Happy New Year 2010

Dearest friends of Coffee God and me,

I want to thank you for reading, visiting, following, commenting, supporting this blog and just being you. You have tremendously blessed me in 2009 and I look forward to sharing another year of our lives with you.

I wish you all a very happy new year filled with abundant laughter, joy and blessings. From my heart to yours...God bless your 2010.

Happy New Year from Hambone!

Ham at Epcot today. He bought the glasses with his own money.


- A couple months before our trip we decided to make countdown calendars so Ham would know how much longer until we went "to see Mickey". He'd get one sticker to put on the calendar to count down the day and one if he was good, went to the potty, took a nap without complaining...etc. We called the second stickers "Disney Dollars.". Ham managed to earn $85...note to parents, consider how many days out it is from your trip...it'll cost ya if you don't. My baaad!

Before our trip, Ham and I took his $85 to the Disney store and got a Disney gift card that is good at the park. We also got him a Cars wallet for a dollar in the discount bins at Target. As he's finding things he wants, I give him his wallet and he hands the cast member the card and pays for it himself. This has been a great idea with no whining and "I want that" chants.

Happy New Year from Ham and his parents.


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Disney Dreamcation Day #1

Day 1

I'm pooped.  There is simply no better way to say it. 

We began the day by getting up at 3am for our 6am flight which was not without drama.  Of course, it's not often that my family travels without some sort of flight drama.  Flight issue aside, we arrive at the airport and Hubs realizes he's left his monstrosity of a camera carry-it-all backpack AT HOME.  Knowing that we were going to have a delayed flight, assuming that we were going to have a delayed flight, Hubs jumps back in the car and heads home to retrieve the camera and video camera.  Half way there, he realizes he placed his keys (which he always has on him) in his backpack, thus, he has no way of getting in the house once he gets there.  He proceeds anyway and attempts several different avenues, but the house is locked tight.  With the clock ticking ferociously and seats now on our original flight, Hubs heads back to the airport with 15 minutes to boarding.  Ham, mom and I board the plane.  Dad is waiting at the gate to hold the plan and my brother is waiting outside security with Hubs' ticket.  Let me just say, major prayers were involved that Hubs would actually make the flight.  I had no idea I would need a blood pressure reducing cocktail prior to flying.  He made it, they all made it and we were off to Orlando.

We actually decided to go through a AAA travel agent for our trip and we signed up for the magic shuttle service from the airport.  Let  me tell you...it's an A+ service.  For an organizationally obsessed mom, this was heaven.  They handled our luggage, we didn't even have to get it from baggage claim.  In fact, we just checked in and headed straight to the park and when we returned, our luggage was in our room.  That's magic y'all, that's magic.  Forget Mickey...this already made it a dreamcation.

We decided to spend our half day at Disney Hollywood Studios.  The Toy Story ride Ham really wanted to go on had a 160 minute wait when we arrived and when we left the park several hours later it had only shrunk to a 150 hour wait.  Yikes.  Sadly, we didn't make it on that ride.  Maybe we can go back another time.  We did however manage to meet Buzz Lightyear and Woody, Handy Manny, two of the Little Einsteins, watch the Playhouse Disney show and the Muppets 3D show, eat at Toy Story's Pizza Planet and take photos with Mater and Lightening McQueen.  Not to shabby for a short day. 

Ham had a great time.  We all enjoyed the Christmas lights and holiday festivities still abounding.  I've only ever been to Disney parks in the summer, so this is a nice change up.  We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and its awesome.  There are literally animals right outside our room; zebras and giraffes to name a few.  I'm happy to report that Hubs is sufficiently recovering from camera withdrawal and wifey lecturing following the near plane miss...all in all, the trip is going well. 

Tomorrow we are heading to Magic Kingdom and mommy (mua) can't wait. 

Love to all of you!

2010 Master "To-Do" List

Whereas I will be in Disney World over the New Year holiday and doing a little vaca blogging, I thought it might be appropriate to post my 

2010 Master "To Do" List now.  

The following is 25 things I'd like to accomplish in 2010.  

What is your 25?

***

1.     Get organized (my mom and I are both working on this one)

-       My life, my closet, my medicine cabinet, my office

2.     Complete course work in January, Spring, Summer and Fall…and not run out of fumes in the process.

3.     Attend and complete local pastor’s licensing school

4.     Be appointed to a church (if it’s in God’s plans)

5.     Deepen my spirituality

-       Spend more time in scripture

-       Take more time for fasting

-       Strengthen my prayer life

-       Journal more

-       Increase time invested in meditation and in yoga

6.     Be healthier by the end of 2010 than I am at the end of 2009 – spiritually, physically and psychologically

7.     Read 10 (minimum) non-school related books; fiction and non-fiction

8.     Do something spontaneous

9.     Do something out of my comfort zone and love it

10.  Take a weekend trip just for me and Hubs

11.  Spend more time living for today and less time worrying about tomorrow

12.  Have another baby – and be kind to myself if it doesn’t happen in my timing

13.  Be more me and less everyone else

14.  Spend more time enjoying my son and soaking up his rays of sunshine

15.  Read more stories to Ham

16.  Become a better cook and cook more often; even cook with Ham and Hubs

17.  Discover new ways to take blogging to the next level

18.  Do more hands on work with and for charities

19.  Schedule and successfully execute a proper spring cleaning

20.  Setup play area for Ham

21.  Find fun activities to do with Beagle Boy and Ham together

22.  Visit more family

23.  Enjoy my 7^th year of marriage

24.  Gift myself more time for scrapbooking

25.  Learn to let go and let live

Happy New Year Everyone!

May blessings abound throughout this new year for each of you.

CGM is Going to Disney World!

Tomorrow we are heading out to Disney World for several days at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.  It's been years since we've been there together as a family and this will be Ham's first time.  I'm so excited that I'm having a hard time containing it.

Of course, before the fun begins, there is work that must be done.  I just finished typing up and emailing out the family itinerary.  Yes...we're that kind of family.  We're pretty organized on paper but we have to be.  We have a lot of chiefs, very few Indians.  The itinerary or agenda is a basic outline to keep us all on track and so that we have a general plan of what we're doing before we get there.  It sounds obsessive...but it's a family trip saver.  Without it, all h-e-double hockey sticks could break loose.  That being said, when organized and on one page, my family travels wonderfully together and we create lasting memories.

So, the agenda is done, the reservations for dinners made, camera batteries charged.  I'm down to the nitty gritty of packing, which I loathe, but must do.  Our flight takes off at 6am tomorrow so do the math...it equals an EARLY flight.  But, it means we're in early enough to enjoy some time at a park.  We'll be there over the new year which will be fun and different, especially since Hubs and I are boring and lame these days and rarely attend parties anymore because well, babysitters cost enough as the mortgage (vast exageration...sorta).

I'm really through the roof excited and I can't wait.  This is one of my favorite places in the whole world and to be able to share it with my son is simply divine.  I'm going to try to blog from Disney World, so stay tuned as that unfolds.  Also, if anyone is planning a trip to WDW and needs some tips, let me know.  I may even post some travel guides to accompany it.  Trust me...I have studied my booty off...ARH!!!  I'm getting in pirate mode if you can't tell.  I am looking forward to the Fanny Pack Scramble...this is a game I like to play to count how many people I see wearing Fanny Pack's.  Speaking of...I better jet and get to bedazzling mine.

 

Christmas Wrap-Up '09

Celebrating the birth of Christ is always a spiritual and hope-filled time for us.  We enjoyed spending special time with loved ones, missed terribly those who are no longer with us and those who could not be with us, and enjoyed the blessing of a rare Southern white Christmas.  The weather that blew into our area Thursday (Christmas Eve) was quite unheard of.  We live in Oklahoma and we received 14 inches of snow.  From my understanding, we haven't seen snow like this since the 40s.  Needless to say, it was quite record breaking and our governor issued a state of emergency...and you'd understand why if you were here.  The road conditions are just terrible and being that we are not a state accustomed to such weather, we were NOT prepared.  Plows and sand trucks have only made it to the main highways.  City streets and our neighborhoods are messy.  Our neighborhood looks a bit like a car graveyard as people returning from the holiday's cannot access their driveways and the streets, in places, are virtually impassible.  It really is quite something.  The blizzard conditions we faced Thursday caused churches around the state to regrettably close their doors for Candlelight Services.  My dad and I attempted to make it to ours as he has 4 wheel drive.  He and our pastor had to push out a stuck car from the parking lot.  I fear had services not been canceled, many would have been stranded, but what better place to be stranded that at church, huh?

Hubs and I took Ham and traveled to my parents (15 minutes away) on Thursday afternoon and we stayed there for safety reasons until Saturday morning.  Hubs and I spent over an hour shoveling our driveway to get my car in...that was an experience.  Our neighbor helped get an elderly woman's car unstuck but on his way back to his car, he shattered his ankle.  Several others have been unable to get their cars out at all.  It was a beautiful white Christmas and I love, love, love the snow, but I wish the roads were much safer.  Who could have predicted this though?

Christmas was difficult as we all missed my grandmother terribly.  I don't think my heart stopped hurting the entire time, but we got through it as a family.   We channeled our suffering in positive ways...like family Wii Bowling.  That was a GREAT time!

Below is a little photo journal of our Christmas.  Hope you all were blessed this Christmas.

Not our house but an awesome one my brother told us to go check out.  It was amazing.

This is why we call him Ham.  This is just before our Christmas Eve dinner.

My family by the tree at mom and dad's.

Yeah baby!  Momma got a Wii and a Wii fit.  I'm thrilled.  Not so sure my body has any clue what is about to happen to it.

My boys in their new Avalanche hats.  Makes a momma proud.

Look what Santa brought!  He was threw the roof.

 Snow drifts at mom and dad's.

Ham playing in the snow.

Ham, Beagle Boy, Hubs and my brother around my car.

Ham and Beagle Boy taking on the drifts.

Ham and I posing with the snow.

Me and my beagle.  He loved the snow too!

Yes...I really am this happy about a White Christmas.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the snow!

My brother making Wii Bowling look good!

'Rent-A-Womb'

As a woman who has and does face infertility, I've researched numerous "solutions" and tried several treatments.  That being said, I found the following article very interesting and I'm intrigued to hear your opinions.  What do you think...if funds were not an option, would you take advantage of this opportunity?  Or, would you choose to put your money towards adoption?  

 'Rent-A-Womb' Business Booming in India by Fox News

Couples desperate for children are turning to India, where relaxed laws on surrogacy means the business of babies is booming.
In India, a womb can be rented for about $3,000 and in vitro fertilization treatment is a fraction of what it costs in the west.
"My criteria is very strict," Dr. Anup Gupta told Sky News. "The surrogate must be healthy and she must already have a family with at least one or two children of her own, minimum. She must not be doing this primarily for financial reasons but because she wants to help another family."
Gupta says he gets about 15 patients from abroad every month looking for a surrogate.
Most of the time he uses eggs and sperm harvested from the couple and then implants the embryo into the surrogate mother.
In return, the couple pays all of her medical expenses in addition to other lump sums.
By the time a baby is born, the woman who has effectively ‘rented’ out her womb stands to make around $7,000.

For the full story, go to:  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580956,00.html

I'm A Featured Blogger...Woot!!!

Little did I know when I woke up this morning that my new friend Toni @ Carrigan's Joy would make my day.  Thank you Toni for the great honor and I'm super excited.  I hope all of my readers will stop by your blog and check out all of the awesome happenings going on there.

Blessings!

Our Christmas Card

In honor of Wordless Wednesday, I'm posting our Christmas card.  I hope you'll do the same and comment below so we can all partake in your card (or photos you used for your cards) as well.

Blessings to you and yours.

Top Mommy Blog

What would Coffee, God & Me like for Christmas? 

I'd like to be a Top Mommy Blog!!! 

But...I need your help to do it.  All you have to do is click on the icon below.  That's it.  Just by clicking, it will log your vote.  You don't have to fill anything out or do anything but CLICK.  It's that easy and that awesome and you can vote everyday.  Thanks for your help!

What Does Santa Have to Do with Jesus?

Imagine my surprise when my toddler asked me, "Momma, what does Santa have to do with Jesus?"  Though I wished I had a canned answer in my bag of mommy wisdom, this one made me think.  What does Santa have to do with Jesus?

I think Santa is one way of expressing Christmas.  I think Santa is fun.  Santa represents many wonderful and happy things, and yes, there is a way to see Santa as cynical and promoting materialistic consumerism.  However, I choose to see Santa as someone who desires to bring joy to children of all ages.  Santa is a character that brings magic.  Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and had a character come to life and inspire you?  I mean, bring a sincere smile to your face and be the vehicle of dreams?  Have you ever been somewhere magical?  I'm not talking voodoo magic, just pixie dust and mouse ears magic...have you been to Disney World?  I can remember being a kid and walking the streets of a Disney park full of enthusiasm and magic.  What about that first bike you ever learned how to ride without training wheels?  That feeling you had the first time you could read, or drive, or play an instrument on your own?  What about how you feel when you see the sparkle of Christmas lights?

I think Santa, like Jesus, can be twisted to fit any bill of anyone trying to sell you a particular viewpoint.  Lots of people don't believe in Jesus either, you know.  I choose to believe in Christmas dreams, Christmas magic, Christmas hope, Christmas impossibilities.  Maybe Santa is not really real, but maybe it's the spirit of Santa's giving that is real.  Maybe it's the spirit that Santa, in theory, gives to every girl and boy with not one hesitation based on race, class, nationality...or religion.  Who said Santa was just Christian?  Maybe it's the spirit of Santa's heart, the idea that there is this character who truly loves each and everyone of us, this character who wants to give to everyone, this character that seeks out the poor, the orphaned, the hungry.

To me Santa is a great character.  I've told my son about Santa.  Maybe that makes me a bad mom to some, but I think I turned out all right and I believed in Santa.  At the same time, my son believes in Mickey Mouse and he's at the age where he thinks every character in his books and on TV are really real.  At some point he'll discover that maybe the character is real only in it's character, but that the stories are real, the moral lessons are real and the spirit of Christmas is real.

I also make a very clear point to teach Ham about Jesus.  I do believe that Jesus is the ultimate reason for the season.  Maybe Jesus wasn't born on the 25th of December and maybe he was actually born in late spring, early summer.  Does that matter?  Can we only celebrate the birth of our Savior on a specific day?  I personally think we should recognize Christ's birth, death and resurrection every day, in how we live, how we act and how we play.  It is just a special tradition in my culture, to celebrate Christmas with winter and solstice, amidst Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Ramadan, in giving and in receiving...in loving our neighbors and being a part of something much bigger than ourselves, with Rudolph and Frosty...with Santa and Jesus.

Maybe the best part of celebrating the birth of Jesus along side other cultural and traditional holiday fare, is that no matter what gifts we receive, there will never be a gift greater than the gift of Jesus.  The Wii Fit is awesome, the necklace beautiful, the clothes special...but Jesus out weighs them all.  Jesus is the reminder that God loved us so much that we were given the gift of God's only son so that we may live with God forever.  Ours is a story that has no end.

So yes, Ham, there is a Santa.  But as fun and big and jolly and loving and giving as Santa is, can you imagine that there is actually a man named Jesus who was real, not just in a book, who came to live among us, suffer with and for us, to love us and give to us the greatest gift of all?  Just like Santa, Jesus was a giver too, in a much bigger way.  Jesus wants us to receive the gift of his love and to give it back by giving it to others.  All these wonderful things Santa does, who do you think taught him?  Maybe he learned from the best giver of all, Jesus?

Call me silly, or impractical, but I think Jesus might have liked this Santa guy, this character in a book who helped to inspire children to give to others.  I think its our job as parents to nurture our children and point them in the right direction, showing them that Christmas really has nothing to do with the amount of presents under the tree.  Christmas is about the gift that came for us and died on the tree.

  Christmas is about the gift that Jesus gave to you and me.

Do You Believe?

Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh.
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year.
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies.
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited.
JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa.
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap.
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly.
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO.
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry."
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you..."

Santa's little helpers make toys.
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree.
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

Taken from http://www.share-christmas.com/poems/santa_jesus/

I Workout

Art by Paula Romani

  I went to Walgreens last night to pick up some of that JOY their selling (see previous post) and I also decided to hit the 'As Seen on TV' section to pick up a bum and thighs that would fit into a size 6 pant.  Merry Christmas to me...they were on sale.

  If only, right?  Yeah, I wish.  But most good things come with a lot of hard work.  Unfortunately for my bum and jean size, I do not work hard at working out.  I enjoy yoga and spending time outside as well as playing with my son and the occasional game of volleyball or soccer.  However, I loathe sweating.  I mean I just plain hate it.  Uck!  That being said, I know, as we all do whether we want to acknowledge it or not, that a part of being healthy is what we eat, the other part is what we do with our bodies.  I know I must "get physical, physical" in order to be healthy and that is up to me and me alone.  This is a difficult reality when a plethora of logistical excuses exist like: I don't have the time in my schedule, I hate going to the gym because it makes me feel totally insecure, I'm short on funds and can't afford a personal trainer, I tried working out with my kid around and he just kept trying to dance with me, I attempted to go for a walk/jog/run with my dog who kept tripping me, etc.  I have just had no clue how to make exercise a reality in my reality. 

  What did I do?  Well, I must first preface this by saying I'm sharing this story with you not as someone who is an expert or has it all figured out.  I figured I must do something and it had to be outside of the box of logistics mentioned above.  So, with a little money set aside, Hubs and I invested in a treadmill.  I know, I know, there are so many stories against equipment in your own house, but it's something I wanted to try that I hadn't yet and it helped address most of the excuses.  You can find great deals on treadmills for relatively affordable prices on Craigs List and your local fitness stores.  Don't go to the fitness equipment specialty stores though if you're looking for a bargain because I could mortgage my house for one of those things.

  Anyway, I wasn't sure how my relationship with Izzy (the name I gave my treadmill) was going to go.  However, much to my dismay, Izzy and I have come to enjoy one another.  I'm starting off slow and smart I think.  I'm starting with three workouts a week at an hour a piece and I warm up, etc., etc., etc.  With my iPod jammin', Izzy and I get to work on that jean size and I have to admit that I'm rather pleased and proud of myself.  When it comes to working out, I give up and give out quickly.  But I've really stuck to this.  I'm going on my third week now and I'm starting to feel better.  I haven't noticed any other changes yet, but I've been told to give it a solid 6 weeks.  So far, so good.  I've asked Santa for a Wii Fit for Christmas.  I think that would be a fun change up to throw in there.  We'll see.

  I'm not yet ready to run a marathon, but that is definitely something I want to do down the road.  In the meantime, Izzy and I will run our own marathon weight loss and health gain journey together and maybe someday I can be rockin' a healthier happier me.  Here's to hoping.

  How are you staying healthy during the holidays?  Any plans for 2010?

Stocking Up on Joy

Oil of Joy by Stacy Lee

It would be a lie if I told you that this holiday season has been joyous for me.  Rather the opposite, it's been a daily challenge to seek out and find my joy.  You can only imagine my relief than, when sitting in the movie theater with my son an ad came across the screen telling me where I can go to find my joy...Walgreens.  That's right friends, stock up on joy at Walgreens.  Later in the ad, it shows that the joy you can stock up on is ice, soda, chips and other snack foods.  Hmmm...so gorging myself on junk food will help me find my joy?  That's all well and good until I have a Pepsi and Dorito induced heart attack and my bum is the size of Santa's workshop.  Yup...that translates into joy for me.  Joy at Walgreens.  Great.

 

As ridiculous as the ad obviously is, it made me think.  For Walgreens to use such a slogan as "Find your Joy at Walgreens" they must be tapping into what I've personally experienced, a joy deficiency this time of year. 

Let's be honest with ourselves, for many, the holiday's represent a very challenging time of year.  Everyone desires to be filled with abundant joy...just bubbling over with happiness.  But sometimes that doesn't happen for everyone.  It's not that we're all channeling our inner Scrooge's or Grinches, it's just that we're bogged down with the sorrow of life.  There are many who have lost jobs this year, lost homes, lost family members and friends, lost health, lost love, lost spouses, lost hope and thus, lost joy.  It's hard to be joyous when your heart is grieving loss.  It's hard to be around others who are joyous when your own heart is aching.  It's hard to find joy in the suffering.

I look around my own life and see the suffering in the faces of those I love.  I see a mother who has lost two children to miscarriage.  I see an amazing guy whose engagement was called off.  I hear the tears of a very loving woman whose marriage has ended.  I see a couple who will have to move far from their friends and family in order to keep a job.  There are several who have lost their jobs and financial support for their family.  There is someone who has lost health and faces cancer.  There are five women, myself included, who have lost hope of having children or more children as calendar days tick by with no pregnancy in sight.  I see a woman in her 20s who has just undergone a full hysterectomy but who desperately wanted to have her own babies.  I hear the longing from single friends for comfort and love.  I hear the cries of parents who have lost children in the war.  I hear the cries of children who have lost parents.  I see the aching hearts that long to be with the ones they love, but can't.  There is suffering and that suffering becomes so pronounced when surrounded by such a packaged month of joy.

So where do the hurting and the suffering go this time of year to find joy? 

Maybe 'Comfort and Joy' can be found in going home for the holidays and embracing the ones who are still with us.  Maybe it's giving to others, serving others, serving through the pain.  Maybe joy can be found in the brush of snowflakes on your cheeks, in the warmth of a fire, in the grasp of a long tight hug, in the laughter of the children around you.

This season is really about a glimmer, a sparkling star of hope, Jesus, who came to live with us, to suffer as we suffer.  God chose to be here with us and to give us peace, hope and joy.  In the darkness, there is light.  Though I suffer, though I hurt, though I can't seem to make my pain go away no matter how hard I pray or smile or sing, I know I'm not alone.  I know that Christ came to suffer with me, beside me.  I know there is hope in the suffering because I know that suffering is not all there is.  I can look in the face of my son and see hope.  I can feel the kiss of God as I'm held so tenderly and comforted so sweetly.

We're not alone and there is hope.  Christmas is about that hope that a better day is coming.  Not only will we get through our current suffering and glow in future joy, but one day, we will live with God where there is no suffering.  One day our hearts will be made whole again, our tears wiped away and we will know a joy that has no words. 

This Christmas, I cannot will my grandma back to life, but I can thank God for last Christmas and all the Christmas' before that.  This Christmas I will not hold a baby in my arms, but I can thank God for the baby who I once held, the toddler I hold now and the hope of the babies I will hold again.  This Christmas, I can choose to see more in this holiday than the brisk cold of winter, I can see the warm hearth of the Lord, our Lord, who came to us.

Joy, real joy, can't be found at Walgreens.  Real joy can't be found in a package or at a store.  You can't buy it, sell it or ship it.  Real joy comes in the knowing that Christ comes for us, to be with us, to live with us, to love us, to give us peace and hope.  Real joy comes in knowing that after the crucifixtion, comes the resurrection.  Real joy comes in knowing there is another day.

Seek out your joy in the arms of God.  Find your Comforter in your midst. 

Luke 1:14
And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth
Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

I wish all of us great Tidings of Comfort and Joy.  And when you find it, sing JOY to the world and "repeat, repeat, the sounding joy!"

Where have you found your JOY?