Spelling List

This is my second grader's spelling list for this week.... not your mama's spelling list, that's for sure!

The Christmas gift...

...that keeps on giving!  One of my favorite gifts of the year!

Mama Loves Free Stuff

Listen, it's like I have a little secret, and I keep telling y'all, and no one believes me.  So, here I go again: Expo TV and Tryology are the BESTEST.

Expo TV is a website where you submit two minute video reviews of a variety of products.  Do one review a year.  Do four a day.  It's up to you and what products you have in your home that are in need of review.  For every review, you get points.  And points=gift cards.  Easy.  One "average" review is worth between 500-1,000 points (some are worth 25,000!).  Two minutes.  No more.  Using your phone's camera.  A $5 Amazon gift card is 600 points.  So, you can see how these gift cards pile up quickly.  Sometimes, there are lots of review options; sometimes, they only are in need of a few. Right now, there are four possible options for review... just goes in cycles.

But, then, there's Tryology.  Love it.  Tryology is the arm of Expo TV where you don't earn points.  You still do 2 minute reviews.  But, instead of points, you get to keep the product.  Products range from household cleaning products, to mattresses, to major appliances, to toys.  I have received lots of toys, a shed (yes, the outdoor kind for mowers), a few electric razors, two electric toothbrushes, and today... yes, today, I got this in the mail for free!!!

That's a new Keruig 2.0 with like 10 packs (now called K Cup Packs) of hot chocolate, tea, and coffee.   All I have to do is a two minute review.  Piece of cake.  To be honest, I don't even apply for the smaller tryology programs.  It's not worth too much of my time to get free laundry soap.  But, a shed?  A new coffee pot retailing for $170 plus loads of coffee?  Yep, I'm in. 

This is not a scam, and I don't even care if you use my link (https://www.expotv.com/register?rid=79590) to sign up--if you do, I think I do get a few points--not enough to make it worth this blog post, that's for sure.   You don't always get selected (I'm dying for a new mattress, for example), but when you do, it's loads of fun to get free stuff in the mail!

So, let me know if you do it... but more importantly... if you get anything cool for free!

A Letter

Dear Husband:

It’s 17 degrees here right now.  I tell you this—because as I type this, you’re on a plane bound for sunny Florida. 

It’s also trash and recycling night--a fact you might have overlooked in your hustle to get out of the door this morning.  I understand: screaming children have the same effect on me.  Also overlooked, quite possibly, is the state of our driveway.  You know the one: the long, steep one that we have to traverse to put out said trash and recycling.  Can you believe that we had four (count them: FOUR) huge trash cans to put out there tonight? 

But, I digress. As for the state of our driveway, it’s ice.  And, I know this because I almost died.  With our three kids deep in homework and play, I am certain that had I fallen, as I almost did on multiple occasions, I would have met my frozen death.  I mean, we’ve raised super capable kids, so when I didn’t return, I am sure the two older would have just put themselves to bed.  There would have been no search party.   The two-year-old was my best bet, but seeing how we had the worst afternoon in parent/child history, I think he would have cackled as he turned away from the window in “oblivion.”  Kuddos, by the way, on the responsible kids.

The ice driveway has scared away the mail carrier.  She’s dropping packages on the street, by the big rock.  You know, WAY out there.  The UPS guy delivered a package today by walking through the crunchy grass, as to avoid the driveway and walk.  I am pretty sure I saw him “flip me the bird” on the way to his truck.   Don’t bother sending flowers as a peace offering; the delivery person would most likely protest or break a neck, neither of which is an ideal situation for this frazzled mama.

Since I’ve been trying to extend grace, I’ll let this one slide.  But, if you ever leave me with three crazy kids and a driveway of ice again, I plan to summit the ice hill to come looking for you—even all the way in sunny Florida.

Now, go walk barefoot in the sand for me—and let’s hope you find some change to buy chocolates at the airport as a possible apology.  Or some ice melt.  That might make me happier in the end.

With warm thoughts,

Your wife

A Year Older

This kid is 8!  Be. Still. My. Heart.

... because like two friggin' seconds ago he looked like this! 

And, as much as I love the little man that he's becoming, the conversations that are growing deeper, the jokes that are becoming funnier (thank goodness!), and the heart that is getting bigger, I still miss the little boy who needed me--a lot.  Because, as we raise this boy into a man, we want him to be able to leave us.. and leave with confidence, which means needing his mama less (and differently) with each year.

And, lest you tell me that I'm "jumping the gun," let me be clear: 18 is right around that proverbial corner.  And while he still needs me (and will even then and beyond), it's clear to me that "the now" is the training ground for "the then."

And, I'm mindful that we can't wait until he's 18 to show him how to be a man.  I'm mindful every time I send him into the post office on his own, let him get left behind in a store (head in a book, no doubt) only to find us much later, tell him to figure it out on his own, enforce manners to the point of nausea, and encourage a heart of service to others--it's all just a stepping stone.  I don't want to keep my baby a baby--I like watching him grow up!  It's just going too fast... that's all.  Just too darn fast.

So, happy birthday, my faithful little boy who is kind (I mean KIND) to others.  What a heart you have, and I, for one, am excited--if even a little tearful--to see how God plans on growing you up!  You made this mama's life the day you were born!