Date Night

Have you ever seen the movie Date Night with Tina Fey & Steve Carell?  I have and it was OK.  Thankfully that was just a movie and my date night with the hubby didn't turn out as disastrous as the movie.  We had dinner at this new buffet place (we LOVE a good buffet) and went to go see Captain America.  We were so excited and thought the movie theatre was going to have people roped off in long lines waiting to get into their show time that we arrived 45 minutes early so we could get a good spot in line.  There was no line so we went walking around for a minute and then went back in.  When we went back in there was no line, but there were people inside already seated.  We still managed to get good seats and got comfortable and waited in anticipation.

My husband is a big Marvel fan and knows the story line from the comic books.  I have never read the comic books, but I have read a lot on the internet, listened to my husband, and I have seen both Avengers cartoon movies; not to mention several movies and cartoons that feature The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America as well as the Black Panther, Wasp, and Ant Man.  So needless to say we were excited to see how the movie turned out.  If you are a fan, and you know the story line, then you should enjoy the movie as we did.  It basically followed the story line and set things up nicely for the Avengers movie.

But back to date night.  Although our evening without the kids ended with our trip back home after the movie; it was still nice to get out and have some adult conversation without someone tugging on your leg, asking you to wipe them off, or constantly asking you for a drink or something to snack on.  I believe that all couples who are married with children should engage in date night, or alone time as a couple.  It is vital to keeping your relationship alive, vital to keeping it healthy, and helps reduce stress.  I can't say how often you should engage in couple time because every married couple has to do what is best and right for them.  Just make sure that when you are alone you enjoy each other's company and hold on to those feelings for as long as you both shall live!!

Idea Book

Have you ever had a good idea about something and didn't know what to do about it?  Have you ever had a dream about something fantastic but then when you woke up in the morning all you could remember is that is was a great dream but no details?  Have you ever been in the middle of something and thought about what you really want to do and forgot about it later because you didn't write it down?  I don't know about you, but my answer to all of these questions is YES!!

I have so many ideas about things, and of course I believe that all of them are really good, but I hardly ever write them down.  I just dive right in to whatever idea I am most thinking about and take it from there.  The bad thing about this is that when I do this I haven't done any planning so I tend to forget about important pieces of the idea that may be needed to truly make it work.

Well, to solve my idea problem I have decided to create an "Idea Book".  What is an idea book you may ask?  And idea book is any notebook or journal that you use to write down your best ideas and even start planning them out.  What does writing them down accomplish?  It helps remind you of what you could be doing and what dreams you have or have had.  It allows you to start the planning process for your greatest thoughts and hopefully spurs you to start putting those thoughts into action.  I encourage everyone to have an idea book because everyone has an idea about something.  You may not be able to move forward with your idea at this exact moment, but eventually you will look back at your idea book and realize what you really wanted to do and turn that into a dream come true.  So the next time you have a great idea, no matter where you are, write it down on a napkin or anything you can grab that a pen or pencil will scribble on.  Then stuff it in your pocket or purse and when you get home write it down.  Remember that if it came from your mind then it is a dream of yours and you don't ever want to have any regrets.  Do all you can to make all of your dreams and ideas come true!!

Reading Is FUN

Normally I am a magazine reader.  I used to love picking up TIME or Newsweek and reading about the latest social, political, or economic issue of the day.  Occasionally I would also pick up the newspaper and read an article if the headline sounded interesting.  I very rarely picked up a book; unless I had to for work.  The reason for this being that I can have a short attention span and if a book doesn't catch my attention in the first few paragraphs or in the first chapter then I will not go any further.  That is unless someone tells me it is worth it.  Some may think that is crazy because they LOVE reading books.  Others say it doesn't matter what you read as long as you are reading something.  I tend to believe the second statement.  As long as I was reading something it didn't matter because I was still utilize my mind and picking up additional vocabulary.

That was my way of thinking up until about a year ago.  Then, after a conversation about doing a book club with a friend, I picked up my first book in ages and it was Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  I read it and I immediately fell in love.  I started reading the other books in the series and I became hooked (I still have one more to go).  I was enjoying reading books again and had not picked up a magazine in quite awhile.  Until about a year ago I had not read a book in ages, now over the past year I have read five books and am getting ready to pick up my sixth one.  I have re-discovered a love of reading and I know what kind of books I like to read and what kind of books I would probably stay away from.  I love books dealing with history and facts.  I love books that tell of ancient tales.  I love books that have been made into movies.  I love books that reveal or show some meaning/purpose in life.  You get the picture.  After I finish my sixth book the next set/series of books I will read (not in order) are:

- The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien (4 books)

- The Inheratance Cycle series by Christopher Paolini (4 books)

- Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis (7 books)

- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (7 books)

- Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

So as you can see these books will keep me busy for quite some time.  If I find them boring at all I will be sure to let you know, but I am encouraged because of my newfound love of reading.  I intend on looking for more books based on movies and of course getting recommendations from friends who read regularly about books that I may find interesting.  I plan on keeping a running tab on the books that I have read and will add to the list each time I finish a book.  Perhaps some of the readers will choose to join me in this adventure and we can start a chain reaction getting others to join in the fun.

But ultimately remember that it doesn't matter what you read because reading is FUN!!

Sunday Solution

Sunday is the beginning of the week and it is also the day that we generally go to church and worship GOD for all he has done in our lives.  Well my husband and I are in a position where he works on Sunday's and it is hard for us to make it through an entire service with three young children; one of whom is still in diapers.  It has also been hard finding a church that we like that has a nursery & children's church every Sunday that will accommodate all three of the kids so that we can enjoy the word.  A simple solution I have come up with is to take about 30 minutes each Sunday morning with the kids to devote to GOD.  We have a kid's story bible and we sit on the couch and read a few stories from the story bible.  After we are done reading we talk about the stories for a few minutes and then we close our devotion time by saying a little prayer.  I have realized that even if we can't make it to church all the time it is still important to instill GOD's word into your children in a manner that they will listen.  It's also important that your children grow up knowing how important GOD is and how he does great things.  Worshiping GOD isn't always about sitting in a particular building or listening to a particular person; it is worshiping in your own way in order to fill yourself with the spirit and pass on valuable lessons to your kids.  Don't ever try to worship GOD in the way someone else tell you to do it.  Worship GOD in the way that you are comfortable with and open to.  Then and only then will your heart open to his greatness and love.

June Almost Over

I can't believe that the month of June is almost over.  I counted the days until school begins again and there are only 58 days until the first day of school.  The summertime is going by faster than I imagined; although this week in particular feels like it is going by so slow.  If you have been following or regularly reading my blog you know that I often think about my place in the world or where I am at in life or just what can be done in life.  Well as I have been thinking about how fast summer has been flying by I have been thinking about what I actually did, and I think that myself and the kids have actually done a lot.  We spent a week visiting my sister & mother in Jacksonville.  While we were there the boys swam a lot and we went to MOSH (Museum of Science & History).  Since being home we have gone to the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science, Florida Museum of History, Maclay State Gardens, had water balloon fights, enjoyed many happy meals on happy meal days, and just had an overall good time.  It's not about spending a lot of money, but it is about being with family and enjoying the good times no matter where they may be.  Whether that is in a museum or in your own backyard you should enjoy what time you have and NEVER take it for granted!!