Why my toilet has stickers on it...

So I'm in the mist of finals, (I only have one more to go after a very eventful week...more on that later) Brittany is being a very helpful big sister and giving James a bath, but before he took a bath he had to use the bathroom. A few minutes later Brittany re-enters the bathroom and here's a little of the conversation:
Brittany: James why are there stickers on the toliet?
James: I think they are pretty stickers don't you?
Brittany: Yes they are pretty but why are they on the toilet?
James: I was bored
Brittany: you were bored so you put stickers on the toilet?
James: Yes, and I wanted to make it pretty...see.
So yeah I now have "pretty" stickers on my toilet thanks to my ever so helpful decorator/son James.
Well back to studying, I just thought I'd at least share that one!

It's random (wo)man

So I have a mix bag of thoughts and info to share. It's been a while since I've blogged. (So cool how we can invent new verbs!) Anyways first kid randomness. So last night James was on the toilet (don't worry no gross bathroom humor) and he says "there are 7 continents" (random, but I'm glad he knows that. Joseph and I had a conversation the other morning that should make me wonder if I have a sadistic kid or not. He told his brother " an H-bomb would blow up the whole country." Jacob: "No, an A bomb" Joseph: "The don't make the A-bombs anymore" Me: "why are we talking about blowing up the country" Joseph: "I just thought an H-bomb could do that..." Me: "no son, fortunately it can't" Joseph: "Oh that's good, but is there a bomb that could?" Me: "NO!" James has decided he no longer wants his stuffed cat at school to cuddle with at nap time.... now he wants his light blue bear named "BUA-Beya" cus that's more like a big boy. Brittany during the Obama rally last month. The leader of the college democrats was introducing Robin Carnahan and said something to the effect of "she wears many hats..." Brittany: "she likes hats, I like hats too." Me: "Not real hats, its a figure of speech, it means she does a lot of things." Brittany (after Ms. Carnahan gets on stage) "Look I see her...and she's not wearing a hat!"
To top off this random post I'll add that I got my kids to eat spinach last night! I made a spinach alfredo sauce b/c I was out of broccoli (a vegetable they all surprisingly like). The recipe is super easy. here it is:
One jar of Ragu Alfredo Sauce
1/2 pkg of frozen spinach
3/4 cup parm. cheese
3 slices of bacon chopped
One box of linguine or other pasta noodle (I suggest something thick)

Cook pasta per pkg instructions.

Prepare the spinach following package direction ( I suggest boiling the bacon with the spinach but I didn't do it, I warmed the bacon in the microwave to make it crispy)
Drain spinach and add the Alfredo Sauce, cooked bacon, cheese, salt and pepper to taste
Dish out the noddles and ladle sauce on top. Enjoy!

More Halloween

More parade of costomes and two actual night pictures. I left my camera in the bathroom :(! I know I'm a horrible mom!The whole crew! Jacob: Two-face, Joseph: The joker, James: batman and Brittany: the devil's daughter...don't ask!

Neighbors Lilly and Emma

Look two Batmen!

James and his teacher Ms. Holly

Hallowen pictures

First part of Halloween at the parade of coustmes at Columbia Montessori

History has been made

Yesterday I voted. I voted during a slow period at the polling place where I worked to protect the vote of others. I was number 182 out of 779 voters who voted at my polling place that day. I had a long but very rewarding day. From 5:30am to 7 pm I was surrounded by people who wanted to make a difference, who wanted their voices heard. I met a woman who in her more than 65 years of life had never voted. I saw a man who could not read elated after casting his ballot. I watched a man on probation urge his girlfriend to vote because he couldn't but she could make a difference. I was super tired when Will picked me up at 7 last night but I would not have traded my experience for the world. After staying up to watch the polls come in I had the pleasure of witnessing history. For the first time in the history of the United States of America an African American man is President elect. God knows I never thought I would see this day. A journalist commented last night that we (African Americans) had been lying to our kids all this time. We said they could be anything they wanted to be while knowing that there was one job, the Presidency, that they couldn't obtain, but last night that lie became truth. Praise God for He is good and through all things His will is done.
People are happy today people are sad today but no matter what people feel history was made last night. Like President (elect) Obama said this is a nation for the people by the people and the people have spoken. Yes we did. This morning I watched the world rejoice. I saw celebrations in Germany, Kenya, Iraq, Spain and other countries. The WORLD rejoiced over our choice in leadership, that is monumental. I pray that God will continue to work in this world and that people can put aside hate, fear and ignorance and unite. Regardless of who you voted for you have a new president today. A new face in the white house, a face that my ancestors fought to have there. This country built on the backs of slaves has arrived at a time where the hopes and aspirations of all men (and women) can come true. Yes, yes we can. Yes, yes we all can.
My children woke up this morning and I was able to tell them that Obama is president. My goodness that was historic. I told my children this morning that a man that looked like them was going to run the country. One of my friends posted scripture today that I assume she meant as solace for those whose candidate did not win, but I put a new spin on it. She posted this:

"Therefore we do not lose heart..For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I read that and the comment "so true right now" posted by another of her friends, and I thought so not true right now. My people are finally coming out of that time. For generations we have seen struggle, trials, tribulations and seemingly insurmountable obstacles but yesterday we got our silver lining. Thank you Barack for running. Thank you for showing my generation and my children's generation and their children's generation that all people are created equal.

I could talk forever about this. I could even share my fears which are far different from those of some others, but I think I will end by saying that I know that my true home is in Heaven with Christ and that my first citizenship is the body of Christ. But I am grateful that I am able to witness history in this republic.

Change in scene

Hey so its finally cooling off (I guess I shouldn't say finally I hate cold weather) and it actually feels like fall! I came a cross this blog template and I thought it was beautiful and thought I'd try it out! Let me know what you think.
P.S.- Halloween is Friday and I'm still looking for a green suit and a purple suit for my sons The Riddler and Joker. (I have Batman already). I should be posting pics soon of that!
Oh and Obama will be here tomorrow! We are very excited the whole family's going. We think it would be cool for the kids to get a glimpse of the man who is posed to become the first black president of the United States. We are about to be a part of history. That is something that goes beyond party lines if you really think about it. If he wins (which I hope he does) it will be a huge (and long overdue) event. I think anyone can see the magnitude of it.
Hope everyone is having a glorious fall day.

Invisible mom...this is for you!

Invisible Mother...... It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..

Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.

It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.

And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did.

Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.

We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

Tasty apple treat

Ok so last night I was in the mood for a taste of fall. I wanted something apply or pumpkiny and I only had apples so I thought I'd try the recipie I got from another blog and it was delicious! she calls it the best apple dessert period, and I agree! I definately felt like "fall" after eating it. I really suggest you try it, I thought putting moutain dew in a dessert would be weird but it was great! Its terrible nutrition wise but I cut the butter to 1 1/2 sticks! (Not a lot but it makes me feel better)

Neglect

I feel like I have neglected my blog! I've just been so busy with school and family stuff I just haven't had time to write. I have so much to say but not enough time right now. Maybe some time soon I'll share my thoughts on things such as the election, cooking disasters, pet peeves and social trends that I find annoying! Oh...I just signed up on Facebook so if you have a profile look me up! Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon!

Good disaster

So last night I was making dinner and I went to get the ginger powder from the spice cabinet which is conveniently (most of the time) located above my stove. Last night however, the curry powder accidentally fell and the cap was off. The curry spilled everywhere, including inside my stir fry! I thought it would taste bad, I had no idea how much had spilled into it, but when we ate it, it actually tasted good. So I've come up with a new twist on my old stir fry recipe. Here it goes:
Ingredients:
Lo mien or spaghetti noodles
1 pkg of frozen stir fry vegetable
1-3 boneless chicken breasts diced
1/3 cup of light soy sauce
1 tbl oil
1 small onion (if onion is not already in frozen stir fry mix)
1 tbl curry powder
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare noodles per package directions
In large skillet or wok heat oil on medium high heat, cook chicken until almost done, dice the onion and sautee in the oil, add the veggies soy sauce, curry and salt and pepper. Cook until warm but veggies are still crisp. Dish the noodles on to plates and pour stir fry on top. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's my first go at menu plan monday!

Monday: Chicken stirfry
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff
Wednesday: Omlettes full of suprises!
Thursday: Spagetti
Friday: Leftovers/ oatmeal
Saturday: Homeade pizzas
Sunday: Chicken-rice bake

I'm all about the cheap, quick and yummy! I'll post some recipes later on.

Help me help kids!

Very worth-while charity, please help me help the Kradick Foundation send disabled kids to Disney World.

Crazy morning

Ok so this morning should have gone smoother than it did, but I wake up everyday with that thought and it never seems to pan out the way I plan. So Brittany had to wake up early to finish her "monster" (which I thought she did a wonderful job on by the way!) I was tired from my mommy-night out with the girls but the alarm still went off at 5:30 am. At which time my husband rolls out of bed and turns the television on. (Goodbye sleep! Parting is such sweet sorrow!) But yet I still kept my eyes closed and prayed that sleep would come back, but then Will can't find his keys and I have to move. I love my husband, even though he can never find his keys at 5:45 in the morning! Some more mundane things happen until James wakes up screaming that he wants to go to bible class. It's Friday and the days of the week and what we do each day is a constant topic in our house but James still doesn't understand that he can't just make things occur when he wants them. So he goes on screaming about one thing or another until Joseph runs down stairs, where I am frantically trying to get ready on time, telling me that James is eating something off the floor. (Gross...considering we don't know if what he was eating was food). James then proceeds to scream and he swears that Jacob hit him. Jacob's reply... "I didn't hit him, I think I just kneed him in the head..." Really cuz that's so much better. This just in: I have three boys for sale...any takers?
No really every morning is like a chicken race, I really just want to wake up to a Leave it To Beaver kind of day, no eating of foregin objects of the floor, no early morning projects , or WWE style "accidential" wrestling moves. Picture this: after getting 8 glorious hours of sleep you are awaken by the smell of fluffy pancakes. Your perfectly dressed children come downstairs with your breakfast. They drop it off and declare that today is all about you. You emerge from your bed to find your house spot-less and your children blissfuly playing a "quiet" game without argument, and your husband declaring that every football game has been cancelled for the day so he's going to actually complete some of those projects on the 'to do' list." Yeah that would be great... but not real! *Sigh*
Hope everyone has a great day, or is recovering nicely from a crazy morning!

First Post!

Wow, this is pretty amazing. I have been considering blogging for a long time, but I've never gotten into it until now. I have no idea why I've decided to do this, but I think it will be a great way to let everybody know about my wonderful family and lament with me over the many up and downs, trials and tribulations associated with this crazy mixed up world! Let me start with an introduction. My name is Shayla Smith, I live in Columbia, Missouri with my husband and my four (that's right four) children. My kids are wonderful their names are: Brittany (age 11), Joseph (age 10), Jacob (age 10) and James-William (age 3). I'm also a third year (almost over!) law student at the University of Missouri. As you might guess my life is a bit hysterical but I wouldn't have it any other way. My husband is also in school, he is pursuing his PhD. Education is very important to our family, and Jamesy (the youngest) just started Montessori school, and we are very happy with it. I love my extended family (this blog is in part to keep them up to date with the goings on of our fam) especially my wonderful mother, my sweet mother-in-law, my host of cousins, aunts, uncles and all my in-laws. My older three kids came in a package with my husband, but I love them with all of my heart as if they were born to me. My family is not without its share of drama (what blended family isn't? but its a good family!)
I'm hoping that this blog will give some other moms out there a little comfort in knowing that there's another mom experiencing some of the same things they are. I guess more will be revealed as we go on! Welcome to my adventure!