For all of you who have bought something from Amazon and done so by clicking through my site, congratulate yourselves. 

I checked my Amazon affiliate account today and I have earned $50.00 thus far!  As you may remember, Scott and I decided to match whatever money it earns (up to the first $200), so tonight I wrote a check to World Vision’s Sudan Relief Fund for $100!  Whoohooo!  

I know I just got through telling you that I don’t want to rush the Thanksgiving season, by thinking of Christmas.  And I don’t.  I plan to start my shopping the day after Thanksgiving. 

BUT, for those of you who like to get a head start on the Christmas shopping, I thought I’d take this time to remind you about the Shopping for Sudan project we’re working on here at the circus.  Because if you are like me, shopping online is a much preferable choice to dragging your kids in and out of their car seats, waiting in long lines, and trying to stay jovial while keeping the kids quiet and entertained.  Online shopping eliminates all that stress and lets you shop during naptime, in your sweat pants, while snacking on Halloween candy.  Def my preference. 

But, I am not writing this to try to convince you to shop online.

Nor am I writing to persuade you to shop at amazon.com.

My request is just this:  If your going to shop from Amazon, would you please bookmark my site and enter Amazon from the “Shop for Sudan” link on my side bar?

Because I am an Amazon affiliate, I can earn money from your purchase and I am pledging to donate all the money earned to World Vision’s Sudan Food and Care Fund. 

While I am sitting in the comfort and safety of my home, with my cupboards and fridge full of food and my children comfortably sleeping in their beds, with NO FEAR for our safety, there are mothers, too, too many mothers who are mourning the loss of their babies, or are watching their babies starve, or are terrified at the sights and sounds they hear approaching them.   And while we can’t help them all, we can’t solve all that is going on over there.  We can help.  We can bring a small bit of aid and relief.  And did I mention, it costs us nothing?  No extra money, at all. 

I believe there are a lot of us out there who do shop at Amazon and I am excited to think about the amount of money we could raise to help those suffering in Sudan, especially now during the Christmas shopping season. 

So, could you please help me?  Would you share this link with any friends/family that you know that shop at Amazon?  Blog, Twit or Facebook the post.  (Here’s a link I made for you, to make it real easy, simply copy and paste  http://cli.gs/Sudan)

We’ve already raised $100 since we started this summer.  I wonder how much more families we can assist in the Christmas season alone.  

Long before the costumes and candy were even consumed for Halloween, stores already had their Christmas products on the shelves.  I saw Santa and Jack-o-lanterns literally across the aisle from each other at Target a few weeks ago.  And now, while the candy still lingers in our pumpkin bowls,  if you walk into any department store, mall, or craft store, you’d swear it was December as the sights, sounds, and smells all tell of Christmas.

But, what about Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is too often forgotten in our culture.  Perhaps because it is an attitude of the heart and not something which can be bought or decorated.  A true spirit of thanksgiving must be cultivated, not consumed.  And this takes time for both thought and intention.  Hmmm, all things we seem to lack in our consumer drive, instant gratification seeking way of life.

I know that personally, I struggle with truly taking the time to stop and reflect and genuinely give thanks for the many, many blessings God has given me.  It’s all too easy to focus on where we’ll be celebrating this year, and whose bringing what, and will it be like old times, and don’t forget Black Friday shopping the next morning……

This year, I’d like to do something different.   This year, I’d like to make Thanksgiving more than just everyone going around the table and saying what they are thankful for.  I want to make it a season.  I want to spend the next three weeks leading up to thanksgiving, giving thanks.  I want to set aside some personal time, each day, to just give thanks to God.  I want to look around my house, my neighborhood, my church, my every day life filled with dirty dishes and overflowing laundry baskets, and I want to say, “Thank You.” 

Then, after I spend about a week or so of personal reflection on my blessings, I’d like to lead my kids to do the same.  I’ve read some great ideas online about making Thanksgiving trees, or calendars, boxes,…where you have everyone in your family write or draw something they are thankful for that day and reflect on it throughout the month.  These sound like wonderful ideas.  I’m not sure which one I want to implement this year.  It could be as simple as going around the table every morning at breakfast and saying something we are thankful for.  The goal, for me, is to make the true act of giving thanks more than just an after thought, but rather the for thought of our day. 

And to be honest, I can’t think of a better way to prepare my heart for the season of advent, then by preceding it with a season of thanksgiving.  Care to join me?

What are you thinking about this week? Why not use your last post of the week to highlight something a bit "deeper" then the average “Momblog” fair?  I’d love to read your thoughts.  Please feel free to write and link up a  “thoughtful” post below.  You can write a new post or link up one you wrote earlier in the week.  Please include a link back to here in your post.

OK, so Halloween was 6 days ago, and I gotta tell you this circus mom has had more than her fair share of the loot.  The kids are doing quite well with an occasional piece after a meal here or there.  Mom on the other hand seems to go for the candy bowl come nap and bed time and she rarely stops with one. 

The other morning when the kids came out to the living room my son spotted a few candy wrappers sitting on the couch.  (seems someone didn’t dispose of the evidence before falling asleep on the couch at 9pm) He said, “Hey, someone had too much junk food last night!”   

I’m thinking someone needs to gain control before the kids resort to more drastic measures.

Am I alone in this or do I have some fellow candy sneakers out there as well?  Fess up, make a pregnant mom feel better about herself!!

Visit here or here for more fun with pictures.

Remember my confession back in May about my hefty library charge? 

I am happy to report that I’ve actually gotten much better about returning library books since then.  And no, it’s not because I’ve stopped going to the library.  Sure, I’ve paid an occasional fee here or there, but nothing close to the $42.09 I paid back in May.   Perhaps they won’t be naming the local branch after the circus family after all.  

Today we had the carpets cleaned by Stanley Steamers… b/c it may sound like the circus here on a daily basis, but I was sick of it looking like the inside of a circus tent.  When the cleaners moved my couch, you’ll never believe what they found?

The missing library books!!! 

I was fairly certain they were gone for good, especially when they never showed up even after the crazy cleaning frenzy I went on all summer long.   But there they were, all along, under the couch.  I am fairly certain I won’t be able to get my refund now, since I have no idea where that receipt is from mid May.   So, it looks like we now own 2 Clifford books.  At least we finally get to enjoy the books I paid an arm and a leg for 6 months ago.

Super Girl    Bumblebee the Transformer

And our Little Kangaroo

We had a wonderful time playing with and visiting with our neighbors, dressing up in costumes, and begging for candy. 

Last Friday while the girls spent the day caring for and practicing to hold “baby Ewi” my son spent the day dressed in Camoes and gathering his weapons arsenal to play army with uncle Jim. 

I wasn’t exactly sure how much uncle Jim would feel like playing army, since he lives army every day of his life and this was his leave time to see family before deploying to Iraq.  But uncle  Jim, was a huge sport about it and never complained about playing Friday night at the birthday celebration, or during the neighborhood harvest celebration on Saturday or during the Steelers game on Sunday.  In fact uncle Jim played army, Star Wars, and Transformers every time we saw them, with never a complaint.  And my son loved every moment…  eagerly sitting by him at every meal and during church on Sunday morning.  It was rather cute to watch.

Friday the kids made cards for Great Grandpa’s birthday and cards to welcome baby Eli to MD.  My son also made a card for Uncle Jim.  He wanted him to read it that first night and then to look at the picture again before he goes off to war next month.    I had to take a picture b/c when he asked me to spell it out for him, I thought his message was too sweet not to preserve.

“Let’s have fun today and not be sad about going to war.  I love (heart colored in camouflage) you.”

On the other side, he drew this picture of the two of them playing army.

It’s pretty obvious that my son looks up to and admires his uncle Jim.   And it’s easy to see why. 

That’s right folks, we have a new circus member due to arrive here in early June 2010!!   And the circus cast couldn’t be more excited!!!

Those of you that have been visiting the circus for awhile know that I don’t use my kids names on the blogs.  I once entertained the idea of pseudonyms but never came up with any I liked.  So I’ve pretty much stuck with “ my son,”  “my 3 year old daughter” and “my baby” for the past year or so.   So far, I have no real intentions to change that, but I did realize last week, that had this been “Life with The Peanuts Gang” or something more catchy, I’d have perfect pseudonyms to use. 

My baby seems to always, always have something on her face and or clothes.  Typically it is remnants of our last meal, but it also quite often dirt or snot or a combo of the above.  As she was coming inside from playing in the sandbox I remarked to her and the kids how much she reminded me of Pig Pen. 

See the resemblance?

This of course got me thinking about my other two.

In my opinion, my son would have to go down as Linus.  Just substitute the beloved blanket for his baby.  I can totally see him getting up on stage and reciting Luke 2 when asked what Christmas is all about, can’t you?

Now, my middle child was a bit harder.  My initial inclination was to go with Marcie b/c they both have glasses.  I then was considering Sally b/c she seems to be the quintessential little sister.  (“oh big brother!” )But after spending some time reading the bios of the peanuts gang on wikipedia (a blogger has to do her research, right?) I have decided that Peppermint Patty best suits my middle child.  (though I think my daughter is way cuter). Besides the fact that Peppermint Patty is described as a tomboy, they also described her as having a “stubborn personality with a dare-devil twist”  While her stubborn streak seems to have, thankfully, ended with age, there is no question that she is our fearless one!  So, I guess Peppermint Patty it is then.

I love the peanuts gang.  Their holiday specials are hands down my favorites and a must watch every season.  Perhaps its the way he captured the personalities of children or maybe its just the way they dance with their noses pointed up the sky, I’m not sure.  But I love em’, and I love my life with my own peanuts gang as well.

This weekend the kids got to meet their newest cousin, “baby Ewi.”  They were all quite excited to finally make his acquaintance.  The girls have been carrying their dolls around for weeks now feeding, rocking, and putting to sleep their very own “baby Ewi’s.”  

But my middle child was probably the most smitten, to say the least.  She could quite often be found by his side, smiling at him, tickling him and laughing at every noise he made. 

The best was when Aunt Karen was changing his diaper and the girls were eagerly peering over her shoulder to watch and help hold wipes.  When she opened the diaper my three year old peered inside and exclaimed for all to hear, “He’s a BOY!”

Here’s my favorite pic of the kids and their kids together at last.  I think the facial expressions are priceless.