Cuddly Critters

We spent the night at harvest festival. It was fun. NyCee played in the bounce houses and Tyler just rode around in the stroller.


The kids had a good time.

**side note** Most of the country changes time tonight. Arizona does not honor daylight savings time. So, if you are on the east coast, the time difference is two hours. If you are in the central time zone, it is one hour.

Cold Snap

Contrary to popular belief, it does get cold here in Phoenix. The past two days have been in the low 50s. It was so cold that I turned on the heat to knock off the chill in the house.

Of course tomorrow and the rest of next week, it will be 85 degrees or higher.

God In Me

Mary Mary has a song on their latest CD titled, "God in Me." Part of the lyrics are:

Your so fly your so high
Everybody around you trying to figure out why
Your so cool you win all the time
Everywhere you go man you get a lot of shine
You draw like a magnet better yet I have it
Everything you wear people say they got have it
From the sweat suit to the white tee to the Gucci
You can probably say people wanna get like me

But what they don't know is when you go home
And get behind closed doors man you hit the floor
And what they can't see is your on your knees
So the next time you get it just tell em

It's the God in me

Nevermore have those words rang so true in my life. This week has been pretty awesome. I think about how much I have grown in God and how He has developed me during my journey. I use to be very task-focused. I was always a good employee but not a good person. I thought the way to get to the top was to step on people along the way. But Jesus stated, "The son of man did not come to be served but to serve" (Matt 28:20). That is a powerful concept that I have begun to employ in my every day life.

This week, I have received several emails about my customer service and how appreciative people are of my willingness to help them. Some of the emails went straight to my manager. But today was the icing on the cake. I received a dozen white roses from one of the directors at the Dallas, TX location.



Let me clarify before my Grandma Martha gets all excited. (She has been encouraging me to get out and begin dating again. I will Grandma Martha. I promise.) The flowers were from the leadership team at the six locations attached to the central location. Mikal wrote me an email which read, "Everyone has nothing but nice things to say about you. I wanted you to know how special you are and how much we appreciate you." I have never had anyone say such awesome things about my service to them. Probably because I was so funky and mean, people only dealt with me because they had to.

I thought about my old boss, Allie Rue, and how she would smile had she been able to read the wonderful emails I have received this week. It is a complete 180 from the person I use to be. But it's not me. Rather, the God in me. God is amazing. When I stopped focusing on myself and started being people-focused, God made my service known publicly.

I am not a person that likes a lot of fluff and fairies. My mentor, Dionne, makes public acknowledgement of how I serve her all the time and it's quite embarrassing. I just do what God wants me to do with the right heart. I am not looking for recognition or fanfare. But because I don't look for it, God makes sure it happens.

Galatians 6:9 (Contemporary English Version)

"Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up."

Simplifying

In preparation for the upcoming months, I have begun to find ways to simplify my life. What I have realized is single parenting (although NOT God's plan) is a test of time management. My life is not hard, per se. It does require me to be a good steward over time.

Due to my children's ages, they are unable to actively contribute to the household. Meaning, completing chores, etc. Therefore, I have to do it all. While living with my parents, we used paper plates during the week and dishes on Sundays. That is what I have started doing. I would spend an hour every night washing the dishes. Add to that laundry, ironing, cleaning, school work, etc.

In January, my plan is to work a second job teaching online courses. Now, before you get all up in arms. (I can already here my grandparents in Alabama tell me I don't need to that. Just like my father when I told him the plan.) Please read this with an open mind.

Children need you at any age. However, they will need me more the older they get. Right now, I control their sphere of influence. I control their friends and where they go. As they get older and get in school, they will have outside influences and will have to make decision about whether or not they will follow God's design for their lives. That is when they will really need me.

I am the only parent they currently have. (As no one has yet recognized my fabnificentness.) I cannot miss every dance recital, swim meet, etc all in the name of working. A person will work hard at some point in life. Society has it backwards. It plays and goofs off young and then ends up working at 70, 80 years old because so many years were wasted. I would rather work hard at 35 than 65.

Besides, it's only 36 months. I will work two jobs to pay off my student loans. By the time I graduate with my doctorate, I will be completely debt free and have a great start on investments. NyCee will be in 1st grade. I am getting a doctorate so that I can teach which will allow flexibility in my schedule. I am not the traditional stay-at-home mom type of gal. But I do want to be home by the time my husband and children get home from school. Yet, I do not want to be home baking 4th of July cookies. Best of both worlds. But it is going to take some hard work.

I take care of my body. I eat healthy foods. The kids and I do not eat at lot sugar or fast foods. And I do rest contrary to popular belief. This 36 month journey will be for my family. And with God's grace, I will successfully run this portion of my race.

I thought of it in this context, how many hours would I spend watching TV a week if I weren't working and in school? On average, a person can spend 15 hours a week watching TV. And that is just Monday - Friday. If I put that time to use, God will redeem my time and reward my faithfulness.

Hebrews 11:6 (New Living Translation)

6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Preview

Last night, we went to the mall to get NyCee's lady bug costume. Well, that's not exactly true. I started looking for it last week. The first one I found was $30 and would have made her look like Madame Lady Bug. When I thought of letting her be a ladybug, my vision was not whore lady bug.

Thankfully, I found part of the lady bug costume for 1/2 off and I just have to finish the bottom.

And Tyler, will be a cuddly little frog. Harvest Festival is going to be so fun.

Just catching up

For the past few months, I have been trying to figure out if Tyler is a southpaw like his two aunts or not. I thought I figured it out tonight. He was eating his applesauce with the spoon in his left hand. Not 2 minutes after I took this picture, he switched the spoon to his right hand.


Nothing excitingly fabnificent has been going on with the Thompsons in the Valley of the Sun. The weather has been cooling off very nicely. The mornings are cold. This morning it was 58 degrees. But, the afternoons are generally around 85ish or so. The sky has been a beautiful light blue with just a few wisps of clouds draped against its backdrop.

We are preparing for Harvest Festival. I have Tyler's costume but I need to find NyCee's. I went to one store but I refused to pay $30 for a child's costume that she will wear one time. I have to find some time to pick it up this Saturday. Tyler has a hair cut in the morning, I need to grocery shop, and I was asked to volunteer at my church for about 2.5 hours before Saturday night service. Normally, I would go shopping Saturday night but I have ministry obligations to attend to. Thankfully, we are not down to sugar and ketchup but I just have to find the time. Oh and did I mention I have to get my oil changed? Wow, God give me the grace to do everything I need to do. In Jesus' Name!

No She Didn't

Around 1200a, Little Fred thought it would be a good idea to wake up crying. Why? I haven't a clue. But what's funny, is NyCee, who normally sleeps through almost anything, woke up as well. I heard her get out of bed, close the bedroom door, proceed to my room, climb in my bed and exclaim, "Mommy, I need to sleep in your room because buddy is crying and I can't sleep. I closed the door Mom."

She politely pulled up the covers and went back to sleep. WOW!

Things Removed

So lately, little Ms. Taylor has kicked up her game a notch. She has been testing the waters a little more than usual. No worries, this is why God gave mommies the one up. A couple of days ago, she thought it would be a good idea to tear pages out of her books. So I took away all the books for one day. Now, after reading time, she neatly stacks the books on the shelf.

She gets her hair combed on Tuesday nights because she has swimming class Tuesday mornings. Normally, I will let her watch a TV program while I comb her hair. Well, she chose to have a tantrum when I told her a particular program was off limits. I turned off the television. She then proceeded to cry even more. After a few minutes, she calmed down and asked if she could watch TV because she stopped having a tantrum. I replied, "No, you may not." And the TV remained in the off position.

Now, I know some of you are reading this and thinking, "Dayna, she is only three." Yeah no. NyCee is old enough to understand there are consequences for actions. If I started making excuses today for tantrums, then the excuses will continue when she is a teenager. My philosophy: little child, little problem. Big child, bigger problems.

Pumpkin Farm

We spent part of the morning at the pumpkin farm. This picture was actually taken as we were leaving, hence the long face on my daughter.

They decorated pumpkins,

That were selected from the pumpkin "patch." Notice the word "patch" is in quotations as it is used loosely. It was more of a patch of grass with pumpkins spread out for the kids' selection.


Little Fred and NyCee both enjoyed the hay maze.




Little Fred is not tall enough to stick his head through the animal cut out, but he stood on his toes and tried to peek through.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the pumpkins they decorated.

What to write?

My child puts on quite a show. She grabbed the towel and put it around her body exclaiming she was a superhero.

Gadget Girl

NyCee:"Mommy, May I send a text message to my daddy?"

Dayna: "Who taught you to send text messages?"

"Olivia."

Dayna: "Really?!?!?"

Why is it that my three (3) year old has the cognitive ability to send a text message; yet the concept of "go to your own bed" completely alludes her?