We started our journey Friday morning. While I had grand ambitions to leave between 8 and 9 a.m., we pulled onto the Interstate at almost 11:30. Oh well. We had a few stops between our house and the highway. One of those definitely paid off.

We stopped at the local library. We quickly scanned the available CD audiobooks and found a couple that were just a half hour shy of our journey each way. We don’t own an in-car DVD player because we can’t find a way that all four children can view it well from their seats. And no one wants to buy extra complaining on any road trip. Audio books, on the other hand, are nice because the car has speakers near each seat.

The other benefit, for us, is that the older boys can continue to play video games (without sound) while listening to the story. This really helps Yoshi, who is a very active thinker, and gives him a place to focus his thoughts.

My other secret weapon for a drive with conscious children is a brown paper bag full of snacks. Pretzels with cheese, fruit snacks, Cheeze-Its, mini-cookies are all favorites. Depending on the child and packaging, I will re-package hard-to-open or easy-to-spill items into my favorite snack containers. I overfill the bag so to compensate for the bored hunger, “Mom, I dropped my food!” and “I don’t like this” whine. I do limit what drink they have, keeping it to a minimum number of ounces, so that when (not if) they chug, it will hopefully make it through those no-man’s lands without an exit or truck stop without an accident.

Speaking of truck stops, I discovered my best tip yet on the return trip. When traveling alone and outnumbered, I’ll be skipping the major, interstate exit stops and looking for a store on the main street in town instead. Quite by accident, I followed a sign for a Casey’s General Store. The first sign didn’t have mileage on it, and after committing to the exit, I discovered it was 1.25 miles down the road. Just great!

It was a blessing in disguise. Just busy enough to be safe, the locals were kind and courteous, better than hurried travelers near the interstate. The bathrooms were “one seaters” in a small hallway where I could monitor both genders discretely. After grabbing mommy some coffee and checking out with the very friendly cashier, Luigi made the best discovery of the trip – a PAY PHONE! The cashier and I had a good chuckle as the children marveled over this technological wonder that they’d only seen in Daddy’s favorite childhood movies. It was quite the experience for all of us.

We packed ourselves back in the car and a few miles down the road, all four were asleep. We finally arrived home around 11 p.m. at night. Not my favorite, but definitely easier than listening to “Are we there yet?” for hours.

While it wasn’t easy, and I don’t recommend it, there are ways to make traveling alone with children much easier. Relax, be open to change, and have a good attitude. It works for me!

Image courtesy lambertwm via Flickr

I met Rob in January 1997. It was a cold dreary day, which made the 200 mile drive to St. Louis all the more difficult. I was a senior in high school interviewing for one of the college’s top scholarships. It was important. I was the oldest of three girls. In my mind, I bore the responsibility of a debt-free secondary education to ensure we all had the opportunity to go to college. Rob was one of three on the interview panel that day.

At the time, I was full of pride. One of the top in my class, a huge list of extra-curricular activities. The ideal college candidate. I’m sure I wore that pride like a fur coat. I finished the interview, got lost in the “big city” with my parents, and returned home. A few days or weeks later, I got the call that I received the scholarship.

What I didn’t know for months or maybe even years was that it wasn’t an easy choice for the scholarship committee. Much later, after I was already enrolled and established at the college, someone shared with me that Rob had lobbied for me. He saw something in me the others couldn’t that day, probably due to my own immaturity and pride. But Rob saw my potential, as an alum, he saw things that he knew would make this college a good fit for me. Rob was right.

The small size of the college cultivated relationships. Rob, and many others at the college, poured themselves into our lives. He wasn’t just another employee. I was blessed to work with him on several teams and projects. I have one very clear, fond memory of a day spent in Rob’s home. His children were young at the time, about the ages of my children now. I recall sitting surrounded by toys in the playroom of his home as the group ate, laughed and planned our next steps.

During college, I lost a dear friend to leukemia; met my husband and even managed to learn a few things in class. Four years of ups and downs, good and bad, laughter and tears produced a different person than the girl visiting the campus that blustery January day. I owe much of that to Rob’s persistance. Sure, I might have landed there without him, but I never had to walk that path.

It’s interesting to mourn in this era of Facebook. It’s amazing to see tangible evidence of his influence. Despite the many different capacities on the campus he served over the years, the words remain the same. “I wouldn’t be where I was today without Rob’s work, advice, etc.” “I never saw Rob without a smile on his face.” One can’t help but wonder why he had to die so soon, wasn’t there more good he could have done?

Everyone who knew Rob knew he was a Christian. There was no hiding that fact. While we have the promise of heaven, we still mourn for ourselves, our lives without such an amazing man.

More than that, we are inspired. Inspired to live in a manner so that we can leave a legacy as amazing as his.

Here’s an old photo of my baby, when she still looked like a baby and acted like a kitten.

Being number four, we thought we had the whole parenting thing figured out. I thought I was content with only sons. We’d skip over hormone filled drama in the teen years. Be free to travel later in life instead of saving for a wedding. We thought we had it made. The day of the ultrasound when they said “It’s a girl” all I could do was laugh in my nervousness. Princess has challenged me to think and act differently. She points out my flaws without intending, like only a child can do, and inspires me to improve. I’m so thankful God knew better than I did four years ago when he brought this unique blessing into our lives. We needed her.

To celebrate, Princess (age four) and I (age thirtysomething) had our first manicures… together. I think it will grow into a tradition. Something to separate the girls from the boys in our family. She chose a vibrant magenta pink with glitter top to match and I chose center line yellow. Seriously, it looks like the double line in the middle of the road. So bright.

Princess is very girly. She loves dresses and demands I wear them on special occasions. I had intentions of buying a yellow sundress for her birthday party. But of course, when we arrived at the store, post manicure, the dress I passed up two days ago was no longer available in my size. So my yellow nails seem a bit out of place, but there are worse things in life. At least it’s a bold color to go with the bold memory of today. The day I started a new season in life. Diapers, nursing, disrupted sleep, all those things I thought would never end, now just a memory. A memory growing more faint every day.

Happy Birthday, Princess. Thanks for making me a better woman, and a better mom.

Day 1 Cast & Crew - I'm one of the gray shirts on the side.

Things have been a bit slow here on the blog because I’ve been recovering from an amazing JUMP 2010. If you are new to the blog, check out last year’s post. While JUMP only lasted 4 days for the kids, it consumed about 16 days of my life. This year I dove even deeper into JUMPmania by leading the props acquisition team. I’ve learned a bit about ancient farming tools, man cave decor, and how to find an oversized baby pacifier. Truly things everyone should learn. It was amazing as expected. The lessons learned, new friends made and amazing songs continue to knock around in my head while I try to catch up on all the lost sleep.

JUMP 2010 - Kids, Volunteers & Cast

We served 3,243 kids in 4 days.

To get an idea of what happened beyond the photo, here are the JUMP 2010 Fun Facts:

• 987 volunteers
• 158 watermelons
• 485 gallons of Gatorade
• 5,700 bags of cotton candy
• 260 pounds and 8,350 bags of popcorn
• 6,928 pounds of ice
• 167 gallons of syrup
• 18,200 sno-cones

This was the first year of JUMP for my husband, Mr. T. He was a snow cone man. The few times I saw him, he was always manning an ice machine, shaving ice for those thousands of sno-cones. He has the guns now to prove it too.

I can’t imagine how JUMP will change for next year as we adapt to allow more kids to join in the fun. If you are in the St. Louis area and want to get updates on next year’s event, check out the website or follow @jumpkids on Twitter.

The surgery was a week ago. Things are healing well and my vision is AMAZING! The only downside is that as my eyes have been healing, eye fatigue sets in more quickly than I expect. So since I choose to blog live most of the time, yep, you guessed what gets put on the back burner.

Don’t give up on me, I’ll get the MBP fixed and be back to posting soon!

On Mother’s Day, I can’t help but mention my mom. I truly owe ALL my craftiness to her – the good, bad and the ugly. She taught me to try new things, experiment, and never give up. Good lessons for crafting and for life. I wouldn’t be the woman or mother I am today without her. Thanks, Mom!

This year, I chose my own valentine. I chose this beautiful print from artist Jennifer Katherine. I stumbled across her blog more than a year ago and began following her. I loved her style, I loved her use of digital, graphic tools and yet, she made things with buttons. Then, after following her a few months, I saw her delve into sewing. This was a girl after my own heart. Although I’ve put my digital art days behind me (for now), I have a great appreciation for the blend of technical with traditional arts and crafts.

I recall when Jennifer put the early sketches of this piece on her blog, and then a while later when she showed a glimpse of it with color. I was in love. It was one of those moments where art spoke directly to my heart. I went months without catching up on my blog reader, and wouldn’t you know, the evening I finally caught up, Jennifer had posted just days before that she opened an Etsy shop. And guess what was for sale?! The surprising thing was that she had a note on her shop about a portion of proceeds going to one of my favorite charities. I just HAD to have it. I sent Mr. T the e-mail with the link to purchase. Then I became impatient and just asked him one night if I could buy it, since I have an Etsy account and he doesn’t. A few clicks for me, a journey through a snowstorm for Jennifer and a few days later, it was in my hands!

One of the best parts of the piece for me is what’s happened behind the scenes. I shared through the Etsy convo feature why I was so excited to purchase it, she shared some of her heart and personal story of why she made the piece. It’s truly amazing how the whole thing is stitched together. I almost didn’t share with you on here on my blog, because it’s so unconventional to have a broken heart as a valentine’s gift. But, it’s the truth, my heart is being mended, our marriage is being mended, life right now is a season of healing and restoration. Nothing could better represent this season of life. Even down to the part where it arrived in the midst of my medical testing for those chest pains! Literally and metaphorically, this speaks to me in so many ways. I love passing by it multiple times a day, and am surprised by the variety of emotions and thoughts is produces. This piece of paper speaks to my soul. That is truly the best kind of art!

If you love it too, Jennifer has placed another print for sale in her Etsy shop. Be sure to stop by and leave her some love on her blog: Elegant Journey as well.

If you have a piece of art that speaks to your soul as well, I’d love to read about it. Share the story in the comments or a link if you’ve already blogged about it.

Last Thursday I spent most of the day in the emergency room due to chest pains. I think my body wants to make sure my 30th year goes out with a bang. After a series of not too invasive tests, the supposed diagnosis is esophageal spasms. I’ll save you the Google time, it’s like really killer heartburn that wreaks havoc on the esophagus. Trust me, it didn’t feel like heartburn, and it still isn’t very comfortable. But I have medication, the pain is definitely decreasing, and thank God I have tests confirming I have a healthy heart! Surprise, surprise, stress is the likely culprit. Take a couple of boys with school difficulties, a husband preparing to travel overseas for two and a half weeks and add that to the typical day to day for a family of six and you might be surprised these are my first chest pains.

As if that weren’t enough, yesterday half of my hand turned blue. Not Smurf blue, but “dusky” blue. The color your skin turns when there is not enough oxygen or circulation in a part of your body. We initially witnessed this dusky blue color during our twins’ time in the NICU, so as soon as I saw it, I knew it wasn’t good. I called the ER, discussed it with a nurse. After what seemed like forever, but was really about 45 minutes of intense prayer and rest, my hand returned to normal and I dodged another ER visit.

My health is just another addition to the pile of things trying to discourage me lately. I’m combating my own negative thoughts with the promises of God. It’s not easy, I’m not perfect at it, but I’m trying and getting better at it, bit by bit. I still haven’t thoroughly processed what all this medical stuff means, I’m still working the process with doctors, but I know that God is faithful. I’m encouraged by Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” If you have something you are struggling with, I’d like to encourage you to check out White Paper Bible. The papers are compilations of scriptures that anyone can create on any topic they like. Use the search feature to find something that fits what you are going through and find a scripture to use as a weapon against your own negative thoughts.

Hopefully, I’ll find some rest and my children will be fever free and on their way back to school soon so I can find more time to blog about all the craftiness I’ve been working on. Real life isn’t the most fun to read about, but it’s the most authentic. Truth is at the sight of the blue hand I thought, “Now how am I supposed to finish those crochet projects for Valentine’s Day?” LOL

1. e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner

I’m not a huge makeup person, but I do wear it when I go out. I like to look my best, especially for the rare date night. I picked this up from an endcap at Target in late November for just $1. I’m not normally an eyeliner person, haven’t used liquid since my college days in my stage makeup class. I knew I was going to be in the show, and just in case I lost it or had to share with a random teenager I didn’t want to spend a lot. I’m a little picky when it comes to eye issues, and as a contact wearer, don’t want to risk any germs. For a buck, I could always toss it and replace it if necessary. The surprise was, I really liked it. And I’ve continued to wear it on days I wear full makeup. It’s a quick lift and definitely something everyone should try if they haven’t already. The price is great too! They only had black at my Target store, but on the e.l.f. website there are lots of other colors to choose from. Don’t believe me? Sarah over at Real Life Blog also used this item for a stage performance and shares my sentiments about it.

2. e.l.f. Regular and Waterproof Mascara Duo

Same Target trip, same reasoning. I picked up this little duo for the show as well. I know some beauty experts may disagree, but because I’m so cautious about my eyes I buy the cheapest mascara I can find and replace it every 4-6 weeks. I like that this duo has both because there are certain *ahem* weeks that I need waterproof, but I don’t like how difficult it can be to remove. Other days regular mascara will do just fine. This affords me the choice without having to dig around the drawer to find the right one or try to remember which formula I bought when and which needs replacing. Again, I only found black in store, but brown is available online.

3. Black & Decker Burr Mill Coffee Grinder

I’m a French press girl. A few years ago when I wanted to switch from my Tassimo system (great convenience) to French press (better taste), I did a lot of research. I read that buying whole beans and grinding them with a burr grinders was the way to go, but most grinders were too expensive in my opinion for a trial. I found a Black & Decker model for less than $30 and eventually gave away my Tassimo. Because my model is older, it is no longer available, but I’m so glad B&D has continued to provide an affordable burr grinder. The one pictured is the newer model, but based on what I’ve read it’s the same, just with a sleeker, more modern stainless look than mine. Yes, it’s loud. My overly dramatic kids like to cringe whenever I start it, but that is the way of the burr grinder. Yes, it requires maintenance. I clean it every time I refill the hopper & the cleaning takes a time investment of about 10 minutes if you do it well. I’m so pleased with the taste difference, and that it won’t heat up my beans like an electric grinder that chops the beans, so it’s well worth the noise and effort. If you are considering grinding your own beans at home to French press, this is a great starter model. Some day when I wear this one out, I’m going to ask for a fancy burr grinder, but this one has lasted me nearly 2 years and doesn’t show any signs of stopping.

I’d like to hear your opinions on any of these products if you’ve tried them. Share with me in the comments.

It’s hard to find the balance, especially during the holidays. I’m not sorry to say I spent it with people & not the computer. January arrived with a few days of hot tea, a blanket & my sofa. Then a day or two of whipping my house back into shape after the holidays once the kids returned to school and then the cold snap hit. A few inches of snow, wind chills below zero and no school due to “inclement weather”, and a blogging mom’s best hopes are de-railed. Kids went back to school Monday, and are currently completing their first FULL week of school in nearly two months. Notice how that correlates with how long it’s been since I’ve posted. Bad Dog, I know.

You know it’s cold when the kids will only play in the snow for 12 minutes. This photo is about 2 minutes into the outside time, and isn’t it telling? It’s a real chore to keep 4 kids busy inside the house for 4 days in a row. Exhausting!

Also of note, my husband, Mr. T turned the big 3-0 yesterday, with mild fanfare. That happens to be just the way he likes it.

Today I’m spending my day writing posts today to share with you in the upcoming days. Some crafts, gifts and projects that I couldn’t share with you in the midst of the holidays. So hopefully if you get snowed in like we did, you’ll have some fun ideas for your projects.

Stay tuned. I promise to return!