Just want to let everyone know I am still writing! You can check out the new blog at www.thejoyofsneezing.blogspot.com. I am missing some of my old readers since I've changed addresses! Stop by when you get a chance and check out the new site.
Hope everyone is well!

I'm moving!

Hi Friends,

I have decided to change the title and the address of my blog to The Joy of Sneezing. When I first started this blog, I quickly typed in a name (Kendra's Coffee House) simply to save it and move on to the next step.

I have often thought about writing a book with this title to entail the many things my grandmother taught me about the art of living. I hope one day that will come to fruition, but for now, I have this blog--my precious creative outlet. ;-)

If you are following this blog, would you mind going to: www.thejoyofsneezing.blogspot.com and becoming a follower there? I apologize for the changes--I think you will like the template of the new blog a little better as well. It's cheerful; let me know what you think. Also, if there are any glitches, I will try to remedy them as quickly as possible.

Thank you!!

The Really Cool Thing about Crosses to Bear...

So, last night my 7 1/2 year old ended up in bed with me. Dh was at band practice and it was actually really nice to have my oldest still want to snuggle up with me. Before I finish the story, I'm going to give you a little bit of background.

As many of you know, Super-boy was diagnosed as having Sensory Perception Disorder (SPD) a couple of years ago. We have known that there was something going on for a while, but the diagnosis just put a name on it and enabled us to better help him. For those of you who aren't familiar with SPD, the break-down is that, as the name suggests, the senses are over or under-reactive. In Super-boy's case, they are over-reactive.

Case in point: some kids fall down, scrape their knees, stand up and brush themselves off. Super-boy falls, starts screaming like a wild banshee, takes off running with no destination in sight and there is nothing I can do to comfort him. As a mother, you want to wrap your arms around your child and soothe them. This is not an option; he will not allow it. Another example: you want to make the holidays magical for your child. For Easter, dh made a trail of jelly beans leading to the Easter baskets. The excitement was just absolutely too much. And an hour later, when it was time to go to church, no amount of "transitioning preparation" was going to help. Our home went from singing and pure bliss to hysteria. We've learned to make the holidays simple. No bells and whistles.

As he's getting older and more mature, it is getting more manageable. And thank God that the doctor's words are beginning to ring true, "He probably won't grow out of it, but he'll grow in to it". Meaning, he will learn to cope. He is beginning to recognize that he is an emotional child. But here's the beauty of it: with every difficulty, I believe that these children possess a quality equally endearing. Although he is especially in tune with the negative: the chaos that ensues at times (more than I'd like) with a family of five, loud noises, scraped elbows, etc., he is also very sensitive to the positive. Although he likes to run and jump as much as any boy, if not more, he is not aggressive. He's sensitive to others' needs for personal space. He's craves the closeness of those he loves. And so, getting back to the crux of this narrative, last night, Super-boy crawled in to bed with me...

He began telling me about how he learned the story of St. Nicholas at school saying, "He even saved his father". "How did he do that?", I asked with my arms wrapped around him. "He prayed for him". As selfish as it may have been, but knowing that sometimes we are carried on the wings of others' prayers, I replied, "Well, maybe you can help save mommy by praying for me". To which he replied very seriously, eyes looking up at the ceiling, "I do pray for you, mom. Everyday." Hot tears filled my eyes and began to run down my face. For many reasons. Because I knew he was telling the truth. Because my little boy recognizes the power of prayer probably more than I do. Because he's taking the weakness of his hyper-sensitivity and turning it in to a strength. If he can figure this out at age seven, I can't wait to see what he can do when he is thirty-seven. Sometimes our greatest strength is hidden in the folds of our greatest weakness.

“To be able to feel the lightest touch really is a gift.” ~Christopher Reeves

Out With the Old and In With the...Serenity

As Christmas is approaching, I start to feel a growing anxiety about the influx of toys that will be coming in to our house. With three little ones each receiving x many gifts, it can get a little out of control over here.

This time last year, I was ravenously putting every Sandra Felton (organizing guru) tip to use that I could. I probably got rid of about twenty boxes of things. The list ranged from utensils to futons. But as the year has progressed, I managed to forget much of what I learned and began accumulating more and more. (And that's one reason why watching "Hoarders" really has its benefits).

Anyway, what I have found is that I spend massive amounts of time feeling somewhat overwhelmed and am constantly trying to "re-organize". But when I really take an honest look, I spend a wasteful amount of time organizing things that I don't use. I move things around to make them fit. I buy more storage containers. But rarely do I purge.

And so, this week, God pity the toy that hasn't been used in a month. It's gone. The magazines that I will eventually read...they're out. The numerous learning materials that have collected dust on my shelf for a good year or two...they're going to someone who will use them (I have way too many to count). Oh yeah, and that precious duplicate toy I couldn't get rid of because of who it came from? Well, I do love you Great Aunt Helga, but I need some space.

Purging brings me clarity of mind. Less stuff means less cleaning which means more precious time. Instead of worrying about all of this Stuff with a capital S, I can light a candle and enjoy a good book. Mind you, I am not there yet, dear friends, but this is what I'm working on. When I get that beloved little camera, I will take some pics of areas I am working on and maybe you can give me some helpful ideas.

Camera-happy....

Today, I am so excited because dh ordered a new camera last night. Back in July, we were on our family vacation and Dynamite managed to have a near-drowning incident...okay, that may be a little dramatic. But he did fall face-first in to the lake and began inhaling mouthfuls of immune-boosting seaweed-soaked water. Mother's instinct being what it is, I ran out in to the water to grab him. Long story short: I had our camera in one pocket and my cell phone in the other. Both fell out and Cindy-Lou Who showed her stuff by finding them in record time. Sadly, however, the camera never recovered. At the end of the day, the little guy was just fine (albeit a little frightened to go near the water) and we chalked the camera up to another life-saving adventure (I'm a stay-at-home mom; I have to make my life sound somewhat daring when the opportunity arises).

All that to say, I'm geeked! I can't wait to start sharing some recent pictures with all of you. Hope everyone is well!

Sweating to the Oldies...and Mrs. Field's Cookies

So, I officially joined the gym a couple of weeks ago and have been loving it! I've been trying to get there three times a week; sometimes it ends up being only twice, but I'm not worried about it. Since I don't have an mp3 or an ipod, I rock out with my grandma's walkman which has the battery case scotch-taped shut because it's broken. I don't have earbuds either, so if you're looking for me there, I'm the one styling with headphones similar to the one your first grader wears for computer time. I like to think of myself as a trendsetter...just wait, I think it's going to catch on...

I work out at Bally's and the one I go to is right inside of a mall. If you haven't been there, the layout of it is interesting. In the front, the wall is made entirely of glass, so as you're working out, mall walkers can look in and see you strutting your stuff--or not. Now, here is the interesting part, as I'm walking on the treadmill, I'm looking directly out at none other than Mrs. Field's Original Cookies. Whose idea was that? Instead of thinking about getting more fit and eating right, I'm thinking about how many more minutes of cardio I have left until I can get that chocolate chocolate chip cookie. In honesty, I have only done that once...and I think I burned enough calories that it was permissible. Not quite sure about that...I do, however, think about it every single time I am sweating on that treadmill.

Anyway, just wanted to give a little update on the excercise status. Do you think it would be weird if I walked backwards on the treadmill so as to face the opposite direction? My kids do it all the time in stores, so maybe it would be okay. Or, I could wear a blindfold...now that might be really awesome in combination with my awesome headphones.

Hmmm, things to ponder. Hope you're all having a great day.

You say tomato, I say to-mah-to...

Most people look at a dresser and see it as a space for storing clothing. Dynamite looks at it and sees a ladder that he can climb. Most people see a church's pews and kneelers as a tool for focus on becoming more like Christ. Dynamite sees those and his eyes light up at the new obstacle course he has discovered (take today for example when I had to grab a hold of his feet to stop him from army crawling under every blessed pew, pun intended). Most people look at rice and see something that would taste good and be a source of nutrition. Dynamite sees himself at a wedding congratulating the emerging bride and groom throwing handfuls of it up in to the sky! Okay, I don't really know that his thought process gets that far...but whatever he's envisioning, it's not something to eat.

I know you all must think that my little darling is hyped up on sugar (only sometimes) and out of control (okay, a lot of the time). However, can I just tell you that this little guy is pure magic? As "active" as he is, he makes me smile all day long. He is probably more affectionate than anyone in the house, with a hug and a kiss before anyone can leave or enter our door. He is an absolute delight. So much so, that it is really hard for me to get mad at him. This had to be God's intention when He decided in his ultimate wisdom that He would bless me with such a handful. His thought process may have gone a little like this, "Okay, she needs to learn patience and kindness. I'm going to give her a walking tornado...but I'll make him pretty cute and a ball of joy".

I have to smile when I think that this is how God looks down on us. With all of our quirks and imperfections, 1 Timothy 4:4 says that "everything God created is good". When we see something broken, God sees something worth fixing. When we see ourselves as lacking, our Creator sees not our inadequacies, but the potential that lies within. Thank God for different perspectives. Maybe Dynamite gets something I don't. He looks past the practical and the ordinary and seeks out adventure. Finds the amazing. Maybe the saying that children are closer to God really is true.