Life Out of Bounds

OK. PLEASE let me go shopping with you two. I can ...

2011-04-13T09:33:21.196-04:00

OK. PLEASE let me go shopping with you two. I can head north, I promise.

E, there is one at "The Walk" in Atlanti...

2011-04-11T09:40:19.809-04:00

E, there is one at "The Walk" in Atlantic City, the Premium Outlet Center in Jackson, NJ and of course in Philadelphia!

The shirt is by Trash & Luxury! You can find it here: http://www.trashandluxury.com/shop/MODA.html

Hey that shirt is super stylish & cute! Where&...

2011-04-08T12:42:18.225-04:00

Hey that shirt is super stylish & cute! Where'd you get it?

I bought a pair of heels from DSW last week and th...

2011-04-08T12:36:52.732-04:00

I bought a pair of heels from DSW last week and they paid me to buy them as well! They were $120 shoes, DSW paid me 1 cent!

Let me know if you need any help. :)

2011-04-06T19:20:46.757-04:00

Let me know if you need any help. :)

Oh No! That would explain why you haven't resp...

2011-04-05T20:38:49.513-04:00

Oh No! That would explain why you haven't responded to me :)

Erin posted about her favorites a few weeks back a...

2011-04-05T14:58:43.252-04:00

Erin posted about her favorites a few weeks back and I put my list on there. http://www.marriedtoaballer.com/favorite-iphone-apps/

I've also added this app -- wunderlist. I also like using Groupon and Living Social on my phone (no need to print most of them out this way). Shazam is awesome for me too, as I can never remember song titles and artists.

Those are a good start. :)

Did someone say outlet? Sign me up!

2011-04-05T09:11:59.691-04:00

Did someone say outlet? Sign me up!

It was awesome, Erin! Long story short, Purex she...

2011-04-03T13:32:05.320-04:00

It was awesome, Erin! Long story short, Purex sheets are .97 cents. I had a $1 off coupon good for one. So I bought 20 sheets at .97 cents each and used 20 $1 off coupons so my grand total was $19.40 and my coupon value $20.00 so Walmart gave my back .60 cents. Walmart has a new policy that if the coupon value is more than the actual cost they have to give you the money back! Did I totally just confuse you? HA!

I have got to know if you only purchased the Purex...

2011-04-03T11:12:34.164-04:00

I have got to know if you only purchased the Purex sheets at Wal-Mart and got money back b/c that would have been fabulous!

Let's do it! Where is the BR outlet? Serious...

2011-04-03T10:40:03.132-04:00

Let's do it! Where is the BR outlet? Seriously, I want you to be my personal shopper!

You girls are hilarious! I do remember when I was...

2011-04-03T10:17:20.981-04:00

You girls are hilarious! I do remember when I was pregnant I wanted to wear nothing that was flattering; anything big and comfy was perfect for me. Now I feel like when I do wear something pretty stylish I end up with dirt or something of Jayden's on it!

We may have to take a trip to an outlet center this summer! There is nothing better than Banana Republic jeans for $1.97! What do ya say ladies?!

I'm with Erin. I think you look great, even if...

2011-04-03T10:12:27.671-04:00

I'm with Erin. I think you look great, even if Adam is making fun of your striped shirt. ;-) I'd love to have someone shop for me. I never really thought I was stylish, though I thought I made some big strides in France. Once I got pregnant though-- not so stylish again. I'm ok with that. I once told my step-mom that I thought I was kind of stylish. She told me she thought I always dressed really conservatively. Now that I work in DC, I definitely have found that I dress sharp, but I am still not stylish. LOL! I'm ok with that too. So...when will you start sending me pics of clothes I could wear? LOL!

Girl, you have got to be kidding me. If you style...

2011-04-02T10:08:37.172-04:00

Girl, you have got to be kidding me. If you style is struggling now, you must have been amazing before b/c I think you always look great. In fact, I want to hire you as my personal shopper to come help me pick out clothes!

LOL - I am known for yelling at refs but referring...

2011-03-28T13:56:40.173-04:00

LOL - I am known for yelling at refs but referring to them as "sir." Somehow I feel as though it justifies the not so nice comments out of my mouth!

Thanks for the link, Kearstin. I think being the &...

2011-03-24T10:12:40.408-04:00

Thanks for the link, Kearstin. I think being the "Knowledgeable Wife" and "The Critic" almost always go hand in hand. When you really understand the game, it's hard not to speak up when something's gone wrong!

Ha ha! Wait until you read my post. :) BTW-- I ha...

2011-03-24T09:36:23.171-04:00

Ha ha! Wait until you read my post. :)

BTW-- I have never called a ref "sir." for the record.

Thanks so much, K. You are go above and beyond as...

2011-03-19T09:18:03.211-04:00

Thanks so much, K. You are go above and beyond as always with your encouraging words.

Oddly enough, a lot of this reminds me of TB's...

2011-03-14T21:07:13.769-04:00

Oddly enough, a lot of this reminds me of TB's questioning on what it means to be dead as well. It seems to have all come together. Plus, his classmate had a grandparent die, so death is on his mind. It definitely poses some HARD questions when you try to explain it to a child, which I know you understand all too well!

Thanks for you help ladies. Adam and I both agree...

2011-03-14T10:24:06.681-04:00

Thanks for you help ladies. Adam and I both agreed we need to let him be a boy and allowed him to explore and be playful but still have limits. I really don't like the word "kill" so instead we are trying to use "I am going to GET you!" We have tried to but in when Jayden tells us the bad guys are "dead" and instead use they went to jail. So far, so good but let's just pray it continues!

And Leigh, gotta love your girls! ;)

Olivia says she is going to "Bonk them on the...

2011-03-10T09:39:39.530-05:00

Olivia says she is going to "Bonk them on the head"...so maybe it is the boy vs. girl thing :)

I agree with Maria about needing to let boys be bo...

2011-03-09T23:18:05.441-05:00

I agree with Maria about needing to let boys be boys. I think there is something God-given inside of these guys that feels a need to protect the weak and to restore justice, which in many ways is a good thing.

We have never had to deal with the words because we started out saying "get the bad guys" and none of our kids has ever said otherwise. Never really realized that until now, so thanks for this post.

Some other topics we have been more proactive to hit upon though are:
1. Fighting is NOT the first option. When someone does something wrong, our first option is to walk away.
2. God is the ultimate restorer of justice, so we can trust Him when someone does something wrong.
3. At the same time, we want Elijah to be a defender of the weak. We are always telling the kids to stand up for someone who is weaker and being treated wrong. That may just be saying a strong word for them, it may be telling an adult, etc.

A bit more than you asked there, so I guess the main answer to your question is we use the word "GET" for the bad guys ;)

I actually posted an article about this last week....

2011-03-09T16:51:15.971-05:00

I actually posted an article about this last week. I'll post a link at the end of this message. I was struggling with the same thing with TB, who is generally very compassionate and loving, and it was kind of alarming to me. After reading the article, I found my thoughts about violent play and boys changed a bit, though we do spend a lot of time talking about the difference between play and real life, and what really happens when you are violent.

Generally, in the long run, allowing TB to experiment through play his own way and work it out, I believe, will serve him far better than suppressing it (to be released at a time when it will be completely inappropriate or FAR more dangerous -- i.e. with a real gun!). Instead of forbidding it, we engage him and talk about it. I ask questions like what makes a bad guy? good guy? I ask about the story he is creating in his mind.

That being said, we do not generally buy him or allow him to have toy weapons. He has used a nerf gun before, and we have one in our home, but he has to ask to use it and use it with an adult. He's more interested in making the darts stick to the wall than anything, and there is a strict, do not point it at people rule. He does sometimes make up his own toy weapons (i.e. swords out of balloons), but I like that he is creative in coming up with it.

BTW-- I know it might sound like a lot of talking, but TB is a talker. Non-stop. I wouldn't change it for the world, even when I am wishing for 1 minute of silence. :)

I am sure this seems contradictory to our non-violent home, but I really think that the play is healthy for children, especially boys. It's my job as his parent (and Kevin's too) to teach him the limits within which it works though (i.e. real guns kill people).

One of the topics pointed to in the article is the need to feel in control, so if there have been changes or Jayden is feeling insecure about something, it might manifest in violent play. I'm not saying that is the case, but for us, it definitely played in to the situation, as violent play entered when we moved.

http://www.mothering.com/parenting/bang-bang-youre-dead

I'm not sure if this is helpful at all, but it wasn't but a couple of weeks ago I found that article, which really helped me evolve my thinking a bit.

Thanks for your opinions ladies! Means a lot to m...

2011-03-02T09:28:34.650-05:00

Thanks for your opinions ladies! Means a lot to me!

Erin, My dad and I danced to "Cinderella" by Steven Chapman at our wedding! A beautiful song and amazing artist!

Maria, Chris Tomlin is one of my favorites! His "Awakening" song gets me everytime!

Wow. I don't really listen to as much music th...

2011-03-01T14:00:20.046-05:00

Wow. I don't really listen to as much music these days unless it is while I am running. Your post reminded me just how much I like having music playing, so I need to get back to it and now I have great ideas on some new stuff to download. I think this is one reason I go through ruts-- I don't take the time to see what is available, so I stop downloading new stuff and need a break from the old.

Some of my favorites right now:
Audrey Assad
Chris Tomlin "Arriving"
"Here I am to Worship" (It's a bunch of worship songs from various artists)
Jennifer Knapp "Kansas" and "Letting Go" though I like her work in general
Newsboys -- OK, The Breakfast Song is something I could wake up to daily. I like their other work too, but I love the way this one makes me smile though I wouldn't necessarily call it worship.
Lacrae

And my favorite song of all: The Happy Song on "Here I Am to Worship" CD.