Yes, I AM writing an entire post about Anne of Green Gables

By Stephanie | September 1, 2010

My almost-4-year-old and I have been watching “Anne of Green Gables” and “Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel” over the past four days – during her little sister’s nap. We sit side-by-side on the brown leather couch, arms linked, smiling.

“This is the best movie ever!” I say, in energetic bursts (and I mean it). She echoes those words. And we hug!

This is like a dream. I have a little girl (two little girls, actually…but one is still too young for movies). And we both love Anne – or “Annie Girl,” as my daughter affectionately calls her.

As a result of the last few days, I now have a sudden urge to read the entire series again from start-to-finish. Perhaps I’ll even read it aloud to her (the text may be a bit beyond her attention level, I can’t remember…).

If you haven’t read the books or seen the movies, Oh! YOU MUST. You’re missing out on some exceptional literature with the most lovable characters, painted in all of the glory of their imperfections. I especially love that Anne is smart, witty, opinionated, strong, and kind (all qualities I admire immensely…and would love to have my daughters emulate). Similarly, Gilbert is intelligent, generous, honest, and bold (all qualities I hope my girls someday seek in their future husbands).

As we watched, I wondered to myself if perhaps a modern studio/director should attempt a remake. I am undecided. Sullivan Entertainment did an outstanding job, especially with the casting. In many ways, Megan Follows will forever be Anne in my mind. I also appreciated the performances of Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert and Richard Farnsworth as Matthew.

That said, I think that maybe…just maybe…a modern movie company could get it right. The visual quality certainly could be much improved (since the film was made in the 80s) and I’ve often thought that Diana wasn’t exactly right.

If a company does move ahead with a remake, they must hereby pledge to follow the books as closely as possible and to not go off on unneeded tangents – thus spoiling the wonder and majesty of the story completely (ahem - Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story).

Have you read the AOGG books or seen the movies? Which characters do you think were cast perfectly (or not)? Do you think a modern movie studio should attempt a remake?

Topics: book review, childrens books | 21 Comments »

Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web

By Stephanie | August 31, 2010

Welcome to “Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web” where I serve as your tour guide and showcase the best contests, freebies, deals, and reads for moms on the web…all in one convenient location.

Contests

DailyCandy invites business owners, dreamers, and entrepreneurs to enter the Start Small, Go Big Contest. Three winners will each receive $10,000 and a trip to NYC. Enter by Sept. 6.

Are you a gift-wrapping guru (or do you know someone who is)? Enter the 14th Annual Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest for your chance to win $10,000. Enter by Oct. 18.

Good Reads

From Mail Online: Miracle mum brings premature baby son back to life with two hours of loving cuddles after doctors pronounce him dead.

Jessica reminds us not to let our schedules get Too Crowded.

Shaun Groves reflects on the topic of prayer: It’s Called Schizophrenia.

Caliber Group encourages you to Go Ahead, Tweet about What You Eat.

You may want to re-consider buying Dreyer’s and Breyers ice cream products. Read Take Hormones Out of our Ice Cream and Is Your Favorite Ice Cream Made With Monsanto’s Artificial Hormones?

Tim gives a step-by-step tutorial on How to Get a Passport.

Topics: Tuesday Tours | 10 Comments »

60 Years Left (maybe)

By Stephanie | August 30, 2010

We are in the habit of praying together as a family before meals, in the car, on hikes, spontaneously, and right before bed.

The bedtime prayer typically happens because our 3-year-old INSISTS. “Let’s pray,” she’ll say, tugging our hands toward her little sister’s bedroom. We typically pray until one of the girls inevitably sits on or elbows or scratches the other as they attempt to hug or lay side-by-side.

Tonight, right before we prayed, Tim looked at me and startled me with this question: “Can you believe we only have 60 years left to be with our kids?” That’s assuming that we live to be around 90.

I know everyone always says that life is short, but: LIFE IS SHORT.

[Do you really, truly, completely believe that with all of your heart?]. [Do your actions prove it?]. I ask myself those questions all of the time.

60 years isn’t very long. And, perhaps, I don’t even have that long. Maybe I have only 1 year. Or less.

THIS is the day to love my husband, enjoy my kids, help the poor, laugh out loud, smile at a stranger, turn off the television, see the sunrise, fight against injustice, promote peace. THIS is the time to do something large and dangerous and remarkable.

Today I am reminded to: Seize the Day*.

* I totally love this song, even if the music video is not as spectacular as it could be.

How do you pray as a family – daily, weekly, whenever inspiration strikes? What songs or quotes remind you to make the most of life?

Topics: About Me, changing the world | 17 Comments »

Dangers in the Wild (Mountain Lions, Bears, Rattlesnakes, etc.)

By Stephanie | August 28, 2010

We go hiking as a family often. In the mountains. In the desert. Across rocks and over hills.

We breathe fresh air. We activate our muscles. We observe plants, flowers, and animals. We soak in the sun, splash in the water, talk without distractions, and are filled with peace.

When we tell friends & acquaintances about our 2-7 mile hikes – with our 1-year-old and 3-year-old in tow – some of them react like this:

• “I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking my toddler out that far.“
• “Aren’t you scared of mountain lions/bears?“
• “What about snakes?“
• “Isn’t that dangerous?”

We usually reply by simply stating that it’s quite safe when you take the necessary precautions.

Sometimes, however, we present some short stats on probability.

Let’s take the data from 2008 as an example:

• Number of Fatalities by Car Accident: 37,261
• Number of Murders: 14,180
• Number of Fatalities by Lightning Strike: 28
• Number of Deaths by Bear: 3
• Number of Deaths by Mountain Lion: 1
• Number of Deaths by Snake Bite: 0

Based on these numbers, you should be absolutely terrified of driving in your car. On average in 2008, 101 people per day were killed on roadways in the USA. Motor vehicle accidents are also the leading cause of death among children.

Sadly, statistics also show us that we ought to be more frightened of humans than animals. Indeed, I would venture to say that it is MUCH more dangerous to go to the mall or to work than to go for a hike.

Certainly, it is prudent to be prepared for emergencies outdoors (take enough water, keep your children close, know what to do if you encounter a mountain lion or how to treat a rattlesnake bite, etc.), but…it is even MORE important to be vigilant about safety on the road (pay attention, drive less, don’t-even-think-about texting and driving, etc.).

The truth is this: Being outdoors is safe and wonderful, even for – especially for – children.

Sure, it’s a little “wild” out there, but life is full of dangers no matter where you are. And, statistically speaking, it’s much scarier to go for a ride across town than to spend an afternoon in the wilderness.

Do you hike/explore with your children outdoors?Have you ever been attacked by a wild animal? Have you ever been in a car accident?

Topics: About Me, exercise/fitness | 23 Comments »

Dear God, Please Help Me to Read Soon

By Stephanie | August 25, 2010

Yesterday we found our 3-year-old jumping on her bed and praying jubilantly, “Dear God, Please help me to read soon!” over and over again.

I think her prayer will come true sooner than she realizes. You see, she is a consumer of books. She reads them in the morning, in the car, in bed, and under blankets. She likes classic books, Disney books, Berenstain Bears books, anatomy books, audio books, and – especially – chapter books.

To date, we’ve read the following books aloud to her at bedtime:

• The Boxcar Children
• Beezus and Ramona
• Ramona the Pest
• Ramona the Brave
• Ramona & Her Father, and
• part of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.

We tried “All of A Kind Family,” but she was disinterested. We also tried “Ivy & Bean,” but I vetoed that book after the first chapter or two.

I also recently began doing “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” with her each day during her sister’s nap. Tomorrow will be day 4. My thoughts so far? Oddly (and unexpectedly), I ADORE the scripted text and the somewhat brainless way of teaching. The book tells you exactly what to say and when to say it. Certainly, it’s a little mechanical that way, but it’s only 10-15 minutes…and the ease of the system helps me to say “yes” to the lesson even when I’m feeling non-creative. On the negative side, the first four lessons have been too-too easy and I am a little bit nervous that she’ll get bored of doing the same thing every day. Only time will tell. Perhaps the promise of reading will be enough to keep her captivated.

P.S. Have you ever tried praying while jumping on the bed? I think I totally want to try it.

How old were each of your children when they learned to read? What book or system did you use to teach them (if any)?

Topics: book review, childrens books, education/homeschooling, interacting with your kids | 39 Comments »

Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web

By Stephanie | August 24, 2010

Welcome to “Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web” where I serve as your tour guide and showcase the best contests, freebies, deals, and reads for moms on the web…all in one convenient location.

Contests

Submit your favorite Frozen Strawberry Recipe to the California Strawberry Commission for a chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card. Deadline: Aug. 31.

Daisy Brand Cottage Cheese invites you Freshen Up Your Fridge. Win a year of cottage cheese + a brand new refrigerator. Deadline: Aug. 31.

Enter to win American Eagle Jeans for a Year! Deadline: Aug. 31.

Good Reads

From the Telegraph: Netflix lets its staff take as much holiday as they want, whenever they want – and it works.

Joshua Becker shares 12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier in a Smaller House.

Love (that’s her real name) writes about the “mom guilt thing”: bff.

Erin has a confession: I don’t fill in baby books. (Neither do I).

Robyn O’Brien explains How Real People on Real Budgets Can Afford Organic.

Amy writes plainly and respectfully about Spanking and Criminal Behavior.

Donald Miller gives excellent advice on Writer’s Block: What to do When the Well Runs Dry.

Miscellany

Topics: Tuesday Tours | 11 Comments »

Products I Wouldn’t Buy (would you?)

By Stephanie | August 23, 2010

Somehow, we have all been tricked – taken – hoodwinked…into believing that having MORE things equals MORE happiness, MORE peace, MORE success. In fact, the opposite may be true.

Every once in awhile, I stumble across products that make me shake my head in utter disbelief. I can see how people are bamboozled into buying yet another raincoat or pair of shoes, but…this…this is new level of madness.

Tell me. Would you buy…?

A Little Colour ($120/per child)

For only $120 (that’s one-hundred-and-twenty-dollars!), you can get a “specific analysis of your child’s colour profile and advice on colour issues.” According to the website, knowing your child’s best colours will take the hassle out of shopping because you’ll be able to choose choose outfits that will make your child look great. Heaven forbid that your golden-haired 3-year-old wear green when his color is really orange!

Juppy Baby Walker ($24.95)

Your toddler hasn’t started walking yet, but little Johnny and Jill next door have? Help your baby “catch up” with the Juppy, a canvas bag with handles. No more achy back for you. Don’t carry your baby any longer than you need to. Your baby WILL learn to walk if it’s the last thing you do.

Oh, and it’s doctor-approved…which means SO MUCH in this day-and-age.

Booty Pop – Booty Enhancing Panties ($19.95 + shipping)

Are you a little flat-bottomed? Purchase a pair of these fluffy panties and your bottom will pop right out for all to notice and admire. Supposedly, all the celebs wear them. You want a pair now, right? We will all now flock to buy them because Kelly Ripa wore them on her show. Right? (Oh, how I hope that’s not true).

Potty Training Stickers ($3.99-$5.99/sticker)

Is your little one having trouble with his/her…ahem…aim? Peel and stick one of these onto the inside of your toilet and the heat of your child’s urine will reveal a playful design. There’s even a “Hole in One” sticker for your little golf pro. No comment.

Pump Gloves ($14.95)

The Tagline is “Don’t Be A Ditz, Cover Your Mitts!” They are “designed to protect a woman’s hands and manicure from the gas, grease, grime and germs she comes into contact with while pumping gasoline.” I’m not making this up.

P.S. You might as well wear them while you are out running errands too…and especially when lifting those heavy shopping bags! Wouldn’t want to chip your nails, after all!

Thanks For Everything ($3.50-$5.50/card)

Someone took the time to buy you a wonderful gift for your wedding, new baby, or special occasion. Now, you can show them how much you care…by hiring this company to write a thank-you note for you! Answer a few simple questions and they’ll craft a semi-lengthy note that is “so poignant and personalized” no one will ever know that you outsourced it. Sneaky, Sneaky.

* This post is obviously written in satire. If you actually bought these products and you love them, I want to hear about it. :)

Would you (or did you…) buy any of these products? What other interesting/laughable products have you seen advertised?

Topics: About Me | 46 Comments »

Productive

By Stephanie | August 21, 2010

Yesterday, we applied for passports. Tim already has his, but mine is long-expired and the girls needed theirs. We took, cropped, and printed out our own photos at home. It took a LONG time to get everything exactly right. Afterward, we went downtown to the courthouse where we had to put up our right hands and swear that our application was truthful. While we were there, THREE people asked us if the girls were twins because they had matching outfits on.

By the time we were done, it was 2 o’clock so we devoured cheeseburgers and french fries (with ketchup!) at In N Out. Then, we went to Fry’s to buy laundry detergent (we bought the arm + hammer brand this time because it was almost ten dollars cheaper than Tide! Ten dollars!).

This morning, we decided to take the “divide and conquer” approach.

Tim took the girls to the park in the morning w/ a cooler of ice and popsicles, while I researched health insurance options (and cried at the Samaritan Ministries video).

When they returned, we ate sandwiches w/ turkey, havarti cheese, spinach, and tomatoes on yummy rolls. Our 1-year-old napped and our 3-year-old watched the Mickey Mouse version of The Three Musketeers.

Then, I took the girls to Tim’s Grandpa’s house so that Tim could work on the Give Every Day website. When we got there, he insisted that the girls watch a National Geographic DVD (he always does)…and offered them chocolate. Before we left, we went on a walk to his mailbox & back (even though he had already got his mail for the day).

At dinner, we ate deli sandwiches (again) + fresh pineapple in the backyard…with the amazing promise of desert rain filling our noses.

After bathtime, I read a chapter of “Ramona and Her Father” to my pajama’d girls. It was the chapter where Ramona tries to convince her dad to stop smoking because she is afraid for his health.

It’s 8:48 and our 1-year-old has been asleep for about 30 minutes. Our 3-year-old is up eating a snack at the kitchen table (she often gets hungry before bedtime). After that, she’ll probably ask Tim to read more books to her (and he will).

“It’s been a productive weekend,” Tim just said satisfactorily. I agree.

But. It wasn’t only the “work” part that was productive. It was all of it. Including the books, the swinging, the playing in the sandbox after dinner, the breaking up quarrels, and the hand-holding.

Now that I think of it, perhaps those things were the most productive of all.

Do you have your passport? What brand of laundry detergent do you buy (and why)?

Topics: About Me, interacting with your kids, working mother | 62 Comments »

Stress {we’ve got it}

By Stephanie | August 19, 2010

“You can’t be stressed out yet,” I told Tim this morning after we had a conversation about all of the things on our plate.

But…He is. I am. We are.

Our to-do list is too long: to-research, to-contact, to-decide, to-clean, to-sell, etc.

Fortunately, there is a glimmering hope ahead. An adventure awaits us. You may think that it will be more stressful to live in a tight little RV on the road, but – actually – it’s this “in-between” time that burdens us.

Yesterday, I was running around the house (literally) – picking up clutter, vacuuming corners, wiping counters, flushing toilets – in preparation for a possible visit from prospective homebuyers. I kept ordering my 3-year-old to “pick up your toys” and “bring this to the laundry room” and “watch where you’re walking.”

Later, in the car, I said, “I’m sorry for being grumpy this morning.” My 3-year-old answered back matter-of-factly, “Mommies aren’t supposed to get mad!” and then she said, “I forgive you.“

The whole day after that I kept looking at my girls and thinking about how wildly lucky I am. How did I end up with these two stunning, smart, sincere kids? I don’t have the right to be stressed out when my life is THIS GOOD.

Several people have confided in me that our life seems a little too idyllic. They want to know about the stressful times. They ask what I do when the going-gets-tough.

The answer to that question is that we consciously choose to keep things in perspective.

The reason I don’t complain often on my blog is because I don’t have anything to complain about. My life IS idyllic. I’m married to my best friend. I have the 2 outstanding little girls. We have our health, our minds, our education, and our freedom. We have Christ in our lives.

We’re not perfect and all four of us have our moments of selfishness, rudeness, exhaustion, anger, and unruly behavior. In fact, we’re unquestionably IMperfect.

We’re just real people who acknowledge that…even on really bad days, our life is pretty good.

Have you been stressed lately? What do you do when stress creeps into your heart?

Topics: About Me | 30 Comments »

Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web

By Stephanie | August 17, 2010

Welcome to “Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web” where I serve as your tour guide and showcase the best contests, freebies, deals, and reads for moms on the web…all in one convenient location.

Good Reads

I agree with Lindsey Nobles: I’d Rather Be…

Elizabeth Esther writes about saying yes to Water Ballet.

Here’s something to think about from DailyFinance: Seven Reasons Not to Send Your Kids to College.

From The New York Times: Consumers Find Ways to Spend Less and Find Happiness.

From The Wall Street Journal: The Perils of Hipster Christianity and Why Young Evangelicals Reject Churches That Try To Be Cool.

Finally – a sensible reaction to the book-sensation “Eat Pray Love” (by Sarah of Emerging Mummy): In which we’re eating and praying and loving right here.

Tamara Monosoff shares 7 Tips to Ace Your TV Segment.

Miscellany

Topics: Tuesday Tours | 17 Comments »

Camp Sleep-Too-Little

By Stephanie | August 16, 2010

What do you get when you combine a tent, a 17-month-old, a 3-year-old, a lot of friends, and a beautiful mountaintop? If you answered, “NO SLEEP,” you’re right.

If you answered, “A REALLY GOOD TIME,” you are also right.

Our church has a yearly tradition where we cancel our “normal” services and have a service up at Mt. Lemmon instead, followed by a huge picnic. We also reserve the campground the night before for anyone who wants to brave the elements.

So, we went – carrying our gigantic 8-person tent, a bag full of diapers and spare clothes, and a cooler of food to be eaten. We played. We explored. We ate S’mores. We went to bed way past bedtime (It rained in the middle of the night!) and we woke up way-way-way too early (Did I mention we woke up way too early?).

“Take our picture, mom!”

“Okay, make a sad face.“

“Make a silly face.”

“Put your hands on your hips!“

“Say ‘We love camping!’“

That afternoon, around 12noon, both girls began sobbing from tiredness. The kind of tiredness where every question led to more tears and hiccuping; where it’s not even fair to try to reason.

After relaxing at the tent for a bit, the girls both revived for a second wind. On the way home, however, they collapsed almost instantaneously. We took baths and showers as soon as we walked in the door. And then I fell fast asleep in clean sheets next to my baby at 7:30pm. Tim and our 3-year-old soon followed. We all slept until 8:45 the next morning. Bliss.

Tips for camping with a baby and preschooler? Bring plenty of diapers. Bring sweatshirts (just in case). Plan for lack of sleep (and a bit of downtime). Take pictures on the 1st day when you’re still fresh (instead of waiting until you’re grimy and exhausted).

Do you enjoy family camping? Have you ever camped with a baby and/or children under age 5? What tips would you add to my list?

Topics: About Me, baby-friendly places, interacting with your kids | 29 Comments »

Our House, In the Middle of Our House…[is love]

By Stephanie | August 14, 2010

Topics: About Me | 36 Comments »