mom jeans?

Stories are leaking from the fashion industry that Mom jeans are making a comeback. I am a mother of three and unless I absolutely have to, I refuse to wear Mom jeans. Even though I think I wore them before I was a mom. What is Jessica Simpson thinking? Daisy Duke would be very disappointed!

Check out this SNL video spoof about Mom jeans...

things that make you go hmmm

It was the late 80's/early 90's and we were rockin' Olan Mills studio. You gotta love those matching herringbone necklaces!

Check out these other Olan Mills treasures that I found on the 'net. I can't take credit for any of this:


You’d think Pearle Vision would throw in another two pairs for free.

Bobbi isn’t the first waitress to fall for her manager, but she and Dale both got fired from Shoney’s.

Olan Mills backdrop #4: Bucolic Meadow with Split Rail Fence. And is that an animal carcass behind her?

Thoughtful Lance. Mirthful Lance. Two sides of a delightful coin.

That guy wore a tie for nothing!


The Library might be more believable if the shelves weren't sloping downhill!

OK...where's your picture? You know you have one!

notable quotables...the series

Alan: I love sad movies.

Matthew: Simon Birch is a sad movie.

Alan: Yes, Simon Birch is a terribly good sad movie.

I don't enjoy sad movies. I can deal with sentimental movies, just not the tear-jearking ones. I get tired of pretending that something is in my eye. We watched the movie Stepmom as a family once and I couldn't hide my sniffling anymore, so I just blurted out "I NEED A TISSUE!" Everyone was shocked to find out that "Mom's crying?"

If you like sad movies, I would love to know why. Maybe you can convince me to take my kids to see Marley and Me.

unbalancing act

So Santa gave our family a Wii Fit for Christmas. And about three days later, I finally got my turn at it. I had to take a preliminary Body Test as a benchmark for my weight and BMI. I passed with flying colors. It wasn't long after I began the training module that the Wii Fit told me that I was "unbalanced." It said that the balance test was obviously not my forte and then suggested that "you probably find yourself tripping when you walk".

Oh no you didn't!

Well that made me go after it harder. I repeated every 'unbalanced' activity until I scored in the top three. Then over the next few days, I went to a yogalates class at the Family Y, got on the treadmill and took my kids skating so that I could work on my balance. According to the Wii Fit, my center of balance has improved and sometimes it even calls me a Fitness Enthusiast!

See...I told ya!

Now I feel silly trying to prove to a computer that I am a balanced person. I'm just glad the Wii Fit didn't see me get out of my car yesterday with my just-bought Starbucks drink and drop the whole thing in the church parking lot.

So maybe I am a little unbalanced.

hello 2009!

I began packing up Christmas 2008 this morning and realized how much I cherish every ornament on our family tree and the moments and people that they represent. I wondered...what will my family look like next year? What does 2009 have in store for us? All I can do is step into the new year with hope and confidence that no matter what lies ahead, our family (and yours) will be blessed beyond belief.

things that make you go hmmm

A friend told me I should put this Christmas gift idea on my blog. I guess my blog has a reputation of being random, so this random idea fits.

I am not going to try to figure out why someone would want this. It's a Hug Me Pillow. You can check it out for yourself here.

I like snuggling, but this creeps me out!

fuel a soul

How often do you compliment people or give positive feedback? Probably not often enough. I know it is something I need to work on. Sometimes I have the thought but I don't always verbalize it. This is becoming more of a priority for me especially after yesterday as I witnessed the aftermath of two guy friends of mine who had received compliments that bolstered them to a higher level of feeling valued.

Guy #1 is a musician in our band and I overheard him say that when people positively compliment his music, it makes him feel good about what he is doing. As a result, his soul was fueled.

Guy #2 is one of the few MALE workers in Journeyland, our preschool ministry. Apparently a family had sent an email to church leadership, complimenting Guy#2 and his gift for working with children and the positive impact he has had on their child. He hesitated to repeat this story because he didn't want to come across as having a 'big head'. But it made him feel good about what he is doing. And guess what? It was fuel for his soul.

I wonder why people are so hesitant these days to give a compliment to others, even if it is second hand information. I believe one reason is because of their own insecurities. Or maybe they feel as though they are feeding an ego instead of fueling a soul. We are not responsible for what people do with the compliments we give them. We should give them away freely with the expectation that our words are helping build them up.

During this season of giving, why not give away the gift of kind words. I would like to present a challenge to us all: make an effort to give away three compliments every day this week. Be sincere. Be specific. Be intentional. See how many souls you can fuel.