Zooooooma!

A few weeks ago, Chris found a great deal on a couple of Zuma scooters, & he just couldn't pass them up. I wasn't too fond of the idea, but they've really grown on me --although, I have to say, I feel a bit like Toby McGuire in his latest Spiderman movie. --which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Our friend, Kristina, told us of a dirt biking spot up in the mountains, so we went up there to see what fun we could have. It was such fun! We took the kids with us, and they had a BLAST! I put all of the photos on my flickr page, but some of my favorites are here. The best thing about the pictures is the kids' faces, so be sure to look closely. Also, be sure to notice my stylish pink helmet, which I'm especially fond of (Kristina about died when she *had* to wear it for a few minutes to go on the street). You may notice that I was the only dork who wore mine the whole time. But after my motorcycle accident, (way back when) I'll take all the protection I can get!

Right before my first ride.

Chloe & Gideon



Gideon, especially had a great time riding. He chatted the WHOLE time!

Cramming them on...

Century plant. These plants only bloom once in their lifetime (after 10 years) and then they die. There are more pics of this on flickr.

Evy searches for a cookie.

Evy tries on a helmet.

I just love Winnie The Pooh!

I've been reading Winnie The Pooh to the kids, and have loved every moment of it! A.A. Milne is just so clever & witty! I love his out-of-the -box thinking, and the way he phrases things. I think a lot of it is over the kids' heads, but I'm really enjoying it, & would recommend it to any adult.

today, we were reading about pooh & piglet as they traveled from house to house, to wish everyone a happy Thursday (as an excuse to visit, in hopes that someone will offer them Tea). After leaving Rabbit's house, pooh & piglet have a conversation:

"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh
"Yes,," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"and he has Brain."
"Yes," said piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."

Chloe couldn't understand why I was laughing so hard that I couldn't read anymore. Maybe it has something to do with all of the Brainy people in my life...

I especially like Eeyore's dry humor:

"It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"so it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."

Here's an excerpt from when Eeyore was knocked into the water by Tigger:

"Eeyore!" cried everybody.
Looking very calm, very dignified with his legs in the air, came Eeyore from beneath the bridge.
"It's Eeyore!" cried Roo, terribly excited.
"Is that so?" said Eeyore, getting caught up by a little eddy, and turning slowly round three times. "I wondered."
"I didn't know you were playing, " said Roo.
"I'm not, " said Eeyore.
"Eeyore, what are you doing there?" said Rabbit.
"I'll give you three guesses, Rabbit. Digging holes in the ground? Wrong. Leaping from branch to branch of a young oak-tree? Wrong. Waiting for somebody to help me out of the river? Right. Give Rabbit time, and he'll always get the answer."
" But, Eeyore," said Pooh in distress, "What can we -- I mean, how shall we--do you think if we----"
"Yes," said Eeyore, "One of those would be just the thing. Thank you, Pooh."
"He's going round and round," said Roo, much impressed.
"And why not?" said Eeyore coldly.
"I can swim too," said Roo proudly.
"Not round and round, " said Eeyore. "It's much more difficult."...

He kinda reminds me of House. :)

anyway, it goes on and on. but it's so very delightful, that I had to share a little.

Green, Blue and Red make Donald Duck!

In school, we just learned about how a television works. Afterward, we looked at the TV screen with a magnifying glass, so we could see all the tiny squares that make up a picture.

I am an Archer

I've been thinking about my job, as a parent, recently, and it's led me to ponder Psalm 127 --especially verses four and five:

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are thie children in one's youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate."

I am a warrior with four powerful arrows in my quiver. And if I am careless, and don't aim, my arrows could go anywhere: into the sky, into the ground, into a friend, or even into my own heart. But if I learn the art of archery, and if I take careful aim, my arrows can make a powerful impact, and even deal a death-blow to the enemy.

I pray that I may be a strong and skillful archer, and that God will stretch out my bow, and aim my arrows for me, and that they will soar straight to heart of the enemy.

long day

We went to the park the other day, and the kids crashed as soon as we got in the car. :)

miracle remedy?

awhile back, i was having some unhappy acne issues. when I asked around, one thing that came up was coconut oil. Apparently it's really good for you, ingested, and applied topically. But it seemed too strange, so i never looked into it. Recently, I read an article by a doctor, saying that coconut oil is one of the most healthy cooking oils. Since my acne is still bad, and I've been looking for a good cooking oil, i finally sought it out & bought some from my local health-nut store.

When I got home, I thought I'd do a little internet research & find out about the acne thing. Well, I was amazed at what I discovered! Apparently, it's good for a zillion different things, including deoderant, hair conditioner, eczema, athletes foot, ringworm and other funguses, just to name a few. Also, ingested, it's supposed to help your energy levels, metabolism, tooth health, and sugar cravings (just to name a few).

I'm just so impressed with what i read, that i had to share it with you, too. :) i've tried it as a deoderant for a few days, and it's worked well, so far. I've also been putting it on my face, for acne. I plan to try it for a month, to see how it does with all my hormone cycles. So far, so good. :)

If you want to find out more, I found this website to be pretty interesting. That page will show you people's comments and uses. There's also a link near the top of that page, to "facts about coconut oil."

(as a side note, the above website says mentions Apple cider vinegar as their most popular home remedy. I heven't read it yet, but it looks interesting.)

Here are a couple excerpts from another article that i read:

"Coconut oil is one of the most stable oils you can buy. It does not turn rancid easily. It does not attack your arteries. In fact, coconut oil was one of the foods Weston Price studied in his journeys. He discovered that the coconut was considered, by the local populations, a medicine food. He found that those civilizations that consumed coconut regularly had no knowledge of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes."

and

"Let’s take a look at the healing properties of coconut oil:
*Coconut oil is antiviral, antifungal (kills yeast too) and antibacterial. It attacks and kills viruses that have a lipid (fatty) coating, such as herpes, HIV, hepatitis C, the flu, and mononucleosis. It kills the bacteria that cause pneumonia, sore throats, dental cavities, urinary tract infections, meningitis, gonorrhea, food poisoning, pneumonia, and many, many more bacterial infections. It kills the fungus/yeast infections that cause candida, ringworm, athletes foot, thrush, jock itch, diaper rash and more.

*Coconut oil is called the "low fat" fat. It actually acts like a carbohydrate in that it is quickly broken down in the liver and used as quick energy. It is NOT stored like other fats. It boosts one’s energy and endurance. Many athletes use it blended into their drinks. It also supports thyroid function and increases your metabolism (great if you want to lose weight).

*Coconut oil improves digestion and absorption of fat soluble vitamins, minerals (especially calcium and magnesium), and amino acids. It improves the body’s use of blood glucose and improves insulin secretion and absorption (great for type II diabetes). In fact, many diabetics (type I and type II) use it to reduce their symptoms. One’s risk of diabetes decreases with regular use of coconuts and coconut oil. And as we already mentioned, cooking with coconut oil does not create any harmful byproducts.

*Coconut oil helps the body heal and repair faster. It aids and supports immune function, protecting us from a variety of cancers.

Coconut oil, contrary to much hubbub, is good for your heart. It keeps our blood platelets from sticking together (and causing dangerous clots). Regular users of coconut oils have a much lower chance of atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries), arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and strokes. Coconut oil can lower your blood pressure.

*Coconut oil is a natural antioxidant. It protects the body from free radical damage and prevents premature aging and degenerative diseases.

*Finally, coconut oil is the best massage oil on the planet. What it does to your skin, you simply have to witness. It forms a barrier against infections, softens and moisturizes your skin, and prevents wrinkling, sagging, and age spots. It promotes healthy hair and complexion, protects from any damaging UV rays. (It is used in Ron Salley’s products.) "

Global Day of Prayer

is this Sunday, May 27, 2007. Please join with me and thousands (millions?) of others across the globe, who are crying out to God, to heal our land, to touch His people, and pour out his power and glory on every nation.

The following is an article about the Global Day of Prayer. If you're in a hurry, I would recommend that you come back & watch the 13 min. video when you have time, because it's POWERFUL.

In July 2000 God captured the heart of a South African Christian businessman, Graham Power, with a vision based on 2 Chron. 7:14. The vision had three clear instructions:

1. To call Christians from all denominations in Cape Town for a Day of Repentance and Prayer at Newlands Rugby Stadium.
2. To challenge Christians across the rest of South Africa to unite in a Day of Repentance and Prayer.
3. To challenge Christians in Southern Africa to unite in a Day of Repentance and Prayer.

In March of 2001 more than 45 000 Christians united for a Day of Repentance and Prayer at Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town. It was a day of intense intercession that transformed lives and was reflected in a changing city in the months to come. Testimonies of transformation caused the vision to be spread into the rest of South Africa and planning immediately started for similar prayer gatherings in 8 provinces of South Africa for 2002.

In February 2002 Graham Power had a second vision. This vision had an even bigger challenge: The whole of Africa was to gather in a Day of Repentance and Prayer, changing Africa to become a "light to the world".
Eventually, Africa was to invite all the nations of the globe to unite in this move of transformational prayer.

In May of 2002 Christians in South Africa gathered in 8 different venues for a Day of Repentance and Prayer. Again, the testimonies of church unity and the healing of communities inspired leaders to expand the vision into the rest of Africa. At a Summit in September 2002 leaders of 9 African countries agreed on the vision "Africa for Christ".

At the same time, it was clear that different prayer streams from across the globe were flowing in the same direction with a similar vision of community transformation through prayer. God was busy raising up a church of intercession in order to prepare communities for the revelation of His glory.

Across the African continent millions of Christians were inspired to participate in the process of transforming Africa. 77 South African regions and 27 African countries (66 cities) committed to a Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa on the 1st of May 2003.

On 2 May 2004 history was made when Christians from all 56 nations of Africa participated in the first ever continental Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa.
Numerous communities, villages, towns and cities united in non-denominational prayer gatherings at different venues. In South Africa 277 communities participated. A flame of prayer was burning in Africa!

At a meeting of the International Prayer Council in Malaysia in November 2004, the invitation from Africa went out to the nations of the world to join in a five year Global Day of Prayer process up to 2010. On Pentecost Sunday, 15 May 2005, Christians from 156 of the 220 nations of the world united across denominational and cultural borders for the first Global Day of Prayer. In the months following this day, Christians were overwhelmed by the testimonies of God's powerful work in answer to these prayers.

This move of prayer again miraculously expanded in 2006, when on Pentecost Sunday (4 June 2006) millions of Christians from 199 of the 220 nations of the world united in prayer.

But, this is just the beginning of a process to saturate all the nations of the globe in prayer: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). May every Pentecost until 2010 see a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

Evy's Apple

Three Years Ago, Today

My little Zachary Peter was born. Poor Zachary didn't have a middle name for a few days (which is more than I can say for Gideon!). We just couldn't decide between Peter or David. For months after he was born, Chloe and Gideon would say, "Mom, is it Zachary Peter, or Zachary David?" And I honestly didn't know, because I couldn't remember which one we had picked. :)

Zachary is a joy to my life. He's full of fun an energy. He's all boy. He's boysterous, and playful. But he loves to cuddle with his mamma. And he adores his baby sister. It's so fun to watch your children grow and change before your eyes. It's exciting to see how much more he'll change in the next year.

need your opinion, quick!

okay... the current photo challenge that i'm doing is "Flowers." Tomorrow is the last day to enter the contest, and I have no clue which ones to use!! please look at my flickr page and tell me which ones (I can do 2) you think i should enter. I can use any of the photos on the 1st page, or the 1st two rows on the second page.

your thoughts?

Birthdays

This is a week of birthdays!

To Dawn, who's birthday was yesterday. What did you do to celebrate? I hope it was something fun.

And

to Jacob, who is 10 today! oooh! He's entered the double-digits! How was the party?

Peter Pan pays a vistit to our house

In our living room, we have a ledge in front of the fireplace. It makes a perfect stage for any performance and is probably one of the favorite spots in the house, for the kids. This day, they were having a blast jumping off of it. :)

Just think Happy thoughts!!!

And the children fly happily away to neverland, while Evy waves goodbye. :)