Happy 5th Anniversary!

Yesterday, November 13th, was our anniversary... FIVE years! How exciting. There's something fun about hitting the 5th one. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful husband and such a wonderful dad! I couldn't have asked for anything more. I love you babe... SO much! Thank you for loving me, protecting me, and believing in me. You are awesome!

About 2 weeks ago we were sitting in our Sunday School class at church and we had no idea what we were doing for our anniversary. We had thought about going to Chicago for the weekend but that just seemed to be a little "too busy" for me. In our class we were studying a DVD lesson on Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and his wife Sarah. It was fascinating. That morning, the leader told us that Dr. Eggerichs was actually going to be in Peoria the weekend of the 13-14th! We both looked at each other and knew we wanted to go! We went home and registered and then realized... we should probably find somewhere for the kids to go!

Long story short, a small group from our church volunteered to help us out by watching our kids for us! What a blessing! Two ladies (one of which had an older set of twins herself) watched the kids from 6pm until 10am the next morning at which time one of the ladies switched out duties with a husband! It was a pure blessing. We are so thankful for church family like that! It was so encouraging knowing that our kids were being cared for and even more encouraging that one of the moms did have twins so we knew she wouldn't stress out too much!

We had a magnificent time at the conference. I would definitely recommend it to anyone if it every comes to a town near you - definitely worth the time. I have a whole new outlook on my marriage. The basic premise was Ephesians 5:33 where it says "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." We, as women, are commanded to respect our husbands and our husbands are commanded to love us, their wives. Isn't it interesting that we are commanded to do this? We are commanded to do things that usually don't come natural to us. We as women speak a different language than our husbands. We are looking for love. Our husbands speak the language of respect. They want our respect. The model that Dr. Emerson Eggerichs has built is that a wife's respect motivates her husband to love her more and the husbands love for his wife in turn motivates her to respect her husband more.

I could go on and on... That was just a tiny bit of the conference. He also talked about love and respect in regards to our sons and daughters which was just as wonderful. It was just really good! Dr. Emerson Eggerichs has written a couple of books that I would recommend checking out!

It was so fun to celebrate 5 years! I'm looking forward to many more!!! We had a wonderful weekend of rejuvenating our marriage and getting on an even better track for the future. Oh, how important that is! Thank you to our friends for watching our kids and Thank You Lord for the truth and power of Your Word!
This is my anniversary present... a diamond anniversary ring. it's a little hard to see but absolutely perfect! It's almost like my wedding band but has 15 diamonds across it instead of 8. THANK YOU babe! I absolutely LOVE IT!!!

There's never a dull moment...

Tonight, my friend and a I shopped at our favorite baby / kids sale, One Week Boutique. We look forward to this big sale twice a year and even volunteer by delivering promotional items to daycares so that we can shop early. The public can shop on Friday and we were able to shop today. I can't even explain how awesome this sale is.... everything you could think of for a baby or kiddo is for sale... and usually there are multiples of each item. I usually get birthday and part of Christmas taken care of when I shop. Some of the things I purchased this year: Unopened packages of diapers for the twins at a greatly reduced price, unopened complete dress-up kit including gloves, rings, dress, tiara, necklace and shoes for $5, a princess jewelry box for $1, a unopened power toothbrush with matching dora toothpaste for $2, cans of formula for $0.50, a carseat that goes in our van for Mady's baby.. and the list goes on.... (by the way, she's going to absolutely go nuts when she gets the carseat as she's been hauling her deer around in the van with us wherever we go in her infant carrier). Anyway, I love this sale but back to the point of my story...

My friend and I both sent our kids off to church before we got home. Her dad took her son to church and Mark took our kiddos to church. She had called me on the way and said, "You'll never guess what Dad let "J" out of the house wearing... shorts, a long sleeve t-shirt, and his bright green rain boots!" (Mind you, it's freezing outside!). I giggled until I arrived at church and saw what my daughter was wearing... pants that were too short for her so everytime she sat down or bent over her... well, her dad would say "say no to crack!" ... if you follow me... She also had on flip flops, her hair was a mess, both pockets were inside out and hanging down, and she was wearing her bright blue flowery spring coat!

I stuck my head in her class to joke with Mady's teacher about what she was wearing. She said, "yeah, I knew you didn't dress her because her hair wasn't done up all cute... and everytime she bends over we get a show!" We both got a good laugh out of it! Poor Mads! We love Daddy so much though! I learned later that Mark had fallen asleep on the couch and woke up right before he was supposed to be leaving for church. They were in a hurry to get everyone fed and to the church and not be late so I suppose he has a good excuse..

On another note, Mady said the funniest thing tonight. Mark was in a small fender bender on Monday (not his fault) and he was telling me that his Dad had called and asked about the accident. Here's how the conversation went at our table tonight...
Mark: "He (dad) asked about my accident."
Mady: "Daddy, did you poop your..."
Mom: (cutting off Mady pretty quickly) "no, Mads, we're talking about a different kind of accident."

can you tell what has been talked about in our house lately? And speaking of accidents, Mady is on her 3rd night of wearing "princess panties" to bed in the evening and not having any accidents! She's been wearing a pull up only to bed for about a month now and they are always dry in the morning so this week I decided to get rid of all diapers! I love it that she's not even 3 yet and she's completely potty trained... and she did most of it herself! Praise God that I'm not changing 3 little bottoms.... well, 2 little ones and 1 big one :)

A Salute to a Fallen Hero

I just got back from a long trip to Cleveland to visit some clients. I don't mind the trip as I enjoy the people at my facilities out in Ohio, but I just don't like being away from my family.

On my way back today, I followed a van into a gas station. He very slowed pulled off of the interstate on the off ramp, onto the frontage road and into the gas station. As each interminable second passed, I got more and more agitated. He was driving so slow. He pulled into the gas station and I zoomed around him. I pulled into my slot, popped open the gas flap, filled completely up, ran inside and used the restaurant, ran back outside, figured out my gas mileage for my trip, started up my car and started to pull out. And that's when it hit me...

I looked up and saw this seasoned gentleman still putting gas in the same van that I followed into the station. I realized that he was taking his time, enjoying himself (unlike some of us). He has learned to slow down, to enjoy life and take a deep breath every once in awhile. So what if I broke the gas fill-up speed record? Who cares that I can run into the restroom, do my duty before most guys even make it to the stall? I want to take a page out of this guys book...to slow down and enjoy life for a few minutes.

I was still contemplating this situation when way down the interstate, I beheld an amazing site...

As I drove down the interstate, I saw all kinds of red and blue lights flashing coming from the opposite direction. As I watched, I saw 16 cop cars followed by literally 200 motorcycles w/ the American flag on their bikes, followed by a black van...followed by a hearse. As I gazed, this hearse was followed by literally several hundred cars all in a single file line on the interstate, and then it dawned on me that this was the procession for the local soldier who recently was killed in Afghanistan and today was his funeral. I pulled over along with all of the other cars going in my direction. I looked up in my rear view mirror, and I saw the most amazing site...the guy behind me slowly got out of his car and with all of the world watching, in his formal fatigues, he stood erect saluting this unknown comrad, a fellow soldier. His intensity was undeniable. His attitude unyielding. His loyalty a proclamation and his passion unparalleled.

Several hundred cars passed with their lights on and a funeral sign attached to their window, and then a I saw a great site: 2 cop cars were following this entire procession with their lights on, not allowing anyone to pass this 5 mile long bereavement ceremony. I can imagine that someone way back in this holdup was getting irate that the speed on the interstate was so slow. They wouldn't realize that they were following a funeral procession, but that they were just going slow. Hopefully the firetrucks and policemen at each overpass on Interstate 74 would give it away, but if not, I learned something today: slow down and enjoy life. Enjoy the life that I have that has been earned through the scars and stripes of these fallen heroes. The American flag that was waving in the wind of those motorcycles stands for a freedom that I've taken for granted but today my perspective has been changed. I want to thank those that have helped make my life possible. My level of gratitude for them is difficult to communicate but is nonetheless very real.

One Year Anniversary!

I just celebrated my one year anniversary with Usborne Books and so I thought I would blog about it!

On October 20, 2008, I signed up to be an Usborne Book Consultant and I've loved every minute of it! I initially signed up so that I could simply build Madalyn's home library but the more I got involved with Usborne, the more I just couldn't stop.

My family and I love books. Mark and I have implemented a weekly reading night - usually on Tuesday evenings - where we all (minus the babies) spend the evening with a few good books and no distractions. Mady even looks forward to these evenings. I love promoting literacy in my own home and in the homes of others. I'm extremely passionate about sharing my take on literacy and with Usborne I have the opportunity to do just that with many different people in many different circumstances.

Since starting a year ago, I've had many opportunities with Usborne. I am currently doing fundraisers with two different schools in the area in which 100% return goes to the school and the students! Awesome! I've also done home shows and various booth events! I love it! I get to meet new people and introduce them to some great books!

Our books are 85% educational and non commercialized. We have over 1500 titles in our Usborne catalog. 80% are non-fiction and under $10!!! We also acquired Kane Miller Publishing this summer... Kane Miller books are multicultural stories from all around the world. We have about 100 titles in that line. We are also coming out with a new 12 book series later this month. It's called Conspiracy 365. Usborne has the exclusive rights to this series. There was even a big write-up about it in the magazine, Publishers Weekly. It's supposed to be magnificent!

I love selling books part time. I love that I can promote something that is so important to me... and I can do it whenever I want.

If you are interested in seeing some of the books that we have you can visit, www.ReadingGeneration.com

Thanks to all of you that have supported me in this past year! I love what I'm doing (in my free time) and I love introducing parents and grandparents (and even schools) to great books!!!

Happy Reading!!!

Kids say the darndest things

Jenn's folks came over yesterday to watch the kids while we went to a funeral of a good friend. When they got here, they had brought Madalyn a new minivan for her "loving people" set (goes with her dollhouse). It's actually kinda neat (except for the fact that it makes all kinds of noises = not cool.) It's got 2 little car seats in the back, one's pink and the other is blue. I sat down next to Mady and I started asking her questions. I said "who sits here?" Her response was "Sam sits here, Hannah sits here, the little girl sits here." (herself) I asked her, "well, who is driving the van?" Her response was "Mommy." And I said "well, who's in the passenger seat, here?" Mady's responded back, "That's for the new daddy."

JENNIFER!!! COME HERE!

Apparently, there's not a new daddy in town. I learned that Mady is getting a new mommy and daddy figurine for her new minivan. I still don't buy it...

The "Hiney" Vaccine

Ok, so I must start by explaining why I call it the "hiney" flu (H1N1). My good friend, who works in healthcare, mentioned that there was a call received at her office the other day asking if the "hiney" vaccine had been released yet. Apparently this particular person on the other end of the phone somehow got the "1's" confused with "i's" and therefore called it the "hiney" flu. I must say that once it's called that - it's hard to go back to H1N1... just because it's so funny. So, in our family it's now referred to as the hiney flu.

Last week, after much prayer and consideration, I took Madalyn to the public health department to get her H1N1 flu vaccine. I have a friend who lives down the street that told me about the public health dept giving them out for free. Mark and I had talked about it and we had agreed that yes Madalyn would be getting the h1n1 vaccine this year. We couldn't afford not to with infant twins in the home and someone who has a lung disease. It would be dumb of us not to get the vaccine.

The easy part was knowing that we were going to have Madalyn get it... The hard part for me was whether to give her the shot or the nasal spray. She received the flumist nasal spray for the regular flu but I was a little more nervous about the h1n1 flumist. Now, I know that it's definitely a weakened "live" virus that's in the nasal spray and I know that it was fine when she received the first nasal spray for the regular flu but something didn't sit right with the H1N1 flumist. I was simply a little worried about the fact that it was a "live" virus - with having the babies and Mark. The chance of something occuring from the flumist is slim but I just wanted to be careful. On the other hand, the shot that the public health was giving out did have thimerosal in it and that made me a tad nervous as well. All of the ones that Carle has are free of thimerosal but they aren't giving them out yet. So, I was in a predicament and I had to weigh the options.

I called Mark's CF doctor and asked what they thought about the flumist and they said that Mark would be fine if Mady got it. I know everyone has opinions on both and I know I probably was making a bigger deal out of it than I should but in the end neither Mark not I felt comfortable giving Mady the flumist when the shot was available.

Mark headed over one night last week to see if he could get one as well but the place was packed and they wouldn't give him a vaccine (only the mist which he can't have!) so they headed home. Mady cried on the way home because she couldn't get a shot. Most kids cry because they have to get a shot and mine cries because she wasn't able to get one!!?? I'm positive she didn't know what was coming. The next day I headed over with her before they began giving the shots. We were already #17. She stayed pretty close to me when we were there and you could tell she was a little hesitant of her environment. When it was our turn I wrapped Mady's arms around me and held her close as they stuck her in the leg. She didn't make a peep! I was so proud of her! She was so proud of herself all day telling everything that she got a flu shot and she didn't cry! She loved showing off her sticker!
On another note, today Mark was able to get his shot as well. I have been praying for days that he would be able to get his somehow because I've been worried about him. He's at higher risk because he has cystic fibrosis... that coupled with the fact that we have infant twins and he works in healthcare just makes it an all around scary situation. So, I've been praying that somehow he would be able to get his vaccine. Today he was in Pinckneyville, IL and he was making some cold calls for work. He happened to step into a doctors office where they told him that they had all just gotten their H1N1 vaccines. The lady said they were free for those who worked in healthcare. He jetted out and headed over to this particular church where he was supposed to be able to get his vaccine. At first she said he couldn't have his because he was over 24 years old. Mark told her that he was high risk and gave his story... twins, CF, works in healthcare. She passed him along to the nurse and he was able to get his vaccine for free! I'm so thankful! I know it's something small but it's definitely an answer to prayer for me. With him visiting doctors offices and health care offices all day every day the risk for him catching something is very high and I am just so thankful that he was able to get his vaccine to hopefully protect himself!

(Mark's additions: Ironically enough, as a Laboratory Sales Consultant, I sell the H1N1 confirmation testing. I'm riding a pretty high wave right now that will probably be crashing down after the turn of the year, but business is business. I also got a boost when the Health Dept stopped doing the testing about a month ago because they were overwhelmed. Interestingly enough, they publicly nominated my lab to do the testing, so I get phone calls all the time to sign up hospitals for this particular testing. I'll do anything to get my foot in the door. Thank you Lord)

I love my programs!

I have to admit, I love to sign up for programs where I can earn free coupons and products. I'm always looking for a good deal or for a way to get free samples. Last week I got a box in the mail with a free stick of deoderant and coupons for $3 off that same brand of deoderant. Today I signed up via an email that I got to be part of a new toothpaste launch program. For signing up, I will get a free - full size - tube of toothpaste and coupons for that same brand. It's exciting.

My favorite site that sends great packages is VocalPoint. You just become a member by signing up and then every so often they'll send you something new along with some great coupons. The coupon books usually include one coupon to get the product for free which is always nice.

I am also into Swagbucks and MyPoints right now. I'm saving up my Swagbucks for some Starbucks gift cards for Christmas. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with my MyPoints... most likely some type of gift card as well. (if you want to sign up for either one, let me know so I can send you my referral link!)