All Done!!!

I finished the felt play house with a week to spare! Hooray!

Have you ever made some thing that you just LOVE? I mean, I am so excited about how this turned out! I had visions of what this would turn out to be and they were not as good as this! Not to toot my own horn (toot toot!) but, I am in love with this play house!

Let me give you a tour:

Welcome to the front door.

Complete with a mail box...

...that opens and already has mail in it!

Let's stroll around to the side, with a tree and apples ready to be picked!

On to the back, where the tree and apples continue and you meet a friend Mr. Blue Bird.

Feel free to pick a basket of apples!

Come on around the the other side and stop to smell the roses!

It is NOT too girly, since one of the roses is blue!

Go ahead and pick a flower, and put it back for hours of fun... or use the flowers as drum sticks like my son likes to do!

Here is a close up of my MITERED edged Window... something a Carpenter would truly appreciate! I am very happy with how the windows turned out... I wish the ones on my house looked this good!

Another look at the apple tree.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit soon!

Of course, I wish that I cute pictures of my Little King playing in his new house... but as soon as I took the camera out, he had a meltdown. But, he does love it and so do I!

Liz is a Big Ol' Quitter

For a few weeks I've been mulling over whether or not I should continue to take tae kwon do classes. I've been doing it for 8 1/2 years now and it's become a part of my life and a part of who I am. Rather, it used to be. I'm still a black belt (I always will be) even if I don't take classes because that's more of a mentality than anything else. I still plan to put Ethan back in tkd once his leg is all healed up and Micah will start, too, when he's 3, because I believe martial arts teaches very important life skills that will benefit my children. But it's just not working for me right now. The classes are usually right in the middle of the supper/bath/bed melee at my house, or they start at 7:30, when the kids are finally in bed and the kitchen is clean and I can sit on the couch and watch TV with my husband. That time is hard to give up. Plus, it's $80/month and I've been to class like 3 times in the last 6 months. That's just not fiscally responsible. So, this week I quit. I froze my contract with the school and emailed my instructors. I hate having quit something, especially something that was such an integral part of my life for so long. However, this morning at MOPS our Mentor Mom was talking about the sacrifices we make for our families and I guess this is something that I'm sacrificing. Unlike sleep, (TMI alert) a regular sex life, and the freedom to go somewhere without shlepping 2 kids and all their stuff around, though, is it really a sacrifice if I don't miss it very much? I guess it's more like having a career, a house that is not covered in toys, and meals without crying - I used to really enjoy those things, and it would be cool if I had them again someday, but they're not all that important to me anymore.

Birth of a Blog Post

Today has been one of those days. The kind where I'm busy all day but by the end, I can't really account for my time. I realized around lunchtime that Liz hadn't posted yet because today is NOT Thursday. I kept holding out hope that she would post something later in the day, since her posting time seems to coincide with naptime, but then the full reality of WEDNESDAY hit me. Time seems to be hurtling away from me these days and I just can't keep track. I know that today is one of those days when squeezing out a blog post will be like giving birth...painful, messy, and forgetable, but decided to check in anyway and share what's on my mind.

We found out today that the homeschool kindergarten rule is, indeed, a stupid, stupid rule that will not go away. Our kindergartners in Florida will not be promoted to first grade unless they have completed an accredited, public school kindergarten program. They will repeat kindergarten whether they need to or not if, for some reason, we cannot provide a homeschool first grade education and must enroll them in school. The rule only applies to kindergarten. After that, students are evaluated for grade level placement.

If kindergarten were still the housekeeping, blocks, and reading centers that I remember, it would be so much more palatable. Unfortunately, kindergarten consists of a LOT of testing, deskwork, and basically the same stuff we did in first grade. Our son hates it. He can read, write, tell time, add numbers, count by 5's and 10's, tie his shoes, and so much more, but sit him in a classroom doing worksheets and deskwork all day and his yearning to learn gets squelched. I hate that I have to watch it happen day by day of this 180 day school year. It's painful.

We love his teacher. We love his school. I love the energy and enthusiasm of the staff. Unfortunately, it's a system that does not serve the kids who excel. I'm looking forward to guiding his education myself next year, nurturing his love of learning. It's going to be so good.

Stranger Danger

So dear friends, what should I do about the jerk who is stalking my cell phone? For over two weeks now, some guy has been calling my phone to harass me. The first time I answered, he asked me something very crude, so I hung up the phone. The next time he called, I didn't answer, so he only called four times that day. The very next day he called, I answered and hung up without saying anything so he would know I was not going to talk to him. That really made him mad, so he called my phone over ten times that day. They are usually back to back calls. I guess he prefers one concentrated spell of annoyance instead of equally distributing the drama. The call comes in as "Restricted," so I called my cell phone company to see if they could help. They can't see his number either, so their best suggestion was to restrict my phone calls to people in my contact list. This sort of works. If someone not on my list calls, I do not know they are calling, and they do have the ability to leave a message. I do not get alerts that I have a message. Today, I had a message from someone looking for Heather because her rent check is late. He didn't leave a number, and I can't call him back to tell him he has the wrong number because my phone will not keep a record of the call. So, I turned off the restriction to see if he would call back, and within hours, my stalker had called. He kept calling and calling as I quickly turned my re-restricted my calls.

I am pretty sure this is harmless, just irritating, but how do I really know? This person has never called my home phone and probably doesn't even know who I am, but I am still bothered. I am even more concerned that it is still going on. What should I do? Do I change my phone number? Do I contact the police? What do you think?

Checking in With My Felt Play House

Remember that I really want to make one of these felt play houses (that fit over your card table) for my son's 2nd birthday:

This one is from Homemade By Jill, and I am using it as an example to make my house. Mine is a bit different but I have looked at this house about 100 times to get inspiration or to decide how big something should be.

I am happy to report that I have some work done!

I have cut out all the sides and the roof! (4 orange sides and a brown roof) Orange is my Little King's favorite color.


I have finished the front side with the door and the mail box! The mail box opens so you can put a letter in it! I freezer paper stenciled the letters and numbers on (It was easier way for me to get a cleaner look)

I have cut out all the stuff for the back side and need to sew it on. I also still need to make the apples to hang on the tree and a few more leaves in a lighter green. The basket it going to be a pocket to hold the apples that can get picked off the tree!.

I have 2 sides left to make and then I have to sew it all together. I have two weeks so I think that is do-able!

Sloooooowwwwww Down

I am a major klutz, always have been. One time I was walking on the sidewalk in college and I tripped over a leaf. A leaf - I kid you not. Another time I broke my toe during a tae kwon do class because I accidentally kicked the wall. It's nearly constant - knock this over, stub this toe, bump into that wall, spill this, oh and wait - let me tell you about my husband's truck. He was out of town for a week for work and he took my car to the airport so I had his truck. I was backing out of our driveway, on my way to take the boys to their grandma's, and I got too close to the gate and scraped all the way down the side of the truck. Then, the very next day, I was pulling into the driveway and scraped the truck again, only on the other side. It was a mess. Both back side panels had to be replaced, painted, new bumper, etc. My husband was a good sport about it, but I felt like an idiot. Lately this klutzy stuff has been really getting to me. I have a lot of stress in my life. I am dealing with a very ugly family situation and I have 2 small children - enough said. I think I am also having a bit of a faith crisis because I (*cringe*) have been blaming God for my klutziness. He made me, after all. He could keep me from constantly hurting myself and breaking stuff. Usually when something like that happens, I say very bad words in my head. I knew I needed to stop doing that, though, so one day I stubbed my toe and it hurt and I just took a breath and tried not to curse. And I promise you, God said to me, "Slow. Down." I realized that the reason I am such a klutz is that I rush. I'm constantly rushing around, hurrying to do this, running to do that. I really don't have a lot to do. I don't have many deadlines. But I race through chores and meals and books like a chicken with my head cut off. So now when I do something klutzy, such as knock the olive oil over onto the stove, I tell myself, "Slow down." And last night, when I had spent an hour driving around town to get my husband's pain medication for the shoulder surgery he had yesterday morning and then to Beef's where I waited 30 minutes for our food and then into the driveway with the truck, scraping the side of it on the gate AGAIN, I put my head down on the steering wheel and, instead of cursing God, I simply told myself to slow down. After all, as the wise Lily Tomlin says, "For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."

Thank You, From the Bottom of my Chart

I used to be so good about writing thank you notes for anything and everything. If someone did something thoughtful or invited me over for coffee or gave me a gift, a handwritten note (in calligraphy, no less) was soon to follow.

Fast forward to Christmas 2009...I was so grateful to have received only a small handful of gifts this year. I thought, "Oh, thank goodness, I only have to write four thank you notes!" Never  mind the lovely dinners, cookie parties, and playdates surrounding Christmas...I just can't keep up with that level of handwritten appreciation anymore!

But now I have not only my own thank you notes to write, but the kids' thank you's as well! I took them to the dollar store and let them each pick their own pack of thank you cards, just to give them some ownership over the whole process. We made a chart for each kid with the gifts they received and the name of the giver, to be crossed off as the note is written. Our 6-year-old is painstakingly handwriting his own notes, and with his birthday just three days after Christmas, we let him combine both celebrations into one thank you note. He still isn't finished.

Last year, I made him draw a picture of each gift inside blank cards. When he finally finished all his artwork, I am so ashamed to admit that I completely lost his cards, his list of gifts and givers, and the envelopes (which I had already addressed). Those never got sent.

While KID 1 can just barely write his own thank you's this year, KID 2 can NOT, thank you very much. It is apparently my job to thank everyone for her gifts. I've tried having her "decorate" the cards herself in the past, but it becomes tedious for her and she finds something else to do before she's reached the second card.

I've heard of parents taking a picture of the kids with their gifts, but that just seems like extra work for me. Finding the gifts, taking the photo while berating the child in question to "smile like you really like your present!" and then actually having the photos printed and included in each appropriate envelope...I am SO not doing that.

How do you show friends and family appreciation for your kids' gifts? Any ideas for making the process a little easier?

Renewal

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
~2 Corinthians 4:16

Ironically, I was going to post this last week, but I was too sick to get off of my couch, but better late than never. These are the vitamins I take everyday. They don't upset my stomach, don't cost a fortune, and don't taste too bad on the way down. I first bought them because of their high vitamin B levels, and I really do feel better when I take these on a regular basis. A few days ago, I was reading the box and realized that they also contain Ginseng, which has "naturally occurring ginsenosides and flavonoids, bioactive factors that play a role in well-being." No wonder I felt better.

Sadly, taking these vitamins everyday is about the only thing I make sure to do for myself every day (unless you count drinking coffee - which is full of antioxidants). Even on days when Alex is in school, I don't make time to exercise, fix myself a nice lunch, study my Bible or even rest! Are any of you successful at taking care of yourself? Do you have any tips for those of us who aren't? What do you do to renew yourself daily? I'd love to hear about it!

Just GO!

I have a friend (A collage roommate) whose 16 month old baby has to have some pretty major medical procedures done recently and in the near future. (I am being vague, since it is not my child) She lives about 4.5 hours away from the hospital that is working with their family. So, that means every time they have an appointment or a surgery they have to travel 4.5 hours away from home, spend the night at a relatives house and deal with this without most of their friends and family. And to make things more difficult the hospital does not allow children under the age of 5 (even siblings!) to come because of H1N1..etc... So that means their 4 year old son cannot come to visit his sister and be with his parents!

The thing is, is the hospital is only about 1/2 hour from my house...absolutely doable for me to visit and bring some food. I have been trying to keep up with the updates on her blog (I LOVE blogs), so when I read that they would be in town at the hospital for a surgery I sent her an e-mail letting her know that I would like to visit and bring some dinner, if that was OK. I thought that the surgery would not be until the next week so I have plenty of time of plan everything out. but I got an e-mail back saying that they would going to be here TOMORROW!

My mind starting coming up with excuses on why I couldn't go... "I have something planned at 8 PM ... that might be tight to bring dinner and make it." "Since children under 5 can't go, I have to find a sitter for my little king... this is too short of notice..." "I don't really feel like going today" I know...I suck!

BUT I stopped and pulled myself together and said to myself (yes I talk to myself.... I know you do too so shut-up!) "When your friend is at the hospital because their BABY is having surgery YOU JUST GO! This is not about you - it is about them! Find a way!" And I did! And I was so happy that I could be a friendly face at the hospital, bring some yummy food and ice cream for dessert (everything is better with ice cream!). It was nice to visit with my friend and see her baby was doing fine after the surgery! I know a little about hospital life, my brother had 6 major heart surgeries growing up. It was always so nice when someone would come to the hospital and visit, even just for a little while. It was SUPER great if they brought food! : ) Even this little gesture was HUGE to us as a family while my brother was recovering.

I am not writing this to toot my horn and show you what a great person I am... actually the opposite. My true nature was to stay home and make an excuse, but with the guiding of the Holy Spirit I was able to be there for a friend. I know that God was speaking to me through my excuses. I had a choice to listen or ignore it. I choose to listen! It is so easy for me to get caught up in my 'busy" life and make excuses not to do things, but sometimes you just have to drop everything and JUST GO!

I believe that if I can do it, you can too!

Middle Aged

Stuff that Makes Me Feel Old:

holding books, crosswords, etc., far away from my eyes so I can read them

cold weather vs. my knees

trying to open jars, which I now cannot do without one of those rubber gripper thingys

the stiffness in my left hip I've felt ever since I started cardio kickboxing

Rachel making fun of me for wearing an Aeropostale hoodie

staying up too late - I think I'm still recovering from staying up to watch the National Championship last week

pop music - What is all this crap on the radio? And who are these people?

MTV

excessive moisturizing of my neck so that I don't get turkey neck like my mother and grandmother

peeing a little when I sneeze or cough

my 3-year-old beating me at every Wii game he attempts

Stuff That Makes Me Feel Young:

football

beer

drinking beer while watching football

exercise, especially shooting hoops

playing trains with Ethan

the fact that I have yet to find a gray hair

loud rock music, especially if I'm in the car alone rockin' out

Looney Tunes

Facebook

making my 17-year-old nephew laugh because we have the same sense of humor

How about you? Feel old? Feel young? Share!

Slacker

Just noticed there wasn't a post up on Motley Moms for today, then realized - "TODAY IS MY DAY TO POST!" Whoops!

Consider this my fabulous post for the week. I didn't intend to take a break, but have gotten so busy the past two weeks, I've completely forgotten to do my own articles.

Keep up the great work, ladies. I continue to thoroughly enjoy each and every article you post!

Love you all!

Donna

Off the Wall

I am not great when it comes to decorating, and since we've moved into our house I have had a terrible time trying to decide what should go on the walls. While reading a magazine the other day I noticed an article about a designer's house, and there was a picture of the wall behind the headboard in her bedroom. She had hung several framed postcards in a nice pattern there, and it looked really neat. As I read the article, it struck me that this particular designer doesn't buy expensive art for her home, but she uses images that she likes, frames them, and they become art.

That was when the lightning bolt hit. When my dear grandmother passed away, we had the opportunity to sort through her belongings. She lived through the Depression, and she kept nearly everything she ever received. In a box in her bedroom I found a treasure trove of the neatest recipe books from the 30's that she must have gotten for buying a certain brand of sugar or baking chocolate, canning jars or other baking products. I have been storing them in a binder to protect them, but when I read this article it dawned on me that those cute little books have been boxed away for far too long. I put three of them into frames, and now every time I walk into the kitchen I get to think of my Grandma. (The booklet titled, "50 Ways to Use Marshmallows, A Household Necessity" always makes me smile!)

We also found a good-sized portion of my Great-Great-Granmother's post card collection, and I can't wait to do something with those, too. There is one card that has a picture of a toddler riding an alligator, taken back in the day when they thought it was OK to do things like that. Once I figure out the perfect place for that one, it is leaving it's protective plastic sleeve and going on the wall for all to see!

So, do you have any non-fine art related ways to decorate your walls? I need some help, and I would love to hear them!

4 Weeks until...

My baby turns 2. Each day he get closer and closer to 2 and father and father aways from being my sweet little baby! It is exciting and sad all at the same time.


I really wanted to make one of these felt play houses (that fit over your card table) for his 2nd birthday:


This one is from Homemade By Jill I love it!


This one is from This and That so cute on the inside!


A very manly one from Sew Much Ado

A Very princess one from Ikat Bag

So, here I have a TON of inspiration! I have the felt! I bought yards and yards of it when it was 50% off at Joann's in preparation for this project. AND...here is what I have done so far:

yep, a pretty good sketch of what I want to do... no sewing, or cutting yet!! And did I mention that I only have 4 weeks left to complete this project!?!? Time to get my butt in gear!

So I have set up a schedule for myself of what I need to complete each week (basically a side and a little more each week.) I think that it is doable, but it will be tight! I always tell myself I work better under pressure! Now we will see!

Have you ever done this to yourself?

Happy National Championship Day!

I know most of you aren't into football, but that's okay. In honor of the national college football championship game tonight, I'm going to attempt to explain to you why it is so important to me and why I'm such a crazed fan.
I was born in Alabama and I lived there for much of my early childhood. There's not a lot going for Alabama. There are no professional sports teams of any sort, poverty is rampant, unemployment is high, too many people smoke and/or are overweight, and the state has a sordid past relating to the civil rights movement. But I love Alabama. It's where my family is from and I have many happy memories of living there and then visiting my Nanny, my grandmother, my favorite person in the whole wide world, after we moved to Florida. I will admit that the state and the people can be backward, but some of the best people I've known have come from Alabama and I am proud of my heritage.
What does this have to do with football? Well, since there's not a lot going for Alabama, people who live there have to cling to what makes them great, and one of those things is college football. The University of Alabama has one of the most storied football programs in the country. One of the most prolific college football coaches, Bear Bryant, coached at Alabama and led them to six national championships. Amazingly, Bryant was one of the first college coaches to recruit and play black players. That's really saying something, considering where he coached and who was governor at the time (George Wallace). Alabama football gives the people of Alabama something to be proud of. When you add in the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn, which is really heated, football is a big deal in this particular state.
It's also a big deal in my household. It was in my home growing up - some of my earliest memories are of both my dad and mom yelling at the TV for some player to "Run!" or "Make a tackle!" I was raised to be an Alabama fan and to hate Auburn and Tennessee and Penn State and Notre Dame and to have a disdain for any team outside the SEC. My husband became a hard-core Alabama fan shortly after we married. I have enough Alabama t-shirts to wear one every day of the week (although I try not to do that) and I've read everything ever published about Bear Bryant. It's not just a hobby for me, it's an obsession.
This season has been magical. We are undefeated. We beat everyone in our conference, including Auburn and Tennessee, our biggest rivals, then we beat undefeated Florida to win the SEC championship. Honestly, though, it's been heartbreaking to be a Bama fan for a long time. We last won a National Championship in '93 and since then it's been a long line of failing coaches and NCAA rule violation scandals. Finally in 2007 we got a new coach, Nick Saban (called "Satan" by some of his naysayers), and it's been uphill ever since. Last season was promising, but we lost the SEC championship to Florida and then lost the Sugar Bowl to Utah. This season went much the same way, except we were able to pummel Florida to win the SEC and we got our first Heisman Trophy winner - Mark Ingram. Tonight we are playing Texas for the national championship. I will stay up as late as the game goes and I will probably cry actual tears if they lose. This is saying a lot, since I can't remember the last time I cried over anything.
I probably have only succeeded in making myself sound like a lunatic and confirmed for those of you who don't like football that you've made the right choice. That's okay because I'm not trying to convert anyone. But football is one of my favorite things and I'm just so thrilled that for me, it's still going on. For many people, their seasons ended at the end of November or with a disappointing loss in a no-name bowl game. But I get to cheer my team on with hundreds of thousands of other fans across the country. It's been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait!

More on spending...

We don't plan it, but Pam and I seem to always be thinking about the same thing! Yesterday she wrote a great post about her plan for spending money wisely, and today I want to talk about really saving money for a lofty goal...

...to pay for our house this year, or at least make a huge dent in the mortgage. We have no other debts, so the only way to make room in our budget for bigger and better things is to banish the mortgage payment. Yes, we did just buy the house in July, but I'm already tired of this monthly drain on our resources.

We don't live that extravagantly now, so making cuts is going to be severe. I am designating one night a week as "Beans and Rice Night." It's much healthier than other options, and it's much less expensive, too. We will also have a soup night. Other than that, I'm going to really menu plan this year, and stick to the plan. No more emergency runs to McDonald's when I forget to defrost the chicken, either.

Trips to the mall or Target? Fewer and farther between, and I'm not going without a list. I've already managed to escape my post-Christmas spending frenzy in the clearance aisles, so this may not be as hard as I thought! I'm not buying anything without asking the question, "Is this [piece of junk I won't use a week from now] really a fair exchange for financial freedom?"

Now the big one: I'm leaving my big purse at home. I carry it so that I can fit my cash envelopes, coupon files, and gift card files with me in case of a shopportunity. Guess what? I tend to shop when those things are with me. No more. I don't leave the house without a plan, and the plan will include the cash I'm going to spend as well as anything else I need for that trip. No more side trips to the Dollar Tree. No more meandering through the garden center at Walmart "just to see what they have." No more spending money on silly or unnecessary things.

So, we're cutting to the quick here, and hopefully we will see a happy return. It is a little extreme, but as Dave Ramsey says, "live like no one else so that later you can live (and give) like no one else." Do you have any extreme frugal tips? Let's hear them!

Spending Money

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?"
~ Luke 14:28

My friend Lindsay, and fellow Motley Mom, let me borrow a few of her Dave Ramsey books before I left Florida. Her family follows Dave's plan to be debt free, and I was so excited to learn more. Dave gives readers baby steps to become debt free, and I am so drawn to him because he is a Christian.

One of the first things I learned from Lindsay and Dave is to pay cash for everything excluding monthly bills. Before, I always used my check card for any and every purchase: McDonald's sausage and egg McMuffin - $2.58, Starbucks tall decaf peppermint mocha - $3.85, GNO at movies - $8.75. Ironically, I was also always afraid to check my bank balance online. I dreaded writing down all of the deductions and I lived in constant fear that an expenditure was forgotten. Spending like this also enabled me to be blissfully unaware of how much we actually spent each month at Starbucks, the grocery store and even on gas.

I do have to spend some time each month budgeting how our money left after paying bills should be spent, but I am so thankful to have money left after paying bills! Grocery shopping has been the biggest challenge for me. I budget $50 per week, which is a challenge alone. Paying cash forces me to keep a total of how much is in my cart, and I forces me to make some tough decisions like, "Do I really want to spend $4.00 on 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or would I rather get 4 pounds of split breasts for $4.00?"

Paying with cash is a great way to start tracking your spending. I use an envelope like this, filled with smaller envelopes.



My categories are: fun and farmers market, babysitter, hair care, toiletries, clothing, Walgreen's, prescriptions, co-pays, gas and oil, repairs and tires, groceries, cleaning, entertainment, Starbucks and restaurants. I am planning to add an emergencies envelope to have a few extra dollars for things forgotten or unplanned, like school fundraisers.

Like most new years, I am hoping this year will bring our family more prosperity, but this year, I actually have a plan to make that happen. What money saving goals or tips do you have for the new year?

My "Murtough" List

If you have seen the Lethal Weapon movies, you will be familiar with Murtough (played by Danny Glover) and his partner Riggs (played by Mel Gibson). They are detectives who seem to get themselves into trouble while solving the world’s problems. Murtough's most famous line in all the movies is, "We're too old for this *stuff*" (*actually a different 4 letter word is used, but I am keeping it PG here!) Reflecting on 2009 and going into 2010, I seem to find myself saying, "I'm too old for this stuff!" quite a bit!

A couple weeks ago I went to the doctor because my knee had been bothering me for a while. It hurt to bend it, straighten it, pretty much do anything with it. I thought that I had better get it checked out, because it could be a tumor! The doctor examined me, and said, "it is arthritis."

WHAT?!?! I am not old enough to have arthritis! (I mean I am only 31!)  I'd almost rather it be a tumor (Ok- not really!) It did not help that I also found 3 gray hairs that same week (You wont find them now... I pulled those suckers out and I am getting my hair dyed stat!)

So, I am creating my own Murtough list... the things that I am officially too old for!
1.) Staying up all night for a New Year's Party. I volunteer with the Jr. High group at my church, and they had an all-nighter for New Year's Eve. I told the youth pastor that I could help, but only until 1 AM... that is already WAY WAY past my bed time! He understood!
2.) Drinking caffeine after noon. I used to be able to down a can of dew and take a nap... not any more! I am totally hyped up and ready to scrub the floors with a tooth bursh! Not to mention that I keep my hubby up by talking a mile a minute.
3.) Sitting on my knees for longer than 10 seconds. See above!
4.) Going to a really loud concert. I find myself saying, "WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO LOUD. . .I HAVE A HEADACHE!"
5.) Playing any sort of physical game, and not paying for it the next day! I played dodge ball on a Wednesday night with the youth group, and the next day I had a hard time getting out of bed.

So, what is on your Murtough list?