The Smurfs Made the Toothpaste

I SMURF blue toothpaste. I find it everywhere. Everywhere but in my kid's mouths. I find it on doorknobs, on chairs, bedspreads, cabinets- you name it. I even found it one time on my jog bra that I was wearing??? We've tried other brands that have other colors, but the truth is that my kids like the taste of the nasty blue toothpaste. I'm convinced one of the boys will become a dentist one day. Chase has always loved brushing his teeth, and he has taught Davis the art of spitting globs of blue in the sink and then "forgetting" to wash it down. (OH, and once it's dried, it's like peeling glue off off the sink with extra food particles for your enjoyment.) Davis has a fetish now that he HAS to brush his teeth immediately after something sweet. One would think that's a great habit, but it's kind of annoying when you are at a kid's birthday and he wants to leave to go home to brush his teeth because he just ate cake. Again???? AND then there's Vance. Thank goodness he's not old enough for the blue toothpaste, but I've found it in his mouth before. He uses the toddler toothpaste. However, he loves to stand on the stool in the bathroom and pretend "spitting" in the sink. I guess I should feel thankful we have good dental habits, but again, why blue? Some crazed man who has never had to clean a sink with dried blue toothpaste made the stuff. I am convinced he was either single or mad at his wife, and he really loved watching her scrub the bathroom to get the "blue" off the door. Either way, it gets the job done, but it makes mine a little more tough. :)

The Forgotten Blog

Yes, it's October 9th, and you wonder where I've been? School started, I began a new job, I'm on the P.T.A. Board at Chase's school and frankly life got more than crazy. I seriously cannot find enough time in a day to do everything I want to do or need to do. Clearly, I need to prioritize. I have to go to work which is not an option, but how do I get to all of those other things? Just when I feel my head spinning out of control, I realize that I need perspective. Isn't that what God does for us? After driving down I-40 earlier by myself with precious cargo, I realized that it's not all about the minutia. The clean sheets, the vacuumed floors, and the clean, folded laundry. I have felt very stressed about how to do it all, since especially right now, I feel like I'm doing about 50% with everything. I guess all that really matters is that I try to do most of my percentage with my kids, but how? Prayer. I need to focus more on prayer and clarity on how to pray. I have to confess that I'm not the best out-loud pray-er, or even the best quiet pray-er. Frankly, I'm kind of an ADD pray-er. I tend to get started on something, and I end up somewhere completely different. Today in church in Hickory with my parents, I found myself in a seriously ADD prayer moment, but then I looked over and saw all three of my very different children, and I realized that I think God sometimes wants us just to be. Just be present and listen. So I did, and I heard three little boys wanting mom's attention. I'm going to try this week to let the minutia go, and hopefully find some spots to just BE with my boys. Three is a lot, but it's also a blessing in so many ways. I never knew how completely different their personalities could be, but I thank God all the more for everything they give me and teach me.