Christmas/New Year photo onslaught

Family kitchen fun

We will pose, but we will not like it.

Yes, as a matter of fact we are autopsying an alien.

Cousins are cool!

Being taller than our older cousin is cooler.

A rite in Texas, first lesson with a .22

Good form!

Not bad for a lefty!

Christmas with the other side of the family is fun too!

Anything can be a bookmark!

Who is ready to Par-tay?

Missing 1, but we had fun. Can you tell?

It has been a busy couple of weeks around Willingham's World: back to school after the holidays, big weekend church event, start of a new semester of classes, and the impending trip to Germany that Hubby is taking. That last one isn't really time consuming for me, but it sure does color the mood of the house.

I also realized that I never shared any fun Christmas photos. Shame on me. So here are some of the good ones...

Well, it won't let me upload pics right now. Apparently I have forgotten something or maybe the website isn't working. That's kind of the way it rolls around here lately. Make a plan. Plan doesn't work due to some unforseen issue. Change plan. Pray for the best. I said lately, but it's the way things have always gone.

I'll work on the picture issue and see if I can upload some soon.

Dealing with SAD

It has been a sad few weeks in my world. People who I care about are hurting in intense and difficult ways. They are people of faith and hope. They will endure the current hell on this earth they are walking through. This post isn't about them. Their stories are as heart breaking as you can imagine. I just have so many strong feelings to process and so few outlets. Prayer is my outlet. But most days it doesn't conquer the sad. Sad doesn't get prayed away. Sad just is.

Broken relationships, death of one too young, life altering illnesses.. these are the things that can't be fixed with a quick word of wisdom or a dinner on a cold night. Those things are good and help, but these are the unfixable things that we dread in life. And my friends are going through it. And I am THAT friend who stands beside them (whether they are near or far in location) in Spirit and hurts for them and loves them and cannot help solve a life situation that is more than a problem.

Please pray for..

my friends going through critical marriage relationship devastation

my friend who has recently lost her spouse

my friends who are starting the battle with cancer in various forms when just 2 weeks ago all seemed well

Jan 1, 2013

What a day it has been! I have run the gamut gamet gammet whole range of emotions. In summary:

Welcomed in the new year with the Bacons!

Woke up.

Ate lunch at McAllisters.

Found out that a friend's husband has dies after a brief bout of panreatitis (sp?) that turned to sepsis.

Battled a major migraine level headache for 5 hours.

Counseled the eldest child about what is fair and unfair in life in the middle of the headache.

Chatted with a friend I haven't talked with in a while.

I am now tired and hoping that the rest of the days in 2013 are not as full.

Happy New Year everyone!

Taking a break to update

     I am taking a break from the "gotta get that tree up" whirlwind of clutter shuffle. It's time to blog something. Unfortunately, I'm lacking anything of substance to share. No recent "light bulb" moments, unless you count me shattering one when I tried to change it. Nothing radical is happening, unless trying to get 3 males to get the downstairs ready to accept the Christmas tree is radical. Ok, that is pretty radical. I am committed to making letting them help this year. No tree up until they make the hole for it. It is likely going to be a long afternoon. They are currently huddled around Chris's laptop watching youtube of a videogame. Yep, a long afternoon.
       I also recently facebooked that I am suspicious of the weather, but hopeful for the promised cooling. Then I realized that Suspicious, but Hopeful is my natural state of being. I usually am suspicious (ie, cautious, not betting on it, believe it when I see it) of anything predicted for the near future. But I am also hopeful that it will happen. I think I need that in a shirt.... "Suspicious, but Hopeful" (a V-necked T with ladies cut, sizes XXL if you are shopping for me).
    Alright, time to get back to the laundry, and remind the boys that they still have stuff to do if they want a tree this year.

Random thoughts

* I love the music from the video game Epic Mickey. I could just listen to it nonstop. Maybe it should be part of my life's soundtrack.

* It is so sweet to hear the preteen I-hate-to-reader say "Mom, you were right. That was a great book!" after weeks of fighting about it. And I didn't even say "I told you so".

*I need a new office chair.

*I only have 3 more major projects to turn in before the semester is over.

*I teach some great kids.

*Sharing my favorite read aloud with students who are interested is one of my favorite things to do as a classroom teacher.

Parenting Mistakes

We've all made them. If  you have children, you have made parenting mistakes. If you are an aunty, uncle-y, or fairy godsister, you, too, have made mistakes. Maybe nothing as drastic as dropping the dog bone on the baby or screaming "I'm gonna pinch your head off the next time you... oh, hello Officer in line behind me." Here is what I will confess to... for now....

1. Introducing my children to chicken nuggets. I'm sure I have killed all sense of taste in those precious little buds for eternity.
2. Not requiring daily reading. As a teacher, I cry like a toddler missing their Momma because my kids don't enjoy reading. I'm sure it's because I was too tired to read to them as young uns after I got home from reading to everyone else's kids.
3. Establishing firm bedtimes. It made for a nice schedule for a while, but heaven help us all if I have to change the schedule now, because one will make a federal case out of it and require 2 hours of litigation to approve the change and the other will go along with it and completely forget we ever had a different schedule.
4. Encouraging talking. Mistake? Oh yeah! I have the most verbal children on the planet. They use words like they are going out of style. Talk to someone, sure! Talk to themselves.. out loud, in public, Uh-huh. In their sleep? yep. And the noises they make! I know that boys make noise, that's why those words rhyme, but mine are a bit extreme.
5. Teaching them how to use the TV remote. Independence is a goal, but somethings should require parental assistance. Just because you CAN change the channel, doesn't mean you should.
6. Microwave popcorn. Yes they can make it themselves, but it should not be the only thing they eat!
7. Expressing their opinion. I used to think that kids should be able to respectfully share their opinions. I now have a preteen and am aghast at my ignorance. Apparently I "just don't understand" anything. That's what he tells me, anyway.
8. Introducing my children to Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. It seemed ok at the time. No more need be said.
9. Answering questions. Now they ask them all the time. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are embarrassing. And sometimes they are just hard. Some say curiosity is a sign of intelligence. I think curiosity is just a sign of boredom.


So that's what I've got for now. I guess we could call this episode 1. Have a great week!

Post Thanksgiving thanks

I don't know about you, but I am feeling pretty turkey drunk and happy this Friday after Thanksgiving. Maybe I just feel the coffee buzz from an extra cuppa joe this morning. Either way, I am feeling exceptionally thankful this quiet morning.

I am thankful for sleeping in.
I am thankful for In-laws who let the children spend the night.
I am thankful for the ability to go back and get my Master's degree.
I am thankful for almost finishing my first semester back in school.
I am thankful for being able to teach GT students.
I am thankful for 4500 views of my blog (yay Spambots!)
I am thankful for that neighbor who is using a leaf blower before 10 am.
I am thankful for technology that allows me to do so many things.
I am thankful for brain candy books that are just fun.
I am thankful for The Good Book, that is the opposite of candy. It is the full course meal of reading.
I am thankful for the invention of toothpaste and toothbrushes.
I am thankful for my old, crochety dog who still gives me those puppy eyes that got him sprung from the pound all those years ago.
I am thankful for my family.
I am thankful for so many other trivial things.

Perhaps I should get dressed and get to the rest of the day.. hmmm.. or maybe just a little more cyber stalking..