Life On Ashley Ethridge's Planet

1. I drink OJ when I eat chocolate. I know. It sounds gross, but you should really try it. There's nothing like a Hershey bar with a cold glass of OJ.
2. At the age of 16, I followed an old boyfriend of mine one time when he was on a date with another girl. While I was following him, I thought I was flashing my lights at him when I realized my headlights were closed (it was an old Honda accord that had the "flip-up" lights). Talk about embarrassing.
3. It aggravates me beyond belief when people park in the fire line and get out of their car to run into the store. For crying out loud, people, park your car like the rest of us!
4. I eat chocolate for breakfast on a regular basis.
5. I dislike anything that taste like coffee.
6. I secretly want to be a "Martha Stewart", but I have a long ways to go.
7. My junior year in high school I was the MVP for our girl's basketball team.
8. I "covet" time with JUST my husband.
9. When I was in middle school, I once ran out of a classroom and had a teacher chase me all the way around the building.
10. At weddings, my sister-in-law and I share a piece of cake because she likes the icing and I like the cake.
11. One of my dream jobs is to be a sleep consultant. I would love to help new moms as they try to get their babies to sleep through the night.
12. Babywise is what I call my "Baby Bible". My friend actually calls me the babywise nazi! I couldn't have made it through the early months without it!
13. I love to spend money...any body's money. I don't even have to be buying for myself. In fact, I'd rather spend other people's money because then my husband won't ask me about it.
14. My favorite movies are The Sound of Music, Father of the Bride (Part 1 and 2), My Best Friends Wedding, Sweet Home Alabama...just to name of few.
15. Roller coasters use to scare the daylights out of me. Now I'll ride almost any ride you put me on.
16. I won't swim in the ocean because I'm scared of jellyfish.
17. When I was young, I use to sing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland". Only I would sing "walking in a window one day" because I thought that's what they were saying. Yes, I was a little confused.
18. My all time favorite restaurant is Ruth's Chris. And no, I don't get to go very much.
19. Whenever we plan a vacation, we instantly start thinking of all the food we'd like to eat. It's as if we center our vacation around restaurants.
20. Being late is a pet peeve of mine. Although I often stay in bed too long and end up being late. Especially if I'm going somewhere with my husband.
21. When I was in sixth grade, I had a poodle perm. You just can't imagine how bad it was. Really, really bad!
22. Because the Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies, I can recite almost the entire movie by heart. Trust me, you don't want to watch it with me . I'm quite annoying.
23. My dream house is a renovated old house with lots of refurbished materials (i.e. reclaimed hardwoods from an old barn, old doors)
24. I'm afraid to make a mistake, which keeps me from trying things out of my comfort zone.
25. I am addicted to fabric...it's a serious problem.

Positive Parenting

I was blessed and encouraged to hear Rodney speak about the discipline of our children. It is so important to begin the process of discipline early and I am beginning to see the fruit of that in my eight year old son. So, I would like to share with you something that I use in my home that works well for me. You can, of course, modify it as you wish to suit your own personal family needs.

Although I am a strong believer in consistent and firm discipline, I also like to focus on the positive things my children do. So, I developed a system that I call "Pennies in a Jar". My children can earn a penny for a variety of things such as sharing a toy, helping each other put clothes away, comforting one another if one gets hurt, taking turns on the swing in the backyard, compromising rather than fighting over a movie, etc. Anything that is positive, selfless, or encouraging of harmony in our home. When I catch them doing a positive thing, I tell them "penny in the jar" and then let them put a penny in their own jar. I have a separate jar for each child. Then, when they reach 25 pennies they have earned a small prize. This system has worked well to encourage positive behavior and my children love it. They do not necessarily get a penny every day or for every little thing, or I don't think it would have as much meaning to them. Yes, we must discipline our children, but it is also great to encourage and celebrate the positives they do as well.

Kyra

Kids Bible Study Book

In our busy lives its easy to forget to do devotions with our kiddos. Well that was until I found this nifty book.

The Dinnertime Bible

Its filled with great short bible stories. It also gives little things to think about and discuss with the kids. To top it off each story includes a bite size prayer. The principal of each story is worked into the prayer. It's awesome to help kids build up confidence to pray on there own.

One more thing to love about this book is it's wire bound, so you can lay it flat on the table. That way you don't have to worry about dirty fingerprints. And we all know how messy dinner time can get.

Life on Lori Pew's Planet

1. I am an absolute sports junkie! I call it a good day if I can squeeze in Sports Center before my 3 year old wants cartoons.
2. I've been married for almost 11 years to an amazing man...but we've been together since we were 15. I am so blessed!
3. I am a FRIENDS fanatic!!! I can watch re-runs all day and say "this one is my favorite" to each one of them!
4. I have an amazing, quirky son, who was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years old....what a journey it has been, but it has made me a better mom because of it!
5. My daughter is the ultimate girly girl, and I have NO IDEA where she gets it from...I am NOT!!! I didn't wear pink by choice until I was 28!
6. I am a facebook junkie!!! It's probably easier to get in touch with me on there rather than calling me on the phone...sad, I know!
7. I'm the oldest of 3, but I was pretty much like an only child...they're 8 & 10 years younger than me.
8. My dream car is a 1980 Chevy Corvette Stingray...white t-top with red interior.
9. Baseball is my favorite sport...I'm a die hard Detroit Tigers fan...I'm counting down the days til Opening Day.
10. Last year, for mother's day my husband took me to Opening Day for the Tigers in Toronto...yep, I like baseball!
11. In college, I worked for Meijer (like Walmart) and arrested shoplifters...nothing gets your adrenaline pumping like seeing someone steal...there is something really wrong with that!!
12. My first car was a 1985 Pontiac Sunbird station wagon that's roof leaked when it rained! Fun!
13. My husband bought me an awesome guitar and I took about 4 lessons...still cannot play it...it's on my to do list!
14. I have a passion for college students. My husband & I ran that department at our church in Michigan for 6 years...it is the most crucial time in their christian lives...to make God their God...I miss them all soooooo much!!!
15. I went on a missions trip to the Bahamas in '03 and almost came home with a little boy from an orphanage we visited...I still get choked up every time I think about him!
16. I love watching House Hunters!! I'm glued to the tv wondering which one they'll pick! :)
17. I sang "More than Words" by Extreme at my high school music concert.
18. I am proudly a Twilight Mom!! I've read all the books about 4 times each!!! Go Team Edward!
19. Since we've moved, I've realized how good my relationship with my mom is and how much I really do value her opinion.
20. I tear up whenever anyone wins anything...seriously, anything....it's ridiculous!!!
21. We heard our son's heartbeat for the first time on our 1 year wedding anniversary...nothing can ever top that present!
22. My all time favorite show is Mr. Bean...I love watching British tv and movies!
23. I love music and a wide variety of it...Casting Crowns to Metallica, to Michael Buble to Joss Stone...Michael Buble is my new favorite.
24. I've watched every season of American Idol and contrary to most people, I LOVE Ryan Seacrist!
25. Most people think that a job moved my family down here, but I know it was the Lord!! I've met amazing, godly women down here and honestly couldn't imagine my life without them in it now!!

Life on Kim Roundtree's Planet

1. I have a late-in-the-year birthday, so I was always the youngest kid in school.
2. The older I get, the darker God makes my hair. I'm just thankful I still have lots of it!
3. I am a TV junkie since we got our DVR- how cool to forward through those annoying commercials.
4. I think I am a fantastic driver. (Except for the ambulance I scrapped up at the new Base 2...but in my defense, that yellow pole WAS in a bad spot!!:) )
5. Don't laugh, but when I hear a snippet of C& C Music Factory, I immediately think of my friend Alaini and I dancing all night at the Athens clubs.
6. I love tomatoes in a sauce form, like salsa and spaghetti, but I detest them raw like in a salad or on a burger.
7. I freely admit I send a chatty Christmas newsletter. In it, I usually include photos of the girls, and news about what we've been doing. After all, we can't see all our friends every year.
8. The idea of growing an organic garden sounds wonderful, but I have a black thumb. I can't even keep pansies alive!
9. I don't think you are ever too old to decide what you want to be when you grow up. After all, I still don't know myself, but I do believe we have different seasons in our career journey.
10. That said, working for EMS was the BEST JOB Ever. I truly felt led to my job, that I made a tangible difference in the lives of many patients, and that I prayed for every person I dealt with during the day. I still remember the first patient that I saw die after an unsuccessful CPR, and I remember the 3 SIDS babies that didn't make it. Some things don't ever leave you.
11. I converted to Catholicism in my early 20's. I'm not completely sure what my parents thought about it- they were probably just glad I was in a church at all!
12. When I'm with my friend April, we have been known to laugh so hard we peed our pants. Everyone needs a friend like that!!
13. Before I had children, I had cats. When I had to put my precious Van Gogh to sleep when he developed cancer, I literally cried for a month at the very thought of him. He was the coolest, most loving cat I ever knew.
14. Eco-friendly? I really try hard but I'm just not so sure. I recycle as much trash as I throw away, but I drive a big SUV. I make sure my cleaning folks only use organic, green cleansers, and my girls only bathe with organic/chemical free shampoos and lotions, yet I turn around and let them occasionally have super-processed McDonalds chicken nuggets. Can't win every Mom of the Year contest!
15. As a teen I prayed for larger breasts, but after nursing 2 children for over a year each, I realized this wasn't what I had envisioned. OK God, you can take them back now!!
16. I completely believe in angels.
17. Everyone needs to have one boy/girlfriend in their past that is filthy-stinkin' rich, so you can fully appreciate that money is NOT everything if you have to put up with them. **Thank you, Gianni, for helping me with this lesson. Your Ferrari was nice, and I loved dinners at La Biblioteque, but no thanks to dating someone as old as my father.
18. I had really bad post-par tum depression after I stopped nursing both my children. It doesn't have to begin right after birth, it can start with any great hormonal shift. But it is serious, so don't mess around if you think you have it- call me to talk!
19. I just don't get the Justin Timberlake appeal- he's a scrawny kid who needs to shave and sings like a girl. Whatever.
20. I like to have big, no expense-spared birthday parties for my girls. I can only think my parents must have neglected me in some way to make me like this...One day, maybe I can go on Oprah to figure it out. :)
21. Last summer I had Maddie Grace over-scheduled with VBS, Summer camps, vacation weeks, tennis lessons, etc. This year I want to have a lazy, boring summer just hanging out at the club pool and staying at the beach. Bums- I want us to be big bums.
22. OK- I confess it- I rarely check my voice mails. Not at home, or on the cell, Sorry, I just don't. I have no idea why, it is just one of those things.
23. I love my Georgia Bulldawgs, but I haven't been back to a game in years and years. I would love to, I just kept putting it off with children. Maybe I'll try to get there this year for a football game!
24. When Maddie Grace was born, for the first 3 years, I whispered in her ear as she went to sleep, "You're going to Duke on a scholarship", over and over. Wishful thinking on my part, trying to save myself a little cash down the road! 2 years ago, I broke down and bought her a Duke piggy bank, just in case, as a back up plan.

Thanks for putting up with my insanely long list- if you think this is bad, you should hear my voicemails...

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" Review

If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to eat more healthy foods, then I have a great book for you. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a look into the food we eat from grocery stores, from conventional ones to Whole Foods. He starts by examining corn and how it is grown. I was shocked to learn that corn is in many things we eat and comes under many names. Then, he looks at what he calls "industrial organic" food. Although it seems quaint to think that our organic milk, eggs, and veggies come from a family farm, that is often far from the truth. He takes a look at Whole Foods Market and where our food actually comes from. He even visits the farm that grows the organic spring mix salad that I buy at Costco. Then, he visits a truly sustainable organic farm in Virginia called PolyFace Farm. It is amazing how balanced their farm is and they waste nothing. Their meat and eggs are prized in the area and supply some of DC's finest restaurants. Pollan's writing style is very easy to read and the topic is interesting and informative. If you liked Fast Food Nation (another great book by the way) and SuperSize Me (one of my favorite documentaries), then you will love the Omnivore's Dilemma.

Thanks,
Kyra

What to do with all those cute Christmas Cards

Are you like me and enjoy getting all those cute photo christmas cards? If you do, you probably ask yourself the same question every year. What do I do with them after Christmas?

So here is an idea for you.

Make a Christmas Coffee table book out of them. Even if the world scrapbooking makes you run the other way, you CAN do it. And every year you can look back and see how much your friends and family have changed.

Get a 12x12 scrapbook (yes, there's that evil word again). I prefer the three ring type. Three ring books allow you lay the open book flat on the table, but any kind will work. Purchase a few pieces of 12x12 cardstock or patterned paper. If you want to save a dollar or two, ask me for a few sheets. Everyone knows I have plenty to share.

Simply tape or glue the cards on and stick them in the book. And drumroll please..... instant coffee table book. I told you it was easy!

Every year just add a few new pages and enjoy. Your families will love to see their cards being cherished. It never hurts to score a few bonus points when you can{wink}.