Flu

Well, I was looking for a way to cut down on my grocery bill but getting the stomach flu was not the solution I was looking for! Late Sunday night, the vomiting started...and it didn't stop until the next day! I just started eating soup and crackers last night. It was awful! I haven't had the flu since I was in college. This just knocked me out flat and brought me to my knees...I haven't bathed or seen the light of day for three days now. My husband is like, "Honey, shouldn't you take a bath now?" Normally, I'm the one who begs HIM to bathe! Thankfully on this New Year's Eve, I'm feeling 95% better. I'm grateful to finally sneak a kiss from my husband tonight and enjoy a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast this morning! Oh, the things we take for granted!
Note to self: GET THE FLU SHOT NEXT YEAR!!!
Happy New Year's everyone...here's to a HEALTHY and JOYOUS 2009! I can't wait to ring in the new year with all of you and look forward to getting back in the swing of things on Friday!

The Day After Christmas

Do your kids' rooms look like this? Laney sorted through the 30 Baby-Sitter-Club books we bought her for Christmas (I love garage sales!)...on top of dozens of toys and games they're trying to pack into their rooms...Jeff & I are simply overwhelmed at the sheer volume of presents the kids received in relation to the tiny sizes of their rooms. I had to take a breather and blog...or else I'd lose my mind! We asked the kids to clean out their rooms and get rid of their old toys to make room for their new ones...but of course, they want to keep everything. The problem is our house is very small and we don't even have a playroom...so if you have any ideas on how to make space when you don't have any, please let me know! I think the Salvation Army is getting a truckload of stuff from us tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Here's a picture of all the kids in my family--Max and Laney along with my most beautiful nieces! Even though Jeff & I live only 15 minutes from his parents' house, my husband wanted to spend the night in his childhood home and wake up with his Mom making breakfast. After opening presents and enjoying a yummy lunch, we played board game after board game. It was a dream day for my husband...the kids were thrilled with their gifts, and I enjoyed spending time with extended family. But I've gotta say, it was a tough day for me because I was so terribly homesick for my parents and siblings who are an ocean away. It's just not the same to connect by phone. But I realize to be with my husband means denying my dream of being with my family and soaking in the sun...I'm trying to make the most of it. My new goal is to create a New Year's resolution to find more joy in life to get out of the winter doldrums! Any ideas? Email me!

Christmas Cookies

Tonight Jeff and the kids made sugar cookies! Thanks to Mrs. Hill (Donovan's mom) who beautifully wrapped a sugar cookie mix with a Christmas tree cookie cutter and dishcloth, the kids had a blast baking! They love to get their hands grimy in a sugary, doughy mess that creates yummy concoctions. I would like to bake more if only I didn't have to clean up! It's a lot of fun for me to see my husband enjoy domestic activities!

Pork...and Marshmallows?

Max and I had a silly moment tonight...He was at the dinner table for literally 45 minutes refusing to eat his dinner. I made Kalua Pig, which is basically pork slow-cooked and smoked. Max doesn't eat pork, beef, chicken, or fish...but only likes baloney, pizza and mac & cheese. I was very sleep-deprived and exasperated so I exclaimed, "Let's see what it tastes like with marshmallows and chocolate chips!" His face lit up and yelled, "Yeah!" So...I spread some marshmallows and chocolate chips on his pork and he FINALLY ate a few bites. When his father returns from the store, he will surely hate me! Are your kids picky, too?

Ms. Christmas

Seeing Amy Grant & Vince Gill in concert tonight ranked up there with my trip to Israel as one of the greatest experiences of my life. Amy looked and sounded better than ever, belting out tunes like "Jingle Bells," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and of course her classic "Breath of Heaven." She is grace & beauty personified. Gorgeous. Gracious. Godly. And FUNNY! She and Vince cracked some zingers. And I was really touched by how much they unabashedly adore each other. Vince kept commenting on how much he loved to hear his pretty wife sing and Amy was in awe over his sweet-sounding voice. Their love brings hope to blended families everywhere!
More than anything, I left the concert longing to get in touch with the little girl buried deep down inside of me who dreamed big about pursuing life with a passion but let some dreams die in taking on the daily grind of life and added responsibilities. I want to find that girl again and live life to the fullest. Thanks for the dose of inspiration, Amy!
Below is a little clip of the lovely duo singing "Tennessee Christmas."

Not Just for Kids

I may be 26-years-old but Santa still buys me gifts every year and fills my stocking with lots of goodies. It's a tradition in my home that my mom loves to take a snapshot of her kids and their stockings before ripping the contents open and moving onto the presents. Santa always chooses a magazine to accompany each stocking, along with unusual candies and other fun items like lip-gloss and hair products...It's funny, even when the spring rolls around I always get a mysterious package from "E. Bunny"...

My favorite foods

Ladies and gentlemen, to your left you will see my favorite food of all-time: raw fish marinated in spices and scallions that can only be found in Hawaii. Every time I come home, my parents have pounds of raw fish waiting for me in the fridge. I also enjoy raw crab, raw squid and raw octopus--that's actually my husband's favorite!

Now to your right is the WORLD'S BEST DONUT--otherwise known as a MALASADA. Ohhhhh...Hawaii is known for its beaches, diversity of culture...and a Portuguese-based confection called a malasada. I haven't seen it anywhere else. It's basically fried dough with a chewy center rolled in sugar. If you're ever in Hawaii, make sure to stop in at Leonard's in Honolulu and pick up one of these pastries. I promise you, it'll be one of the best things you've ever tasted!

Max the Elf

This past week Max participated in a school Christmas program called "Melton the Snowman." It was pretty entertaining! Here is a picture of him in chap-sticked cheeks...he was one of a chorus of elves. This truly was the busiest week of the year for me and my husband. Every night we either had a kid program, Christmas party or work function to attend. I've yet to catch up on my sleep...so if I start talking backwards on the morning show, please have mercy on me! How about you? Is this holiday season as hectic for you as it is for me?

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

I think Scott and I get along well because he reminds me of my husband in the fundamental ways: He's a great husband & father. (Read the blog post below)!
36 years ago today, my husband, Jeff, wailed into the world. He's simply the most precious thing I've ever laid eyes on and hands-down, slam-dunk the greatest example of integrity and fatherhood I've ever known. He's pictured here on the left making me dinner because I was too tired to slide off the couch!

I just want to shout about Jeff's godly character from the roof-tops sometimes. It's a source of frustration when people see us out with the kids and assume that because I'm much younger than Jeff that he left his first wife to be with me. Quite the opposite is true! He was always faithful to his family, never wanted the divorce, and our paths crossed many months after his divorce was final. I loved hearing Selah sing the song, "Bless the Broken Road" because it sums up our life together beautifully. We've traveled a beaten path to be together and it's still tough at times to navigate the complications of a blended family, but it's really an honor to be cleaved to a man as honorable and loving as my husband. Happy Birthday, honey!

And the Winner Is...

The 91.5 WCIC listening audience has spoken, and the Wedding Card is the big winner of the "Wheeler Christmas Card Debate." 177 total votes were cast, and the final tally was 121 (69%) votes for the Wedding Card and 56 votes (31%) for Lester the Christmas Canine. Thanks to everyone who participated in all the fun. In the end, I offered to let Susie do what she wanted to do, and Susie returned the blessing by deciding to save the Lester card for next year. "And they lived happily ever after." - Scott

Mele Kalikimaka...

...means Merry Christmas in Hawaiian! This is the first time in 26 years that I haven't spent the holiday season with my family in Hawaii. For the past week, I've burst into tears at the most random times and I've struggled with a heavy heart every day. When I connected to my mom by phone at long last yesterday, I realized it's because I'm incredibly HOMESICK. This picture was taken of me & Jeff just days before Christmas in 2007. For all you LOST fans out there, do you recognize the back-drop? Think back to the very first episode and the plane crash on the beach. We found the location! :) There was even debris scattered along the beach, which I think are remnants of the filming.

Christmas Eve was spent strolling on the beach. It was the most magical time of my life--my first Christmas with my new husband meeting my family for the first time. We soaked in the sun, marveled at the Honolulu City Lights...and I introduced Jeff to an entirely new cuisine! No matter how far away I move, Hawaii will always be my home sweet home.
Boy does my hubby have a sad puppy on his hands right now! Thankfully, he's the best husband on earth and even brought me flowers last night when I snapped at him iin my depressed mood. Every woman should be so lucky...He's the only person I'd sacrifice the sunshine for!

Selah

It was a special weekend for me and my family. Enjoying the Selah concert with my husband and kids really put me in the mood to celebrate Christmas. They rocked out with some awesome African songs! It took a lot for the kids to sit still during the program but I think it's good to expose them to great, live music that honors the Lord. Thanks to Lindsay for taking this family photo by an actual nice Christmas tree.

It was an especially sweet time for Jeff because he reconnected with an old friend--Todd Smith of Selah was acquainted with my husband back in college before Selah even existed. It's such a small world, isn't it?

The Tree of Christmas Past

It's December 6th and we FINALLY put up our Christmas tree...As the kids hung ornaments on the tree Jeff grew up with as a kid, I noticed that nearly all of the ornaments were engraved with, "Jeffrey, 1972." Not only is this artificial tree ancient...all the ornaments are, too! I'm officially calling this THE JEFF TREE. As precious as this hand-me-down tradition is, WE DESPERATELY NEED AN UPGRADE!!! But knowing my thrifty husband, we'll have this tree until we're old and grey.

Christmas Pageant

It's the most wonderful...and BUSY...time of the year, between Christmas programs, concerts and parties...I can hardly catch my breath! On Friday, Jeff & I attended the kids' Christmas pageant at our church. This year, Delaney had a singing solo and I think we were all nervous about it because Jeff can't carry a tune (my ears ring when he praises the Lord beside me in church)! But Delaney did a wonderful job--she looked pretty nervous but her angelic voice sounded throughout the church and we were proud of her.

Max played the role of a shepherd...Jeff and I heard them practice their lines so many times, we've committed them to memory ourselves! I still remember Max's lines from last year's Christmas program "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone all around them and they were so afraid" Luke 2:8-9. In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it's a good reminder of what the season is truly about.

My Little Shark Lover

I received a couple of emails from confused listeners asking, "Did I hear right? Did you say Laney wants a SHARK DIVE for Christmas?" Yup! That's exactly what I said. She's obsessed with sharks and can rattle off statistics like no one's business. She wants to move to Hawaii and study marine biology when she grows up. No argument there from me! Here's a picture of Laney in the Indiana Zoo--she actually got to touch small dogwood sharks in a little pool they had for kids. Pretty cool! But she wanted to jump in the big tank and swim with the Great Whites!

Here's Laney on her 9th b-day...My husband made her a shark poster--he's an awesome graphic designer and did a great job. She has every shark book imaginable and a couple of shark tooth necklaces. Frankly, she's got everything shark-related, except an actual shark dive, which I doubt she'll get this Christmas...But if you know anyone who works at Shedd Acquarium in Chicago and can arrange something, lemme know! :)

Lip Saver

Today I learned that Scott & I are polar opposites--surprise, surprise! :) He loves winter, I love summer! I shrivel like a prune when the snow hits. That's why my best friend right now goes by the name of "Red Velvet Cake: Lip Emollient" by Philosophy. It's the best...a little pricey but it tastes like candy and keeps my lips from feeling like seran wrap!
Thanks to our morning show friend Dan, who emailed me and suggested that I use baby oil in the shower to keep from drying out. He even said my co-host friend, Scott, should rub baby oil on his head to keep his scalp moist! For some reason I have a feeling Scott would rather have a scaly scalp than patting it with baby oil! But I think it's a fine suggestion!

Getting over the Gimmes

The phone lines lit up today as you offered suggestions for making kids get over the gimmes (the gimme-every-toy-at-Target-sickness) this holiday season! I about fell off my chair when my own hubby called in and accused me of being guilty of the gimmes! (I really want a new Mac computer for Christmas since mine is on its last leg). If you'd like to join the "Campaign for Catherine's Computer" just contact me and I'll forward you my husband's email address! :)
Thanks to Diann for emailing me a great idea of having kids sift through the toy sale fliers, cutting out the main items they enjoy and gluing them onto construction paper for her to have as a keepsake. She writes, "We stapled them together like a book...I have saved them, and it's nice to look back at them now that they're grown."
Amy from Peoria writes that she involves her kids in making unique gifts for others to encourage a giving spirit. For a great teacher gift idea, she suggests decorating little Christmas trees with items they love. For example, one teacher was crazy about basketball, so she decorated a Christmas tree with school colors and basketballs. Brilliant idea!