April 2009 - Trophy Mom Diaries

The Noticer Project

April 26, 2009 by Karin

“When we notice things about ourselves and other people that allow us all to regroup, take a breath, and begin our lives again, the best is surely yet to come.“

From The Noticer
by Andy Andrews

Inspired by AndyAndrews‘ latest book, The Noticer (Thomas Nelson; 2009) The Noticer Project is an opportunity to participate in a world wide movement to “notice” the five most influential people in your life.

Here are the five most influential people in my life:

My Maternal Grandmother
She was the first person who ever made me feel loved, unconditionally.
She always expected the best of me, but showed forgiveness and compassion when I fell short.
When she died she left behind 12 grandchildren—all of whom thought they were her favorite.

Mr. Pryor my 9th grade Pre-Algebra Teacher
He was the first teacher who made math make sense to me, and that’s saying a lot. He gave of his time to all of his students. He helped you without making you feel stupid. He never gave up on any of his students. He didn’t play favorites. I ended that year with an A. It would be the only A I would ever receive in math and the only year it would ever make sense. If only there were more teachers like Mr. Pryor.

Trish Ramey
I was just a skinny shy girl on a dance team filled with other more popular interesting teenage dancers, but she, the broadway dancer in from NYC, took notice of me. Because of her I went after a dream that I previously thought was impossible…

Dr. Earls
Dr. Earls was my AP Humanities teacher in high school. A popular teacher even today, she was known for the way she brought Humanities to life. Well traveled, she shared many of her own personal slides in her lectures. She opened my eyes to a far away places and sparked my interest in travel. When I was lucky enough to model abroad I thought of her. After visiting Acropolis in Greece, I promptly went back to my hotel room and wrote her a post card thanking her. When I teach my children I try to bring her enthusiasm to my presentation. I hope I can also inspire them to see the world, just as she inspired me to.

My Family (okay, so that’s technically five people lumped together).
My children inspire me daily to be a better person and Christian.
My husband makes me feel safe, loved, and protected. He accepts me for the imperfect person that I am and gave me the family I always dreamed of.

Who are the five most influential people in your life?

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Miss USA

April 22, 2009 by Karin

I confess I haven’t watched a Miss USA Pageant since I was in junior high.
That said, I’m really proud of Miss California and how she not only stood up for her beliefs, but answered truthfully, regardless of the consequences, and most importantly, acknowledged that God has a plan for her life and that winning the pageant was obviously not part of the plan and she accepts that.

Here is a clip, in case you missed it.

I hope it’s bigger and better things for her.
I think she is a good role model, but obviously that’s not what the Miss USA Pageant is looking for these days. Too bad.

For more on this topic, please read Breathing Grace.

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Little Debbie Snack Cakes & why EVERYTHING should be delivered

April 20, 2009 by Karin

Truth be told, I have always loved delivery.
I’m a sucker for room service too.
Take me to a hotel and I barely want to leave the room.
Immediately upon check-in I can be found perusing the room service menu.
Room Service is basically hotel delivery you know.

Do they offer massages?
I want that too. In my room, of course.
In fact, I want all the spa services in my room.
Yes, I want the people delivered on up too!

When I lived in NYC one of the things I quickly grew to love about the city that never sleeps, is that it’s a city that always delivers.

Me: “Hi, can I have 2 Twix bars and a Pint of vanilla Haagan-daz please?”
Delivery: That be 10 minutes. Okay?
Me: Thanks so much!

The first home I lived in with my husband was a condo.
It was part condo and part hotel.
That meant you could get— condo service!
I loved it!

Two years after moving out of that house I found myself staying in the hotel part of our former residence. Oh how I craved their buffalo chicken wings one night.
(Yeah, I’m classy like that) When I called room service, imagine my surprise when they said, “Ms. Smith? Is that you? Welcome back! I remember when you would order this four nights a week! How is Mr. Smith? We miss you!”

Its nice to know I was appreciated.

Another fond memory I have of living there (and sadly, there were few) is when the local grocery store chain decided to…you guessed it, deliver! And, you could order your groceries online! I could hardly contain my excitement because I could order on up the groceries at midnight and have them at my door before lunch! Those were good times.

While I admittedly, really loved delivery when I was without child, I think I have a new appreciation and NEED for delivery now that I am with children.

I will drive 7 miles out of my way (each way) to go to the Starbucks drive thru because it’s so much simpler than hauling four kids in/out of the car, parking lot, and starbucks just for my Grande Chai Latte.

How much easier would it have been at 3am when the baby sparked a fever, Big Daddy was once again out of town, and I was out of Infant Motrin?

If you are wondering what has caused this little rant, its because I’m sitting here craving Little Debbie Swiss Rolls, my husband is out of town (again), my baby is asleep, no responsible teen is available to baby-sit for 30 measly minutes, and the supermarket is acting like I’m the one being difficult just because I want them to deliver me four boxes of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls!
Gesh!

If anyone who works for Little Debbie wants to mail me a crate of Swiss Rolls I would be ever so appreciative.

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The Dirty Dozen

April 20, 2009 by Karin

Do you know about the Dirty Dozen? You should. Download your guide for free and keep it in your purse or with your shopping bags in your car.

Even if you are shopping at an “organic grocery store” please make sure the produce you are buying is actually organic. I recently was surprised to learn that my store, Whole Foods, carries fruits and vegetables that are not organic and I was purchasing them for my family thinking they were. Even in places like Whole Foods, Greenwise, Fresh Fields and others, you will need to read the labels.

Another simple way to ensure that your family is getting the best organic produce available (at a reasonable cost) is to subscribe to a CSA program. Local Harvest’s website has a locator to help you find the best organic food that is grown in your area. Simply enter your zip code and view the list. They also include a list of companies that will ship their produce to you. You can learn more about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) here.

Sometimes it seems there just isn’t enough hours in a day to be a homemaker. Did you know about the dirty dozen? Have you already made the switch for your family? Do you have a CSA Membership or have a great online produce vendor you love? I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips.

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A guest bathroom part I

April 17, 2009 by Karin

Its always exciting to see a bathroom unfold, but this one is especially wonderful for me because I designed it myself! It’s simple in the sense that it only uses 2 types of material: a 12×12 travertine and a 12×12 pebble tile that was cut in half for the border. It’s not done yet…but it’s getting exciting. When you are standing in the bathroom the pebble border is slightly above eye level. I chose that because the bathroom already has nice high ceilings. If it didn’t then I would have raised the border higher to bring the eye up and make the space feel larger (taller).