Ladies and "gentlemen"

Some morning TV show had a segment about gentlemen. Do they still exist and has the definition of a gentleman changed? It was interesting to hear the difference of opinion between the men and the women on the issue. The women expressed that gentlemen are disappearing and they want them back. The men insisted that they were still out there but you can not spot a gentlemen just because he is in a suit and tie. The men argued it was about self confidence and presence, while a gentleman to the women is someone that gives respect to others and is courteous and thoughtful. But apparently each group believes the gentlemen is there for them.
It made me wonder, as I am trying to raise a gentleman, what is a gentleman to me? Here are a few things I hope my son learns.

Treat everyone with respect. Not just people of influence and authority but the sales clerk, children, street people, and of course women.
Respect yourself enough to take care of yourself (hygienic, health conscious)
Cover you mouth and say "excuse me" when you cough, sneeze, or yawn.
Keep all forms of body gases for the bathroom.
Learn a firm handshake and look people in the eye
Open doors for females of all ages
Never curse in front of women or children. In fact, never curse.
Be honest.

I was just interrupted by Jonah who came in and said, " ladies and gentlemen? I thought it was gentle men and feisty women."

Well said my boy, well said.

So bloggers what is your favorite gentleman trait, or what do we need to add to our list?

UGH!

When we first moved into our house we often found dog poop on our front lawn. Once it was in the middle of our driveway, and once it was right in front of our front door. "oh hello, good morning" : (
The #1 reason we don't have a dog is because of the poop. I certainly don't want anyone elses. We have kids that play out there! So I staked it out and found out who it was. Our neighbor across the street just let her dog out off leash to go take care of business wherever she wanted to (as long as it wasn't her yard she didn't have to pick it up?) For a few weeks we tried to scare off the dog when she came around, it helped but I can't be guarding the house all day. I also need to mention that the dog has a SERIOUS flea problem. The poor thing has chewed off half her hair and neighborhood gossip is that the house is pretty infested too.
Finally I just approached our neighbor and said, hey, we are finding a lot of poop in the yard, and I'm not blaming anyone but would really appreciate it if you would walk you dog on leash. Of course she let me know that she usually does walk her dog on leash (NOT) and it wasn't her dog.
So the poop stopped landing in our yard yea! And our neighbor stopped talking to us. She wouldn't return a wave, wouldn't even look at us. Who cares as long as the poop is gone right? No, I'm just kidding. For the next 5 months I made sure I smiled real big and waved everytime I saw her and finally she melted and would wave to us again.
So we are back to normal, eveyone likes us again. One day after Deon had just come home from work the neighbor comes over and wants to hold Lily. Deon said "sorry I just got home I need her for a little while." He felt a little bad, but not really. Are we going to get the cold shoulder?
The next week she comes over with a baby gift. Yea we not gettng dissed again. She got Lily the cutest little pink Ugg Boots. So to make ammends Deon says "would you like to hold her?" We pass her off and the neighbor oohs and ahhhs and enjoy it.
Deon and I later hi-five each other for keeping our neighbor on our good side. I was feeling really good until the next morning when i found A FLEA on my baby!
So bloggers what do I do? I don't want to let her hold my baby again, or come in my house again. Am I overreacting or justified? What would you do?

baby tricks

Liliana just turned 5 months. Here is her latest trick. Ignore the annoying "mom voice" in the background.

SOLD!

I made these for an auction our church did to raise money for the Community Resource Outreach for Women. I haven't baked anything pretty for a while. It was fun. Piping with cream cheese icing was HARD. It was either too soft to hold shape or too firm (cold) to come out of the bag. But after a few hand cramps I squeezed these babies out. They sold for over $20. Which is good because the red food coloring for them alone cost over $6! yeah, two full bottles.
Kathi, I need your food photography skills- they were prettier in real life.

if only....

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play
two sports
and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must
take care of his 3 kids;
keep his assigned house clean,
correct all homework,
and complete science projects, cook, do laundry,
and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
with not enough money.

Each man
must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out
on time--no emailing.

Each man must also
take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.

He must make
one unscheduled and inconvenient
visit per child to the A & E.

He must also
make biscuits or cakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside
and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only
have access to television when the kids are asleep
and all chores are done.

The men must
shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn himself with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished
and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches,
and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or
slow down from other duties.

They must attend
weekly school meetings, church, and find time
at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to
read a book to the kids each night and in the morning,
feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and
comb their hair by 8:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information:
each child's birthday,
height, weight, shoe size, clothes size
and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name, favorite snack,
favorite song, favorite drink,
favorite toy, biggest fear and
what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island
based on performance.
The last man wins only if...
he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over
and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right
To be called Mom!

After you get done laughing,
send this to as many females as you
think will get a laugh out of it and
as many men as you think can handle it!
Just don't send it back to me....I'm going to bed!

Oh and with the holidays coming up let’s throw in a few turkeys, pies, Christmas shopping, present wrapping and all the holiday decorations. Thought you could begin this season with a laugh AND a reminder or just how important being a mother is. I admire you all.

Martin's Dream

I am not one to share feelings on my blog because I have difficulty articulating my feelings, but I feel like sharing this.

Last night, just after finding out that Barack Obama would be our next president, I was driving to the store on a milk run. I had a few minutes alone to think about what this meant for my country and more specifically my family. I had always felt that my children could be anything thing they wanted to be. But at that moment I realized that it wasn't really true. I guess growing up in a household that was so open and accepting of other races made me a little naive about how others may think. But at that moment, as I pondered how significant it is for us to have our first African American president, I realized all things really weren't a possibility for my black children... until now. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all those who have come before us and fought so hard and so long, for those who have lost their lives, and those who have dedicated their lives to make "all men equal" in America. It is a happy day and a proud day for ALL Americans.
-Kari

4 months

This is the post when I should be putting out Halloween pictures. but I don't have any. Marea dressed up for her dance class. We LOVE this froggy costume. So far all of my kids have worn it for at least one Halloween.













Liliana had her four month check up today. She had to have 6 immunizations! They combined three into one then she had two more injections and one oral. She didn't take a second nap :(
But check out these bandaids. Is this why my insurance premiums are so high...because we have blingged-out baby bandaids?
So Lily weighs 16 pounds (84%tile) and is 26 inches long (92%tile). Breast milk is magical.



My Girls