Happy Mother’s Day – Spoil the Kids!
May 9, 2010
I started a tradition in my house many years ago that I would use Mother’s Day to spoil my kids. I wouldn’t have to be the “mean mom” on one day a year. I set out to do fun things for my kids on Mother’s Day. This had a two-fold reason.
The first was that I would often find myself feeling disappointed with the way Mother’s Day kind of turned out. I didn’t really want presents or anything, what I wanted was an accumulation of respect for what I did as a mom, all rolled into that one day. I wanted the house to be cleaned, food prepared, and all with smiles on their faces. Of course with 8 kids in under 12 years, that simply wasn’t realistic. I will admit it would have been nice to receive flowers and lavish gifts. But in my heart of hearts, I know that isn’t how people show their appreciation. And to be quite honest with you, I felt loved all the time. I felt like my children honored me every day of the year.
The second reason was that when I would get gifts from the kids and from Steve, they were really kind of … not great gifts. Steve would sometimes take the kids to Dollar General so they could pick out some items for me like cheap perfume, figurines, etc. Now I know I sound like I’m complaining..I’m not really. I loved the “idea” that the kids were choosing gifts for me. It was just that I didn’t really want any of the things they gave me.
One year, I was given flowers, by Steve. Here’s a sample picture of what the flowers looked like.
Yes! These are much like the ones I received for Mother's Day 2001.
How do you graciously accept flowers that you know are meant to be put at a cemetery? I smiled, and said, “thank you.” Then promptly called everyone I know and turned it into a very funny story. If I was going to be given a gravestone marker as my Mother’s Day flowers, I was going to milk it for all it was worth!
Steve strategically placed the flowers in the front yard very close to the street so that all the world could see that a “MOM” is at the house. Of course they wouldn’t know if the mom was dead or alive. But they would know that “MOM” is at the house.
As soon as he finished placing the flowers, I pulled out my “I’m blessing my kids today” thoughts. I liked to take them out for dinner. They thought they were taking me out for dinner. But I’ll tell you a little secret, if they were taking me out for dinner, I would not have chosen the McDonald’s Play Place. I even let them get Happy Meals and then I would take them for some kind of special dessert.
The gifts I really liked were the ones the kids would make themselves. They would make little clay pieces, drawings, or paintings. I didn’t really need flowers, because I had gifts from their hearts.
One of the neatest things the kids would do though is that they would make a banner for me. We had rolls of roll end paper from a newspaper office. Ashley would always direct the making of the banner. Each child would decorate a portion of their banner with their “signature.” I could always tell who decorated which portion and it wasn’t just because of their name being on it, but because they would take what was inside them, and transfer it onto a banner for me. Ashley would write Happy Mother’s Day in big letters, then “make” the rest of the kids add something. Tina would draw beautiful pictures of horses. Cathy would decorate the paper as if it were a party. David would write his name. John would write my name all over the paper. My name was “Mom.” Briana would do her hand prints. Erica smiled all over the paper. And Bryan would step on it. There was always a little footprint somewhere. I loved those banners.
This year I was away visiting with my mom and my sister on a trip to Vegas. In the airport while waiting for my flight I happened into the Brighton store. I spied a lovely ring and earrings that would go great with a lot of outfits that I wear. So I purchased them. When I got home and all the kids were gathered around me as I shared all the stories of my trip, I said to them, “Oh, do you want to see the Mother’s Day gift I bought for you to give me?” In unison they said, “YES!” I showed them the ring and the earrings. I handed them the gift bag and the tissue.
Briana said, “We have to wrap it?” (I may have set the standard too low in those early years.)
I took the present and said, “No, that’s just a formality we can dispense with this year.”
John took the gift bag, tissue, and gifts and said, “YES! We must wrap it.”
Then at 12:01 am John entered my room with a huge smile on his face and said, “Happy Mother’s Day” as he triumphantly handed me the gift bag. I opened it without any fanfare, just John and I sharing a mom and son moment. Inside the bag was not only the gifts I had bought myself but also a gift from John from his heart, a pottery vase he had made in art class. The art work he would create for me when he was very small, all seemed to combine into this one beautiful vase that he had made for me.
I love my kids..and to me…that’s really what Mother’s Day is all about. So today, I drove 30 minutes to the Krispy Kreme donut store so they could have donuts this morning before they went to church.
Happy Mother’s Day to me! and to my kids!
Proverbs 31:29
Is It Time to Party?
January 22, 2010
Many of you know my mom was diagnosed with rapid growth small cell lung cancer right around Thanksgiving of 2009. Her first round of chemo began Friday after Thanksgiving. I had the pleasure (is that an oxymoron?) of being with her in the hospital when the doctor gave her the prognosis of just a couple of weeks to live without chemo or she could have a few months left with the chemo. Talk about heart wrenching!
I turned into Miss Robotic. Everything became just matter-of-fact as I would share the information with loved ones. Inside I was weeping, on the outside, I was calm and steady. (until I got home a few days later)
My mom cracks me up all the time. On day two when the doctor came in her room she asked, “Is it terminal?” Maybe it’s odd to laugh at the question, but it just tickled me, and still does.
While in the hospital Mom said, “Well, since I don’t have much time left on the earth I better get myself a goal.” A while later she said, “My goal is to make everyone smile who comes in contact with me.” That is my mom! Life has never been about her – but always about others. Even though she was in immense pain she needed to get out of her hospital bed and walk. As we walked past the nurses station Mom suddenly began to dance. It was more like a hip-bump-bump kind of thing. But all of the nurses began to laugh. She took my hand, looked me in the eye and said, “Working on that goal!” – then she winked at me.
Without divine intervention, Mom is going to die. We have talked together about funeral arrangements and things like that.
When I was on the plane I saw in the Sky Mall magazine an ad for personalized playing cards. Mom LOVES to play cards. Most of my memories as a kid involve playing games with Mom. We played Cribbage, Five Hundred, all kinds of Solitair games, Nertz, etc. I thought this would be a perfect “take-away” for her family and friends.
I shared the idea with my sister who gently reminded me that they don’t give out party favors at funerals.
I still thought I had a brilliant idea and shared it with my mom on the phone. She LOVED the idea! She had me look up prices. She said, “I don’t want flowers at my funeral” But I would love to have playing cards for everyone.
The next day she called and said, “Did you know they have “living funerals?”
I said to her, “Mom! That’s called a party!”
She said, “Well, I want one!” I couldn’t believe the excitement in her voice when she began to talk about having a party. She would invite all of her family and then they wouldn’t have to come down for the funeral. They could remember her as being fun. (Have I mentioned that I decided a long time ago that I don’t “do” funerals?) She then started talking about having a garage sale at the same time and it would pretty much pay for the party.
I think it’s a grand idea! Then we can give out party favors! We talked about how to personalize the cards. I suggested a picture of her standing by the semi truck she used to drive. She liked that idea. Then I said, “Maybe the caption should simply say,
Ilene Harlan born June 17, 1945
SHE LIVED!
Mom loved it! – because it is the truth.
So, we’re planning a party. Y’all are invited!
Then ….later….. we’ll all get to have a party again!
I took this picture of Mom and Shileen when we went to visit last weekend. Mom was having a rough day. When I saw them sitting together like that, I just got such a sense of peace. She may be resting on the outside – but on the inside – she’s having a party!
Mommy Inventions
January 19, 2010
Change – I thrive on it. I’m constantly coming up with new uses for my time. Maybe I should now become an affiliate marketer I might ask myself. Then I will get the books and decide. Usually I drop the idea in the middle of research. But sometimes the idea will go even further (like Ta-Dah Mom – which I continue to promote).
Another thing my brain seems to do is actively invent new products. Oh, if I only had the resources to research all of my ideas! I may have figured out that what I really love is the research and not necessarily seeing the fruition of my idea. No, what I really love is telling someone my idea then having them tell me it’s “brilliant and you should do it!” That’s all I’m after, the words proclaiming how smart I am. (Now if that isn’t egotistical I don’t know what is – but I’m just being real here)
I would venture to say that on an average day I will use the phrase, “I have an idea” at least five times. Most of my ideas are ways to make the life of a mom just a little bit easier. With eight kids, I’ve had a lot of opportunity to make my life easier. 
One of my ideas is a Night Owl Alarm Clock. It would be set at a certain time which would tell the child, “time to brush your teeth and put on your jammies.” Then 15 minutes later, it would chime again letting them know they are to get their FINAL drink of water. In five minutes another alarm would signal the child to get into bed. One more alarm (you set the time) would tell the child to put down the book and turn out the lights. Isn’t it brilliant? Want to invest?
I’m always striving to solve problems. Case in point – The other day while visiting my mom in MO there was another visitor in the house. Little Xavier’s mom was in the hospital having a baby. She had to stay over an extra day so Xavier was staying with his Grandma (who my mom lives with). His Grandma gave Xavier a bath, but as she was getting him ready realized there were no longer any diapers in his suitcase. It would be an hour before anyone could bring her diapers. Grandma got a little flustered with Xavier being “half neked.” I happened to look over and saw a Wal Mart bag. That’s when the idea took shape. We could put his legs through the bottom of the bag then take the loops and put his arms through the loops. Everyone laughed at my idea. I thought it was brilliant. His Grandma said, “There is no way he’ll let me put this on him.” She sat Xavier on her lap and proceed to slide his legs into the bag. The loops went over his arms, but kept falling down. I recommended a twist tie. We tied the loops behind him and he was able to go play without constantly being aware he was “half neked” and with Grandma not worrying about him having an accident on the couch.
As soon as he had on the “diaper” someone in the kitchen said, “Oh my gosh! It’s a redneck diaper!”
So, here is my first fully functional invention – The Redneck Diaper!
Xavier modeling his redneck diaper
Humor in the Holidays
December 5, 2009
This just in from Des Moines, Iowa ….
This is a friend of a friend in Des Moines. She lives just off a busy street.
Well, there is good news and bad news about my
Christmas decorations this year Good news is that I truly
out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad
news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come
screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made
me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic
accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by. Second, a 55 year
old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it
against my house and didn’t realize it was fake until she climbed to the
top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who
attempted to do that. My yard couldn’t take it either. I have more than
a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard. Kind of feel like I
gave in to the man by taking him down but my neighbor did confirm
to near miss accidents on the busy street next to my house. I think I
made him too real this time So it was fun while it lasted.
Another Life Chapter
November 29, 2009
One of the most interesting aspects of life is how it just doesn’t stay static – always changing – always offering new challenges. I’m not going to kid you, the last four years have been so difficult at times I was really looking forward to a time of smooth sailing. (I really was feeling like that would be right around the corner) — are you laughing yet?
My mom is relatively young, just 65, but hasn’t really kept herself in very good health. We had been talking about how cool it would be for her to move to Texas to live near the grandkids, who always seem to give her so much pleasure. I had grand ideas of getting my clutches into my mom. (Did I really say it like that?) I was hoping that we could help her with nutrition and exercise. These were things I was looking forward to doing.
My mom is one of those people who lights up a room. It’s like she carries her own little Christmas light all year long. Actually, she’s more like one of those goofy Christmas elves that sings and dances making everyone within a short distance stare — and laugh. Last Christmas she decided she was going to try to fly to the moon. She got a broomstick and started running around (I don’t know how in the world she managed to run around in my yard). Anyway, she had a blast trying to fly to the moon. She didn’t quite make it — not that time anyway.
Like I said before she’s been kind of not well for a lot of years. It seems like every few months there’s something new. She had gone into the hospital a couple of weeks ago thinking she had kidney stones. After some tests, they decided to do a biopsy. On Wed night before Thanksgiving the doctor called and told her to come in on Friday to begin chemotherapy. The news rocked my world. It was like being punched in the gut for a minute. As the tears fell, I began to think about positive things. I had somehow managed to leave the house that day with no make-up on my face. As tears poured down my cheeks, I thought, “At least I don’t have make-up streaks.” That reminded me that I got that “look on the bright side of every situation” attitude from my mom. Another great thought was that I had just managed to make enough money selling my Ignite the Fire book online so that I could drive up to see her.
I left on Thanksgiving for the ten hour drive. Meanwhile, friends had been preparing a marvelous turkey dinner with all the fixin’s that they were taking over to my house. So, even though I wasn’t home, my kids still had a great Thanksgiving with friends — and each other!
When I was about 7 minutes from my exit, my car suddenly quit moving. So there I sat on a dark cold night, on the side of the road. I was ready to begin bawling. But again, I decided there must be something good. I said to God, “Well God, it’s just you and me, You may as well have a seat.” And He did. We had a nice little chat. I called a tow truck. Within about an hour, I was back on the road. I still don’t know why the car quit working. I’m praying it will not do that again!
It was probably time for me to have some good quality time with my mom. I wouldn’t have chosen to do it at her hospital bedside, but I’ll take anything I can get at this point.
Mom has been in a lot of pain for quite awhile. After the first day they gave her a morphine drip which made her say she has NO pain. Then she started passing kidney stones! How cool is that? She got to pass the stones while on a morphine drip.
My mom is one of those really special people —- And that’s all I’m going to say about that now.
Ignite the Fire! Available Again!
November 22, 2009
Finally after many hours — and much typing (27,000 words in two days!) and then lots and lots of website tweaking. Ignite the Fire is finally ready for you to purchase! Yippee! Woo Hoo! Doin’ the Snoopy Dance!
You can get your copy at http://www.homeschool.terricamp.com
Another great thing is that I’ve found all of my lost workshops! I’ve been able to transfer one of them into an mp3 file and I’m giving it away for FREE! It’s my most popular workshop, “Putting the Fun Into Home Education!” And you get it absolutely FREE!
While I was transfering it from a .wav file to an MP3 I listened to it. I had so much fun listening in and what a great reminder of all the fun things we had done. At the time of the recording David was out running my booth. He was 11. John was apparently in the audience. He was only 9. I could hear him turn and wave to the crowd and say, “Hi, I’m John.” How cute is that? Oh, that was another one of the workshops, but…he was still at that one. I will be completing the other four workshops and once I do that, I probably won’t be giving this one away for free anymore. So get it now!
I absolutely loved those younger years of homeschooling. I still love homeschooling actually. But now the kids are all so self-sufficient I’m not needed quite as much.
Just tonight I was telling someone I don’t even remember teaching Bryan to read. One day – he was just reading. And now he reads a lot! Today he came in my room to tell me he was on page 200 of a book, Brisingr, that he started last night.
Erica told me she has written over 50,000 words in the past four months or so. Holy Schmoly! The cool thing about my conversation with Erica was that she was bragging on her siblings and their gifts and talents. She asked me if I had seen the picture of the English Wolfhound that Briana had drawn. I had seen it. Erica said, “She could make money selling her drawings!” I’ve actually thought of that. I thought she could make notecards for animal lovers and sell them. But she likes to keep her drawings to herself (and the family).
Erica said to me, “You know, I think the reason we are all passionate about things is because you gave us time to do the stuff we really love doing.” Wow! What a kid!
Creative Way to Give Money as a Gift
September 3, 2009
As my kids have gotten older, they would rather I give them money instead of gifts for their birthday. I am not thrilled with the idea of just giving an envelope with cash —BO-RING!
For Briana’s 15th birthday this is what I did — She likes to watch the game show, Deal or No Deal, so I decided to recreate the game to give her money for her birthday. Read more
The Evian Roller Skating Babies
July 12, 2009
This is such a cute video! I just had to post it. Ya know – all my babies were this cute.
Strap in, Close Your Eyes, Throw Up Your Arms, and Scream
June 6, 2009
Shortly after moving to Texas, I took my kids to Six Flags for the day. Briana was watching The Batman go up and down, twist around, and fall. She was so excited and said to me, “Mom! Let’s go on The Batman!”
As I watched the people with their legs dangling, I said to her, “Honey, my life is a roller coaster right now, I don’t want to ride on my life.”
I could almost hear an announcer say, “Welcome – to the ride of your life!”
Almost four years have past since I was forced onto the “Ride of my life” and I have learned a lot in the process.
I’ve learned: Read more
Ta-Dah!
May 2, 2009
After many months – and a lot of education, I’m finally able to launch Ta-Dah Mom!
http://www.tadahmom.com and the ta-dah mom community http://www.tadahmoms.com
I have a lot of plans and I know the site will evolve as time goes on.
Take a look and see how awesome it is!
It is actually a fulfillment of my life-long passion to help women/moms. In fact, now that I’m writing this post, the tears are beginning to flow. (get a grip Terri)
It will be like my columns, speaking engagements, books, and radio broadcast all in one place and for a rock bottom price.
I sure hope you join me at Ta-Dah Mom!
Ignite the Fire – Available AGAIN!
Ignite the Fire is available once again for immediate download. My much sought after homeschool book is now available online only for download to your own computer.
Buy Now
Be my Fan?
