I WON

I won an award!!!
It's the "I heart your blog" Award.
OH my, oh my.
First off I'd like to thank the academy, and then of course my husband, and my precious boys who give me things to write about. And I couldn't have done it without you, all of my fans...

THANKS CHRISTIAN!!

There are all kinds of things I have to do now, but I am so giddy I can't think straight. I'll take care of it as soon as I can.

Okay, I am a moron and I can't figure out how to post the little picture of my award. HELP.

Wordless Wednesday

This is how you read at 6 months.
He's showing me what he wants from the Fisher Price Catalog.
Aye yai yai.

Old Saying

Remember this saying?

"A minute on the lips is a lifetime on the hips."

Well according to one of my magazines we will consume on average 619 more calories per day in November and December. YIKES.

Any ideas on how you will outsmart the temptations of the holidays???

Wedded Bliss Among Other Things

This past weekend Mr. Dunbar and I went to the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends. (Old in friendship, not in age.)

Kristina finally got married. It was so great to see her. I hardly ever do now. She is a high-powered executive person who takes the subway at 11pm and dines in fancy restaurants. And her beau is just perfect for her because he does the same and they love that lifestyle. (Which is so so different from mine.)

My other oldest and dearest friend also flew in from the east coast. Nicole is brutally honest and histerically funny with her quick wit.

I love them both dearly. Seeing them brought a flood of memories back to my mind. Too many to type...

And although the three of us live in different states in different parts of the country our friendship remains. Its a precious gift. You know what the beauty of childhood friendship is? Its that those people love you and know you for you.

For me these girls were there before the make-up, before the zits and the crazy raging horomones.

They knew me when big bangs were in and MC Hammer was cool.

They knew me when my heart was first broken.

They walked together with me down that graduation aisle.

They stood beside me when I walked down the church aisle.

They smiled and said a prayer when my babies were born.

They encourage me in my marriage and motherhood.

They know me. My crazy, self-possessed, critical thoughts. And they still keep calling me their friend. Wild, I know.

Sunday Thought...

You know...

My true life story.
You know you are a mom of boys when you go to get a bandaid and your choices are camoflauge bandages or Diego Bandaids.
You know you are a mom of boys when they poop, look at it, and say "Hey Mommy, its a triangle." And it is. Who can poop in a triangle???
You know you are a mom of boys when the game in the bathtub is throw the baby whale at the wall and try to make it bounce off of the baby brother's head.
You know you are a mom of boys when you let them wear new shoes to school and they come home after only 3 hours looking like this:

Books for the season

I love children's books. I love the creativity and the naivety of them. I love their illustrations. So, in honor of the election and all that is happening in the media, I thought I'd share what books the Dunbar's are reading.

Duck For President

Hilarious. I think more so for me, than the lil ones. What a rich vocabulary this book contains. Words such as election, governor, campaign trail, Secret Service... the list goes on. It also has a couple of big people jokes, too. Like the Duck playing the saxophone.

My Teacher For President

By far my favorite this month. A student gives reasons why his teacher should be President. /For example she likes white houses and she is used to being followed everywhere. There is also a sort of where's waldo aspect as we try to find all of the Secret Service Agents. (You can get this one for the bargain price of $6.99. So worth it!)

America The Beautiful

Moms get ready to sing the lyrics to this song. The photos are worth talking about with your kids, it shows America from sea to shining sea. (Okay, apparently my version is a little old, but still a beautiful song.) Truly worth teaching your kids.

The Flag We Love

The vocabulary in this book is atleast a fourth grade level, but still worth reading to your children for the exposure and expansion to their lexicon. Also, it has prevalent historical facts under the poem, a great refresher for your US History knowledge.

Okay, so go get your kids some books. If buying them is out of the question this month, there is always your local library or school library. Have fun. And remember just how important it is to read to your kids daily.

Chunk

Bogie wants to walk. He wants to do everything his big brother does. Does this mean he won't stay a baby for as long?? I guess so.

I am so sad.

Look at those chunkie legs!! I just love to squeeze them.

Will it continue?

He worked oh so very hard on this task. Nobody asked him to, I mean come on who makes their almost 3 year old pick up the dog poop?

Not I.

He just took it upon himself. Do you think it'll be this easy when he's almost 13?

Powers that Be

Bogie fell asleep on me this afternoon. So I held him and watched the palm trees that line our street sway in the wind. It gave me a few minutes to think about my morning. We had a really powerful sermon at church this morning.

Well it was powerful to me, you see, I am a patriot.

I love being an American.

I am proud to be an American.

I am thankful to be an American.

I do not take for granted that I am an American.

You see, I was in the Air Force for 20 years. Well, no, not actually me, I wasn't enlisted. If that was the case I would have had to have signed up before I turned 10 and last time I looked they weren't letting kids sign-up. Anyhow, my dad served 20 years. Which in turn means that my mom served 20 years also. (Military wives work just as hard as the been they stand behind.) I have seen the sacrifices that some choose to make for this country. I don't just mean war either. I mean the life of serving this country so that the rest of us can go to sleep in peace on any day of any season of any year.

Okay, back to church. We were urged to pray for our leaders. We were urged to pray for McCain and Palin as well as Obama and Biden. Now, no, I am not going to go on a rant of who I believe should be president and why. You can make your own choice based on your own knowledge. What I would like to say is that if you are a Christian please pray for all of these people including the Office of President and whomever wins. (Whether or not its your choice.) Its our duty as Christians;
"I urge you, first of all to pray for ALL people. Ask God to help them; intercede on thier behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity."1 Timothy 2:1-4

I used to hold our President in high esteem because he is the President and because I was raised to believe that he deserves it. I continue to hold the President in high esteem as an adult because that is what I am called to do as a Christian. And its not just the president, its all of our governing authorities.

As an American I have the right to voice my opinion and to vote to get my say. I may not agree with the politicians on a lot of issues, but I will continue to pray for them. I will pray for thier families and their advisors and their children. I hope you'll join me.
If you're not a christian and you've gotten this far; WOW. Thanks for reading through my ramblings. I hope you will also vote because you are an American.

(I can't figure out how to get the pictures side by side...)

Favorite Place

Okay I have a new favorite place...

The Home Depot.

I bought paint. Pictures to follow soon.

Cleaning the house

Don't I wish I could take a waterhose to my house right now???

I'm off to clean the bathroom for like the 100th time this week. Monkey has decided to put his hand up and tell me "NO MOMMY!! I do it myself!!" Meaning, "I"m going to pee and get some of it in the toilet and the rest on the floor."

Why did God insist on creating a species that can't aim??? But I am thankful for a bathroom. (And for 800 mg Ibuprofen, my wrist is killing me.)

Anyhow, clorox, clorox, and more clorox will be poured into my bathroom this week until I come up with a better (more eco-friendly) way to kill the stench.

Economic Times

Dow plunges 733 as new data points to recession

Well Yahoo finally stated that we are OFFICIALLY in a recession. Scary! So so scary. If you're like me you probably don't even want to open up all of your financial statements this month. The one that will pain me the most will be the college account. Although I like being home, I know that it is probably inevitable I will have to go back to work eventually, if I'd like my husband to retire before he's 80. So our retirement account has time, but the college fund. AGH. I have this dream of them going to school wherever they want and not having to worry about student loans and grants and finances... Mr. Dunbar and I both were able to go without worry. This is what I want for my boys. Okay, I digress.
So my first question is where have you seen the hardest hit? And my second question is what have you done about it? Clipping coupons, turning off lights, fewer trips to Starbucks? Anyone done anything more strategic? I want to know!!! Come on, give me some comment love!! I'll give you a candy! (That usually works in the Dunbar House.) Seriously what are you doing??? Working mommas? SAHMommas? Guys??

Matthew 6:25 (Whole Chapter) “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

So, I'm not worried just trying to plan.

Game Face

We got to go to the Dodgers Play-Off game on Sunday. Check out our game faces! Ha.

I walked back into the house and put my camera down, bad move. I left it on the ottoman, so there are no pictures of the game. BUMMER!

We had a good time and they won. Maybe we brought them good luck.

Thankful for...

My bloggy friend over at the Extraordinary Ordinary challenged us to write about things we are good at as a mom.
So here are my thoughts on thankfulness for things I think I am pretty good at:
(They are in no particular order...)

1. Wearing bandanas to Target as a pirate family.
2. The ability to draw all of the planets along with their moons.
3. Scheduling nail trimming on Sunday nights, toes first.
4. Looking my boys in thier eyes when I talk with them, they deserve that respect. (Mr. Dunbar brought this to my attention a few months ago and I have been working on this daily.)
5. Running around in the grass to play soccer, golf, baseball, football, and any other game that involves a ball.
6. Praying with my lil men daily.
7. Planning for their futures in their bank account (dollars), heaven account (prayers), and muscle mass account (semi-healthy meals.)
8. Trying to love their dad in a way that will show them what a wife truly looks like.
9. Encouraging intelligence, wit, bravery, honesty, and godliness.
10. Reading to them and striving to expand their vocabulary.

I am thankful for my boys daily. I am thankful that I get to share my life with them, and I'm thankful for someone challenging me to write these down.

Love- How do you receive it?

One of the things that Mr. Dunbar and I are totally committed to is our marriage. We have been a couple for 8 years now and married for almost 5. (Three weeks until the big anniversary.) Anyhow, when we first started dating I would buy him all sorts of things. Shirts, flip flops, t-shirts, and any other gadget I thought he needed or would like. Each time they were greeted with a smile, a small "Thanks", and then gently tossed aside. I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Mr. Dunbar on the other hand was always telling me how pretty I was or how I could do this or that. He constantly had something nice to say. "What I nice guy," I thought. But still, I couldn't wait for him to buy me something. (I know you're thinking I wanted a ring and yes, I would eventually, but at this point in our relationship I would have settled for a gift card or even a CD!) You see, we were missing each others love language. I was doing for him what I thought would show him I loved him and he was doing for me what he thought would show me love. About a year into dating we found out about the five love languages and the lights went on.

I am a total gifts person. Along with quality time and touch. Followed by acts of service and then words of affirmation.

Mr. Dunbar is a words of affirmation person and acts of service person. Followed by touch, quality time, and then pulling in the rear: gifts.

Do you see our dillema? We are total opposites in the way we receive love. Once we figured this out and then started to make an effort to "love on" the other the way they liked to be loved, boom, bam, schaaazam. Things started to click.

So take this quiz and figure out what you are. I'd love to know.

Two Peas in A Pumpkin

Welcome to the Pumkin Patch.

We love to climb like Pirates.
Slide like slippery Nemo fish.
Drop down a Wall of fire.
and call it a night.

Happy Autumn!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

I'ts just been one of those days. Not a crazy can't wait till its over day and not a so super exciting kind of day. Just another day. One more day to cross off on the calendar. Until I had a moment. I seem to be living my life by moments right now, but I digress.
Monkey went to school this morning and when I went to go pick him up I was about 10 minutes early. So I was peeking in the blinds to check on my child in his own element. The element away from Mommy. He was doing well. He said "Please" and "Thank-you" to the teacher for his playdoh, without even having to be prompted. He dropped something and got down to pick it up. He shared with his neighbor friend. And I stood there with Bogie in my arms in awe.
I was in awe because he is my Little Man. And he's growing so fast. Not so long ago, it was Monkey that would have been in my arms and Bogie would have still been a dream. But my life has expanded. My heart has grown. And before I know it Bogie will be sitting in that same chair, (with the same teacher-hopefully) and I again will be looking in through that window. And then it will be a different window, the kindergarten window and then there will be no more peeking because it would just be SO embarassing to have your mom peeking in on you. Sigh. I know my days with my Little Men are numbered. Tear. They are only so little for such a short time. Another sigh.
From the deepest spot of my being I pray that I will raise good Godly gracious MEN.
Thank you Mr. Dunbar for sacrificing so much so that I can be here for them (and YOU!)

Wordless Wednesday

Homemaking 101

I like to live with order. I've said before I am a planner and I plan my days. But there is something my mom taught me about homemaking and making a home. My schedule before Mr. Dunbar gets home is always the same; have dinner either in the process or complete, be refreshed, clean the kids, and put on a smile. Now, does this happen every single day? NO Way! Not with my lil' demanding men. But I try and I pray that I will continue to refine my late afternoons, so that my home is a haven for my man.

I ran into the following on someone else's blog. (Sorry I can no longer find it, so I can't give credit. Really truly sorry.) But the following ideas came from a 1950's Home Economics textbook. Little did I know that I was born into the wrong decade!

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
• Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
• Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.
The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
Taken from a 1954 high school economics class textbook

What do you think about this?

Moments

There are some moments that I can not wait to share with everyone, even all of you out there in the Blogoshpere. But I had a moment that I want to keep to myself. My heart took an eternal picture. Because behind these two doors are two of God's greatest creations.

Two of his angels are napping.

Groovy...

My friend Casey so graciously let me have some "summer" outfits for Bogie. (I mean come on now its OCTOBER and we are still in 90 degree weather.) Anyhow, back to Casey, she gave me tons of great clothes for the lil man and I just couldn't help but turn him into my lil hippie with one of the outfits she gave me.
Thanks for the clothes, it was way groovy! We totally appreciate them and you.

The Great En-counter

As I was feeding Bogie this morning I could hear Monkey playing with his play-doh in the kitchen. I thought to myself "Great, they're both occupied." Two minutes later Monkey walks out of the kitchen with a cookie in his hand. Huh? Its like 7am!! Okay, maybe... I don't know. Maybe I left one out or something, I remember seeing one left over in a baggie from my lunch a few days ago. No biggie.
He goes back to play at his table.
I go back to feeding Bogie.
Two minutes later, again he walks out eating another cookie. This time I ask him "Where did you get that cookie?" He responds "In the kitchen." Well, duh?? I know that.
Next minute he's back with a third cookie. Okay, this is it, I am up with Mom Radar on.
"Monkey, show me where you got the cookie from."
"Okay, Mommy."
And whaalaa...



Do you see those big drawers to the bottom left? Those horizontal handles? Well those handles apparently make a very good ladder for a pre-school climber. Great- Does BabiesRUs make a gadget to go over them? Notice how close he is to my knife set too....

In the Spirit

In the spirit of having a crappy Monday, Tuesday, and now Wednesday, along with nothing to write about because my brain is FRIED. I am going to say
" I love my husband."

I can't wait for him to walk through the door everyday. I count the hours, and when we are close enough to his arrival I count the minutes. Mr. Dunbar walks in the door everyday with a smile, no matter what, even if the car was overheating because its 115 degrees outside or he had a crucial conversation at work. I am always guaranteed that he has a smile, a hug, and a smooch ready for me and the boys.

I just love him dearly. He works so hard to provide for our family, not only financially, but spiritually, emotionally, physiolgically and any other ally you can come up with.

This is us about a month ago. Doesn't he look hot???

Would've, Could've, Should've

Do you live your life with a would've, could've, should've attitude? Do you constantly think on past incidents and regret your actions?

Most of the time I don't. I am a planner. I plan everything, as much as I can. I like to be in control. There are very few instances that I have the would've, could've, should've thinking on the brain.

But yesterday, if I would have known this would happen, I could've stayed right there and directed the process, I probably should have noticed it would happen.


Only scroll down if you are brave ...








Yup that's right. POOP! ON the FLOOR! In a trail... leading to the potty. Poor kid tried to make it, how could I get mad? For my friends who are preggers or have new borns... look what you have to look forward to. For those of us with potty-training kids, ughh, I don't even know what to say. God and I are going to talk about instances like these when I see him face to face.

I know its gross, but still, it should make you think that your day is better than this right?