i am about to be very transparent and gross. My middle child, Emma has been potty training for over 4 months now. It took her a while to get the hang of it. I stopped once and then re-started a month later. She pretty much has the peeing in the toilet down, but is still not pooping in the potty regularly. I know, it’s gross to talk about this, but i am so frustrated. I just got down cleaning her and her underwear up again. I hate cleaning poop off her, her underwear, and my hands!!! She knows that she is not supposed to do it, yet she just won’t stop playing and go get on the toilet. She gets a punishment every time she has a accident, because i know she can do it. Guys could never handle this stuff! My husband would just hose her off in the backyard and throw the underwear and shorts away!

Just got back from a week in Florida visiting the family. I always love going “home”. I grew up at the beach and we love to go back. The kids had a great time too. We went to the Jacksonville Zoo twice, a couple swimming pools, shopping, and the beach. We hung out with both of our families and the kids spent time with both cousins. Michael and I actually got a date night in there and my mom watched the kids so I could get a pedicure. We are so glad to have been able to see our dads around Father’s day. Mike Sr and John are the best dads and granddads. (our moms are the best too! :)All in all, a great week.

Last week Michael and I flew to Reston, VA which is just outside of Washington DC. I had a few motives for this trip. First, I was able to spend some great time along with my sweetie. I didn’t have to fight with the kids for his attention. (and he only worked on his computer some of the time. :). I also had a chance to visit At Play Cafe. They are a play cafe in Reston that serves to provide an entertaining place for kids to play while moms connect over coffee or snacks. This place is similar to the facility that I am opening next fall. On Thursday Michael and I attended the Whiteboard conference. Basically it was a conference where a lot of church planter and pastors gathered to hear 8 innovative and passionate pastors from all over the country. I was really inspired by a lot of what was said. I will share more of my thoughts on that later. I will say that I met some great pastor’s wives at the luncheon and was encouraged once again that I am not alone! I had some great friends who helped with the kids and Michael and I came back refreshed.

Wow! I can’t believe the school year has already ended. Lauren just became a 1st grader. Emma will move on up to the 3 year old preschool class and Matthew is that much closer to being a big boy. We enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday with hot dogs on the grill and a visit to the neighborhood pool. The kids have been dying to swim and they had a blast. It is nice that Lauren can swim on her own pretty much this year. Emma and Matthew both love the water and spend most of their time playing in the wading pool or kicking around on rafts. We had beautiful weather and I have a feeling that I will be going through a ton of sunscreen this summer.

Just when I am at my whit’s end and i think the we aren’t gonna make it, God once again proves His faithfulness to my family. Michael and i have been tithing and committing our lives to Christ since we got married and time after time, God has been there and provided for us. But like a lot of people, we need reminders and this past month was one of those times. We are working hard to live by a budget and become 100% debt free. By the second week this month I just didn’t think we were gonna be able to have enough for groceries let alone extra money to put towards becoming debt free. Anyway, in frustration i got a little ticked off at God that we were still struggling even though we were being faithful in our giving. Well, once again, He reminded me of His promise to take care of our needs and to bless us beyond our expectations. By the end of the month, we not only had plenty for our budget, we were able to pay off a lot more than we originally planned. Our Tax refund and stimulus money came at just the right time. I know it’s an old saying but God can really make our finances add up to whatever He wants.

I attended the Steps of Faith spring concert today. My oldest daughter Lauren performed beautifully to Butterfly Kisses (ballet) and Showers of Blessing (tap). The show was full of the little 3 year cuties who couldn’t really remember the right moves to the experienced ballerinas who amazed me with their talent. Julie Reeves and her staff do an excellent job of teaching the technical skills as well as praising the Lord through dance. I am very proud to be a part of such an excellent and Jesus-focused ballet studio. Kudos to Julie and her staff for a great semester!

All month long, Oak Leaf has been doing a series entitled “I love the 80’s”. The greeters, ushers and band have all played the part and it has been entertaining to say the least. I have doing a lot of walking down memory lane this past month. I was just a kid in the 80’s. My elementary and middle school days were filled with Dukes of Hazard, Family Ties, Growing Pains, the Cosby Show, side pony tails, banana clips, layered socks, fluorescent clothes, coca-cola jean jackets, tacky shirts, skating rink parties, and a lot of other fashion faux paus. I really don’t understand why all the 80’s stuff is back in the stores. Of all the decades, that is one that shouldn’t be repeated.

Tomorrow night is the volunteer 80’s prom event. I spent the early part of this week shopping for the perfect prom outfit. I found a great dress, shoes and accessories. Michael is going to look radical. I will post pictures later. I can’t wait to see what everyone came up with.

I would like to introduce Go Play Cafe to the city of Cartersville and residents of Bartow County.  My business partner, Kelly, and I have been working very hard for the past few months to bring a needed business to this community.  Go Play Cafe will be a coffee shop with a supervised children’s play area.  Our coffee shop will serve the best coffee and espresso beverages you have ever had.  Our play areas will be educational, exciting, and interactive.  Moms, dads and caregivers will be able to bring their children to the play area, leave them with our reliable staff and enjoy a superior cup of coffee or espresso drink.  Go Play Cafe will also host birthday parties and special events for the entire family.  We are looking forward to providing this excellent place beginning October 2008.  Our website will be up and running very soon and our presale of memberships will begin this summer.  If you have any questions in the mean time, simply reply to this post.

I have never spent as much time on the internet as I have these couple of months while writing my business plan.  It seems like the more information I find, the more work I realize that I need to do.  One google search turns into another and another and before I know it I have about 7 tabs open in firefox and it’s almost midnight.  Don’t get me wrong, I really am enjoying this new business venture.  It is requiring me to really think through some things and stretch my mind.  It has been very satisfying to accomplish bits and pieces of this process. I am very excited about our play cafe because it is going to be awesome!  Kelly and I know that we can make it successful and enjoyable…we just need someone to invest in us and our idea.  Our next big step is to apply for some funding so we can sign a lease and begin construction.

Michael and I are here in Seattle, WA hanging out with a church planter and his family. I have been so blessed by him and his passion for reaching the people here in Seattle. Many people don’t know this, but the Pacific northwest is a very unchurched area. Many church planters have come here and failed because it’s tough. But we have met a church planter who is driven, passionate and determined to succeed. He loves Christ and truly desires for the unchurched and prodigals of this area come to know Jesus in a personal way. It is cool to hear his stories about how God is already working through him and his church. It was great to see that God works everywhere - something we forget sometimes.