Monday, February 23, 2009

February 23, 2009

The start of another work week! I feel hopeful knowing that Ash Wednesday is coming and so is the season of Lent, and then Easter! It is just such a wonderful, hopeful time of the year! I not only look forward to the warmer weather and Spring, but also to celebrating our Risen Savior!

But, first things first. At our church, one of our Pastors has asked that we take part in Lent. Having grown up in the Church of The Nazarene, I have never really done this before. We are all asked to give up something that would be a sacrifice for us, with the idea that it would signify just a TASTE of the suffering of Christ. We will also be reading a chapter of scripture together each day. I really am wanting to do this, but finding the right thing to give up seems to be a challenge for me. I know that at this time in my life...giving up sweets, or fattening foods would be really tough for me, but that seems like the item everyone gives up. I also think about giving up the internet, or my cell phone. Those would be extremely tough too...I think that I would need the internet for work...but I am still thinking about this. My cell phone would be another really difficult item for me to try and give up! Could you give up the techno items that have such a hold on our daily lives? Could you give one of these items up for the entire Lent season? We will discuss this tomorrow morning. Also tomorrow...a caller today was discussing what a digital mom she was....and casually uttered the phrase..."not bad for a stay at home mom with not much to offer"...or something to that effect. I didn't even catch that until we played the recording back...but as a stay at home mom....did you ever feel that way? I know I dealt with it...tomorrow we will share our good thoughts with those moms who sometimes feel disconnected and that they don't have much else to offer! They do! Talk with you tomorrow!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Is anyone else feeling a little uneasy with all these bail-outs and stimulus dollars? There are so many people out there dealing with big financial difficulities...I just hope this can help. But I cannot help but be a little nervous about it. I read a stat earlier today that we are going to mention on the show tomorrow...68% of women asked in a recent survey said that the economy was effecting their marriage. Wow. That's a big number. But HOW is it effecting your marriage? I guess we are feeling a little more stressed, and able to go out and do less (or at least nervous about spending extra money) so in that regard it could be effecting us, but I am not noticing any severe changes. How about you? Is the economy effecting your relationship? How? Love to hear your comments. We will squeeze in a little fun tomorrow too...Disney on Ice tickets, etc...I hope you can join us.

Monday, February 16, 2009

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day weekend. Ours was pretty good...except that I got food poisoning or something like that in the middle of the night! We had a fun night out with Olivia and I even commented on how good my honey mustard chicken dish was....
I woke up around 1:30 very sick. I felt nauseous and needed some water. So I walked down to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. I took a drink, and the next thing I know my husband was standing over me with a panicked look on his face asking if I was o.k. I fainted....which is something I have never done before. Just blacked-out. I was very fortunate I wasn't hurt...I hit my neck on our counter somehow, since I have the mark to prove it, but other than being sore today, I am fine. How was your Valentine's Day? Hopefully you were well, and enjoyed it no matter what you were doing! Today was a little quiet on the phones for the show...lots of schools out and people with the day off because of President's Day. Did you get a really good, clever, inspirational gift for V-day this year? Would love to hear about it.

Tomorrow we will have more tickets for Disney on Ice...and I will leave you with this topic to ponder for tomorrow's show: Should a woman be able to bring her baby to work with her? Talk with you in the morning!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Yet again, wind turns things upside down around Central Ohio. Are you all o.k? For us, it was just a completely sleepless night with no power. All in all, that isn't so bad. It could have been a lot worse. I am thankful that we made it out with no reports of any serious injuries. We had no power for about 12 hours. Really, just a minor inconvenience. It was fun trying to maneuver my away around the house with just a candle, trying to get ready for work. But again, other than having to wake my husband up to get the garage door up (no power) we came out virtually unscathed.
The phone lines were really busy all morning with calls from those of you that didn't have any power, and were wondering about schools and such. It is amazing how isolated you feel when the power goes out, isn't it? We have access to so much information (when the electricity is working) that when we lose that access we feel alone. Fortunately, we are never really alone! But I am glad that we could help pass along information to those that really needed it. Some just needed to hear someone's voice, and I am happy we could be there. We also got lots of calls from those of you that just shared information...traffic updates, power outtages, etc. Thanks so much for taking the time to help others. I love these kinds of shows...no we didn't get to all the "stuff" we may have planned...but it's okay, because we just spent the morning together, helping one another get through...and I love that! Now...tomorrow...we will try to get to some of that stuff and more...last minute Valentine's help..3 winners for our Valentine's contest...and more. I hope you will join us...you never know what might happen!

Monday, February 9, 2009

This warmer weather got here just in time...just when we needed a break from winter! Its nice to walk around and not feel like I am wearing heelies....of course now it's wet and muddy everywhere, but I will take it! Did you see the story over the weekend about the ice fishermen on Lake Erie that were stranded when an 8-mile stretch of ice broke off and started floating off? Pretty scary! One person lost his life after suffering an apparent heart attack after falling into the frigid waters. I was thinking about the situation of floating on that chunk of ice aimlessly, not having any idea of what was going to happen...and couldn't help but look at it as a metaphor for so many lives. Can you imagine the feeling of just floating along aimlessly without any idea of where you were going, or who would rescue you? I am so glad to know that I have God in my life, giving me purpose and direction!

This morning we had fun...I asked if men get left out of Valentine's Day...and do they care? We found that most men appreciate a special home-cooked meal...one guy called and said it could be any meal...a nice breakfast might be nice this saturday morning. Then your guy can take you out for dinner ladies...:-) We also talked about those valentines boxes that kids still make for school...turns out that most mom's enjoy making them just as much as the kids! Do you have memories of those valentines boxes? Making your own valentines? Or maybe you have ideas for the guys...we would love for you to share them. Tomorrow...we will talk about the most annoying sounds a parent hears....and will have some tips for Singles on Valentine's Day. I hope you will wake up with us!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Slowly but surely you are finding this blog...and I appreciate it so much. This has been a rough week for me...not sure why really. I think the fact that I am back to work after 18 months home with my daughter is starting to sink in. Don't get me wrong...I love being on the morning show at The River..and I only have to be away from my daughter for a couple of hours...but I still feel a little bad. When I stayed home, I loved every second with my daughter, but it was such a change for me! I had days when I felt guilty that I wasnt contributing financially at home, even though I knew that being with our daughter was worth any amount of money I could make. Now that I am working again, I feel guilty for leaving. I have learned one thing....you will feel guilt no matter what you do. Guilt because you even have a choice, when some families do not have that choice...guilty that you may not be doing the right thing...being a mom can be complicated. I do have the peace that I am doing what God wants me to do...even though my human nature kicks in every one in a while. I pray for you that no matter what your choice...even if you do not have a choice, that you feel the peace that you are doing the very best you can. That's all you can ask of yourself! Hey join me tomorrow as we may discuss this in some form...plus we will have a visit from Sheila Walsh...and John Tesh...who does evenings on The River, will check-in after 8:30. I hope you can join us!!!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Apparently a lot of you have had to deal with upsetting your Mom, inlaws or siblings over who gets to babysit your child or children, and when I mentioned this morning that my Mom was a little upset that I had asked my sister-in-law to babysit, even though this was the first time my sister-in-law watched my daughter, and my mom has watched her several times, a whole lot of you called to say you had gone through similar trials. The problem really is that my Husband Jeff and I never go out. We still really enjoy being with our daughter. I know that we need alone time...but we feel like we are in a good place, and just love doing things as a family. But, that means there are very few "opportunities" to sit with Livvie. So...I am trying to make it up to my Mom now...she lives an hour away, but I am going to make an effort to get up to my parent's home more frequently so she doesn't feel left out of Olivia's life. Wow..this can get complicated. While we were discussing this on the air, a single mom called and said how nice it would be to have that many people willing and able to watch my daughter...because she just doesn't have that luxury. So true! Single Mom's are my heroes! They somehow juggle everything in their lives with no help sometimes. If you are a single mom and can share some tips..join the blog. I am sure it will help others. If you are in my situation, maybe share some tips on keeping everyone happy! And are there any other couples like my husband and I ? Still just don't like being away from the little one? I am sure it is because of our situation...I was told quite some time ago that kids were not possible...Jeff and I had decided we were happy with where we were in life, and then boom...God blessed us out of the blue with Olivia...so maybe that's why we still find it tough to be away from her...also..we just have one...I know that friends of ours that have 2, 3, 5 kids feel a little more anxious to have a break! Thoughts? Comments? Always welcome. Tomorrow on the show...we will discuss how hubby is working out again...so that means I have to work out...and Author of the "Chicken soup for the soul" books Jack Canfield will join us after 8am. Talk with you then!

Monday, February 2, 2009

I am so tired right now. I know, not the Positive image I like to portray, but after a weekend that included WinterJam and The Superbowl, I cannot help it. I really enjoyed what I got to see of WinterJam!! I have always loved Newsong, and Barlow Girl rocked the house. Those girls can really play those instruments! The one gal beat those drums so hard I thought she was going to break them. They were awesome to watch, and their testimony was just as great! It was also really cool to see all the "I Love The River" posters outside. Thanks so much to everyone that made a sign and brought it. I know that many of you had your signs confiscated once you got inside...The Schott wanted to be sure that everyone would be able to see once the got inside. A few of you were able to sneak your signs inside I noticed, so thanks for holding them up when I got onstage. I appreciate it!!! I also got to meet many of you! I really love getting to shake your hand or even getting a hug from some of you. Thanks for the kind words and warm welcome. I did not get to stay for the whole thing, but heard TobyMac was AMAZING!!! Did you go? Would love to hear from you. And then we turn to the Superbowl, which I really planned on NOT watching. I was hoping to be in bed early, but you know how that goes. I got all caught up in the game and the commercials....just could not help myself. I know that I probably should have been rooting for the Steelers, and I was for the most part, but I could not help but cheer for Kurt Warner. From everything I have ever read about he and his wife, he is a great man. He is a Christian, he is the father of 7, and he and his wife try really hard to give back when they can, because they both remember a time when they had very little money, and were trying to make ends meet. I cannot help it, I love rooting for the underdog! Especially when he is a man of faith!! But in the end, it just wasn't to be. I am happy for the Steeler fans, and I am happy for Kurt Warner, because even though he didn't win the game, it was extremely close, and nobody was giving his team much of a chance before last night. I just thank God for people that show integrity when they are in the spotlight. And speaking of integrity....I have to give a shout out to OSU Head Football Coach Jim Tressel...while he likely would not take any credit for it himself...I imagine he had some hand in helping Santonio Holmes become the success he is today! Santonio had a great game for the Steelers, which included catching the winning touchdown pass, and being named MVP of The Superbowl! He is the first OSU alum to be MVP in the big game. Congrats to Santonio!!! So, as sad as I was for Kurt Warner, I could not be happier for for Santonio Holmes! Everything happens for a reason. Now I am just hoping that I can catch up on all the sleep I lost this weekend watching all this unfold!