Tagged

Oooh...I'm so excited - my first tag. My friend Jill tagged me with the following meme:

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was still single (barely) with no children. Life was painfully simple, but I had no clue. I worked in collections at our old company Baysinger Police Supply, and got to track down the people that owed us money. I was very Magnum P.I.

5 Places I have traveled:
Cancun
Cozumel
Cayman Islands
Cabo San Lucas
Lots of ski trips to Colorado
(I didn't plan for each place to start with "C", but that's really weird!)

5 snacks or treats I enjoy:
Wedding Cake
Wedding Cake
Wedding Cake
Wedding Cake
Chips & Salsa
(I'd be soooo in 7th Heaven at a Mexican wedding!)

What would I do if I were a billionaire?
Lots more philanthropy...especially for kiddos in rough situations.
Big fat donation toward Expedition Hope (our church building campaign)
Colorado ski chateau
Caribbean beach house
Private jet to shuttle all my friends to the chateau & beach house

Places I have lived?
Severy, KS (population 300)
Howard, KS (population 750)
Fall River, KS (population 152)
Wichita, KS (population 350,000)
Blake couldn't understand why I never locked my car doors when I first moved to Wichita. Now it all makes sense.

Jobs I have had:
Mary's Drive-In (small town knock-off of a Dairy Queen - I was so underage and so underpaid...in cash)
Bird Cleaner (don't ask)
Lifeguard
Model
Business owner
Each job seems to have been a nice step up from the previous one - wouldn't you say? Well - lifeguard and model weren't bad - but one was seasonal and one didn't work with my wedding cake obsession.

My Sweet Niece

Last night our family went to El Dorado to watch my niece Josie perform in her school's Spring Music Program. The show was called "Just For the Fun Of It" and the songs they performed were just that - Fun! In fact - Blake kept singing about an aardvark throughout the evening after the program.

Josie is a wonderful niece. I remember when she was very small, there were certain characteristics in her that reminded me of myself. I didn't have my own kids at that time, and it was an instant bond. When she was learning to talk, she had trouble saying my name...what kid doesn't? It came out "Ginger" and I've been Ginger ever since! I love it! She's such a pretty girl, and I know her daddy plans to keep a shotgun nearby as she gets older.

After the concert we went to Freddy's for burgers and ice cream. At some point Mason took Max's Blue's Clues blanket, tied it around his neck as a makeshift cape, and began to "fly" around the restaurant. Since there were only a couple of other people there, I wasn't paying much attention - he was having fun and not causing trouble, and my brother was entertaining us with stories from the past. Apparently (thank you Aunt Donna for filling me in), Mason "flew" past a young, blond girl, stopped and said, "You're Hot"! I wanted to die. When I asked him where he learned to say that, he told me that Marcus used to say it about his girlfriend. True. I guess the girl thought it was quite funny, so that's reassuring. I thought later, she'll probably never forget the little boy with the Blue's Clues blanket turned cape telling her she was hot. I bet her daddy keeps a shotgun nearby, too!

Here are some pics of my favorite niece:This year's school picture. My school pictures NEVER looked this good!

Josie at Freddy's last night

Confessions of a Desperate Housewife

It's been 3 months since I had the baby, and I'm still struggling to get my house in order. Now to be perfectly honest, I don't claim to have EVER had it completely in order. I have a house full of boys for pete's sake, and I'm not particularly a neat freak. But I do like order and I do like a somewhat clean home.

I used to be a FlyLady follower, but she's just a bit on the compulsive side, if you ask me. I remember when she wrote, "I often wake up and there's absolutely nothing for me to do." - referencing her perfectly cleaned and organized home. That's when I flew the coop on Flylady. Then I found a book entitled The House That Cleans Itself. Save your money folks. I sat on the couch through a whole episode of Oprah and nothing happened. My house definitely did not clean itself.

I have two main priorities as I work to get back in the swing of homemaking. Number one - I need to engage my boys. I often find myself picking up after them instead of training them to do it themselves. Number two - time management is key, because with a 3 month old, my hands always seem to be full. Planning ahead is a must. I'll work on that.

And finally - my confession - this morning Marcus claimed to have no clean socks. In truth, he didn't have clean socks that he liked. He wanted a particular kind and none of those were clean. I should have simply made him wear what was available, but instead he witnessed the dumping out of my spare sock sack. This is a little (OK - not so little) bag that I shove all the single socks into when I can't find the mate. Periodically, I dump it out and pair up what I can. It's tidy and hidden. What is the alternative? Unless I only wash matched socks, I can't think of what else to do with the mismatched ones. Any ideas are welcome!

A Day In The Life

Things heard and seen in the Baysinger house today:

Marcus: "For my first car you guys can buy me either a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari. I guess I'd settle for a Porsche if I had to."


Max was crying after waking up from his nap...
Mason: (singing) "Hush little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you some handcuffs."
I turned just in time to see him approaching the baby with his handcuffs! Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't been there.

Mason: "Is Chuck E Cheese a long ways away?"
Me: "Not really - it's near your school."
Mason: "That's weird. My dad said it's in California."

Marcus: (staring at his feet) "I wonder if you could flip someone off with your toe?"
Glad to see our parenting skills are paying off, as well as the big bucks we spend on that Christ-centered education!

After I sneezed near Max:
Max: (From the belly) "Giggle, Giggle"
It was a really cute giggle, and we had one of those lovey, snuggly mommy/baby moments for about 5 minutes afterward.

Mason: "I need to use the lavatory."
What 4 year old says that? Was I secretly proud that he did...yes. But now that he's mastered vocabulary, I wish he could at least TRY to wipe himself. Good grief.

Max's Turn

Now where did I put that binky?

It's not that Max isn't as important as the other family members. I don't blog about him very often because he simply doesn't do much. No funny one-liners, no tragic disasters. So here's to my baby. A blogging day all to himself. Isn't he sweet?

Parades and Festibals

At our house everything is either a parade or a festival (which Mason pronouces "festibal" - just like Marcus used to. It's cute - I refuse to correct him). If we walk from the bedroom to the kitchen, it's a parade. If we have people over to eat dinner, it's a festival. In fact, we invited the grandparents over to eat the morel mushrooms last night, and all day Mason prepared for the Mushroom Festibal. He said, "I'll play the music and Grammy can dance." Today, he's preparing for a neighborhood parade. He's creating his list for invitations and I just heard him say that we need to invite Annica and Annica's bird. He also plans to invite his (imaginary) sister. I hadn't heard about her in awhile, but I guess she's still around. He has a makeshift clipboard made from cardboard and a chip clip. He's taking notes and informed me that he needs it because he's the Grand Marshall. Where does he get this stuff? Truth be known - he gets it from me. I'm a festival/parade girl at heart. I suppose it's a small town thing. I come from a town that has a Labor Day festival with a parade so short it literally goes around the block twice - I am not kidding. I still have my baton, and though Blake won't let me twirl it in the yard for fear of what the neighbors will think - I still twirl it inside sometimes. So I guess I have taught my kids to love parades and festivals...I mean festibals. Hey! Maybe I'll twirl my baton in Mason's parade today. The neighbors already think we're weird.

I witnessed something yesterday that troubled me, and I wanted to share my thoughts. I was leaving Dillons at 21st and Rock and noticed a man sitting at one of the Starbucks' tables there. He appeared to be texting w/his cell phone, but something seemed "off" to me. First, he wasn't facing the table, but out toward the checkout lines. He was moving his fingers like he was texting, but he had the phone upright and at eye level. He was pointing the phone toward a young girl (former classmate of Marcus' from CCA) who was dressed in very short shorts. I am about 95% sure that he was taking her picture, and not texting.

Part of me wanted to confront the man, but I didn't. He may have truly been using his phone in a proper manner. Part of me wanted to hover behind him and look at his screen, but I didn't. It was a crowded space, and hovering would have been more like barging. So I left and ranted to Marcus who was waiting in the car. I'm pretty sure I left some sort of scar for life - one of many.

Two thoughts to pass along. First - we don't enjoy the privacy we used to. I hadn't thought about it, but anyone, anytime can take our picture. It's not like they have to haul out camera gear from a tote. It's as easy and discreet as waving a cell phone your way. Second - it's time to start thinking about my favorite topic - modesty. Parents - we have a responsibility to make sure our daughters are dressed appropriately. And please - lead by example. Men struggle with lust - yes - even our Chrisitian brothers. Let's do them a favor and cover up. Don't worry - we can cover up and still be fashionistas!

Last year I wrote an article on modesty for our women's newsletter at church. If you're interested in reading it - click HERE.

Going Once...Going Twice

Have you ever wondered how much your child would fetch on eBay? Today is that day for me.

I recently heard an author say that most victims of violent crime say, looking back, that something was "off" right before their attack. They almost all said that something just felt wrong, and if they'd followed their instincts, the attack - in many cases - would have been prevented. I felt that feeling today.

I could hear sounds coming from the kitchen that didn't fit. I was feeding Max, so it wasn't convenient to get up and go investigate. I should have. A few moments later, Mason came into the living room and in the sweetest, most innocent voice said, "I'm sorry." I nervously asked what he was sorry about, and he said, "Well...it's stainable." I knew it was going to be bad. I was right.

He has been so anxious for the shlushly stand (as he calls it) to open. Until it does, we've been making our own at home. He had found the super-concentrated Kool-Aid I use (red, of course) and decided to make a drink. He had spilled it all over the kitchen cabinet (they are white) and into the silverware drawer (it is white). It looked like a mass murder had taken place right in my kitchen. I was mortified. Mason took off into the bedroom to hide, and I couldn't decide whether to start cleaning or take a picture for my blog! I opted to clean given the "stainable" factor, but laughed later at the amount of time I spent making the final decision.

The worst part about the whole ordeal - I now have one sparkling clean white cabinet and a kitchen full of not-so-sparkling whitish cabinets. Now I'm going to have to clean the rest of them with as much vigor as the first one. Ugh! I love being a stay at home mom.

Oh...and you may wonder what I did with Max during this chaos. I plopped him down into his bouncer where he watched with joy and smiles as I cleaned. Turns out it wasn't a look of joy on his face, though. He was joining his brother in celebrating Messes For Mommy Day. Did I mention how much I love being a stay at home mom...really!

Earth Day

We just aren't the type to celebrate Earth Day, and to be honest, I didn't even know it was Earth Day until I read the newspaper. I'm not much of a recycler unless you count the times when Mason has me hold out my hand and he spits his gum out. It never fails - I can't find a tissue or piece of paper, so I just pop it in my mouth and chew it. That's recycling, right? Or at least it's conservation - we're saving an extra piece of gum. Anyway - I'd hate to waste the opportunity to tie my blog in with a national holiday, so here goes.

One of my favorite things about this time of year in the Midwest is the Morel mushroom season. The first few days of warm weather after a good rain causes these tasty jewels to pop up. They are coveted by those who hunt them, and those who don't have access to them, buy them for as much as $60 per ziplock bag! Last year, the weather conditions were perfect and we found tons and tons. This year - not so much. Marcus and I hunted for about an hour and only found 18 - 20 mushrooms. It's hard to know if the best part is hunting them or eating them...it's like an adult Easter egg hunt! So thanks, God, for putting Morel mushrooms on the earth. We'll celebrate Earth Day with a tasty feast.
The second way the Baysingers can celebrate Earth Day is by showing off some of Blake's latest artwork. He got a wood lathe for Christmas and has been busy making the most beautiful bowls and vases. It amazes me that a plain ol' hunk of wood can turn into something so cool! My husband is so talented. God's tree + Blake's God given talent = cool and beautiful stuff. Too bad my photography can't do the pieces justice.

Oh Yes They Call Her The Streak

I serve our church as Treasurer of our Leadership Team. Periodically I get to address our church body regarding financial "stuff" and today was one of those days. I am so excited about Expedition Hope - the name of the building campaign on which we're embarking. More about that later.

A few months ago, I gave a brief financial update to our congregation. We have around 800-900 in attendance on a Sunday during our 3 services, so while I'm not too scared to speak publicly, there sure are a lot of eyes staring back! Right before I went up to give my talk during the 2nd service, my good friend, Jennifer Barclay, walked up beside me as we were standing and singing and said, "Don't freak out but your skirt is completely ripped out in the back." Don't freak out?!?! To appreciate the magnitude of this situation, know that I was 8.5 months pregnant and had stuffed it all into maternity pantyhose for the occasion. It wasn't pretty. Needless to say, I went ahead and freaked out. But it was about 30 seconds before I was up, so I just put my papers behind my back and sidestepped toward the stage. I have no idea how my presentation sounded because all I could think about was the view the poor Worship Team had as they stood behind me. Bless them all.

Fast forward to today. Remembering my last experience, I checked every stitch, possible loose button and seam today as I got dressed. I gave my talk in the 1st and 2nd service and all seemed to be moving along smoothly. Until...yes...until. Until I dropped my baby off in the nursery and one of the workers informed me that the zipper on my pants was open! She'd noticed it as I spoke in the 2nd service, but couldn't really tell for sure based on the angle from which see could see me. When I came into the nursery, she confirmed her suspicions!

I can see that God is keeping my pride in check, but must he use complete humiliation in the process? I'm concerned that the body is going to start thinking I have exhibitionist issues!

And you know the worst part? The offering on the day my skirt was ripped was the 2nd highest of the entire year! Imagine the jokes that I endure from the rest of the Leadership Team over that. Hey - maybe after today's incident, we'll end up with the entire 3 million bucks we need for the new addition. Just joking God - pride is in check!

Only God Can Save You

I watched my friend Jill's son, Aiden, today for a few hours. He's the same age as Mason and I'm always glad to have him over. He keeps Mason busy and gives me a break from playing 4 year old boy games. He's been over a few times, and I always enjoy eavesdropping on their conversations. Here are a few examples:

During a game of cops and robbers:
Mason: Quick - call the police!
Aiden: The police can't save you - only God can save you.

Heard from another room:
Aiden: HELP! Mason's putting me in the box!

During snack:
Mason: Your voice sounds weird.
Aiden: Your voice sounds weird, too.
...long silence

Me: Aiden, do you want strawberries or grapes?
Aiden: I'll take a banana since I'm a monkey.

After Mason threw a fit over not getting to drink a chocolate shake with lunch:
Aiden: You told your dad that you wouldn't say 'no' to your mom today, and you just said 'no' so you lied to your dad.
Mason: (who's been working out the differences between tricking and lying): I was tricking.
How convenient for him.

And my favorite...
Aiden (whispering to Mason): Your mom's really nice.

The boys hiding in the closet from a fire breathing dragon
(aka our dog, Rush).

Buzz It Like Beckham

This morning Mason decided he wanted a haircut like David Beckham, the British soccer star. I think dad may have played a part in this decision. I resisted the buzz last summer, so I knew this would probably be the year. I just didn't expect it in April! The other thing I didn't expect were all the cowlicks! I knew he had one in the front, but they are everywhere. Thank you Grammy Sharon for those genes! :) Whaddya think...do I have my own little Beckham?!

Nicknames

Recently Mason began assigning nicknames to everyone in our family. He started with Blake. Out of the blue one morning he called Blake Vicki. It was so funny. I was next. He calls me Frudence...which I believe is a mispronunciation of Prudence - even better! Marcus is now lovingly referred to as Andrew. And last but not least - Mason was leaving to go play outside and I was feeding Max. He said, "Bye mom. Bye Rudy." Rudy? Where does he come up with this stuff?

Every summer we wait expectantly for the picnic table to show up in front of the Shaved Ice place in Andover signaling its opening. Mason calls it the "Shlushly Stand". Since it's started getting warmer, but it's still too early for the "shlushly stand" to open, we made our own shlushlies at home today. Here's Mason with the evidence...

Officially a Soccer Mom

I'm officially a soccer mom. Last night we were the high bidder on a bright, shiny, slightly used minivan on eBay. I have resisted getting a minivan for awhile now, while Blake has been ready for some time. I know it's a pride thing and that just makes it worse. Not only do I keep cramming 3 kids into the backseat of my Jaguar, I have pride issues, too. I'm a bad mother! The boys are thrilled - even middle school Marcus thinks minivans are great. Actually - they're mostly thrilled that it comes with a DVD player. Whatever happened to just looking out the window? Heaven forbid a child not be entertained electronically 24/7. I'm seriously considering unhooking the thing until we take a long trip. This Peyton Manning video on minivans is hilarious...

Clear The Sidewalks!

The birthday boy enjoying cake at Grammy's.

Now that Marcus is 14, he's able to take the written driving test for his learner's permit. Can you believe it! Blake has let him drive a few times, and he does a pretty good job. He's an extremely cautious driver which is great - except for the fact that it takes about 10 minutes for him to get situated in the car and get backed out of the garage. A few nights ago I needed to run to Walgreens, so I asked him if he'd like to drive me. 10 minutes after getting into the car we were finally off. We came up to the stop sign at the exit of our neighborhood and he prepared to pull out on to Central. This is where it gets foggy for me. I know he jumped my Jaguar up onto the curb, drove through the grass and over the sidewalk and finally ended up out on Central. I screamed and grabbed the dashboard so hard that my neck actually ached for about 3 days. When I was finally able to ask him what happened he said that the manual he'd been studying stressed the importance of not making wide turns. I'm pretty sure what I experienced was NOT what they had in mind. AND, as if this wasn't enough, when we got to Walgreens he mistook the gas pedal for the brake and we nearly hit the side of the store. I told him that I was done for one day and that I'd drive home. I guess he thought I was abandoning my shopping because he then got out of the car and left it running. We don't drink alcohol in this family, but after this experience I considered a hefty dose of NyQuil! Or at least a narcotic pain reliever for my aching neck.

The Farris Wheel & Atkins

Today Blake's step-dad, John, celebrates his birthday. Mason, Max and I made a trip to The Farris Wheel to get some dark chocolates for him. The shop is like an old fashioned candy store with lots of bins and barrels full of candy. It's the neatest store...and they give free samples! Unfortunately for me, I'm on the Atkins Diet. No treats for me.
Max after his bath and the reason I'm on Atkins...much sweeter than candy from the Farris Wheel, don't you think!

Mason drooling on the glass as he makes his choice.

Why do they put candy at kids' levels? We ended up with an extra Tootsie Roll and a pack of Smarties...both of which got paid for...eventually!

Happy Birthday Marcus!

Marcus celebrated his 14th birthday on Tuesday, but since he's at his mom's this week, we're having our party tonight. Birthdays were always a huge deal in my family. Blake doesn't share my enthusiasm. I wear a tiara on my birthday - and honestly it's more like a birth week. My love of birthdays means I take gift giving very seriously. Marcus is at a difficult age regarding gifts. He is spoiled rotten (sorry Marcus - the truth hurts!) so he is very hard to buy for. He gave me absolutely no ideas. Now - I know that one of his favorite TV shows is Cash and Treasures and his dad's been bugging him about getting outside more. So...I chose a metal detector for him. Isn't that great! I think everyone, at some point, has fantasized about finding fabulous treasures. I know Marcus has, and I'm certain he'll love the gift. Mason is giving Marcus a soccer ball that he dug out of his toy box. Mason said, "I want to give him something big, something that fits in this bag, and something I don't want anymore." What a great brother!

Givin' It a Try

I've tried blogging once before, and gave up after my free subscription ran out. Talk about commitment. Now that I've had two children, begun working part time with my husband and taken on several new responsibilities at church, it only makes sense to try it again now! Maybe it'll work - maybe not. But we have a really funny and entertaining family. The world will definitely be a better place because of our blog. Ha!

Here's an example. Today Mason called Blake at work and said, "Your wife is having a very bad day and it involves the police." End of conversation. In truth, the highlight of my day was crawling up into the tubes in Burger King's play land to inspect a potty mess left by another child. No police. Definitely the type of thing that causes a husband's heart rate to increase. Come to think of it - not so much in our family. If the police are involved at least there's some stability. Honestly - an officer should have tracked down the parents that left Burger King without cleaning up the aforementioned mess!