You Know That You Are A Stay At Home Mom If...

-you cannot function or think in the morning without a cup of coffee, no matter how many hours of sleep you had.

-your clothes have food and snot all over them, and you know that it was not from you.

-you look forward to nap time, some days more than others.

-your toddler brings you a bag of cheetos and you contemplate serving them for breakfast.

-you say things like "don't lick the shopping cart" - "we are not eating uncooked spaghetti noodles for snack"

-at the request of your toddler, you turn on the Halloween lights, even though it is daylight and no one can see them.

-you thought that you were the CEO of house, but clearly the one wearing diapers is calling the shots.

-you questioned your intelligence because you cannot figure out why a toilet paper roll us so much fun to unravel.

-you are tempted to watch "The Polar Express" everyday because you know that your toddler won't move during it.

-you don't know what "me time" is and are wondering where to buy some of it.

-taking a shower is the highlight of your day.

-the sight of left over pizza in the fridge makes you smile.

-it takes you 2 hours to leave the house, on a good day.

-your toddler poops between changing his diaper and loading him in the van.

-you drive a van.

-tickle fights are a part of your daily routine.

-you believe that the person who decided to put DVD players in vehicles should rank right up there with the President.

-you have spent many days in your pj's.

-you only know that the weekend is here because you see "Garage Sale" signs everywhere.

-you let your toddler play with his Christmas present in the store to keep him quiet.

And finally, you know that you are a stay at home mom if, you would not change your job for the world.

Thanks Grant for keeping life interesting!

All Things Possible,
Stephanie

Fourteen Percent

So, I have been sick for a long time. To be exact, I have been sick for about 21 months - since Grant was born. I have not been sick non-stop, but pretty often.

This summer has been terrible. I have been sick a lot. For the most part, I know which foods make me sick....but I have also come across some mystery foods. These "mystery foods" may make me sick one day, but other days I am able to eat them.

Why would I let this go for so long? I am stubborn. VERY stubborn. However, in August I gave in and went to the doctor. I simply could not take the pain any longer and I was sick of being sick. I was also sick of not being able to eat what I wanted.....sick of trying to eat healthy. I just wanted to eat a giant banana split...and move on with my life......you know what I mean??

After a blood test and ultrasound I found out that nothing was wrong.

A couple of weeks ago I had some strange attack thing happen to me while in Home Depot. It hurt to breathe....it hurt to walk....it hurt to talk......it hurt to think. I must add that although I was in horrible pain - Alisha and I still managed to pick out an awesome paint color and some other supplies for her basement.....we are just good like that :)

After that wonderful adventure, I requested to have another test done. I must add that my wonderful mom pushed for this test - mothers know everything!!!

Anyhoo, the doctor's office called this afternoon with some GREAT news.....my gallbladder is not functioning properly.....it is functioning at a whopping 14%.

This is great news to me because I knew that something was wrong. AND I am very excited to start feeling better. AND I am very excited to possibly eat a big, fat, banana split - or something just as unhealthy!!!!!

I go to the doctor on Monday to get more information about my disobedient gallbladder. I will post more information when I know more. I'm sure that ALL of you are dying to know more and that you won't sleep until you know more details.

Yeah....there is something wrong with me ;)

All Things Are Possible,
Stephanie

Keep Your Arms And Hands Inside Of The Ride......

When I was younger my dad, uncle, cousin, and I would go to Cedar Point each year. This was not, however, your average Cedar Point trip. We would wake up early, leave the house early, and arrive to the park early. This trip only happened once a year and it was very important to us that it was done right.

When it came to our annual trip we followed a couple of rules:

1. Water rides are over-rated: "we can stay at home and play with the hose" -Dad

2. Spinney rides are a waste of time: "we can just spin in a circle at home" -Dad

3. Never enter the park on Father's Day: No comment.......

Each year we packed into a car, stopped at McDonald's for breakfast, and drove non-stop the rest of the way to the park. We always arrived to the park as it was opening. As we pulled in we could see the tops of coasters as they started their day. We could see a handful of lucky folks who managed to make it on the rides first, without waiting in line.

After setting our cooler on a picnic table, and turning our tickets in, the day began. We walked through the gate - telling the photographer that we did not want a souvenir picture taken - my dad mostly likely said something to the tune of "we can get our pictures taken at home."

On the other side of the gate - wonderful. The sight of people scrambling to their ride of choice, the sound of roars coming from the top of hills, and the smell of corn dogs in the air - a recipe for an awesome day.

We always rode the Blue Streak first. It was tempting to jump to the bigger and better coasters, but we enjoyed starting small and working our way up to the big thrills. My dad enjoyed the history behind the Blue Streak and I looked at the coaster as an appetizer.

Sometimes the lines were very long. Sometimes the lines were short. Sometimes the lines seemed long, but moved quickly. If you were lucky there was a cool mist blowing and plenty of shade. As we zig-zagged through the line - watching the same people zig-zag along with you - the anticipation for the ride grew.

We would ride non-stop for the entire day. Food and bathroom breaks were quick and we never visited a shop or played carnival games. Not only did we arrive when they opened - we stayed until they closed. There was a reason why my uncle and cousin would come with us - they were also serious. They were not there for "sissy-ness" and giggles. Their agenda match ours and they followed our 3 rules :)

The days at Cedar Point always exceeded our expectations. We loved spending the day bouncing from coaster to coaster - thrill to thrill. There was nothing better than feeling the wind in your face and your stomach drop. There was nothing better than waving your hands in the air and coming to a screeching halt at the conclusion of the ride. There was nothing better than screaming at the top of your lungs and hearing "click, click, click" as you climbed a hill.

As I grew older, went to college, and got married our Cedar Point trips became less and less. We were able to go here and there, but did not go each year. We did take a trip together after Brad and I got married. At the beginning of our wedding ceremony my dad gave us two Cedar Point tickets and whispered in our ears "life is a roller coaster, enjoy the ride."

Six and a half years later we are on "the ride" or should I say another ride.

Over the years we have made the drive, turned in tickets, pack coolers, and waited in line. Brad and I struggled early in our marriage with employment. It took us 3 years to find jobs that we enjoyed and that were stable. As our friends found jobs, moved into homes - we wondered why we could not find jobs and only dreamed of owning a home one day.

God answered our prayers. He blessed us with jobs, a home, and a wonderful - beautiful - amazing son. We thought that our ride was over. We thought that the park had closed. We thought that it was time to reminisce about "our day."

Perhaps I was distracted by the fact that it was our wedding day, perhaps I was so excited to receive Cedar Point tickets, perhaps I just didn't listen. I somehow missed the part when my Dad said "life is a roller coaster....."

I have mentioned before that I feel like we are on a roller coaster. I have felt so up and down about quitting my job, I have felt up and down about staying at home, and I most certainly have felt up and down about playing the "one income" game.

Lately I have realized that quitting my job, staying at home, and following a path that God has laid before me is just the beginning of this ride.

Our annual Cedar Point trip parallels our current situation. We have asked people to join our ride in prayer and support......we want to jump to the big thrill, but know that we need wait and be patient......we hope that the line to a solution is short.

For the most part, this ride is better than our first ride. We have grown in our faith and have a better understanding of what we stand for.

The most enjoyable part of this ride is knowing that God is in the first car. We have put our faith in His coaster and have jumped in for the ride.

There have been, and I assume there will still be, parts of the ride that we do not like. There are moments in this ride that are not full of thrills, there are tunnels on this ride and we cannot always see what is going to happen next.

There are also parts of the ride that we enjoy. It is a thrill to know that we are living in His will - doing what we believe He is asking us to do.

In the moments that I want to bail off this coaster - I realize what I am about to do and jump back into my car. This ride is SO FULL of ups and downs, but it feels safe.

It the meantime, we hold tight and hold on. A good friend reminded me last night "where He takes you, He will meet your needs." I am a little concerned about "meeting our needs," but I am most concerned about where He is taking us. We know that He is taking us somewhere - we have faith that our needs will be met once we arrive.

I just hope that all of this happens before the park closes...... :)

All Things Are Possible,
Stephanie Miller

No Need For Words......

Hold the Name Tags and Pass the Potty Seat

As I thumbed through the ads on Thanksgiving Afternoon, I stumbled upon something that I could not live without, I simply had to have.

I'm not sure why I was even looking at the ads because at 32 weeks pregnant I had vowed that I would not go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I was not interested in the crowds, people, and not to mention lugging my big self in and out of stores.

Usually the day after Thanksgiving is a big day for us. We get up in the middle of night, stand in line with crazy people, fight over merchandise with crazy people, and crawl through parking lots filled with crazy people. After a long day of shopping we return home, unload the trunk, feel the pain of empty pocket books, re-heat turkey leftovers, and realize that indeed.....we are those "crazy" people.


What did I find on this particular Thanksgiving day? What did I have to buy? What could I not live without? A glider. I had to have a glider and most pregnant women would agree that a half off glider is worth a little shopping trip in the middle of the night.

We set the alarm. Slept for several hours. Woke up. Headed to Babies R Us. Exciting, huh?! I was freaking out.....sure that there would be a huge line and I would lose my glider. Brad reassured me that I was not exactly after a "big ticket" item and that I would be fine.

Sure enough. Like 10 pregnant women and their husbands line up outside of the store. It was cold and dark. I had to pee...

The store opened. The line slowly waddled into the store. Many women headed to the bathroom before getting their merchandise. I hauled to the furniture desk and purchased my glider.

We threw the box in the van, headed home and went back to bed.

My new glider was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted. It was on sale and it matched (I am obsessed over things matching) Grant's room.

The glider sat in the corner of his room. Over the next several weeks we slowly got his room ready.....paint.....border....furniture..... Of course, everything matched. Remember.... I am obsessed.

I rocked in the glider as Brad put all of the furniture together, I rocked in the glider as I read, and most importantly....I rocked my newborn in the glider.

Many hours were spent in that glider. I remember rocking Grant when he was itty-bitty. There were times when it took everything inside of me not to fall asleep. There were times when it took forever for him to fall asleep. There were even times when he fell right to sleep and I sat there forever.....too tired to get up and put him in his bed.

As I rocked Grant....it seemed as though his room changed before my eyes. Suddenly there were less burp clothes and more toys. The newborn smell was long gone and a "1st Birthday" balloon drifted in the air. He needed a nightlight and hooks (rest assure...the hooks matched his bedding set) to hang his hats.

I watched shoes fill his closet and his crib go to the big boy setting. Teeth filled his pink gums and he learned how to pull his pants up on his own.

Many things have changed over time....but one thing has not changed.....well okay two things.....

#1 - God has blessed us with a precious gift. Grant has been a blessing through all of his ages and stages. As he grows in height.....he also grows in attitude and independence. I cherish every moment with him and cannot wait for all of his future ages and stages :)

#2 - The glider is still sitting in the same spot. It has only been moved this way and that.

I still rock Grant to sleep for nap and bedtime. Although he is slowly growing out of my arms....I enjoy rocking him.

This afternoon I was rocking Grant for his nap. After he fell asleep I held him and analyzed the glider......hence this post......

Over the past year and a half there has been a lot of rocking in the glider, however there has also been a lot of thinking while rocking the glider. This afternoon I reflected on the past year that our family has had together.

I remembered the times that I wondered what it would be like to be a stay at home mom, I remembered the times that I wondered how in the world I could ever be a stay at home mom because I loved my job, I remembered the times that I was so exhausted from a looooong day at work that I wondered how I had the strength to continue being a working mom, I remembered the times that I questioned God's plan.

I remembered the times that I questioned why God would send me to Bethel College.....bless me with a degree and a great job.....then ask me to quit.

It seemed as though God was not really sure what he was doing. Like He sent me to Bethel....gave me 4 awesome years there.....and then blessed me with a great job. Then one day, He was like "hmmm.....I haven't rocked Stephanie's world in a while......"

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
God DID know what He was doing last fall (like He really needed me to confirm that) when He spoke to me about my job.

It seemed as though God had some big thing that was going to happen, immediately, if we decided to follow Him.

Last fall, when I started the new school year I had no idea that it would be my last. A year later I see "back to school" commercials and hear about teachers setting up there rooms. Not me. I am staying put. Instead of hanging borders - I spent my morning in 12 minute intervals as Grant tried his hardest to use the potty :) Instead of buying work clothes - I spent my morning in sweatpants. Instead of loading teaching supplies into my van - I rocked my little blessing to sleep.

We have had a lot of little blessings happen to us during this year. It has been a great year - waiting to see what God has planned and watching His blessings fall upon us.

All of God's little blessings are leading to something big. God is speaking to us....we can feel it in our bones :)

Although His plan or purpose for me quitting my job was not shown to us immediately - the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together. We are very excited to see His finished masterpiece.

All Things are Possible,
Stephanie Miller

(Grant is now awake - set the timer - time for my 12 minute interval afternoon.....)

Tomatoes and a Race Car: A Smashing Tale

There once was a little boy

who relaxed peacefully one summer afternoon.


Two seconds later he thought
"I need something to do!"


He looked around

and then jumped off his seat.

"I got it!" He said to himself.

I'll pick tomatoes, smash, load, and deliver them!

He carefully picked the tomatoes.

He carefully smashed the tomatoes.

Then he carefully loaded the tomatoes.

He did not realize that tomatoes could be such hard work.

But he continued to do his best.


He carefully drove the tomatoes.

He carefully delivered the tomatoes.

He carefully picked the tomatoes.

He carefully smashed the tomatoes.

He carefully loaded the tomatoes.

He carefully drove the tomatoes.

He carefully delivered the tomatoes.

He carefully picked more tomatoes.

He carefully smashed more tomatoes.

He carefully loaded more tomatoes.

He carefully drove more tomatoes.

The exhausted little boy needed to stop for a break.

After his break, he continued to carefully drive more tomatoes.


He carefully unloaded more tomatoes.

He was very excited to deliver this last load of tomatoes.

He climbed up on his chair to relax.


He was very sad to see that tomatoes were smashed all over his shoes.

But don't worry, he cleaned the tomato off.

Now the little boy was able to relax, peacefully on a summer afternoon.

The End.

Baby Wipes

As I was cleaning Grant's room today I set aside 2 boxes of baby wipes. After I finished his room I grabbed the wipes and started walking through the door way.

I paused, looked down at the containers, and wondered where in the heck I was taking the baby wipes.....

Then I realized that the wipes in my hand were for my mom. I knew that she was running low and was going to need them for Grant...... or would she????

I paused again, looked down at the containers again, and put the baby wipes in Grant's closet.

When my mom watched Grant I asked her to write down his major daily activities. The notebook was great! It was dated for each day and mostly filled with the words "ate, changed, slept, pooped."

In the notebook I also found a note that Grant wrote that said "Im sry for plying n yur plnt." Another note said "Thnk yu for teachn me paty cak. It is fun. It gave me sumthin to do whn I wok up at 4:30 ths morn. Mommy tuld me tht 4:30 n the morn is bad time to do paty cak. She said to pik anothr time."

I looked back on last years page.......

July 1, 2009
9:10 5.5 oz - changed
slept 1.5 hour
12:00 6 oz - changed - pooped
slept 2.5 hours - changed - pooped
3:20 6 oz - changed

Then I looked back on our day together - 1 year later....

July 1, 2010
8:00 woke up - changed
8:20 ate pancakes & strawberries - watched for birds outside
9:00 made faces at my reflection in the oven door - tried to make faces in the dishwasher door - didn't work so well
10:00 trashed playroom
10:30 carried the kitchen rugs around the kitchen
10:40 helped mom sweep the kitchen with my rake and shovel
10:45 stepped in dirt - it made me mad
11:00 got dressed & brushed teeth - went on a walk
11:30 tried to bite Alisha
12:00 ate lunch - loved pasta salad - pooped - took nap
3:00 tried mommy's yogurt & spit it all over
3:30 cleaned off the shelves at Lowe's
5:00 ate pizza
5:15 threw pizza
6:00 went to park - met a big dog
8:00 took a bath - splashed water all over the floor
8:20 got ready for bed
9:00 daddy read to me - went to sleep

As you can see..... a LOT has changed in a year!! Grant moves MORE and sleeps LESS during the day:) He keeps my busy and I enjoy being home with him!!

If someone would have told me a year ago that I would be staying home with Grant - a year later - I would not of believed them! In fact - I would have laughed in their face!!!

I was not sure how the transition from work to home would go. Although I am ONLY a couple of weeks into my new journey - I am having a wonderful time and I am glad that the extra baby wipes are waiting in Grant's closet!!

Wait a minute...... "transition from work to home...." I meant "transition from work to work....."
Grant is my new employer now!!!

Gotta run - don't' want to get caught slacking!!!

All Things Are Possible,
Stephanie Miller