Confessions of a Hot Carmel Sundae

Hypertot: Daddy, Daddy! Curtain Climber's on the table!Daddy: Ok, I'm coming.Hypertot: No, it's not ok! Curtain Climber's on the table!Ah, the little literalist.

Update on Curtain Climber

Published on 2009-01-06 15:55:00

He's doing well, healing remarkably quickly. He doesn't act like he's in pain except occasionally. Thank you all for the prayers. I know that they have helped a LOT.

Please pray for our Curtain Climber (aka Hot Stuff). He just spent the afternoon in the emergency room after grabbing a mug of hot cocoa and spilling it down his front. He's not in any danger, except for infection, but he has a lot of pain from second degree burns. He's currently sleeping through morphine, but he's going to have some suffering over the next few days. So please pray for him, that his pain won't be unbearable, and that he'll heal extra fast. This is no way for him to ring in his n

Might I suggest a New Years resolution?

Published on 2008-12-31 14:12:00

If you do nothing else for yourself, make a commitment to work toward getting out of debt. If you don't know how to do it on your own, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's help. We're just getting started with The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, and for the first time in years, we have a degree of financial hope. I can't tell you the value of peace of mind, but even better is knowing that it isn't misplaced. We've already made progress, and we only just started. I highly r

Marry Well!

Published on 2008-12-30 13:08:00

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the smartest thing I've ever done. I hope you'll bear with me for a moment while I pat myself on the back. I married one of the kindest, smartest, funnest, manliest, and most fertile men I have ever met. And despite three well-rehearsed "You! You did this to me!"s, I have never, even for a two-second pause, regretted it.So in the spirit of annual tradition, I would like to share a few words about how to marry well.Choosing a partner:Don't expect change. A hus

Christmas Eve

Published on 2008-12-24 12:50:00

If anyone wants to give me a Christmas present, please consider a donation to your church building fund, if you have one.Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will!

Carmelite Final Promises

Published on 2008-12-18 12:03:00

You may have noticed I've been more absent than usual recently. I'm trying, in addition to holiday cleaning, to prepare spiritually for OCDS Final Promises. For those who don't know, OCDS refers to the Secular branch of the Order of Carmelites, Discalced. A secular, sometimes referred to as "Third Order," is a member of a religious order who is not a nun, friar, monk, sister, or brother. In other words, we are attached to our order by prayer, spirituality, study, work, and charism.The Discalced

Permanent Marker on Computer Monitor

Published on 2008-12-18 12:00:00

What do you do when you realize that a Monkeytot has written on your LCD (or other kind of) screen with permanent marker? You ask Artgal. And Artgal promptly tells you to use a dry erase marker to clean it. And it works.One caution: use Heloise's advice, and wipe into the mark, not out from. If you wipe across your mark, it will smudge the dry erase ink and need more cleaning.

Happy Birthday, Joel

Published on 2008-11-30 18:15:00

My Charming and Patient Husband is now the same age as me for a few brief months. Why not head over and wish him a happy birthday?

A thought for today

Published on 2008-11-29 21:29:00

We hear the message all around us, almost constantly: be kind to yourself. Give to yourself. Love yourself. Above all, you are the master of your own fate.But sometimes, the greatest blessings are surprises.Sometimes, the happiest parts of life turn out to be not the things we plan for ourselves, but those that are given to us.Sometimes, we don't pursue joy, but joy pursues us despite ourselves.When life hands you the unexpected, instead of lamenting the plans it interferes with, take a moment t

Note to Hypertot

Published on 2008-11-24 16:27:00

I don't care how much you like or dislike bar soap. You can't wash your hands with toothpaste.

Phonics Resources

Published on 2008-11-24 13:36:00

As some of you know, we are teaching our four year old to read. Now, he's a very bright child, but he is also hyperactive, and sometimes has a hard time sitting still long enough to really learn. He also has an extremely literal language style, so sometimes we need to approach a subject from several perspectives to get its fullness across. After a lot of searching and experimenting, I'd like to share a few things that have really worked out well.StarfallIt's a website loaded with games and music

Book Facts Meme

Published on 2008-11-23 20:24:00

The woman known to My Charming and Patient Husband and myself as Aunt Betsy, and to most of the Blogosphere as Ms. Kitty tagged us both with this one. As usual, nobody but nobody is faster to jump on a book subject than Joel ... I think he may be considering legally adding "Bookworm" as a second middle name.So here's the lagging wife with hers, under the directions to list seven random or weird book facts about myself.I prefer biographies to most other kinds of writing. That doesn't mean I don't

Heard around the house

Published on 2008-11-23 20:11:00

Artgal: "Nothing against Depp as an actor, but he needs to stop enabling Tim Burton."

Note to Monkeytot

Published on 2008-11-22 23:58:00

Remember when I said you couldn't put a bandage in your nose? I'm sorry, but you can't put one in your mouth, either. It just won't work.

Healthier Coffee

Published on 2008-11-19 12:47:00

If you want a quick and easy way to less guilty coffee, consider switching from half and half to evaporated milk. It contains about the same number of calories, but is much lower in fat. You will be surprised at how creamy it is, and it is more nutritious. Plus, for those on a budget, it costs less than half as much.

Note to Monkeytot

Published on 2008-11-15 17:45:00

No, you can't put a bandage in your nose, even if it is bleeding.

Why I'm Pro-Life

Published on 2008-11-15 10:43:00

I could post on this subject a million times and have something different to say each time. Today, I want to give the un-reasons. The I'm not pro-life becauses.I'm not pro-life because I'm conservative. Yes, I am more conservative than liberal, but I am not a "my side at all costs" conservative. I'm liberal on several issues, at least at heart. I oppose the death penalty. I believe that society must help those who need help (though I frequently disagree with modern liberal thinking about how tha

Heard around the house

Published on 2008-11-10 22:15:00

Me: Just think, if you were related to Esmeralda, you'd have to have Esmeralda at every family dinner.Artgal: But if you were related to Aunt Clara, you'd have to have Henry the Eighth at every family dinner.

Heard around the house

Published on 2008-11-06 12:38:00

Artgal: "I hate it when I get cinnamon down my shirt."me: "Yeah, I always hate getting cinnamon down my shirt."Covarr: "Is this the voice of experience, or is this Instructables again?"

Another use for old socks

Published on 2008-11-05 12:02:00

I just can't bring myself to throw away old socks. I'm sure that the moment the trash collector comes, the partner will turn up, even though I haven't been able to wear the pair for two years because I'm not sure there is a partner.Enter the pony tail holder. I keep running out of them. They break or get lost. And I do not wish to damage my hair with old fashioned rubber bands. If I cut the cuffs off my old socks, not only do I feel like I'm not wasting the sock, but I restock my pony tail holde

Note to Monkeytot

Published on 2008-11-04 10:03:00

While I appreciate your generosity with the baby, I wish you would stop feeding him. Snickers bars and horseradish stroganoff are really not ideal baby foods.

Whiteboard Idea

Published on 2008-10-31 14:29:00

I get these bees in my bonnet. When we're lucky, they're inexpensive or they pass. Today, it's a moneysaving idea, and I'm looking forward to implementing it as soon as I get a chance to get out of the house. It's a personal whiteboard for each kid old enough to read.If you homeschool, you probably do whiteboards, too. Or if you have a big family, with kids who keep different schedules. Or if you're looking for the perfect housekeeping "method" or chore chart. Today's idea is simple. I go to Dol

Everydae is Sundae

Published on 2008-10-31 14:23:00

Or it will be, soon. My apologies to the two or three readers who have glanced at both blogs, but I'm about to begin the process of shutting down Carmel Everydae and moving its contents gradually over here. The reason? I didn't have the energy to keep up two blogs and actually try to get readers. And if nobody is reading, it would be easier to use a diary. I never really did anything to announce the other blog, so few people wandered over there. So if you are one of the few who was curious enoug

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Confessions of a Hot Carmel Sundae

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