A Quick Way to Save on Mickey D's Breakfast Sandwiches!

Just a quick blog to let you all know about a little secret I discovered. This isn't some sort of juicy amazing government-toppling secret. But I did discover how to save $0.80-$1.00 on  Mickey D's breakfast. =D

If you order a sandwich that has the yellow "folded egg", order the folded egg on the side. It will save you money every time! Now, it should be noted that McDonald's is a franchise so your store might be different then the ones I've gone to, but I've done this in a couple different states so it can't be that different. Aaaand, most McDonald's employees don't even know about this little tip, they're usually shocked at how much money it can save. Spread the word so maybe the silly people who make up the prices will lower the pre-made sandwich price! (Unless this goes wrong and they raise the price of the side ordered folded egg).

Mmm... This humble pie tastes like crow...

OK, so many of you know that I have in the past said words to the effect of, "I would never send my child to public school such-n-such, and blah blah blah..." Well today, dear peoples, I need to eat some crow and confess. I registered my two oldest children for Black Lake Elementry this morning (and by morning I mean whole entire freaking morning from like 8-12). It is a public school in the county where we live.

Now, let me explain. When Nate and I were first thinking of moving here to Washington we had the idea that perhaps we would both find jobs. This was before I had the position at Abbey Realty (this was before Nate got so sick too). We kinda dreamed that just maybe we could possibly pay all our bills and even be able to save money, or heck go crazy and buy toilet paper now and then! It was with this thought that the beginnings of "Julia-going-to-public-school" idea came into my head; which of course I dismissed post haste because my Julia would never go to a public school.  Still, when I got my job with Abbey, the thought kinda resurfaced. This was when I began to pray about it.

"Do you really want me to put her in Public school, Lord? I mean, really? Y'know, both Nate and I DID NOT have a good experience with this whole thing, and I really really really don't want to put Ju through that. So its settled. Ju will be homeschooled forever."

I'm sure at this point God is laughing a bit at me knowing that I think I know everything but know that really God knows everything but still want to claim my little understanding as supreme.

 (If you figure that sentence out let me know)...

After we all arrived here in Washington, Nate and I knew we were soon going to have to make the decision about Julia's schooling. We love homeschooling, when we have all of the tools we need to teach our kids; but we were curriculum deficit and we saw that Julia was suffering for it. Nate was on board with getting Julia into a steady educational flow, she needed academic stability. 

I kept praying. Not really yet willing to relinquish my idea or control to the Lord yet. Typically I'm not a stubborn person, but there are times when I can dig in my heels.

When we moved to our new awesome house (a video walk-through and blog post about our new house to come on Saturday!) I heard about the school from my friend Janan, who said that it was not just any public school, but the best in the whole Oly area. It was then I knew that that itching of the Spirit I had, the constant idea of Ju in public school that roamed around my skull, was for this. I knew Julia was going to go to this school. I mean I didn't just give in (digging in heels remember). I put conditions on it. I said, if Julia has to get held back for some reason then NO WAY is she going. Or if there isn't a bus route for her to ride then NO WAY is she going. If the school supplies cost too much, then NO WAY is she going. If it is too expensive to send her lunch and snacks with her to school each day then NO WAY is she going. If I don't have total peace about this from the get-go then NO WAY is she going. 

Ummm... 

Ya....

 They don't hold kids back at this school, they keep them with their age/peer group using emotional and psychological guidlines not preformance or knowledge based assessments. The bus stop is literally one house away from me (and they provide full bus services for half-day kindergarten too). This school has thousands of dollars of school supplies donated to them every year all year long. We qualify for a free lunch program, we will never have to send her with a lunch (oh and they serve breakfast too). And I had total peace, through the ENTIRE process. Sometimes it is a mixed blessing to be so wrong. =D In fact everything was set up perfectly, just like what the Lord has done with every part of our move to Washington, there was really no question or doubt left in my mind about this. In double fact, we are sending Toby to half day kindergarten there too, something I really thought I would never do. 

Why does the Lord want my kids there? I would really love to know the answer to that question. Maybe He'll show me, maybe not, but I have to trust Him. He knows His business, and its my job to obey Him. So OK Lord, I am now obeying. Sorry about dragging my feet, sorry about being stubborn, and sorry for doubting your protection of my children.

(Sidebar: I just wrote a whole long paragraph about my distaste for the idea of using kids as active missionaries in public schools. I will just leave it at that. I don't agree with that. I pray that my Father will protect my kids, closer than their skin protection, and send in adult Christians to proclaim the Gospel to our public schools. The end.)

 I am actually feeling excited to see what is in store for my Julia and Toby. I hope they have fun.      

Coming Soon My New House Blog

Peanut Butter Cups, Bilbo and God

Every one has a goal weight, and if they tell you don't then either they are lying sacks of crap, or they are one of those skinny people who don't have to think about their weight or what they look like ever. (If its the latter type of person then I suggest blind-folding and kidnapping them, , driving to the woods and dropping them off with the scent of beef jerky rubbed all over their person. Just sayin', but I digress). I have a beautiful shiny goal weight in my head, and when I attain said goal my life will be filled with an amazing sense of accomplishment and that slightly fuzzy raidient glow that glosses over the perfect life kind of image. To reach my goal weight I would have to lose 70 lbs. Ya, 70 of them. And each of them want to hang on with tenacity! I'd love to beat them, love to lose them all and drop kick each inindividual pound to the curb, then I would stand victoriously upon the summit of the weight goal mountain. (Scratching records sound) But that's just way more work then I am willing to do. Even tho all those extra 70 lbs. are evil, they are my friends and they like all the same foods that I do. We are great enablers. (Hey enabling, told you that it comes naturally to me). So I guess instead of looking at the work involved I need to look at the motivation. What's my motivation? And as I introspect that is where the crux of the matter lies.....


 I DON'T HAVE ANY!!!!!!! 


Or will power, or self control. There is a seriously big problem here with my psyche. Part of it comes down to Spiritual discipline, because self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. I have struggled with this truth many many times. The Lord gives us all of the fruits of the Spirit when we love Jesus and give Him free reign in our hearts, so why Lord am I SERIOUSLY lacking this one? I'm patient, I'm kind, I'm gentle, I have peace, there is a factor of zero where self-control is concerned. Am I broken? Am I in terrible habitual sin? I am sure there's some one out there who has that perfect nugget of wisdom for me that will make it all click in my head and heart and I will then attain the goal of self-control. Yes, that must be it, and I just haven't heard that piece of truth yet. But I have a feeling that I already know the truth, that prickly feeling I get when I think of self-control and discipline. 

Y'see, self-control is something that Jesus can't just do for me. We don't work that way. Even if Jesus was willing to go to the cross God wasn't just going to magically put Him there (I mean He's God so He totally could have).  Jesus had to physically answer questions, be physically presant at His beating, and physically walk to Golgotha. Ya, Jesus freaking rules. So with me, its not enough to be willing to have self control, its something that I have to physically do. I physically have to eat food, I physically have to move. Its part of this suckfest we call being human (although this suckfest also includes sex, and chocolate, so being human isn't all bad)... (Oh and yarn, my suckfest also includes large quantities of yarn. Yarn=Love). The idea of me having to actually control myself instead of being given the ability supernaturally chafes me quite honestly. I don't like it, and set myself to be like my 4 year-old and stick my tongue out and say, "No! And you won't make me, so there!" I'm just so mature, aren't you jealous? 

In my 4 year-old defiance I am missing something. And that something is the beautiful gift of the Fruit of the Spirit. I hunker down in my grumpy self and say that whatever lies on the other side of self control is no where near as good as this freaking Reeses peanut butter cup. Once again, that prickly little feeling creeps its way into my chest as I lick the chocolate and peanut butter from my fingers. I know that's a lie. I know that what's on the other side of self-control is supernatural blessings, in an all encompassing way touching every part of my suckfest. I have even had this exact same conversation with myself every year around the most terrible tradition us Americans have ever fathered--the New Year's Resolution. But I never get past this realization. I am never moved to action. Why am I so entirely asinine?? I don't understand myself. So, I think I'll eat another peanut butter cup.  

**Actually pausing to eat said peanut butter cup**

This blog today is not going to have a satifactory ending. I'm in the middle of a story actually. Right before that emotional moment in the story that has spent several chapters building up to the catharsis of our hero (or heroine in my story, thank you very much) this is where my blog today will end. I feel like shouting at my book and saying, "What the eff story?!?!? You were just about to reach an amazing character building moment, or a frustrating set back. But now I'll never know because this is where the story ends!" Ya, I know. Its kinda like if the Hobbit ended right before you knew if Bilbo was going to follow Gandalf and the dwarves or if he was just going to stay in Bag End and smoke a pipe.

 Would I have liked Bilbo if he had just stayed and smoked his pipe (maybe if he offered me some of his pipe we'd be OK)? =D I have an empty sort of feeling that he would have been cool, and a friendly sort of character. But definitely not memorable. But Gandalf chose him because he knew that Bilbo wouldn't just sit on his rear and smoke his pipe (no matter how good the stuff inside of said pipe was). Gandalf knew that Mr.B would get up and follow. Oh how I know that God is my Gandalf (no irreverence meant... Y'know, sorta). He knows that eventually I'll get up and follow Him down this self control/discipline adventure. But, like Bilbo, I am sure going to effing throw my fit and smoke my pipe (not litterally) a bit first. At least I'm played by Martin Freeman. But how long will I throw my fit and smoke my pipe? How far ahead will God-alf get before I move? These are questions I'll just have to sit and smoke on...       

Piles of Files

So, this is my desk. Yes I am buried under a pile of files, of work that I should be doing, but instead am blogging because it is far more amusing than unburrying myself from the file pile. I have a real blog to post later today, but this is all for now.

PS. Those are Goldfish in the baggie on the bag. I thought they deserved some notoriety. 

Lease Signing

My mom said something awesome to me as I was walking out the door for work this morning, "This is still God's day, and He is still in control."

Ma, it was the perfect thing to say to me this morning.

We found a house to rent here in Olympia. It really feels like we are starting our new lives out here. I mean, I've been here for 4 1/2 months already, but getting our own digs is a huge step, and more than a little frightening. Having my mom come to live with us is going to be wonderful for my whole family, and hopefully great for her too. I love it so much out here! If we didn't have Janan to help us start out here we wouldn't have been able to do the move. I am so grateful to her and Randy for helping us out and letting us stay with them (even when its not easy--like this morning. Any one want to buy a 4 year-old Moose?)

Last night we met our new landlord at the rental (which I'll post pics of when we move in on the 15th). I had to take my monsters (a.k.a. Tobias, and Truman). Why were they SO SPUN? It was crazy, and I was thinking in the front of my mind, "Great. Our landlord is going to change his mind because my boys are terrorizing the house before we even move into it..." He was, however, very understanding because he has boys himself. They continued to run up and down the hallway and sliding on the new laminate floors as the three adults signed our lives away for a year and month to month afterwards. I can't wait to move in, we have 6 days that feel like eternity! Its just hanging in front of me, like a doughnut in front of a fat chick..... great, now I want a doughnut too.

What is it about boys? They are little wild animals from the birth canal, I mean wild completely nu-domesticatable. Yet, its boys that have always captured my heart. I am drawn to their insane energy, much like a bug to an electrical bug-zapper. It'll be the death of me, but I'll go out with a flash, bang, and a powerful pop! So, I'll forgive my little men for their rambunctiousness last night.

Resolution FAILURE

Really?
2013?
Shouldn't there be flying cars and machines that wipe our butts for us? Come on! At least a butt-wiping machine should have been invented! But I guess I can't complain too loudly we do have hand-held devices that gives us access to all the knowledge that man has ever acquired. That's something. Oh and we have Plants V Zombies, which is also a trophy of modern times. 

Most people begin their New Years with beautiful idea of resolving to be a better person in one area or another. Brava! Bully to them! Not me... I am a New Years Resolution FAILURE! I'm totally OK with this tho, and am on a mission to sabotage everyone eles' resolutions. Hehehehe. "What's that?.. Oh you're trying to lose weight? I'm going to go to Burger King. Can I get you anything?..... Oh, no. Y'sure? I'll buy? Oh, OK..... What's that? You want a chocolate shake and large fries. Sure thing man, sure thing....." (said while smiling wickedly). What can I say? Enabling runs in my family.