Reluctant Puppy Owners. Again.

This time of a dalmatian--a gift from a man who goes to our church. Well, the mother is a dalmatian but the father, he's anyone's guess.

Here's Lucy. She's very sweet and smart and already a part of the family. Kenny calls her "Juicy".


Nate was at our Pastor's house in Ulaan Baatar the first few days we had Lucy, so Abi got to spend a lot of one on one time with her. They really bonded and now, Lucy follows her everywhere and has come to love Abi's blankie as well.

Kenny, trying to coax a sleepy Lucy out of her favorite spot with some fish crackers

Oh yeah, does anyone have any good tips for house training a puppy in -30 degree weather?

Hold The Phone...

Someone has referred to me as a (gasp) FOREIGNER!

Now, I've been called many things in my life but this is just low. How long do you have to live in a place before you fit in? Those who know me well know I'm not a foreigner. I mean, real foreigners are Mormons, Peace Corps volunteers, short-term missionaries and tourists. They wear weird clothes and most of them are in serious need of a shave and a haircut. They wander around aimlessly from one Internet cafe to another, with their impressive body odor saying stuff like, "Dude, the sign said 'high speed Internet so why is it taking so long?' or 'I thought Peace Corps was supposed to cover my birth control'".

Foreigners are taken advantage of because they just look so dumb. They snap pictures of stupid things and ask dumb questions like, "Why is that person digging that hole?" If you ask me, they have it coming to them.

I get treated like a foreigner every day and it really doesn't bother me too much as long as it's not by someone close to me. This time, it was a lady from church who ought to know better. And as much as I'm trying to not let it get to me, it stings a little. It's not the first time someone has pulled the foreigner card on me ("You're just a foreigner so you could not possible understand Mongolians" etc.) and I'm sure it won't be the last.

I'm not trying to be Mongolian. I don't even go out of my way to fit in. I just think that people should look a little deeper to see the potential God has given me to serve the people of this country before they judge and label me.

Nate

Soaking in a tub full of bubbles:

"Aaaaah, this is so relaxing... Abi! Come in here and sing me a lullaby!"

Abi passes by the bathroom door, dragging bobby (her blankie) and sucking her thumb and gives him a look that says, "in your dreams", then walks away.

"AAAAAABIIIIII, come and sing for me NOW!"

"NO Naynay"

"Abi, if you don't sing me a lullaby right now I'm gonna beat you up!"

-----------------------------------------------

The other day, I was getting the kids their lunch while they sat at the table, discussing whether they thought our next baby was going to be a boy or a girl (and I'm not even pregnant but not a day goes by when they don't ask). Abi said that she'd like a girl to which, Nate emphatically replied that he'd rather have another brother.

I asked Nate what he would do if God gave us a girl. He said God wouldn't because he'd pray for a boy. I asked again, what he would do if God still gave us a girl and he said, "Then we'd know it was the devil's work!"

Saving $

One of my favorite highlights from 2007 was learning how to make a kitchen/house budget and stick to it. Going into this new year, it was clear from the start that we would not have a lot of extra cash to work with and therefore not very much room for error. Here are some frugal tips that help me stay within my margin of $200.00 a month for a family of 5. Most of these things also keep us healthy, too. =)

Shopping in Mongolia is getting more and more difficult as the prices of some things have doubled and tripled in the past 6 months. I've been asking God for a raise... =)

1. I pantry shop. I have a pantry and I'm not afraid to use it! In fact, now that I finally have a pantry, I don't think I could go back to not having one. Thanks to Sara and Twila, I have 2 shelves stocked with seasonings and cake decorating items from the US!
   
2. In Mongolia, there are no grocery sales like in America. But we can and do save $ by buying in bulk (flour, rice, oil, toilet paper, etc)
3. I never buy sweets for the kids. People give us candy and I just keep it on hand for very, VERY special occasions. Nate is prone to cavities and Abi could take it or leave it.
   
4. We drink water so I very seldom buy juice and even more rare are sodas.
   
5. In Mongolia, the 4 seasons are very marked and some things are less expensive in their corresponding seasons so I try to shop accordingly as much as possible. (Winter-apples and mandarins, Spring-milk products, Summer- berries, pine nuts, and Fall-root veggies)
6. I use cloth diapers at home for Kenny and disposable only at night or when we have an outing. But sometimes I cheat when I need a break!
   
7. Conditioner is expensive so I use only a tiny bit in a squirt bottle mixed with water. It works to detangle Abi's hair.
   
8. I bake all our bread and snacks. With the exception of fish crackers for Kenny. He has to have his "shish cookoos"!
   
9. We take vitamins and drink mineralized water. Saves $ in the long run by keeping us healthier.
10. I use vinegar for cleaning. It's cheaper and a bit safer than clorox.

That's all for now. I'll post more on this subject throughout the next few weeks. I really need some inspiration in this area so please feel free to leave tips and advice in the comments section.
Thanks!

Hello and Thank You!

I just wanted to say a quick, "hi" to my actual readers. I know it's more than 3; I was just being silly. I do get comments from time to time, from people I don't know (and people I do know) and I just wanted to take the time to say hello and thank you! It is encouraging to know that people find my blog interesting.

About the look-alike meters: I think it's funny that our children can look so Caucasian and Asian at the same time. Abi was very distressed that she looked more like her daddy than me. She pouted for the longest time over it. Nate was equally upset that he looked more like "a girl" than his daddy. Kenny was not bothered that he was right in the middle.

All for now. I'm off to make some French toast for lunch. Or are we calling it "freedom" toast now? I've been gone too long...