A lesson in life. . .

As I sit here typing, these are the things I hear in the background. (All statements from the Bubster are sad, and broken with tears in the middle.)

"I love you Blackout."

"I'm going to miss you Blackout."

"You are still breathing Blackout."

"But, he has been such a nice fish. It is just that I am going to miss him!"

Yes, our goldfish Blackout, AKA Boomer, AKA George is dying. I changed the water yesterday, and I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if it is just his time. His buddy Grace is swimming around the tank just fine. Alas, the fish is on his way out.

On the surface this is really sad. Bubby is crying and distressed. Which breaks my heart. I could have skipped this scene by flushing the fish, rushing to the pet store for a replacement, and Bubby would have been none the wiser. I could have saved him from this pain. But, I know that wouldn't be the best thing for my boy.

Losing the fish reminds me of the day we had to say goodbye to our beloved dog. For 12 years he was Mr. Nomad and my first baby. It is still hard for me to talk about that day, and I still miss that stupid dog. The silver lining (you know me, I'm the eternal half full) is the growth which comes from making our way through hard times.

Losing our dog was the hardest thing The General and Princess had ever experienced. What a beautiful parting gift it was. My furry boy was able to teach my babies even though it hurts really bad, life goes on. That you will experience happiness again, and how to cope with hurt. They relied heavily on our family love, and their faith. The first thing The General asked was for a family prayer.

So today as my sweet Bubby mourns the goldfish, I am grateful for this life lesson. It has sparked a discussion on eternal life, heaven and Bubby's biggest fear: separation from us. He only remembers that his buddy went away, and he can't stop by heaven to visit. Today I remind him that if we have faith, we will all rejoice in heaven together. (It is also a great reminder for me. Stay on the path Tami, make good choices, place God first. Eternity will be so sweet with my babies.) This is a big relief for him. He whimpered in my arms, "When I'm 100, and I go up to heaven, will you still hold me?"

"Yes, my sweet boy, Mommy will hold you forever. . ."

I will hold him forever. Maybe not in my arms, but in my heart. More importantly God is holding my boy, and His love is even better than mine!

Could it be??

What is this bright light, and blue sky over head? Oh, it is the sun. It has just been such a long time since I've seen you old friend. Please stay and play with us today. Pretty please?!

A little gardening advice from Mrs. Green Thumb

Mr. Nomad and I have been working our fingers to the bone with landscaping this past week. We have made some serious progress, and are to the point of adding some pops with flowers. So today on our way home from classes, the kiddos and I stopped at Home Depot to pick up a few perennials. Driving into the parking lot I spied the most beautiful plants, I was thrilled. I grabbed a cart, loaded up a few and found the rest of the items on my list.

Meanwhile the kiddos enjoyed running up and down the empty aisles. . . (Reason 1001 to Home School, you get to run errands when others are at work or in school. So nice to have the place almost to myself.) Fortunately they ran all their energy off, and then were sitting nicely in the check out line. Bubby flirting with the nice grandmaish lady working the check out.

As I start the check out process, Grandma (who by now really likes the Nomad Kiddos) informs me my favorite plants. . .the very ones who called my name across the parking lot. . .are extremely poisonous. WHAT?!? Hmmm. . .I think, maybe she is wrong and just being dramatic. Yet if I buy them and ignore her advice, that would be rude. I decide to put them back, go home, do some research and return another day for the plants. Seriously, I've never heard anything like this before. . .surely she is wrong.

Or NOT! Yep, I came home and Googled Fox Glove. Not good. Click here to read more. Thank goodness The Nomad Kiddos were sweet, and grabbed that Grandma's attention. I mean my kiddos may get on my nerves from time to time, but poison them in the garden? NEVER!

See what I mean? Aren't they beautiful? Any suggestions on a similar looking plant? One that won't kill my babies?

Just Smile Bigger!

What do you think of the new header? This was taken after mass on Easter Sunday. Notice Bubby's puffy eyes? He wasn't too excited about the whole taking pictures thing. In the moment I gritted my teeth, pasted a smile on my face, and with as calm and sweet voice as I could muster said to the big kiddos, "Just look forward and smile big!" In my mind I was thinking, "This boy is gonna kill me yet."

At that moment in time, it was about getting one nice photo to remember Easter 2010. Now looking back over a month later, I think there are some tidbits of wisdom to hold on to.

Lesson number one, stay calm Tami. By remaining in control, and not freaking out (Who me? Never? Ha Ha Ha!) the rest of us were able to move on.

Lesson number two, it never hurts to put a smile on your face. Getting irritated and grumpy doesn't help. Think about the difference seeing a smiling face makes in your life. Seriously. A smiley baby cooing in the crib vs. screaming baby. Hmmm. . .something to think about.

Now if only I would have realized this, and embraced these life lessons years ago. I can think of several instances it would have come in handy. ;)

(I know Jody, you've been coaching me for years. I'm just a little slow.)

Giggling feet

Yesterday when we were walking out to our van, I gave Bubby a ride on the shopping cart. You know how you have them stand on the bottom, and hold onto the handle. Of course if you are giving a small boy a ride, you don't walk slowly. To make it fun and exciting, you have to run a bit. As we were running along Bubby says, "Mommy, my feet feel like they are giggling!" What a fun way to describe vibrations, giggling feet. I love little boys.

Tami's Tips: Step Away From The Computer

Okay, if your husband is out for the evening. . .and you are the responsible adult in charge of the household: STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER. It is an hour past Bubby's bedtime, but he and Princess are playing so nicely. The General is hanging out, and it is so fun to catch up on the bloggy world. Alas I need to be the mommy, and get these kiddos in bed. Good night.

Tami's Tips: Frozen Fruit. . .YUM

Now that some of you are enjoying warmer weather (no hope of that here in the Pacific Northwest. . .we are freezing. . .but that is a whole other post), it is getting to be ice cream season. Some of you may be trying to cut back on calories, or you may simply be trying to eat healthier. Today's tip, substitute frozen fruit for high fat/high calorie ice creams.

My favorite are frozen blueberries. They are delicious, and LOADED with lots of good nutrition. I buy these 5 lb. bags @ Costco for around $7. Another benefit, frozen fruits don't go bad in the crisper drawer.

I like to serve them up in a little bowl. One serving (3/4 cup) is only 80 calories. By serving in a smaller bowl, it makes me think I've had a whole bowl of berries.

I have friends who love smoothies, and that is a nice way to sneak in fruits and vegetables. My only concern is whenever you blend, it takes A LOT of fruit, ice cream, or whatever to make a small shake. I'm always amazed when we make brown cows, how much ice cream is in each shake. For that very reason, I shy away from drinks of the blended variety. If you HAVE to have ice cream, stick to a small scoop served in one of the cute little bowls.