Humility: Lessons 1 & 2

I think it's funny how our children have no idea who were before they came along.  I had no idea my mom was a person before she adopted my sister and I and had my other sister.  She was just mom.  This is the same with my kids.  Every once in a while they learn tidbits about us.  They hear about the good old days.  My kids love hearing stories about the officer when he was younger.  All the crazy things he did (like see if he could drive a four-wheeler across a pond) bring about bouts of laughter.  There's always a look of "What mom?  You existed before I was born?"    

My children are preparing for a musical at church.  While I am prepping for dinner tonight, we are listening to a cd with all the songs they will need to know.  One of the songs is called Jesus Freak by D.C. Talk.  "What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus Freak?"  It came out in 1995 and it was a huge hit.  Please don't tell me if you weren't even born then. 

When it started playing, I said, "Oh this is an old song, I know this one!"  

My son said, "No, mom this is new."  

I informed him, "No, son this song has been around for a while.  I came out when I was in college." 

He responded, "OH!  Then it is really old." 

Lesson #1.

As my kids continued to practice their songs, I was singing along with them.  

I said, "Did you know mommy was in a little singing group back when I was in college.  We would go around to different churches and sing."

My son excitedly said, "Like a circus????"

Lesson #2

Those are our lessons for the day.  

It's a process

My daughter is working on her cursive writing.  We've learned all the letters.  Yesterday, she was practicing her name.  I wrote it out for her and she copied it three times right below it.  

Today, I wanted her to write her name without looking at mine right above it to guide her.  

I said, "I want you to write your name without looking at it."

She replied, "I am going to go off the line, mommy!" 
 
I just told her to write smaller and she could fit all of her name on one line.  She just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay..."

I continue to cut my coupons.  I look over to see how she is doing.  She is sitting at the coffee table with her pencil in one hand writing her name.  However, her other hand is covering her eyes.  

"What are you doing honey?", I ask.

"I'm writing my name without looking at it like you said.", she answered.

Hmmm...

"Okay, what I meant was I don't want you to look at yesterday's work to see how your name is written.  I want you just try to do it from memory.  You may look at your paper while you are writing."

"OK!!!  That makes it much easier to stay in the lines!"

Homeschooling is a process folks. :)

How Great is Our God

This past Sunday we watched a video.  It is one of my favorite videos.  The video is of Louis Giglio on the How Great is Our God Tour.  

If you or your kids love science,  you have to watch it.  It gives you a glimpse of how awesome our God is.

If you are going through hard times, it will tell you about the promises God gives you.

If you have doubt that God loves you, it will show you all the amazing things God has done you.  

One of my favorite quotes from this video is:

"God doesn't always change the circumstances. He did not change them for Jesus on that hillside outside Jerusalem, but the cross is also proof that God always has a purpose in the circumstances, and that his purpose and his plan will prevail and will triumph through any circumstances in this world."

It's a long video - 42 minutes.  However, it's worth every single second.  Make sure you pause the playlist at the bottom of the blog.

Mini Murphs

Yesterday, I won a FREE pizza from Domino's on Facebook.  I won one of their Artisan Pizzas from their giveaway on Facebook.  I knew the kids wouldn't like the pizza I won, but I had an idea.

Papa Murphy's had a cute limited time promotion going on, plus I had a coupon! :)  They have these kid pizza kits called the "Mini Murphs". 

It comes with a ready to bake crust on a baking plate, sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and a temporary tatoo all in a cute little box.  You can get the kind with cheese only if you want, but my kids wanted pepperoni. 

They are normally $4, but I had a coupon that made it only $3.  I figured this is not that bad of a price because I would pay $6 for the ingredients for my kids to make homemade pizzas.  

My kids couldn't wait to make them.  When we got home from tae kwon do, they changed their clothes and washed their hands.  And they were off.  You spread the sauce on first.  

Then you put the cheese on top of the sauce. 

Unless you are my daughter....  she kept putting the sauce on.  I had to take some of her sauce off so her cheese would not slide off when we baked it.

Finally, you put the cheese on top.

You top it with pepperoni and put it in the oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  You take it out of the oven, let it sit on the plates for 5 minutes, then serve.  My son said it was his "favorite pizza!"  

They always love watching the Papa Murphy's employees make the pizzas.  They had a lot of fun making their own.  I am not sure how long these Mini Murphs are going to be around, so do it soon if you're interested.

Not Enough

I read a great blog post this morning.  My friend, Becky, posted it on Facebook.  It was on the blog Power of Moms.  It's titled "Your Children Want You".

Her post was about how we as moms can often feel inadequate when we get on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and blogs.  We see all the amazing things "other" mothers are doing and we feel as if we are failing as mothers and wives.  

I know I don't often post about horrible days, but I have before.  You can read about long homeschool days here and here.  And there are so many things I am still trying to learn at the almost age of 40 (it will be here in less than two month - OY) that it has it's own label on my blog.

So I just wanted to encourage you mothers out there today too.  I have many days when I would like to just curl up and watch a good movie or read a good book instead of teaching my kids multiplication facts.  You can still hear on a hourly basis, "Please stop pestering your sister!"  Actually it's more like, "PLEASE STOP PESTERING YOUR SISTER!"  I burned the cinnamon rolls this morning (and these were not Pinterest cinnamon rolls either, they were just plain old Pillsbury).  However, icing covers a multitude of sins.  :)   I think it's one of the main areas Satan knows he can grab ahold of us and tear us apart.  But God says something different:

Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
 He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
 Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

 Isaiah 40:28-31

God knows our needs even before we know them.  He knows our weaknesses.  He knows our strengths.  He will use them all to his glory.  So even if no one sees you doing the 1,000 of loads of laundry, or even if you can't make the beautiful handmade dresses, or even if no one notices the 100 times a day you pick up the house, or even if you can't make that Pinterest recipe that has 20 ingredients (10 of which you've never even heard of), all the work as a mother and wive you do is not unnoticed by God.  As my Sunday School teacher said, "All that laundry is kingdom work!"  

Take time today to encourage one of your friends.  Tell them you appreciate them.  I received a word of encouragement yesterday from a college friend who I haven't seen in at least 10 years, that was just the perfect thing at the perfect time.  Thanks, Mrs. J. R.  And thank you to Mrs. Becky for posting the great blog post on Facebook this morning. 

Making Resurrection Rolls

We made the Resurrection Rolls tonight.  We read John 19 while we waited for the oven to heat up.

The kids opened their crescent rolls and spread them out.  They symbolized the linen cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.   The marshmallow symbolized Jesus.  They were his body.  The white color of the marshmallows was to show that Jesus was without sin.   They dipped their marshmallows in melted butter.  The butter symbolized embalming oils.  The marshmallows were then dipped in a sugar/cinnamon mixture that symbolized the spices used to prepare his body.

They rolled the marshmallow in the crescent roll and "sealed" them.

You put them into the oven (the tomb) and bake them for 12 minutes.  Sometimes our baking turns out great!  And sometimes.......

it turns out like a hot mess.

 

 

I guess they weren't sealed quite enough.  However, they were hollow inside.   

We got one really good one. I cut it opened to show the kids, the roll was hollow inside.  Just like Jesus's tomb three days after he died.

Even though all the roll didn't stay sealed once we baked them, they were delicious to eat! :)

I Peter 1:8

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said....

Easter Tour

Today we went to my mom's church for an Easter tour.  Her church puts on the self-guided tour on Good Friday each year.  It is free to attend.  It goes from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

When you arrive, you stop at a table and pick up a booklet to read.  There are booklets for adults and children.  There were coloring booklets for the small children. 

The first station was a hand washing station.  The hand washing symbolized how the priest had to completely clean before they went before God. 

The next station was the last supper.  While sitting in chairs in front of the table, we read about the last supper.  There was a description of what happened at the last supper and what they ate.  There were sample of the unleavened bread to eat.  The bowl and towel where there to remind us how Jesus washed his disciples feet.

The next table had 30 pieces of silver symbolizing what Judas accepted as payment to betray Jesus. 

Next you would walk through the garden where Jesus prayed.  This was my son's favorite sections.  With each station you would read scriptures, a description of what happened, questions to ask your children or self, and then a prayer.

The next table held some wood to symbolize the cross Jesus had to carry to Skull Hill.

The next table held the crown of thorns, huge nails and a mallet.  
The nails were really big and it's hard to really comprehend what Jesus went through for me.

Next we headed to the temple where the curtain was torn in two because of Jesus had died.  You could enter in through the curtain and see the temple inside.

The next to last station was a table filled with incense, frankincense, myrrh, and hyssop.  All the spices that were used on Jesus when he was buried in the tomb.  It was very fragrant. 

The very last station was neat.  There was a table set us with hammers, nails, and little black pieces of paper.  You wrote down your sins that Jesus died for and nailed them to a cross.  Of course my son was worried he wouldn't be able to get the nail into the cross, but the wood was soft.

It was such a neat way to tell the story of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.  He died for each one of us.  No one person worse or better than another.  Each of us a sinner.  He died for us.  

Isaiah 52:5

 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Then three day later, he rose again. 

Matthew  20:18-19
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again."

Where I Belong

This is one of my new favorite songs they play on Klove.  It's called Where I Belong by Building 429.  Make sure you pause the playlist blow before you play the video.



Don't you love it?

Resurrection Rolls

Here's my standard beginning for anything food related:

Found it on Pinterest. 

I am going to make these rolls with the kids on Saturday.  I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe so you can do it with your kids too.  There are only four ingredients and they are relatively inexpensive to make.  They are called Resurrection Rolls.  It's a great way to tell the kids about how Jesus is RISEN!


I got this recipe from Eat At Allie's blog.  You will find the original link for the recipe.

Resurrection Rolls

Ingredients:

1 can of crescent roll dough

8 large marshmallows (or one for each roll you’ll be making)

Melted butter

Cinnamon sugar

Directions:

1.  Read John 19 while the oven is preheating to 350.

2.  Unroll the crescent rolls and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and explain this is like the cloth they wrapped Jesus in.

3.  Give your child a marshmallow and explain that it represents Jesus,all white and pure because He was without sin.

4. Roll the marshmallows in the melted butter.  This symbolizes the embalming oils.  

5.   Roll the marshmallows in the cinnamon sugar.  This is like the spices used to prepare his body for burial.

6.  Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll cloth, pinching the dough together securely.  This represents how they wrapped Jesus’ body.

7.  Put the rolls in the oven (symbolizing the tomb) and bake for 12 minutes.

8.  While the rolls are baking, read John 20:1-18. 

9.  Open the tomb and remove the rolls. When they’re cool enough to handle, break one open and discover what happened to the marshmallow.

JESUS IS RISEN! 

I love these things where the kids can read the scriptures.  There is nothing sweeter than hearing God's words come from their mouths.

An inside look

The officer was supposed to take the kids dirt bike riding with some friends on Wednesday.  However, it rained so they couldn't ride.  I had a day of errands planned for Wednesday.  The officer said, "Just go.  I will hang out with the kids."  

He didn't have to tell me twice.  

The officer took the kids to kids to see the bearded dragon at Petsmart.  They purchased my daughter a new bike.  The officer was surprised she didn't pick out a pink one.  He took the kids to ride the water taxi downtown (be prepared if you take your kids, it was $23 for the three of them!).  They walked around Bass Pro and then ate lunch at Earls.  I think they came home after lunch and then he took them to tae kwon do.  Busy day for them.

The rest of this post will most likely bore you death, so don't feel obligated to read it.   It's a day in the life of a couponing mom who got to go couponing without kids.  Read at your own risk of falling asleep, unless you need a little nap.  

I started my day by leaving the house at 8 a.m.  I went by the post office and bank.  I went through the drive thru at the bank.  The teller who was helping me said, "Are these yours?"  He had two yellow Nestle Nesquik yellow containers in his hands.  I laughed and said, "Yes!!!"  Last Monday I took the kids into the bank to deposit their "savings" money.  We took their money to the coin machine.  It counted their coins (which was very cool) and then we deposited it into the bank.  I guess we left their "piggy banks" there.  The teller who helped us was the same one who was helping me yesterday.  He said, "I knew you'd be back soon so we just put them aside for you."  Good customer service.

Next I went to Walgreens.  I had transferred a prescription from CVS to Walgreens?  Why?  Because Walgreens is running a promotion right now.  Transfer a prescription from anywhere to Walgreen and they will give you a $25 gift card to Walgreens.  Want to do it for yourself?  Click here to do it yourself.  If you don't want to do it online, you can do it in-store.  It took me 30 minutes to do this in-store, but only because I was their first customer in their new system or something like that.  Finally, I walked away with my $25 Walgreens gift card.  


I went to Staples next.  This is where I purchase all my ink for my coupon printing.  I needed ink and they were running a special. Purchase at least $50 worth of HP ink and get triple Staples Rewards on recycling my ink cartridges. This is how I get my ink cheap.  Usually you only get $2 for each ink cartridge you recycle.  You get that back every month. I just use it to purchase more ink.  Yesterday, I got $6 for each ink cartridge I recycled.  Not bad.  I did spend more this month on ink than normal but next month when I get my Staples Rewards back from recycling I will get FREE ink.  


After Staples, I headed to Goodwill.  I really enjoy going to the Goodwill.  This time I didn't have kids so I was able to take my time and really look around.  I am on the lookout for capris (for my Korea trip) and any other good clothing for the kids I can find.  I have purchased a discount card for the Goodwill.  It was $5 the first time I purchased it.  It takes 10% off each time I make a purchase at Goodwill, basically taking care of tax.  Each time you renew after the initial purchase it is only $3.  I found some capris and a shirt for me and a brown Polo shirt for my son - $9.  

Next in line was Homeland.  I did my weekly couponing there.  I stocked up on cereal.  The kids were excited because "It's actually cereal we like this time!"  I'm happy because it's not full of sugar!  I used all my coupons plus my save $5 off a $25 purchase Homeland coupon from the Thunder games.  My subtotal was $35, but I only paid $12.24 for it all.  I'm going to be very sad when the Thunder season is over.  


It was only 11:30 a.m.  I took my groceries home and put them away.  I checked my email.  I had a little time to kill.  I would normally eat lunch, but yesterday was a special day.  Earlier in the week I was invited by Sonic to come downtown to participate in a taste test.  For my time, I would be given a $40 Sonic gift card.  That's a lot of Happy Hour Vanilla Cokes.  :)  It started at 1:45 p.m. This is a long time to wait for lunch, but they said to try to not eat anything to heavy for lunch since we would be eating at the taste test.  I headed downtown around 12:45 p.m. I didn't want to get lost, which is a very real possibility for me when I go downtown with all the construction and new crosstown.  


I arrived at Sonic at 1:30 p.m.  I checked in and signed a confidentiality agreement.  So I can't tell you what I was taste testing.  Sonic was closed to the public and only open to the people participating in the taste test.  There were laptop computers set up so we could review the food we would be testing.  There were scheduled taste tests happening all day.  There were about 25 other people participating at the 1:45 p.m. taste test with me.  We were going to be review three products.  They brought out each product one at a time and we filled out a survey on each product.  I have to tell you that I do not have a laptop.  It took me several minutes to figure out how to use the "mouse".  I was still doing my first survey when everyone else started on their second survey.  I figured out out though and caught up.  It only took about 30 minutes and they gave us our $40 Sonic gift card.


I headed to the mall next.  I had more freebie coupons to redeem.  I went to Sephora in JCPenney's to get a free sample of Basic Minerals powder and then to Bath & Body Works for a free travel size body wash.  I also had a coupon for free underwear at Victoria's Secret.  Since I didn't have my kids I went ahead and redeemed it too.  I do everything I can to not have to take my son into that store.  I went to Famous Footwear to purchase some new tennis shoes.  I needed to get new tennis shoes and break them in before my Korea trip.  Remember the last time I purchased tennis shoes.  Well this time was no different.  I purchased the same brand of shoes.  Firstly, they were on clearance.  Secondly, they are so comfortable.  My feet are wide and they have always been the most comfortable shoes for my feet.  I did go out on a limb a little bit, there's a bit of white on the soles instead just all gray! 


After the mall, I headed Target.  I had some birthday gifts I needed to purchase.  No, not for my sister who always thinks I am shopping for her birthday gift.  I try to think of who all has birthdays coming up and who my kids will have to buy birthday gifts for.  Then when things go on sale or great coupons come out, I purchase them and put them in my birthday closet (not a "real" birthday closet, but otherwise known as my floor in my closet).  I also purchased some Dove Easter egg chocolate.  Target and Real Simple are running a promotion.  Purchase either Dove Simple Smooth Easter Egg Chocolates, Real Simple Magazine, or Simply skincare and you will get a $5 Target gift card.  You can get the info here.  I purchased the Dove chocolate for $3.99 and some Toms of Maine toothpaste I found on clearance.  The toothpaste was $2.14 and I used a $2 off coupon, so I got it for only .14.    I used a $5 Target gift card I had previously gotten from another $5 Target gift card promotion.  I like to save the $5 gift cards for promos with more $5 gift card.  Then I don't have to wait for my savings.  I will have to wait for this one though.  It will take 6-8 weeks to get the $5 gift card in the mail.  But I made money on it, so I'm willing to wait on it.  


I went to Walmart next.  I had items I needed to return.  I also needed to get some travel items for my Korea trip.  I scored by finding great $1 clearance!!!  I found some more present for the birthday closet, such as Star Wars figures, Squinkies, and lip glosses.  I used a Walmart gift card for my purchases.  


Last but not least, I headed to Crest for my "other" grocery shopping.  I shop at Homeland every week, but only purchase what's on sale and what I have a coupon for.  I do all my other grocery shopping at Crest (sometimes Walmart, but only if I have to).  I do use coupons here but I don't get the savings I get at Homeland.  That's okay though because Crest is usually cheaper than Homeland and that's where I purchase my meat and fresh vegetables and fruit.  Crest is having their 66th annual Anniversary Sale, so there are some great in-store deals.  Simple Saving Savvy will be posting the latest Crest deals later today.  Check her blog out.  I love her because she posts all the sales deals on our local stores.  In addition, she also posts great recipes, freebies, and posts about intentional living.  


That's it folks.  It was 7 p.m. by the time I arrived at home and I was tired of shopping/couponing.  :)  I got everything on my list done though.  These aren't things I do every week for couponing.  Probably about once a month I get a whole day to myself to do this kind of running around, so I try to take advantage and make the most of it.  It was fun, but it was more fun to come home and listen to my daughter excitedly tell me about her new bike.  


Hope you have a good weekend.  It's Easter weekend.  We will be making Resurrections rolls.  I'm sure I'll blog about it.   Maybe I'll blog the recipe later today so you can do it with your family this weekend.  We have the Resurrection Eggs we use to tell the Easter story, but we use the Resurrection Rolls as another fun way to tell how about how Jesus Is RISEN!!! 

I'm impressed if you actually made it through the last of this post.  Good Job!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Dessert

I'm obviously on a dessert kick even though desserts aren't my most favorite thing.  Usually I eat a dessert (except for cheesecake) and it's too sweet for me.  However, I have seen some desserts that I just want to make on Pinterest.   I found this one last week.  It's a Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Dessert.  "No Bake" to me means it's less likely that I will mess it up.  :)  

The original link for the recipe at the Taste of Home website is in the title of the recipe.

Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Dessert
  
20 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, divided 
2 tablespoons butter, softened 
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 
1/2 cup peanut butter 
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided 
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided 
15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped 
1 cup cold milk 
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix 

Directions 

1.  Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish; set aside. 

2.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.

3. In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping. 

4.  Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 serving

It was very rich.  Even the officer thought so.  That's saying a lot. However, if you like peanut butter and chocolate, this is a dessert for you.

Oreo Truffles

Yesterday, the kids and I made Oreo Truffles.  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  It's my kind of recipe, only three ingredients!

The original recipe can be found over at Shannanigans.  You can find the original link in the title of the recipe.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg. (15.5 oz.) Oreos, finely crushed, divided

2 pkgs Semi-sweet chocolate, melted (I only needed 1 package)

Directions

1.  Mix cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.
 

2.  Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls.

3.  Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet.

4.  Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
 

5.  Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.    

They are very yummy!  They are pretty rich, so we make them pretty small so you could just pop one into your mouth and be satisfied. 

All Fool's Day

Oh what a wonderful day.  It has been a lot of fun.

My son has told me before that April Fool's Day is his third most favorite holiday.  "After Christmas when Jesus was born and Easter when Jesus was raised from the dead, April Fool's is my third most favorite holiday!"

I decided this year we would have a lot of fun with it.  I started looking up harmless, fun tricks we could play our children on Pinterest.  I am not a practical joker. I like jokes, but I don't often pull practical jokes on people.  Unlike my mother.  When I was younger, I never thought she had a sense of humor.  Which is why it's so funny when she pulls a practical joke on people.  Like the time when she make me think she had a jar of frog eyeballs.  My brother-in-law was even in on it with her and he ate a big spoon of whatever it was. I was screaming with my hands over my eyes, gagging.

Anywho, I collaborated with the officer last night.  Here's what we did - nothing over the top, just some small harmless fun.

1.  The officer Saran-wrapped the toilet.  I have to say it looked pretty good.  I almost used their bathroom before I went to bed.

2.  I put lotion on the underside of the doorknob in their bathroom.

3.  The officer marked on their faces with washable markers.  When the officer started to grab a marker, he went for the Sharpies.  I yelled, "NO!  We have church in the morning!!!"  My son is a hard sleeper so he had more marks on his face than my daughter did.

He wrote a little note on their mirror for when they woke up.

4.  We toilet papered their rooms.  We purchased the very cheap kind at Crest.  .79 for a 4 roll pack.  My son could not believe we "wasted all that toilet paper". 

5.  We put Saran wrap under the lid of their toothpaste.  When my son tried to put toothpaste on his toothbrush, he could not get it out.  He squeezed very, very hard and then only a tiny little bit came through a hole.  

6.  The officer called three times this morning before we left for church.  Each time the kids would answer the phone, he would hang up.  The last time he called, he yelled, "Happy April Fool's Day!"  

7.  I put a piece of tape on the over the faucet.  When my daughter turned it on to brush her teeth, the water sprayed her.

8. I tried to tape down her light switch, but it didn't work.  I guess I didn't use enough tape.

9.  I also tried to tape over the sensor on the remote control, but it didn't work either.  I think my tape wasn't opaque enough.

My kids were having a blast with this morning.  My son wasted no time in getting into the spirit of things.

He woke up at 6:40 a.m. and promptly used the restroom.  After he cleaned the bathroom from the Saran wrapped toilet mishap, he got busy.  At 6:50 a.m., I hear a knock on the front door.  The officer had to be at work by 6 a.m. this morning. My daughter had crawled into bed with my before the officer left.   I groggily pulled myself out of bed and went to check the door. I thought perhaps the officer had left his phone here and apparently his garage door opener and couldn't get back into the house.  I looked through the peep hole and I didn't see anything.  I looked again because I was half asleep and thought maybe I missed something.  Nothing.  No one.  

I noticed the kid's bathroom light was on and went to check it.  Everything looked normal, but my son wasn't in his bed.  As I walked back to my room to see if he was sleeping in my bed too, he jumped out and yelled "APRIL FOOL'S DAY!"  Okay, we are off and running.  

He was talking a mile a minute about all the things that had happened to him.  He still had all the marks on his face, but he wouldn't let me take a picture.  We had to eat breakfast and get ready for church.  My son had another idea.  He said, "Let's call daddy and tell him I have a very bad attitude about everything and when he comes home because of it, we will tell him April Fool's Day!"  He wanted the officer to come all the way home from work.  I don't think the officer would think that was too funny so we settled for a phone call.  

Once we were in the car on the way to church, I called the officer and said, "You need to talk to your son.  Once I told him we had to stop the jokes and get ready for church, he started in with bad attitude, complaining, and disobedience.  Can you please talk to him?"  The officer was very surprised at this.  I handed the phone to my son who was playing his part perfectly.  He sounded whiny and sad.  The officer was talking to him and my son was replying with very whiny, "Yes, sir"s.  After a few "yes sirs", my son yelled, "April Fool's Day!"  We got him.  The officer thought that was a good one.

Now we've been home most of the afternoon, thinking of ways to get the officer.  He has to work late and won't be home until 8:30 p.m., so we have plenty of time to pull some jokes on him.  I won't tell you what we do to him because he might read this before he comes home.  I'll come back and post what jokes we did and how he reacted tomorrow.  Check back here for the update! :) (the update is below)

We called my mom because the kids wanted to tell her all the jokes that had happened.  They were each on a phone excitedly telling talking to her.  My son yelled out, "Grandma you need to tell your daughter to behave because she's being naughty today!"  It was funny.

It's been fun and I haven't seen my kids giggle so much throughout the day in a long time.  It's good to have these days come around - especially good April Fool's Day (or as my daughter has been calling it "All Fool's Day") only comes once a year.  

 Oh.  My.  Goodness.  The officer arrived home about 8:20 p.m.  This is past the kid's bedtime, but I let them get up when we heard him drive up.  We were all sitting on the couch "acting casual".  As soon as he walked in the door, the officer said, "I will give you each a quarter if you don't pull any April Fool's jokes on me.  Daddy is tired!!!"  My son quickly replied, "Make it $20 and you've got a deal."  No dice, but good try.


We did pranks we knew he would probably run into tonight.  Here's a list:


1.  We re-arranged all our drawers in our dresser.  So the officer's underwear/sock drawer was not where it was supposed to be.  


2.  We hid it shower scrubber.


3.  We hid all his gym shorts he likes to change into when he gets home.


4.  We hid all the toilet paper in the house.  We only left one roll on the roll in the bathroom.  It was un-tearable toilet paper.


5.  We taped his deodorant and cologne so when he tries to spray them, they won't work.  

6.  We Saran-wrapped his toothpaste too.


7.  We took the batteries out of all the remotes (tv, dvd, and X-box).

He went straight into the room to take a shower.  Couldn't find his clothes to change into after shower.  Couldn't find his shower scrubber.  Couldn't find the toilet paper (we just heard him yelling, "I NEED TOILET PAPER?  WHAT'S THIS STUFF IN HERE?"  Couldn't get his deodorant to spray out after three attempts.  He just went into the linen closet into the stockpile and got another can, so that didn't work as well.  However, it was funny watching him try to get it out.  He couldn't see the tape we used, so it worked perfectly.  The officer ran to the store, but I'm sure before the night is over he will run into the other pranks too.


It's been fantastic.  A lot of giggles from me too.  Happy All Fools Day.