Sacrificial Giving

9 August 2010 by

My brother is what you might call a character. He’s just as mischievous now as he was when he was 14, and he has never ever in his whole life met a stranger. In fact, if he met you right now, he would ask you question after question until he figured out a person the two of you might have in common. And then, when he discovered the common friend, he would say, “Don’t you remember when she lived in that house on Oak Street? You know, the one that the So-And-Sos lived in before they moved to Illinois in 1975 when their grandmother passed away and they inherited that baby grand piano that they donated to the church and then Miss Burnett played “Standing On The Promises” at the piano dedication service and forgot the notes when she got to the chorus and we all got REAL tickled? Yeah. I loved that house.”

A character.

Well.

Saturday morning after breakfast the little man and I walked down to Brother and Janie’s condo because we were all going swimming together. We were sitting around waiting for everybody to gather their stuff when my brother said, “I think I’ll run to the grocery store real quick and pick up some turkey for lunch.” Janie and I looked at each other and grinned because, well, my brother LOVES to grocery shop. LOVES IT. Maybe it’s the 21st century equivalent of hunting and gathering. Maybe it’s the side of him that likes to take care of people. But for all of our adult lives, if anybody needs anything from the store, Brother is the first one to jump in the car and go. In fact, I am firmly convinced that one day when the Good Lord calls him home, Brother is going to ask if he can have just a few more minutes so that he can run by Fresh Market. And then he will tell God that Fresh Market’s meat REALLY IS THE BEST.

So Brother set off for Publix in search of turkey, and Janie and I speculated about what else he might pick up while he was there since it’s never just one thing with him at the grocery store. He’s always going to find a new kind of barbecue sauce or stock up on his favorite mustard or see some special kind of seasoning that looks like it would be really good on steaks. The whole thing just fascinates me. My personal theory is that because Brother is a successful businessman whose work tends to fall on the extreme side of MIND-NUMBING PRESSURE COOKER, the grocery store relaxes him. Transactions are simple there. Nobody wants to negotiate.

Janie and I took the boys to the pool, and after about an hour and a half, Brother joined us. And he brought a bag of gifts with him.

As he was opening the bag, he told us how he’d gone to the grocery store and gotten turkey. And, well, some bread and Cokes and a tomato and a head of lettuce and some mayonnaise and Provolone cheese and Pringles. And then he saw a store in the same shopping center that specialized in SEC spirit wear, and they were having a sale, and it was sales tax-free weekend, and he thought they might have some Ole Miss shirts for his boys.

Yes. You read correctly. Ole Miss shirts. Because he and Janie both went to Ole Miss. And Sister and I, if you remember, both went to Mississippi State. As did D and my daddy. The Bulldog / Rebel divide can make for some tense Thanksgivings, but by and large we all try to be (relatively) good-natured about it. Janie is actually the best-natured of us all and will actually send congratulatory texts when State has a big win in football or basketball. EVEN AFTER THE EGG BOWL.

I’m just not that big of a person, y’all. Keep in mind that I still haven’t seen The Blind Side.

Anyway, Brother told us all about the store with the SEC merchandise and how the owner said business had really been tough this year. He thought he’d look around and see if he could find a few things, and while he was buying for Janie and the boys, he picked up some stuff for Alex and me, too.

Doesn’t that just warm your heart? The Rebel season ticket holder of 20-plus years bought MSU merchandise for his Bulldog-loving sister and nephew. AND SOMEHOW THE WORLD CONTINUED TO SPIN ON ITS AXIS.

Alex is crazy about his hat, and I have to tell you that those flip-flops made my whole day. I’m going to WEAR THEM OUT this football season. And maybe – hopefully – I’ll be wearing them out while I’m receiving congratulatory end-of-game texts from my sweet sister-in-law because the Bulldogs are at the top of the Western division and headed to the SEC Championship game.

Remember: football season hasn’t started yet. All forms of championship-related optimism are still perfectly permissible.

It’s good to have a dream.

Filed Under: Rambling

Almost The End

6 August 2010 by

I don’t know if it was the steamed shrimp or too much sun or an excess amount of chlorine, but last night I had the weirdest assortment of dreams I can ever recall. They ran the gamut, including but not limited to:

– a denominational debate with my cousin Benji
– winning a free meal from a restaurant in Hattiesburg, MS that also sold iPods and iPod accessories
– watching my Aunt C teach swimming to pre-schoolers at an indoor lap pool
– researching the original meaning of my cousin’s girlfriend’s name (only her name was “Gina” in my dream, which isn’t her real name at all)
– getting my dorm room ready for school (HELLO, 18 again)

So needless to say I was worn slap out when I got out of bed this morning.

We’re heading home in a couple of days, and we’ll hit the ground running in terms of getting back into the school time swing of things. Last night I made a long to-do list that made me want to cry a little bit, but we’ll get ‘er done. At least we can rest in the peace of knowing that we’ve had a great time relaxing this week with our family.

We can also rest in the peace of knowing that we’ve reached some unanticipated new snack food heights. We’ve gone from this –

to this –

over the course of just a precious few days.

It’s a memory that will sustain us in the days and weeks to come.

Amen.

Filed Under: Rambling

Quick Update & A New Giveaway

5 August 2010 by

We’re still at the beach – and now there are even MORE cousins.

My sister-in-law and my nephews got here yesterday morning, and we did. not. stop. with the swimming until about 10 last night.

I was so tired that I couldn’t sleep. I think you probably know what I mean.

Anyway, I just wanted to jump on here for a second to tell you about two giveaway-related things.

– The Laughing Cow $150 Visa gift card giveaway is still up and running.

– I wrote a post for Smuckers about putting notes in my little man’s lunchbox – and there’s a $200 Visa gift card giveaway at the end of it.

Hope y’all are having a great week!

Filed Under: Giveaways

Share Your Story: Smuckers Kidvitations

5 August 2010 by

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Smuckers.

I’m not sure where I first got the idea of putting notes in our little man’s lunchbox. I know that it wasn’t any sort of original concept, so my best guess is that I probably saw Claire Huxtable put a note in one of her kids’ lunchboxes on The Cosby Show when I was younger. Of course I wasn’t consciously trying to pick up parenting tips from a TV show when I was, you know, thirteen, but I’ve never been one to underestimate the lasting influence of a family sitcom.

I mean, do you know how many times I’ve thought about Jan Brady running into the family portrait on her bicycle when I’m trying to teach our son about being responsible?

YOU ONLY HAD TO WEAR THE GLASSES, JAN.

YOU ONLY HAD TO WEAR THE GLASSES.

Regardless of where the idea originated, I first started putting notes in Alex’s lunches when he was in Mothers’ Day Out. At the time he couldn’t really read, of course, so I’d just draw a big heart and then sign “Mama” at the bottom. When he started four year-old kindergarten and was recognizing a few words, I moved up to “Alex – I love you, Mama” – and the notes have gotten more elaborate over the last couple of years. He always thanks me for the notes when I pick him up from school, and lots of times I’ll find the notes when I unpack his lunchbox – with little jelly or Cheetos fingerprints all along the edges.

Last year Alex ate in the school cafeteria a good bit (I have NO IDEA why, but he really gets a kick out of going through the lunch line), so I didn’t pack lunches nearly as often. But at the end of the school year, his class had a field day, and since the cafeteria was going to be closed that day, the teachers asked us to send a lunch to school.

It just so happened that the week of field day was a hard one for us because our dog Maggie died. She hadn’t been well for awhile, and I don’t think any of us were prepared for how difficult it was when she finally passed away. Alex took her death particularly hard – it was the first time he’s ever had to say good-bye to something he loved – and the week was filled with hard questions and hard answers. We talked a lot about the fact that there’s purpose in every single thing that happens in our lives, and we talked about how grateful we were that we got to share life with Maggie.

But oh, how he cried. And oh, how he missed her.

When I was packing his lunch the Friday morning of field day, I decided to stick a note inside. I tried to make it upbeat and comforting because I knew how much his little heart was still hurting. And sure enough, when I picked him up from school that afternoon, he said, “Thanks, Mama, for the note you sent me. It made me smile.”

A few days ago I asked Alex why he likes it so much when I send him little notes, and he said, “Because when I’m thinking about you at school, the note reminds me that you’re thinking about me, too.” It’s such a small thing to do – it literally takes less than a minute – but I really do believe that that kind of intentional, loving communication with our kids reaps huge benefits. If you’ve ever written a note to your child(ren), you know that you can see the joy all over their face when they read it.

After the little guy and I talked for a few minutes about lunchbox notes, I had a hunch. Since field day was the last lunch I packed this past school year – and since he told me at the end of that day that he threw away all of his trash at school – I wondered if maybe he held onto the note when lunch was over. So I went in the pantry, pulled the lunchbox off the shelf, and sure enough, I found what I suspected that I would.

He kept it.

Bless his heart.

To celebrate the ways that moms connect with their kids over lunch – whether it’s by putting a note in a lunchbox or making special plans to sit in the backyard and eat sandwiches together – Smuckers has created a really neat program called Kidvitations. It’s a way for parents to intentionally make mealtimes special – and I think it’s awesome. I also think that you and your kids are going to love it.

If you’d like to enter to win a $200 Visa gift card, leave a comment and tell me one of your favorite ways to connect with the children in your life.

There are also BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page.

And if you enjoy a little light reading, you’re sure to be delighted by the BlogHer.com Smuckers official rules.

This giveaway will run through August 23rd, at which point I’ll use random.org to select a winner.

Can’t wait to read your comments!

Create a Kidvitation!

Home can be a busy place with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. That’s why it’s important to set time aside to spend with your kids. Use Smuckers® Kidvitations to invite your kids to share a moment with you over a perfect PB&J. Check it out.

This giveaway is now closed.

Filed Under: BlogHer Reviews

Come Here For All Your Empty Carb Needs

2 August 2010 by

I wasn’t kidding about overdoing it on the chips and crackers.

Oh, it looks harmless enough at first. A few two-liters of Cokes, some Veggie Sticks, a bag of tortilla chips, an economy-sized Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

But as you work your way up the shelves, you start to notice a the abundance of All The Chips & Such.

What you can’t see are the new Lay’s Tangy Carolina Barbecue chips – have y’all tried them? They sneak up on you with their tastiness. Because at first I was all, “I don’t really think I like these,” and then within five minutes I had developed a WHITE HOT CRAVING for that chip and that chip only.

Imagine that you cross a regular barbecue chip with a salt & vinegar chip. That is the tangy barbecue chip. And oh, it is tasty.

And by the way, that’s a bag of Peppercorn Ranch Sun Chips on the bottom right. It’s on the edge of the shelf so that it doesn’t make quite as much racket when you’re reaching for something else.

I LOATHE THE SUN CHIPS BAGS.

And finally, our cracker collection.

The Chex Mix, mini-Nutter Butters and mini-Oreos are behind all of the crackers. We think it’s better to keep the more nutritional offerings – like, you know, Nilla Wafers – front and center so that we can make smart food choices.

But in our defense, we have really cut back on our Cheez-It consumption this year. And please make sure you notice that Paige’s Cheese Nips are reduced fat.

Or as we like to call them: health food.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Travel

The Chlorine Has Sapped My Sense

2 August 2010 by

I don’t really think there’s any point pretending that I can string words into sentences right now. I have passed regular tired and arrived at silly tired. And that is why, at the pool tonight, my cousin Paige and I were hysterical talking about all the acrobatic maneuvers we used to perform in the water when we were kids. And then we even tried a few of them. You can imagine how delighted I am to tell you that Paige can still do a mean handstand with a lightning-fast scissor split.

And I may or may not still be able to do a super-awesome back flip. It all just depends on whether or not my back cramps mid-way through and I have to abandon the flip for more of a twist-type effect.

Oddly enough this was not a problem that I faced when I was 11.

Anyway, this week is our annual Cousins’ Beach Trip. Today was Day One. We got here at 4 this afternoon, and we left the pool at 10:45 tonight.

And while I can’t say for sure that I’m at an all-time end-of-summer high in terms of being completely dried out by chlorine, I’m prone to think that I am since it took approximately 1/2 cup of Eucerin to get my skin feeling even remotely moisturized after my post-pool shower. I also think that my hair has passed the point of no return. There is no amount of conditioner that can revitalize its texture. I think I just need to get it cut really short and then scatter it in some sort of wagon and then tell the kids we’re going on a hayride.

Or perhaps I could use it for mulch considering that it currently has the consistency of pine straw.

But beauty issues aside, I am just tickled to be here. This is always such a fun week for our family, and this year is going to be better than ever because even more of the family is joining the fun. Wacky hijinks are sure to be had by all.

There is also a very large quantity of snack food that is sure to be enjoyed by all. I am tempted to show you a picture of what’s in our cabinets right now, but I’d be way too embarrassed. Apparently this is the year when we decided we’d err on the side of ridiculous in the “chips and crackers” category. You won’t find a whole lot of protein in this condo right now unless it’s in the form of peanut butter or string cheese.

But you will definitely find four different kinds of potato chips, cheese balls, Whales, Triscuits (two kinds), tortilla chips, Chex Mix, pita chips, pretzel sticks and Sun Chips. And if we break into the Sun Chips, HEAVEN KNOWS you’ll hear us – that new bag leaves no Sun Chip snacking unpunished. Sweet mercy it’s noisy.

So that’s all that’s going on here. Some loud, happy children and some tired, happy grown-ups. Lots of potential for overloading on empty carbs. And – my favorite – a whole bunch of laughter.

Have a great Monday, y’all.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Travel
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