denitra's Den, even when I do so quite sporadically! If you do, I promise a sneak peak at the bottom of this post, but you have to do your math first!

Solve the following word problem:

After 16 1/2 years of marriage, Mom has had 5 pregnancies. Sadly there have been 2 miscarriages. Happily she has 1 daughter who is 13 and 1 son who will be 11. How does that add up?

You do the math!

See answer key below:)

Back to the Bible

2009-01-05T09:00:00.003-05:00

The new year is here which means a time for new resolutions and goals, or perhaps reviving a few of the old ones from last year!

Both of my lil' cubs declared to me the other day that their new year's resolution was to have devotions more often, maybe even reading through the Bible in the year. So we discussed how they might accomplish such a task.

I told them that I too had resolved to be more diligent with my daily devotions, already beginning to work through a one year book given to me for my birthday. They were surprised, and responded, "But you already do devotions with Daddy every night." I reminded them that it is still important to read the Bible and pray on my own as well and that was something I felt I needed to get back to doing more regularly.

The whole conversation was a really good reminder to me about how much our little cubs notice without us telling them - like our daily evening devotions. And that through church, school and our guiding they have a personal desire to read the Scriptures on their own. What a delight to our ears!

All this was to preface the fact that it was high time I revived our Monday Morning Memory Verse! Since reading the Bible and committing God's word to memory is a vital tool in our spiritual belt then we best get back to it. To see what the Proverbs 31 wife has been up to check out some of the previous posts here.

The next verse is:

Proverbs 31:20 - She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

This one is pretty self explanatory, but a good reminder nonetheless. What we have seen with the Proverbs 31 wife is that she is pretty selfless, isn't she? Everything she does seems to have a distinct purpose of serving others whether it be her husband, her family, her household and now those residing outside the realm of her home.

Up to this point we have seen what she has done and the tasks to which she has striven in order to provide for her household. Now we see her outward focus toward the poor and needy. With "open arms" she embraces her calling to serve others. The phrase "extending her hands" continues to give us a picture of a woman who is welcoming, caring and loving toward those in need. The implication to me seems to be that she is down at the proverbial soup kitchen getting her hands dirty. What'd ya think?

This brings to mind several women in our church who can always be found in our church kitchen. No matter what the event, from our monthly Food From The Heart lunches (which feed the poor and needy of our local community) to the banquets or church functions (which serve the members of our congregation) these women are always on hand to do the job. Serving others through the culinary arts is a particular talent, gift and calling to which they readily respond. It is a good example to me of some real Proverbs 31 women that serve their families, their church family and open their arms and extend their hands to the poor and needy in our community.

100th Post

2009-01-02T16:17:00.005-05:00

Here it is, my 100th post! I figured that would be the most apropro time to come up with my list of 100 things about myself. So here goes...

1. 5 ' 2"
2. eyes of blue
3. to my hubby I am the little curly redheaded girl
4. married June 13, 1992 to a guy named Phil
5. I am exactly one foot shorter than him
6. until I left for college I had lived on the same street all my life and yet had moved once...across the street
7. in our first 8 years of marriage we moved 8 times
8. have lived in our current home since 2000
9. graduated from Springfield High School in 1986
10. was active in our church youth group and community Young Life – even worked at Saranac Lake one summer
11. graduated from Grove City College in 1990 with a triple degree in Christian Ministries, Sociology and Religion
12. graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1994 with a Masters of Religion with a concentration in Biblical Studies
13. prefer Hebrew over Greek any day
14. absolutely loved archaeology with Dr. Pratico
15. have only lived in Commonwealths
16. born and raised in Pennsylvania
17. lived 4 years in Massachusetts on the North Shore
18. lived 15 months in Charlottesville, Virginia
19. returned to Pennsylvania when I was 9 months pregnant
20. we were plowed out of the Blizzard of '96 so we could get to the hospital 13 days after the baby was due
21. my daughter, Darla, was born on Jan. 13, 1996 - weighing in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. after 14 1/2 hours of labor.
22. I will officially be a parent of a teenage daughter very soon. . .yikes!
23. my son, Micah, was born March 3, 1998 exactly 81 years after my Grandmom Busza
24. he was my 10 pounder, weighing in at 9 lbs. 16 oz. - delivered in 1 hour 20 minutes . . . ouch!
25. I expect that either my son or daughter will pass me in height within the next year or two
26. I was born on Dec. 22, 1968 – Yup, I'm officially 40
27. weighing in at only 5 lbs. 4 oz. yet I came home on Christmas Eve. . . quite a Christmas present, eh?
28. I said my first word, "light" the next Christmas
29. I love having my birthday at Christmastime - everything is all decorated:)
30. snowmen are my favorite wintertime decoration
31. winter has always been my favorite season
32. nickname - "the ice princess" because I freeze people out of my car with the AC
33. I am usually very hot and prefer cool weather
34. Fall is beginning to be one of my favorite seasons because of its beauty
35. Rockport, MA was my favorite place to live
36. New England winters are AMAZING - I love a good Nor' Easter
37. taught 3rd & 4th grade at Covenant School in Beverly, MA
38. created and taught the Bible curriculum for my master's thesis
39. worked at Christian Book Distributors in Peabody, MA in customer service where it was proven that missionaries are indeed the most patient and kind people to ever register a complaint.
40. was a hostess at Schooner's in Gloucester, MA
41. also painted and cleaned houses while in school - but you certainly can't tell by the current state of my home that I ever did that professionally!
42. McD's was my favorite summer job down the shore
43. spent my summers in North Wildwood, NJ
44. waitressed a summer at the Triangle - best garlic bread ever, but concluded that waitressing was not for me and have never turned back...
45. enjoyed 2 summers on staff at Baptist Camp Lebanon in NJ
46. love campfires, mostly because of the s'mores
47. unfortunately hate being outside in the summer since I seem to be a prime bug feast
48. love kitty cats
49. have owned 6 cats: Topaz, Peanut and Parfait, Peanut, Swiffer and Shadow
50. had a dog growing up named Buffy
51. love movies
52. Elf is probably my favorite Christmas movie
53. Chronicles of Narnia, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, James Bond, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Batman, and Spiderman are some favorite movie series
54. actually own a life size cardboard cutout of Data
55. prefer to watch a movie before reading the book, so as not to ruin my movie going experience
56. also love reading the Harry Potter series or listening to the book on tape
57. have watched all six Star Wars movies one after the other
58. invented glow ball
59. the previous two items are results of years of working with teenagers at our church
60. volunteered with the youth 7 years and was Director of Senior High Youth Ministries for another 3 years
61. enjoyed flamingoing teens' homes when the had great accomplishments
62. between 3 different churches I have invested 13 years in youth ministry
63. had to quit youth work when I came down with chronic vertigo and officially became a dizzy dame
64. have suffered with fibromyalgia for more than 11 years
65. have been able to get off of all my medicines for fibro with healthy eating and vitamin C therapy
66. have lost 12.2 pounds with Weight Watchers since March 2008
67. am extremely nearsighted with astigmatism, so I actually prefer to wear lightweight glasses with my contacts
68. consider myself a procrastinating perfectionist
69. have made a special decorated cake for each one of my kid's birthdays
70. used to have a craft business, Denise's Delights, with homemade candies and decorations
71. always forget what I came to buy whenever I walk into a craft store
72. Cinderella is my favorite princess
73. been to Disney 3 times with our kids and maybe half a dozen times before and would go every year if I could!
74. our family may have been the first to be kicked out of Disney World the year it opened when we were escorted to the gate because my brother was diagnosed with chicken pox
75. I got the chicken pox soon afterward at the age of 4 – even under my eyelids. . .yuck!
76. have made teddy bears out of old quilts - a lesson learned from my Grandmom McNulty
77. finished a quilt hanging for each of my Grandmothers and have many quilt squares still waiting to be put together after 14 years
78. enjoy the idea of scrap booking:)
79. was co-editor in chief of both my high school and college yearbooks
80. twirled rifle in marching band for 7 years
81. sold Discovery Toys and was able to get loads of great stuff for the kids
82. love to play games with our family
83. enjoy having a pool in the back yard, because I am not a pool person and dread the idea of dragging the kids to the local pool day in and day out for hours and hours in the scorching sun - this way I can lifeguard from the comfort of my air conditioned home or wonderfully shady deck:)
84. I don't have freckles, I've got teeny tiny tans!
85. was excited about sun block 75 spf hitting the market this past summer
86. chocolate peanut butter cup may have surpassed mocha chip ice cream as my favorite flavor
87. venti non-fat decaf iced latte - light on the ice please
88. chocolate is my favorite food group
89. prefer gold jewelry
90. 1/2 Polish, 1/4 Irish, 1/8 English and 1/8 German
91. Clara Barton may just be a great, great, great, great Aunt of mine
92. always wanted to be an actress. . .still secretly do. . . shhhhh!
93. the frizzy red hair must have played a role in my being type cast as the evil stepsister or wicked stepmother in children’s theater
94. when joining Netflix they assessed my movie interests as War Movies or Musicals. . . they nailed it on the head
95. love a good war movie at the shore with my Dad, especially We Were Soldiers about his college buddy Jack Geoghegan
96. at the end of the day enjoy a good episode of Psych with hubby or perhaps 24, The Unit, NCIS, The Bachelor or Dancing with the Stars if hubby's working late
97. absolutely hate country music
98. however, must admit to childhood crush on Glen Cambell, c'mon after all he is the Rhinestone Cowboy!
99. favorite music is Contemporary Christian Rock: Relient K, Jars of Clay and Switchfoot top my list
100. As a Christian I am indeed a Princess, daughter of the King of Kings!

Christmas Nuggets

2008-12-26T16:46:00.003-05:00

There is soooo much I need to catch up on here at Denitra's Den, however the Christmas rush has been just that. Therefore, a brief moment from our Christmas day will have to suffice. It's one of those little nuggets of truth that kids say that, as a Mom, ya just want to remember forever. So I'll take a few minutes to record it here for posterity's sake. Hopefully, after all the parties are over and the company has gone I will be able to properly blog once more:)

Last night, after a very busy Christmas day full of wonderful presents given and received, bedtime arrived and I went to tuck my little tired and sick cubs in bed. After praying with them and kissing them good night, I asked them, "So was this the best Christmas ever?!"

Lil' Buddy perked right up and replied, "It was second best!" while thrusting two eager fingers up into the air.

Surprised by his answer I asked, "Oh, what was the best one?"

Excitedly he responded, "Jesus' birthday, of course!"

Thanks Bud, for reminding me what Christmas is all about! The birth of Christ our Savior! Merry Christmas everyone!

Fasting on Stuffed Animals

2008-12-02T20:11:00.004-05:00

Seems I completely missed November here in blogsville! Been quite busy and unfortunately haven't got the time to do a complete overview. But before I forget, I want to pass on a conversation I had with my son this morning.

While we were getting things together for school Lil' Buddy informed me that for the next three days he would be "fasting on stuffed animals." He said that every time he thinks about playing with them he just prays because, "sometimes stuffed animals get in the way of God."

Be still my heart! How precious is that?! Guess it's time to see what "stuffed animals" might be in my way too.

Go Phillies!

2008-10-15T11:21:00.005-04:00

My latest creation for a friend - for her son's 9th birthday!

Thought it was apropos with the Phillies in the playoffs!

Just A Couple O' Eggheads!

2008-10-10T11:11:00.002-04:00

Like father, like son!

Talkin' Pennsylvanian

2008-10-03T12:58:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine just sent me the following e-mail. As I haven't had time to do a real post, I thought I would put it up to honor my PA friends and family! Having lived in both suburban Philly and Western, PA, I was quite familiar with all of these. I inserted some of my own comments in italics.

Once a Pennsylvanian, ALWAYS a Pennsylvanian!

- We never refer to Philadelphia as anything but 'Philly' and New Jersey has always been ' Jersey.'

- We don't go to the beach, we go "down the shore." (To be precise, that's the Jersey shore.)

- We refer to Pennsylvania as "PA" (pronounced Pee-Ay). (Hmmmm, how else would you pronounce, PA? )

-" You guys" (or even "youze guys", in some places (yeah, only if you're from Philly!)) is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men and women.

- We know how to respond to the question 'Djeetyet?' (Did you eat yet?)

- We learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, the Pocono's, Bala Cynwyd, Duquesne and Monongahela.

- We know it's pronounced Lank-ister and not Lan-kaster. (Drives me carrrazzzy when it is pronounced incorrectly, too!)

- We know what a 'Mummer' is, and are disappointed if we can't catch at least highlights of the parade. (And may be known to be the only one doing the Mummer Strut to 'Oh Those Golden Slippers' at midnight on New Year's Eve with your friends staring at you in dismay! This is really a local Philly tradition)

- We know who 'Punxsutawney Phil' is, and what it means if he sees his shadow. (As well as anyone who has seen Ground Hog's Day!)

- The first day of buck and the first day of doe seasons are school holidays. (Usually limited to more rural locations. I never experienced that until I went to school out in Western PA.)

- At least five people on your block have electric 'candles' in all or most of their windows all year long. (2 or 3)

- We know what a 'State Store' is, and our out-of-state friends find it incredulous that we can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart.

- Words like 'hoagie,' 'crick,' 'chipped ham,' 'dippy eggs', 'sticky buns,' 'shoo-fly pie,' 'lemon sponge pie', 'pierogies' and 'pocketbook' actually mean something to you. (By the way, that last one's PA slang for a purse!) (Seriously, do people not call it a pocketbook elsewhere? I use both terms.)

- We can eat cold pizza (even for breakfast!) and know others who do the same. Those from NY find this 'barbaric.' (I find it quite barbaric myself. Hubby, however, took advantage of my absence one weekend recently to introduce our son to the fine dining experience of cold pizza for breakfast. He was proud of it,too!)

- We not only have heard of Birch Beer, but know it comes in several colors.

- We know the difference between a cheese steak and a pizza steak sandwich , and know that it is impossible to get a really good one anywhere outside of the Philly area. (Amen!)

- We live for summer, when street and county fairs signal the beginning of funnel cake season. (Personally, I associate it with the Wildwood Boardwalk and Fall craft shows.)

- We know that Blue Bell, Intercourse, Paradise, Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville, Mars, Bethlehem, Hershey, Indiana, Sinking Spring, Jersey Shore, State College, Washington Crossing, Jim Thorpe, King of Prussia, Wind Gap, and Slippery Rock are all PA towns ... and the first three were consecutive stops on the old Reading RR! (PS - That's pronounced Redd-ing.)

- We know what a township, borough, and commonwealth are.

- We can identify drivers from other states by their unique and irritating driving habits.

- A traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a horse-drawn carriage on the highway in Lancaster . (And remember ... that's Lank-ister!) (Traffic jams always occurs on the PA Turnpike and Rt 80 for mile stretches, only due to continuous decades of construction (which is not nearly as adorable as a horse and buggy!)

- We know several people who have hit deer more than once. (And a bear, but I'll save that story for another day!)

- We carry jumper cables in our cars and female passengers know how to use them. (Doesn't everyone?!)

- Driving is always better in winter because the potholes are filled with snow. (Still LOL over this one!)

- As a kid we built snow forts and leaf piles that were taller than we were. (That's the good old days - not now.) (Awww, I remember doing that!)

- We know beer doesn't grow in a garden, but know where to find a beer garden.

- We also know someone who lives 'down the lane'.

- We suffer through sports seasons and valiantly come back for more every year. (Philly fans are quite unique!)

YEAH! THAT'S GOOD O L' 'PA' AND WE LOVE IT!

Back to Proverbs 31

2008-09-29T10:28:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile since we've looked at Proverbs 31, so I thought it was time to get back to it. Here's a summary:

v. 1-10: King Lemuel's mom is busy teaching him how to be a ruler. Basically, be wary of women, use wisdom in choosing your friends and advisors, and avoid drunkenness. Speak up to defend the rights of the poor, the needy, and those who cannot speak for themselves. Judge fairly.

v.1-18: Mom now tells Lemuel what to look for in a wife. A woman who loves him, works with eager hands, provides for her family, has a mind for business and delegation, and is creative.

Proverbs 31:19 - In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

I suppose it's time for me to pull out my sewing machine, eh? Well, not sure the text is telling us we have to be expert seamstresses, but in context of the previous verses it is telling us to get to work. We should be actually "working" to take care of our families.

Uggh, why'd I have to write that? I really dislike working around the home (so glad I don't have a web-cam or you could see what an obvious statement that is!) It can be pretty boring to do dishes, laundry, and cleaning all day. Yet, this is a good reminder to have a good attitude while accomplishing these mundane tasks that we are called to do in order to care for our family.

We've seen this Proverbs 31 woman selecting wool and flax, working vigorously with eager hands, shopping in the markets for imported foods, getting up before the family to prepare for the day, delegating tasks, and building a home-based business! Who knew you could find all that in just a few verses from the Bible?!

Now we see her spinning yarn and later we will see her making items for her family, to give to the needy and to sell at the market. She's quite an amazing woman, isn't she?

Sometimes it is hard for us as women to compare ourselves to the Proverbs 31 woman. It can be a little overwhelming to see what this ancient woman was able to accomplish in comparison to what we may do as modern women. I think the general gist that we are to take away from this, is to be creative in how we care for our family.

Do what you can do. Look at the talents God has blessed you with and consider how you can use them to bless your family. It may just be planting a few tomatoes in your backyard, selling some items on e-bay, cleaning out the closet to donate items or listening to Hubby when he tells you to actually spend the grocery money on groceries this time. (I'm still trying to figure out why he keeps telling me that every week...!)

So, keep your hands to the distaff and start spinning, ladies!

Random Things

2008-09-25T17:19:00.005-04:00

I was tagged by my friend over at Genesis Moments.

Here are six random things about myself:

1. I am "5 foot 2 - eyes of blue!"

2. With red hair I look quite Irish, but I am actually 1/2 Polish, 1/4 Irish, 1/8 German and 1/8 English.

3. In an unplanned act of irony (or perhaps stupidity) I wore my "Polish/Irish: Pierogis/Potatoes" shirt to my Weight Watcher's meeting the other day. Fortunately, after the lady commented on the not so healthy foods emblazoned on my chest in their respective country's colors, it was a good weigh in:)

4. When we were kids, my brother and I used to make bouncy balls out of scotch tape and water.

5. My family claims that we are related to Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.

6. I just called my Senators and House Representative for the first time ever regarding the bail out bill they are debating.

I am tagging:

The Hand Clan
Drinking From My Saucer
God's Grace In Practice

RULES:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on the blog. 3. Write six random things about yourself. 4. Tag a few people at the end of your post. 5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do updated

2008-09-24T09:17:00.008-04:00

"Waking up is hard to do, la, la, la, la, la!" That's pretty much our theme song 'round the den these days.

Yesterday morning when Hubby tried to get Lil' Buddy up he said, "Time to get up, Bud. I thought you wanted to get up at 7 a.m." "Yup" he replied. "Well, it's 10 after." His response, "I was rounding."

This morning our son was still asleep and Hubby called up the stairs. "C'mon Bud, it's time to get up." A groggy answer from the dark hallway, "But it's not seven yet." Hubby retorted, "I was rounding!"

The cubs seem to be spending way too much time on homework so consequently their bedtime ends up being closer to 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m.! This makes for some rather groggy mornings!

Yesterday, both of them went a bit overboard on their homework assignments. I think I got myself a couple of overachievers here.

Pulling in to our driveway from the bus stop, Buddy burst into tears at the realization that he had forgotten his history book. After quite a few attempts at consoling him, I finally convinced him to call a friend to see if he could borrow the book for the evening if his friend had finished the assignment. The alternative was to get to school early when he would have about a half hour to do the work. This suggestion only brought wails of, "But that won't be enough time and I'll get an "F"."

Fortunately, we were able to avoid more tears by borrowing the book and he happily worked on it the rest of the evening. Since I was busy with my own study and he was contentedly working as usual, it didn't occur to me that he was still doing the same assignment at 9 p.m. My question to him was, "Why was your friend done at 4:30 p.m. and you're taking so long?" His response, "I think I'm doing too much notes." Yaaaah, I think so! That'll be a doozy of a 5th grade history test to study for tomorrow.

Darlin' who loves to write had an assignment to write a memoir of a specific event in her life. She has thrown herself into that assignment with much enthusiasm over the past week or so. Being in 7th grade, she's been pretty independent with her homework, bringing home the usual straight A's. All this to explain why I was quite surprised when asked to proofread a 10 page paper! I probably would have curbed her enthusiasm a bit if I had been more aware prior to late last night that she was writing a small novel. Despite all our efforts, Hubby and I could not find any information on guidelines for this particular paper (ie how long was it really supposed to be? I'm guessing a couple pages!) In fact, Darlin' was shocked at the suggestion that some of her classmate may only be writing a page. Oh, well, live and learn. At least it was a good read!

Well, I can't complain about having two exceptional students who take their elementary and junior high studies very seriously, but I suppose I can have a good chuckle every now and then!

*updated below*
Thought I'd let ya'll know that the kids fared very well the next day at school. Buddy's teacher told me what a wonderful job he did on taking notes. He was so proud of the +8 he received - note that it's out of 5 points:) Darlin' was also quite proud of herself when I picked her up from school. Apparently, she seemed to be the "talk of the town" that day with her 10 page memoir. The teacher indicated that there was no limit and she enjoyed the paper:)

Showers & Stools!

2008-09-08T10:08:00.028-04:00

When I was little, I was a flower girl in my Aunt's wedding (who had been one in my mother's wedding) and in turn her daughter was a junior bridesmaid in mine. So naturally my cousin, Jill, promised my daughter years ago that she would be in her wedding. That day is approaching in October and, as Darlin' has been waiting a long time for this, she is quite excited!

I do believe she is actually more excited to be a junior bridesmaid than a flower girl, because she gets to wear a more grown up gown and heels! Since she can't drive yet, (fortunately that's four years away! yikes!) I have been able to enjoy some perks that go along with her being in the bridal party.

We got to enjoy a day of dress shopping with my Aunt, cousin and the rest of the bridesmaids. In one day we hit two bridal shops and 3 malls! Considering that Darlin' tried on the dress we eventually bought her in the first shop, she really just enjoyed the day for the shear fun of hanging out with family, watching the bridesmaids try on dresses and even trying on a few more of her own. We left at about 9 a.m. that morning to travel to Jersey, returned about 11:30 p.m. and had a blast!

We are also both looking forward to getting our nails done together before the wedding. I keep reminding Darlin' that she's already had her nails done at a salon way more then me ... only once for my wedding! (Pretty sad, huh?!)

Since she is in the wedding party, we have to stay overnight after the rehearsal dinner at the hotel (yeah!) , which by the name of it sounds fancy. . .the Wyndham. On the wedding day, I also get to tag along to get my hair and make-up done too! Gosh, I don't think I had such pampering for my own wedding!

Over the weekend Darlin' and I helped the bridesmaids throw a shower for my cousin. Despite Tropical Storm Hanna forcing the party indoors, everything went splendidly.

If you don't know already, I love to throw a party, so it was a lot of fun for me to be a part of the bridal shower. Darlin' and I put together little heart tins full of autumn colored, dark chocolate M&M's for the party favors. They worked perfectly with the fall theme for the October wedding. Aren't they cute?

The bride-to-be wearing an original Denitra's Designer Bonnet!

My cousin and her fiance have a huge height difference between them. Almost a foot and a half! So I thought that it was a perfect time for another kissing stool in the family....

At my bridal shower, my parents gave me a kissing stool. As there is a full foot difference in height between myself and Hubby, this was quite needed. I remember bringing it to the rehearsal and we pulled it out for our practice kiss for a good laugh. Now it resides in my kitchen, where I use it almost daily. Although, kicking it around to the various cupboards to retrieve dishes off the top shelf isn't nearly as satisfying as kissing! Perhaps I'll retouch it for our next anniversary, so we can be reminded of it's true purpose!

For Jill's kissing stool I bought an unfinished stool at the local craft store and stained it with October Brown: Milk Chocolate spray. How appropriate for the October wedding?! Not to mention that it has the word chocolate in the name!

It also perfectly matched the ribbon and trim on the wedding invitation that I decoupaged on top!

When it was time for her to open the gift, I presented it to her by first reading this poem.

Soon you’ll be married to Too Tall Tim,
It’s about time you married him!
Darla’s been waiting patiently,
To be a part of your bridal party.

To watch you walking down the aisle,
While Aunt Vicki cries, only with a smile.
After years of dating it’s come to this,
A promise you seal with a wedding kiss.

But at 6 foot 7 Tim’s just too tall.
How will you be able to reach him at all?
Standing about 5 foot 3,
It’s plain to see you’re challenged vertically.

In order to bridge the 16 inch difference,
We though you might be in need of assistance.
So here we come to your rescue.
To provide some aid when you say “I do.”

Just step right up and take a stand,
Go ahead, pucker up and kiss your man!
You will look so cool, just a lovin’ fool
When you step upon this Kissing Stool!

Here's the groom and bride (standing upon the stool!)

Sidebar Surprise

2008-09-05T09:16:00.002-04:00

Hey check out my sidebar. It used to show a countdown to the movie Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I was surprised to see that it changed automatically to show Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!

How exciting! Only 639 days to go!

Can you tell I've been on an extended hiatus from blogging? I'm finding new things on my own site!

History in the Making

2008-09-04T18:41:00.007-04:00

So anybody out there excited about Sarah Palin?! The last week has just been a swirl of excitement and anticipation surrounding the first Republican woman VP nominee!

Hubby and I watched the RNC speeches over the past two nights and have enjoyed them immensely. Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani were my favorites leading up to her acceptance speech. How about you?

Of course, my all time favorite was Governor Palin. She is extraordinarily gifted and did an exceptional job in delivery and content. I am excited to have a conservative on the ticket!

I hadn't been as thrilled about John McCain, but I must say I am getting more excited about him too. The more I learn about him, the more impressed I become about his service, character and integrity. I truly believe he would make the best Commander in Chief and that is a primary reason that he will have my support.

I am quite impressed with his running mate, Sarah Palin. She strikes me as a person who lives what she believes and is not ashamed to do so. Someone who is willing to fight for what is right, no matter what the cost. Someone who shares my values regarding life, family, taxes, drilling, the war on terror and other conservative issues.

She will have my support because of what she believes and what she has done, not just because she is a woman. In fact, I must admit, that is the only thing that keeps me from jumping up and down, waving my arms excitedly and signing up to campaign.

Are there any other proud-to-be-a-stay-at-home-moms that feel the same way I do? I have worked some since having children, but only part time and in flexible jobs that have enabled the kids to join me at times. My kids are now in school and I would definitely consider working while they're at school or if I needed to support our family. I do believe that there are times when a stay-at-home-dad may be the best option for a family. Whatever our circumstances, I believe we need to seek the Lord's guidance and not blindly follow society's mantra that we as women should be able to "have and do it all."

To sum up, I believe God has given women the unique honor, responsibility and ability to be mothers. When He so blesses a family with children, that family should be a woman's priority.

The question for me isn't, "Can a woman do the job?" I have no doubt she would do an excellent job as VP and most likely President in future years. The question for me is, "But should a mother with pre-school children seek such a job?"

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a HUGE problem with the liberal media and the Democrats questioning why she would consider running for office with an infant at home. As they have long knocked the importance and privilege of being "just" a mother, I feel that they have forfeited the right to denigrate or criticize any woman who has chosen to have a career and a family. In fact isn't that what they've been trying to get us to do all along? You'd think they would give Sarah Palin a nod of awed respect at how she has accomplished this duality so successfully. (Of course not. . .she's a Republican!)

I, on the other hand, would be questioning a mother-of-young-children's decision to accept such a demanding job no matter which party she represented. I long to support her 100%, but I think I need to keep it at about 95% to be consistent with my beliefs.

Somehow, I think Sarah Palin, would respect that consistency!

I will be praying for her and her family as she seeks this office and perhaps becomes the first woman Vice President of the United States. And I will jump up and down excitedly on election night . . . because she is a conservative, a Republican and a woman! It's history in the making and I'm proud to be a part of it!

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

2008-09-03T11:59:00.005-04:00

So how does that saying go? Early to bed, early to rise, makes a gal healthy, wealthy and ... TIRED!

Yup, day two of back to school and I AM EXHAUSTED!

Being a life long night owl, it is shocking to find myself yawning at 10:30 p.m. and hardly able to stay awake for the last of the RNC speeches at 11:30 p.m. last night. You early birds may think that's staying up late, but considering my typical bedtime of 12:30 - 1:00 a.m., weariness is hitting me a couple hours earlier than usual.

The anticipation and excitement of the first day of school enabled our whole family to jump out of bed with eagerness yesterday morning. Today, however, was a different story....

The wave of momentum from yesterday failed to elevate me out of the water bed this morning as I dragged my feet from the bed and they thudded to the floor like lead weights. I was sooooo tired that I couldn't even bear to think about turning the lights on til I found myself attempting to make lunches in the dark! Fortunately, the kitchen has a dimmer switch, so I could ease my eyes into waking up.

Eventually, things got moving, but it was back to reality this morning. No bright eyed, bushy tailed kids or adults (just cats - Swiffer's tail is always quite bushy!) - the four of us were dragin' our wagons. We managed to have a quick breakfast of cereal together and pray as a family before leaving for the day. Both kids arrived at school early, so our get-them-to-school-on-time-or-else attitude is working - we're 2 for 2!

Hubby called me after we dropped off our respective charges at their particular institutions of learning. As you may suspect, both of us were heading to WAWA to get our much needed dose of caffeine that had unfortunately been left out of the breakfast equation earlier.

As I continue to struggle with wakefulness, despite 12 oz of WAWA coffee followed by an iced latte from Starbucks a few hours later, I must remember to heed Hubby's advise - "Whatever you do don't take a nap!"

Oh, but that is all I want to do! It will be especially hard this afternoon during the 1 and 1/2 hours of piano lessons. The wonderful music would lull me to sleep if I let it.

Hopefully, after a few days of avoiding naps my body will eventually ease itself into this early to bed, early to rise pattern and I'll be able to write a more coherent post! In the meantime ... coffee is my friend!