Quotable Quotes, Pinterest Stuff (Five Activities for Toddlers With High Energy), Camping Story #4 - Our First Camping Trip Ever, Zac Turns 21, Austin Turns 28 AND Just Keep Smiling (Live With the Characters Dance Party)

Good Wednesday morning!

Lots to share today, so let's get started.

Quotable Quotes

"What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul." Corrie ten Boom

Pinterest Stuff

Five Activities for Toddlers With High Energy - Wear Them Out in Style!

Chances are, most toddlers already do the obvious activities (running, jumping, swimming and walking). Here are five more for high-energy toddlers.

1. Dumpster Diving - No, not a dumpster in an alley. A homemade dumpster that you erect from a large cardboard box.

First step is to find a large cardboard box with enough room inside for your toddler to explore.

Now fill the cardboard box with items such as newspapers, packing peanuts, shredded paper and other things they have to search through. Throw in some empty plastic bottles and cereal boxes to give it more of a dumpster-like feel.

Have your toddler find a specific amount of small toys like cars, army guys, trading cards (whatever you have at home). Hide the toys, then drop the little ones in the "dumpster" and have them search for the items.

2. Tape Road - Create a tape road throughout the house or basement for the kids to drive along. If they have ride-on toys like Big Wheels or fire trucks, make the road wide enough for them to ride their vehicles.

If there are no ride-on toys, narrow the tape road and they can push the toy cars or trucks down it instead. You can leave the road up all of the time, or just make a temporary one to be removed at bedtime.

Blue Painter's Tape works great on wood floors, but using other items to build the road will work, too. (Curtain rods, sticks or towels.)

You can even make a bubble wrap road! Same idea as the tape road, but a lot noisier! Everyone loves to pop bubble wrap, especially the big bubbles. Why not make a road out of it for the kids to pop?

Be sure to tape it down with the painters tape to make for easier "driving." You can even lay down pillows or cushions with a bubble wrap path through them to create hills to drive over.

3. Obstacle Courses - Obstacle courses are a fun way to let your high-energy toddler let out some steam and work on his gross motor skills. You can do this activity indoors or outdoors.

The great thing about obstacle courses is you can use just about anything to set it up! I’ve made super simple ones with sidewalk chalk on my driveway and more complex ones in my backyard using pool noodles, my son’s slide and other outdoor toys.

For an indoor obstacle course, use pillows, couch cushions and so on to build your course. Before sending your toddler through it, just double-check to make sure you didn’t build it near anything breakable! Go through it on your knees to get an idea of what it will be like for your toddler.

4. Outdoor or Indoor Scavenger Hunt - Finding hidden items is a huge thrill to any child, so a scavenger hunt should definitely be on this list. Indoor or outdoor, whichever you prefer depending on the season.

Simply hide toys around the yard and let them loose with a list of what to find. Writing the list on a paper bag works great, too. They can just put the objects in the bag.

If you want to add some learning exercises to the hunt, consider making it a color hunt, a counting hunt or a stuffed animal hunt. Use a little creativity for their special scavenger hunt.

5. Roll Down a Hill - If you’re fortunate enough to live near a nice, safe hill for the toddlers to play on, let them roll down it. Easy enough. They run up the hill and they roll down it again and again, giggling and laughing like crazy.

RANDOMNESS #1 - Camping Story #4 - Our First Camping Trip Ever - We decided to bite the bullet and take our little family camping. Austin was five and Josh was three. Roxie was a toddling baby, so we decided to leave her at her grandparents' house. In my mind, if everything went well, she could start camping when she turned three. (Actually, I was hoping she was going to be a prissy little thing who didn't like camping, and on camping weekends while the guys were out and about, she and I would have manicures and shop and watch chick flicks, etc. That dream never came true... but that's another story.)

With another family who had boys our boys' ages, we planned our very first camping trip. Oak Mountain was our destination... only 35 short minutes from home. We planned a weekend in May (usually a mild month in Alabama). We borrowed the tent and gathered the rest of the equipment from different places.

We arrived at the campground mid-afternoon, picked out our spots and started for the first time ever to set up camp. The boys were thrilled. They had brought their box of dinosaurs (a camping must), other various toys and they had each other in the woods. They were happy. Near our campsite was a large branch which was semi-broken and hanging from a tree almost touching the ground. Our guys were just the right weight NOT to break the branch, and it was like having a tire swing in our back door. They had a ball playing on the almost broken tree branch.

While we were setting up camp, the three year-olds needed to go to use the bathroom and rather than walking all the way to the bathhouse, the dads told them to do what all little boys love to do... skip the bathhouse and find a tree. Life was good.

After camp was set up, we all walked down to the lake to let the boys wade. We hadn't planned on swimming, and we hadn't really packed a lot of extra clothes... plus, if your three year-old swims that means mom has to be ready to swim. We, as the moms, had definitely not packed our swimsuits.

We were very specific in our instructions "to wade" and "not swim." We even went so far as to explain, "Do not put your head in the water. Do not let the water get above your knees. Do you understand?" There was a lot of nodding going on.

And then, Joshua's partner in crime at the time, smiled the smile three year-old boys smile right before they... go completely under the water. Right in front of the parents who had just told him "Do not put your head in the water!" He came out the water, and flashed another smile.

We've all been there. You tell your child not to do something, and they decide to disobey you then and there... and smile at you. He was quickly punished, and we were on our way to the campsite. We had handed all the boys water bottles. "Drink it all. Do not pour it out. Do not waste the water." And then, Joshua's partner in crime at the time, smiled the smile three year-old boys smile right before they... pour the water out of the water bottle onto the street.

Sputtering, the dad of this particular three year-old uttered the punishment then and there.

"NO WATER OR DRINKS FOR YOU THE REST OF THE TRIP!"

Don't get self-righteous on me. We've all done the same thing before. I've told my kids they could never go outside again; never have ice cream again; never watch TV again; never... well, you get the picture. Parenting is hard on the best day... and three year-old boys... WHEW!

"What are we going to do?" I asked the other mom as we walked back to camp. "He'll be dehydrated if he doesn't get to drink until we leave tomorrow."

"I know. I know," she replied. I could see the wheels turning and she walked up to her husband and whispering began.

"We've figured it out," she said as she dropped back to walk beside me.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"We're going to give him mercy," she replied.

"Oh. Yeah, that will work," I said. Actually, I didn't know what in the world she was talking about.

When we got back to the campsite, Dad and mischievous three year-old boy went to a picnic table to sit down and talk. A few minutes later, hugs were exchanged and the little boy came up to me. "May I have a drink, please?" he asked.

"Well, what did Mom and Dad say?"

"They said it was okay. I got mercy," he said simply... and I handed him a bottled water.

Mom and Dad had turned the whole incident into a devotion. Every day we do things we are not supposed to do, and this does not please God. But God has mercy on all of us, sinners that we are, and forgives us when we ask. This little guy had asked for forgiveness and, in return, had received mercy (a/k/a bottled water).

Of course, just like all of us (adults, too), mercy isn't given just once and that's it. We need it time and time again as we go through our daily lives. What a great lesson.

And by the way, the three year-olds ALMOST made it to bedtime before mercy had to be bestowed upon them yet again.

Our first camping trip was short, memorable and went well enough we were hooked. I hope your first camping trip will be just as pleasant and fun to get you over the fear of sleeping in the woods, using questionable bathhouses and hearing noises you cannot identify in the middle of the night.

I really, really do!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Zac Turns 21 - That's right! The baby of my side of the family turned 21, and it was very surreal to me and his Mom, I think.


You'll notice this is one of only two pictures I took of the birthday boy.

Considering the "baby of the family" status, that is pretty sad.


Sawyer...


Judith...


And Carly Beth had multiple pictures taken of them during the party, so it was pretty plain to see the four-and-under-crowd ALL took Zac's place as the new babies of the family.




Thankfully, he seemed to handle it pretty well.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Austin Turns 28 - Yep. That isn't a typo. The Boy is practically 30 which means I am...

Oh, never mind.

Melia had Austin's party at Mae's Food Hall in Cullman, and it was a lot of fun.


There were a few who couldn't make it for the festivities, but RT was there.

If cake is involved, RT will always make the effort to attend.

That, and he kinda goes anywhere his Mommy and Daddy take him without question.


Have you ever had anyone look up at you the way Judith is looking up at her Uncle Austin?

Me, either.


This was Austin's Oreo Cake from Cakes by Elise in Mt. Olive.

It was SUCH a good chocolate cake.


And this was one of the cookies made by Melia for everyone to have as a take-home goodie.








One of the things I like about Mae's Food Hall are the swing chairs at some of the tables.

You cannot swing hard, but gently swaying while you eat is very nice, I think.

Sitting still is highly overrated.






Even though everyone said NO when I offered to tell one of my favorite stories (The Day The Earth Stood Still and THE BOY was Born), Mae's Food Hall was definitely the way to go.

RANDOMNESS #4 - Just Keep Smiling (Live With the Characters Dance Party) - This is the THIRD year I have attended this specific event, and I loved it just as much as the very first time I saw the performance!

If you have never taken the kiddos in your family, you will need to correct that error next February!






The pictures you will see in this post are just a tiny, tiny example of the star power present at this extravaganza.


RT needed no help walking right up to Mickey and Minnie.

They are old friends.




Judith and her cousin, Sara Grace, had just as much fun as RT after the show getting autographs and pictures with some of the stars.









It was a Saturday morning well spent.

Before I move on, I wanted to share Just Keep Smiling Foundation's purpose with you.

"The Just Keep Smiling Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks to assist families with critically ill children. We strive to do so by providing financial aid for immediate needs, offering emotional support based on personal knowledge of a child’s serious illness or death, and sharing spiritual insight that conveys the solace, grace and strength found in God."

The scripture they use on their website is Lamentations 3:20-21. "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail."

JKS is an amazing organization run by equally amazing women, and any time you can attend one of their events, I highly recommend you do so.

Excellent!

Okay, Guys. That's a wrap for the month of February. I'll be back in March with some superlative Spring activities and fun.

Take care, and I will talk to you soon.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Not all who wander are lost.
Some are just Moms...
In Target...
Hiding from their children.

"This year I promise to exercise (my right to say) more (doughnuts)." @veryjane on Instagram

7-Up Cake, Wendy's Frosty (Not), Easy Ritz Cracker Chicken, Pinterest Stuff (Jesus Gets Excited When You Pray Object Lesson), Park Day with RT, A Shower for Eden AND Camping Story #3 - Where Have All the Campers Gone?

Good Wednesday evening!

First off, I have some new recipes for you to try!

7-Up Cake

You will need the following:

1 lemon cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) Jello Instant Lemon Pudding
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups 7-Up or any lemon lime drink
3/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well with mixer.

2. Spray 2 (8-inch) cake pans and divide batter.

3. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes testing for doneness as ovens vary.

4. Let cool and frost with your favorite frosting or the pineapple filling recipe below.

You will need the following for the Pineapple Filling:

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coconut

1. Mix pineapple, butter, sugar, eggs and flour together.

2. Cook on medium heat until thickens. (I bring this to a low boil, turn down and cook about five minutes, stirring often).

3. Remove and add coconut.

4. Let cool and spread between cooled cake layers and on top of cake.

5. This cake should be refrigerated.

This was a very moist, light, delicious cake. Reminded me of Summer!

Wendy's Frosty (Not)

You will need the following:

3/4 cup almond milk
15 ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/3 banana

Blend.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This is a very good smoothie, but in my opinion, it tastes nothing like the Wendy's Frosty. I also added the 1 teaspoon honey to the recipe just to make it a little sweet. It is filling, and I can definitely drink it for lunch or have it as an afternoon snack if we're going to have a late dinner.

Easy Ritz Cracker Chicken

You will need the following:

1 or 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 sleeves of Ritz Crackers, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt butter in a microwavable dish and set aside.

3. Crush Ritz Crackers,and place crushed crackers on a dinner plate.

4. Dip the chicken tenderloins in butter, then coat with Ritz Crackers. Place on a lined baking sheet.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This is a very simple recipe, but when you add fruit salad and a couple of vegetables, you have a really good, quick meal for the middle of the week. (And if you double the recipe, you will have leftovers for the weekend!)

Pinterest Stuff

Jesus Gets Excited When You Pray (Object Lesson)

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This was taken word-for-word from Pinterest.

What I really love about this was the fact you can take something relatively easy to find (fizzy tablets), and turn it into something really cool!

Kids LOVE fizz. Even I, as an adult, feel child-like exuberance when I see fizz. There is something just so awesome about effervescence.

I took this fizz idea and made it my own. Sometimes to come up with a cool idea, we just need a little help from above... and others!

My lesson was to teach children about prayer. I don't think you can stress enough the importance of building a strong relationship with our Lord. Prayer does this along with reading His Word.

Jesus Gets Excited When You Pray

I used 1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT). I wanted to stress that Jesus hears all prayers, not just prayers that come from adults.

Also, I wanted the children to understand what praying actually means. I looked up and printed out the definition, and using some age-appropriate words, described what it means to pray.

After we took turns reading and discussing prayer, I showed the kids what happens when we pray.

I used two glasses and filled them with regular tap water, and for extra "fizz," sparkling water.

I went to our local City Market and bought Alka Seltzer generic tablets. We got 30 tablets for roughly $2. I wanted to make sure we had enough for two per child.

I allowed the children to pick what color we would make the water.

I had them gather around and I said, "Tell me how this makes you feel." I dropped a tablet into the water, and it immediately began to fizz.

The excitement on their faces was evident and also, they said it was pretty cool.

I asked them if it was exciting to watch the fizz, and they all said, "Yes!"

I told them every time we pray to Jesus, that's how He feels. He feels excited because we're building a relationship with Him. We're talking to Him. We're including Him in our lives. Jesus loves us so much, and He wants to be a part of our lives.

I handed each kid two tablets (there are two in each pack). I told them each one of us could pray together for someone or about something in our lives. I also gave them the choice if they didn't feel comfortable praying out loud, we would just pray in agreement silently with them.

To watch the kids pray with excitement was just amazing! I know some of it had to do with the fizzy tablets, but I also got to watch them gain understanding that praying is a good thing. Praying can be fun!

I also told the kids after a few prayers we needed to be quiet and listen. They could hear the fizzing noise in action. I told them sometimes that's exactly how God works. He answers our prayers, but sometimes we have to be quiet and listen.

At the end of the devotion, I allowed the kids to save up their fizzes, and they all dropped the remaining ones in together to see if they could make the water overflow. Just a little fun.

Make sure to monitor the kids, too! If you use the Alka Seltzer tablets, make sure they don't eat them or drink the water you use.

RANDOMNESS #1 - Park Day with RT - One of my favorite parks in our area is just a four-minute drive from my house. It has a walking trail beside a babbling brook, two fenced-in dog parks and life-size plastic jungle animals (hippo, elephants, giraffes, etc.).

When I'm in the mood to go to a park, nine times out of ten, I like to go to this one...

And the kids seem to like it, too.


He has no fear of slides, big or little...


And while this may look like an unhappy, screaming face, in reality it is a very excited face.

I got him at a bad angle.




Pretty impressive, isn't it?

And this is the little giraffe!


He likes to take a couple of matchbox cars wherever he goes, but I left those in the car and brought five of these balls and a soccer ball instead. As soon as we figured out the best way for him to carry them around, everything was good.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - I know you are probably thinking, "Her pictures are just getting blurrier and blurrier."

In my defense, I took the above pics with my phone which is very old.

And as far as the blurry pics I take with my camera, I AM VERY OLD.

RANDOMNESS #2 - A Shower for Eden - Courtney had a Baby Shower for Eden this past Saturday which was very much fun!


Bev made these diaper centerpieces for the tables...


And Melia made and decorated cookies for the guests.

Pretty cool, huh?


Just so you know, we had more than one food table, but I didn't take pictures of Courtney behind the chicken salad table for some reason.


Melia, Courtney, Roxie and Miss Nelly.

Roxie had originally told me she wouldn't be able to come, so I was more than a little thrilled to see her!


Courtney and her Mom, Donna.


Judith was the official "helper" when it came time to open gifts.


Have you ever seen prettier cousins?

I didn't think so.









RANDOMNESS #3 - Camping Story #3 - Where Have All the Campers Gone? - While you are reading this, please keep in mind, we camped at least once a year, and tried to camp two to three times a year.

So obviously some of the trips were very, very good.

Obviously.

A year or two AFTER the Georgia fiasco, we did decide to try another out-of-state camping trip with our camping buddies. Roxie was three or four, so she was along for this one. We went to a campground in the beautiful state of Tennessee known for it's hiking trails, waterfalls and beautiful foliage. The pictures on the brochure were lovely, picturesque even, and we looked forward to spending a fall weekend in the great state of Tennessee.

When we arrived, we were surprised to see the "set-up" of the campground. There was a huge circle and the campers had set up tents and pop-ups under trees as you went around the circle. In the middle of the huge circle, across a grassy field, was the BATHHOUSE. There were no trees in between the tent and the BATHHOUSE, but it was still quite a little hike. However, the campsites were great. Picnic tables intact, fire pits ready to go, level spots to pitch the tents. We were excited.

As the guys got busy with unloading, Roxie, the other mom and I made our way to the BATHHOUSE to check it out. Oh, my! "Rustic" is a kind word to describe the facilities. Very kind.

"Well, maybe there's another bathhouse we can drive to and use," we reasoned. There was... and in comparison, it was a twin. Hmmm!

"Did you bring flip flops?" we both asked. We had, so once again, we decided to trade in the beautiful scenery and great weather for a less than perfect bathhouse. (MUCH less than perfect!)

The first night of our trip was peaceful and relaxing. The weather was great and after our trek to the Bathhouse in the Middle of Nowhere, we bedded down. We had planned on hiking to a waterfall the next day, so we knew we needed our rest.

The following day was gorgeous, and after breakfast we set out on our hike to the famous waterfall. On this hike, we had to go across a swinging bridge (always interesting), through creeks and up the famous Tennessee mountains. When I say up, I mean up the entire way. We hiked forever... and then we hiked some more. Roxie and her male counterpart, Grant (both three or four at the time) were troopers and thankfully, did not ask us to carry them. That would have been very difficult. Several hours later (or maybe just 90 minutes), we came upon the waterfall.

Yes, it was beautiful.

We looked at it for about five minutes.

Then we noticed how many people were with us looking at the waterfall. We hadn't hiked up the mountain with all these people. They weren't hot and sweaty. Some of the women even had on make-up and their hair was done. Some of them had the nerve to be wearing cute shoes, too! Who were these people? Where had they come from? Why were they looking at OUR waterfall?

So I asked, "Did you hike up here?"

"Uh, no. We drove," was the smug reply.

"What do you mean you drove?" I asked.

"There's a main road right over there." I turned around and there it was. A perfectly good paved road.

"Where did you come from?" I inquired.

"Oh, we're staying in a RV down at the campground," Miss Priss answered before she walked back to her BMW!

Before she could get back into her car, I yelled, "How long a drive is it from the campground?"

"About five minutes give or take a minute," she called over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

"I think I hate her," I mumbled to Mikie.

He assured me that 90 minutes up the mountain would translate into 30 minutes going down the mountain. That made sense. And at this point, hot, sticky and more than a little grumpy, what was 30 more minutes.

Down we went, and 60 minutes later (NOT 30), we were back at our campsite. We stayed in our little cluster of tents for the rest of the day hydrating ourselves.

On Sunday, we decided to just hang around our campsites and play which was fine with the six kids. But we started noticing something strange around the noon hour. It was like an exodus of some kind. Everyone was leaving.

"Well, just because Alabama has a three-day weekend doesn't mean Tennessee has a three-day weekend. Everyone has to go back to school and work tomorrow," Mikie reasoned.

That was fine, except by 2:00 p.m. we were IT. I mean NO ONE was left in the huge circular campsite. It was like we had been dropped off by a helicopter in the wilderness.

"Do we have a gun or a knife or a big stick or something in case there's a wild bear attack or a bunch of hillbillies descend upon us," I asked Mike.

"I have my pocket knife, and we have those plastic knives you bring to spread peanut butter," was my husband's reassuring nswer.

"This could be a very long night."

And it was. Just the last walk to the bathhouse alone was unnerving because someone (one of the people leaving... probably Miss Priss) had turned all the bathhouse lights off before heading out, and we walked across a field in pitch blackness looking for the building. And, of course, when we found it, it hadn't changed a bit... still very gross.

We went to bed a little early, and I think the four adults slept with one eye open. (I was, again, unable to pass out and painfully aware of how vulnerable we were in the middle of nowhere with no communication or weaponry of any kind... unless you count throwing screaming children at whatever is attacking you as "weaponry.")

And I do.

I do count throwing screaming children as "weaponry."

I have never been so happy to see the sun in all my life. We ate breakfast and packed up our campsite in record time to head home. Think, think, think of the Good Things from this trip.

Good Thing #1 - Roxie and Grant were WONDERFUL hikers. If they had been even a little less sturdy, it would have been the end of the adults as we took turns carrying them to the top of the mountain.

Good Thing #2 - The waterfall was pretty... not Niagara, but pretty, just the same.

Good Thing #3 - We weren't bitten by any of the spiders in the bathhouse... and there were a lot of spiders in the bathhouse.

Good Thing #4 - We weren't attacked by any bears or hillbillies. I think this is huge.

Good Thing #5 - That's it. Once again, I did the best I could to come up with Good Things #1 through #4.

And for some reason or another, we have never even discussed camping in Tennessee again. I'm not sure, but I think it was the bathhouse. I may forget dates and events, but a bad bathhouse... that's burned on a woman's brain forever!

DISCLAIMER: If you are a hillbilly (or are related to a hillbilly), I meant no offense by the reference above. I'm just saying if a hillbilly had happened to come out of the woods in the dead of night in Tennessee in an abandoned campground, it would have been very, very frightening. (In all fairness, it would be frightening in Alabama and Georgia, too.) Again, no offense.

Are these stories hurting or helping? Are they strengthening your resolve to never camp, or are they getting you excited about this Spring when you can begin camping? I can tell you one thing... good or bad, our family has always come away from these trips closer and with a bond that has lasted over the years. Every camping experience is different, but one thing remains the same... you're in it together and that makes you a stronger "family unit."

Have a grand week, and I'll be back in a few days with Camping Story #4, more pics and maybe some life changing information for you and yours!

Yeah.

Probably just the story and some pics.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

Moms Texting Each Other...
Mom #1 - I'm done. I'm selling the kid on e-bay.
Mom #2 - Don't be crazy. You made him! That goes on Etsy!

"Parenting is basically an 18-year episode of Survivor."

Key Lime Pie Milkshake, Alphabet Adventures, Cleaning RT, Dedicating Carly Beth, Expecting Eden AND Camping Story #2 - The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I am still immensely enjoying my Immersion Blender, and I added a few milkshakes to my Immersion Blender List this past weekend!

And, yes.

I really DO have an Immersion Blender List.

Key Lime Pie Milkshake

You will need the following:

4 honey graham crackers
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup key lime juice
One can of Reddi-Wip, for garnish

1. Crush the graham crackers in a small shallow dish.

2. Add the sweetened condensed milk to a second shallow dish.

3. Dip the rims of two glasses in the sweetened condensed milk to coat, and then dip in the crushed graham crackers until evenly coated.

4. Place the glasses in the freezer while you make the shake.

5. Combine the remaining sweetened condensed milk from the plate with the ice cream, whole milk and key lime juice in a blender (preferably high-power) and process until well blended, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - There is a difference between lime juice and key lime juice. Do not think they are the same!

Also, the next time I make this particular shake, I will be sprinkling the whipped cream with crushed graham crackers, AND maybe a tiny bit of lime zest.

RANDOMNESS #1 - Alphabet Adventures - The Alphabet Adventure idea came from Family Fun Magazine almost 22 years ago.

A friend and I spent a little over a year planning simple, yet fun, Alphabet Adventures for our then almost-four year-old sons to do together.

It was a big hit then, and I think it is going to be a big hit now. (So far, we are just to the letter "C," but Judith seems to like it a lot!)


APPLE JELLY on her toast, and APPLE JUICE to start the day.


A giant APPLE for snack time.


Snuggling with stuffed ANIMALS on the couch while watching ALADDIN.


Shopping for an ARIEL shirt at Target a little later in the day.

We also did ARTWORK, practiced writing the letter "A" on pink paper and painted a picture of ARIEL, too.

The pictures, papers, artwork, etc. go in a big binder, and I will show you how I set that up in a week or two when we have gone on a couple more adventures.

We had our "B" Adventure this past week.






We BAKED Raspberry Almond Cookies for Pop.

We snuggled under a BLANKET on the couch.


We sat on Nana's unmade BED with BED HAIR while wearing a BEAUTY and the BEAST nightshirt.

We also went to the library to check out BOOKS, and she had a very BLUE BUBBLE BATH.

You can do as much or as little as you want. No rules.

Judith was looking at her Daddy's Alphabet Adventure Book, and I showed her his "C" Adventure. We decided to copy it, so we'll be going to The Galleria, riding the CAROUSEL, eating COTTON CANDY while sitting on the mall COUCH.

And perhaps, we'll purchase a new CAP while we are there.

Who knows!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Cleaning RT - Little man likes bath time, and he'll play with cars or balls or bubbles or all three together.




He leads a pretty uncomplicated, but happy life...

And I am pretty envious.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Dedicating Carly Beth - That's right. Sawyer's little sister was dedicated this past Sunday, and she handled the service and the picture taking after church with a great deal of poise and grace.








Sweet, sweet family.

RANDOMNESS #4 - Expecting Eden - Eden is going to be here before we know it, so Courtney had some pre-Eden pics taken this past Sunday.








Judith is quick to point out with a heavy sigh, "She is taking FOREVER!"

And I am quick to agree with her!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Camping Story #2 - The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (a/k/a The Night Mom Tried to Pass Out in Georgia) - We had been to Stone Mountain many times, but never on a camping trip. We planned a trip with two other families and headed for the park which is only two and half hours away. When we arrived, we were very pleased with what we saw. Beautiful campsites, places for the kids to ride their bikes, the lake within viewing and walking distance.

And the best...

A brand new bathhouse.

We pitched our tent as close as possible to the brand new bathhouse.

Everything was going well. The kids were playing great. We had a good dinner. We sat around the fire and told stories and ate s'mores. Josh, age five, ate too many s'mores... way too many s'mores.

It was time for bed, so we brushed our teeth and climbed into our nice, warm sleeping bags on our nice, soft air mattresses smelling of campfire smoke and other outdoorsy smells. Everyone dozed off.

We were awakened by the unmistakable sound of a child being sick in the middle of the night. It's probably mean to say, but when you're in a tent, you can hear everyone and everything within ten campsites of your own tent... so in your heart of hearts you're kind of hoping it's a kid in someone else's tent. No such luck! "Which one is it? Which one is it?" Mike and I were already climbing out of sleeping bags to assess the damage.

It was Josh. "Please tell me he didn't get sick in our shoes?" I asked Mike feebly since he was already up trying to find the lanterns.

"Nope. Just him, his sleeping bag and one coat." Minimal damage in camping terms.

Mike stripped Josh down, tossed him over to me for a change of PJs and illness assessment, and headed out the door with the bag, coat and Josh's clothes. (We decided to toss the PJs.) Mike spent an hour in the new bathhouse cleaning the nylon sleeping bag and the coat, and came back for the verdict.

"No fever. No stomachache. My professional opinion is too many s'mores."

"How many did he have?" Mike asked.

"I would have to say from the damage report... more than one or two." And then we slept. The next morning, Josh woke up happy, still feverless and hungry. We decided to count our blessings we did not have a stomach bug. We also gave him a s'mores limit he was to abide by for the rest of his life -- 1 or 2 per sitting. NO MORE!

We spent the day hiking, exploring and playing with the other families. It was a good day.

We were grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for our dinner, and I was setting the picnic table when I looked over at our friend's three year-old. His flushed cheeks and droopy eyes could have been the result of playing hard all day, but there was something else... something I had seen before. "Hey, Babe. Are you feeling... ," I started to ask, but I never got to finish. He got sick all over the picnic table. I knew for a fact no s'mores had been eaten yet, so I feared this might be something more serious.

His mom came over to check him out and in our professional opinions, he had a stomach bug.

It was at this moment I had to wonder if Josh's episode 12 ours prior WASN'T due to the consumption of too many s'mores.

Perhaps...

And it pains me to say this...

He was a feverless, one-time-only-barfer AND carrier of a stomach bug.

If so, it meant Mike and I had made a really bad call earlier in the day, and anyone and everyone could be the next to succumb.

As the dads cleaned the table, discussions were held as to what we should do. The three year-old's family decided to pack up and head to Alabama as quickly as possible so they could be home in the event other family members came down with the illness. One problem. It is not a five minute job to take down a tent and pack everything up, so it was decided Mike, the mom and dad and all the boys available would help pack up... and I would hold and comfort the sick little guy.

I sat in a chair away from the commotion and held the feverish little boy for a little over an hour knowing the possibility of my catching his illness was going to be huge. Because of cuddling and several top-of-the-head kisses, I was pretty sure in just a few hours I, too, would be in the brand new bathhouse at Stone Mountain, Georgia throwing up. I just decided to "go with it."

We said good-bye to our friends about 10:30 that night, and once again headed to bed. No s'mores had been eaten. Everyone seemed to be feeling okay. I was feeling okay. Maybe, just maybe, we had dodged a bullet. We all dozed off.

We were awakened by the unmistakable sound of a child being sick in the middle of the night. I'm sorry to say, I again hoped it was some other kid in some other tent down the way. And unfortunately it was not. "Which one is it? Which one is it?" Mike and I were climbing out of our sleeping bags trying to assess damage. This time it was Austin. "Please tell me he didn't get sick in our shoes?" I asked.

"Nope. Sleeping bag, two coats and PJs." Mike was already gathering everything to head to the bathhouse (Mike is a GREAT dad and husband), and I held a shaking, feverish little boy in my arms. This wasn't a case of too many s'mores. This was most definitely the dreaded stomach bug.

Mike and I decided to nickname our tent the "Death Tent," because...

Well, to be honest, it had lost that woodsy smell two nights earlier and things were not getting any better. We stayed up with Austin most of the night, and the next day he and I stayed in the brand new bathhouse while Josh and Mikie took our campsite down.

There really isn't a moral to this story. It was a weekend of just trying to survive... trying to have a good time in a really bad situation... being a family looking for the blessings in a series of very unfortunate events and living to tell the tale. If it had been our first camping experience, no doubt about it, it would have been our last. But we had several great camping trips under our belt, and we considered this one a little bump in the road. I guess if we sat down and tried to think of the good things that weekend we could come up with a few.

Good Thing #1 - No one ever got sick in our shoes. That was a biggie for me.

Good Thing #2 - No one else in our family (or the other families) got the stomach bug, which was pretty much a miracle considering our close quarters.

Good Thing #3 - I'm sorry. I think I'm going to have to stop at #2. I can't seem to think of Good Thing #3. (It's taken me ten years to think of Good Things #1 and #2.)

If you're wondering about the title of this story (The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia), we found Georgia to be incredibly dark in the middle of the night in a campground when you're wandering around trying to clean sleeping bags and such. And Part Two of the title (The Night Mom Tried to Black Out in Georgia) refers to my inability to pass out until all the bad stuff stops happening. I'm just one of those people who is going to be painfully aware (and fully awake) of any situation I'm in -- good or bad. Not a very good trait as far as I'm concerned.

In a few days, I'll be sharing Camping Story #3 - Where Have All the Campers Gone?

This particular trip took place in Tennessee, and while I thought it was dark in Georgia...

Well, let's just say I was mistaken!

Have a good week, and I'll be back soon.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

"I'm not sure how many candy bars equals happiness, but so far it's not 27."

"Both of us can't look good at the same time. It's either me or the house."