Mother’s Day is only a few short weeks away.
And we are approaching the deadline for Mother’s Day orders here at Bonbon.
You must order by tomorrow to get your charms in time for the big day.
So don’t delay!

Again, we have so many wonderful custom options for Mom.
By far our most popular mommy charm is our Mother’s Heart.

It’s a charm that’s 3/4″ in diameter.
Stamped in the middle with a heart.
Surrounded by the names of your kids.
Or your pets.
Or some of your Mom’s wonderful characteristics.
Be creative!

You can wear it alone.
Or pair it with another of our handmade charms.
Like the sugar drop.
How sweet is that?

And we have a great deal for you.
If you order today or tomorrow (by April 27, the deadline)
You can get the Mother’s Heart Charm
for a screaming deal!
Enter the code MAMA at checkout
And you will receive $7 off.
That’s a $29 charm for only $22.

This deal is only good for two days,
So get over to the website now
And place your order!

Boys and girls are different.
I just thought you’d like to know that.
Seriously.

Now, this is not a new revelation.
But it continues to astound me.
And make me chuckle.

Because it’s like this.
I have three girls.

And one boy.

When I had the boy, I thought
Maybe we can just adapt the stuff we learned with the girls
And apply it to the boy.
Umm, nope.
They are totally different creatures.

This last week for me was just another example of that.
Sam turned 13 last week.
In our house, 13 is a big year.
We don’t usually throw huge birthday parties,
But we do tend to go all out on the 13th birthday.

There have been two girls who have already passed this milestone.
For each of them we had a fancy dinner.
Three courses.
Served by waiters/waitresses (Mom, Dad, and siblings)
On the patio.
Twinkle lights.
Everyone was dressed up.
Pretty fun.

Well, I knew that was not going to fly with Sam.
No shocker there.
But we still wanted to do something fun.
And maybe meaningful.

So I’ve been peppering him for weeks.
What would you like to do?
What would make it really special?
Something you would always remember?

So, for any of you that might wonder what makes an occasion special for a boy.
A long-lasting memory that your son will never forget,
I am here to let you in on the perfect combination.
You might want to take some notes here.

The combo is this.

Basketball.

Burgers with all the fixings.
By the way, the tomatoes are not for the boys.
Definitely not.
But the bacon?
That was by special request.
The theme here is meat.

Next comes ice cream sundaes.
With several candy toppings.
Plus chocolate syrup.
Plus whipped cream.
There is no photo of this.
Because it was devoured before I could get to my camera.

You also need to add some video games.
Late into the night.
And possibly the wee hours of the morning.
Again, there are no photos.
Because Mama was sleeping.
You all have fun now, you hear?

And lastly,
After you have been fueled up by some waffles the next morning
(Because the burgers, ice cream, and huge bag of Doritos have left you a little hungry)
You just need to add in some target shooting.

With guns.
And ammo.
Lots and lots of ammo.

So there you have it.
The perfect boy birthday.
Special.
Memorable.
Who knew?

Originally posted on 4/23/11

It’s a busy weekend at our house.
Weekends are always busy, living with a Pastor.
But Easter weekend?
Crazy.
Pair that with birthday parties, kids’ schedules, a track meet, and house guests,
and it can almost un-do you.
Not that I speak from experience or anything.

But today I’m thoughtful.
In this week of the Passion,
Good Friday and Easter Sunday are always highlighted.

We went to a Good Friday Service last night.
It was a somber time.
To remember.
And to be thankful.

Tomorrow will be a joyous day.
Busy.
We will commence our day with a service at Sunrise.
Outside.
This is no small commitment in Oregon.
But we will bundle up and go, blankets and all,
To rejoice at daybreak.

Then there will be food, and Easter baskets, and new Easter clothes.
And another celebration service at church.
With all of our friends, and maybe some new friends.
Songs and dance and a message of grace.

But for some reason, I always ponder this day.
The day in between.
What were the disciples thinking?
Were they hopeful or discouraged?
Sad or excited?
It must have been a hard day.
And I am empathetic.
Because I find myself in this “in between” place a lot.

Needing to trust in something I can’t quite see.
Hoping for an outcome I want to believe will happen.
But unsure.
And tired of waiting.
A little bit hopeful, but mostly discouraged.
Wanting to trust in someone else,
but feeling like I need to have a backup plan.

I guess I would probably just camp out right there,
if it was up to me.
If not for the finish of the story.
Promises kept.
The truth revealed.
Once dead.
Now alive.

And this is the hope of Easter.
The reason why it’s a privilege to celebrate every year.
On the very day of the Resurrection.
It’s why I will get up tomorrow at 5:30 am to brave the weather.
And see the sun rise.
Because hope lives.
For the disciples.
And for us.
And that’s something worth getting up for.

(photo credit)

There was a little partying at our house last night.
Some eating.
Some singing.
Possibly even a little dancing.

It was my husband’s birthday.
My idea for a celebration was a quiet dinner for two.
A little cake afterwards with the kids.

But no.
He had other plans.
A Nacho Libre party.
And the menu would be…nachos, of course.

If you haven’t seen this Jack Black classic,
You probably should.
You might have to turn your head away in shame a few times,
But it will be worth it.

We had a crew.
I think I counted 27 of us.
And here’s a little word of wisdom for you.
It’s not smart to let the teenage boys go through the food line first.
Because there’s not much left when they’re done!
Note to self.

What is it about being together with friends that’s so good?
Refreshing.
Life giving.
Belly laughing.

Add in a fake moustache or two.

The Lord’s cheeps
And some stretchy pants,
And you’ve got yourself a party.
I decided to save you all the visual on the stretchy pants.
You can thank me later.

It was a great night.
I believe fun was had by all.
And now we take a breath
And move on to the next celebration!