A recent exchange with Amy...
Me: Amy, please come down off the stairs. Mommy doesn't want you playing on them.
Amy: Why?!?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A Difficult Book to Read
No, not literally. But it is hard to see the words when one 21 month old girl keeps putting her head in front of you so she can kiss the characters and "hug" each of them. Now that's taking the title of the book literally! And this really is the only book she does that to...
So I must read it every night, as her sweet display is too precious for words.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Boys and Their Imagination
Alex: (dressed in pirate attire) I am a pirate!
Nathan: Where is my daddy?!?
Alex: Your daddy is dead!
Nathan: No he's not. YOU are my daddy!
If they'd seen Return of the Jedi, they would know that this is not exactly how it is supposed to happen...
Nathan: Where is my daddy?!?
Alex: Your daddy is dead!
Nathan: No he's not. YOU are my daddy!
If they'd seen Return of the Jedi, they would know that this is not exactly how it is supposed to happen...
Speaking of Spiders...
I'm finding them everywhere!!!
Actually, I'll take this kind over the real ones any day!
Alex's creepy crawly in it's web
Nathan's many long-legged friends in his web
The two creators with their spider creations
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
How Clean is Your Spider?
He's dead, but clean.
Yesterday, while starting a washer load of rag towels (those I use for cleaning purposes), I noticed just as I'd tossed a couple towels into the washer, something dark move within the towels. I quickly looked into the washer and caught a glimpse of a large spider attempting to climb up the side of the washer, only to slowly fall back into the water. I tried to get him out, but was unsuccessful. So, he got washed along with my towels. I ran a second rinse in the hope that I could rinse him away and never have to see him again. But my fear of spiders, even dead ones, caused me to leave this load of towels in the wash overnight. Today, after overcoming an inner struggle, I bravely went through the washer of towels, one towel at a time, slowly checking every inch of each towel, until finally I found his remains at the bottom of the washer and was able to dispose of him properly. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Sometimes laundry can be terrifying, but this experience took it to a whole new level!
Yesterday, while starting a washer load of rag towels (those I use for cleaning purposes), I noticed just as I'd tossed a couple towels into the washer, something dark move within the towels. I quickly looked into the washer and caught a glimpse of a large spider attempting to climb up the side of the washer, only to slowly fall back into the water. I tried to get him out, but was unsuccessful. So, he got washed along with my towels. I ran a second rinse in the hope that I could rinse him away and never have to see him again. But my fear of spiders, even dead ones, caused me to leave this load of towels in the wash overnight. Today, after overcoming an inner struggle, I bravely went through the washer of towels, one towel at a time, slowly checking every inch of each towel, until finally I found his remains at the bottom of the washer and was able to dispose of him properly. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Sometimes laundry can be terrifying, but this experience took it to a whole new level!
Recipes, Cooking Tips and More!
Celeste, Michele and I have jumped on the band wagon and have started a food blog called Mixing Bowls and Measuring Spoons. We will post some of our favorite recipes here, along with any cooking tips and advice we might like to share. Come check it out!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Finished
Today I finished the last Harry Potter book. Don't worry - I won't post any spoilers! I read all night Friday night, as much as I could fit in with the garage sale on Saturday, Saturday night until 11:30pm, Sunday morning for an hour before church, for the hour long drive to my brother's house after church, and then, and this is what I'm most ashamed of, during lunch and while "watching" the kids, as the rest of my family socialized. Thankfully, by the time we'd reached my brother's house, where we'd gone to celebrate my dad's birthday, I had only a small amount left to read before completing the book. By that point, there was no way I could stop myself from reading it through to the end. So I finished it quickly and was able to spend the rest of the day making up for my rudeness to my family. Thankfully, my brother and sister-in-law are also big Harry Potter fans and are also currently reading the book... they were extremely understanding. The rest of my family just laughed at me. ;)
I've described the book only as "different" to my disappointed husband, who wants more explanation, though at the same time expects me to not give anything away. :) So, to all of you who are still waiting to read this final book, I say to you - it is different in some aspects (can't say why), but great. Typical J.K. Rowling book. I don't think you will be disappointed!
I was also asked my opinion of the Order of the Phoenix movie - awesome. In my humble opinion, it was the best so far!
I've described the book only as "different" to my disappointed husband, who wants more explanation, though at the same time expects me to not give anything away. :) So, to all of you who are still waiting to read this final book, I say to you - it is different in some aspects (can't say why), but great. Typical J.K. Rowling book. I don't think you will be disappointed!
I was also asked my opinion of the Order of the Phoenix movie - awesome. In my humble opinion, it was the best so far!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Just Anxious, or Slightly Fanatical?
That's the question one has to ask as they sit at their computer typing away at 11:30 at night, having sent their husband to the nearest Walmart to purchase the final Harry Potter book, available at the stroke of midnight. And of course, I'll have my coffee brewed by the time he gets home so I can sit up all night, enjoying the quiet as I read. I'm really not a fanatic. But I really do love the Harry Potter books. I'm not going to defend my love for these books here, though please don't think I haven't considered the points brought up by many Christians who are against these fantasy books. There are some good arguments against them, no doubt, but none I can fully agree with. I enjoy the books as the fantasy books that they are. And I know I will enjoy every minute of this last book - assuming I can stay awake all night to read it... and I'm willing to bet I can!
The Show WILL Go On
We have had the rainiest summer ever. It's amazing to look back on summers not that long ago, when we had to go outside and water our lawn by hand at specified times of the day due to the drought and feared water shortage. And even with the hours spent outside watering, the grass and flowers still died. And yet this summer, we can barely find a dry day to mow the lengthy, flourishing green grass. Not that I will complain. It beats standing out in the heat with a water hose any day! But at the same time, it does tend to put a damper on summer activities.
That's what almost happened yesterday. Bill was going to leave work early and go by the bank on his way home to meet me in the kids. Then we'd take them to my parents and he and I would go watch the latest Harry Potter movie. What we didn't expect was difficulties caused by the rain. First, Bill was stuck at the bank for awhile due to a power outage that occurred as they were sending his drivers license back through the drive through tube thing (for lack of a better description). Then when he finally went to leave the bank, he found all the roads were flooding. He had to continuously back track and take different paths in his attempt to get home. He finally braved the high waters as he drove behind another SUV, keeping a sharp eye on the leading SUV's tailpipe to ensure safe passage through the water. Thankfully, he did make it home and we weren't off schedule by too much. But we were a little worried about the drive to my parents as we had to go back through this same flooded area. Thankfully, the rain had let up and the water had drained by the time we passed through. And Bill and I made it to our movie on time. I say on time. Bill is still laughing at me because I insisted that we get there early (only 45 minutes!) because I just knew there would be a huge crowd and I did not want to get stuck on the front row, destined for a neckache the remainder of the day. But when we got there, on time according to our (okay, my) plans, we were the first ones there. But Bill can't argue - we got the best seats in the house! :)
The rain was also a potential problem for our later plans. We were afraid continued rain would cause more flooding and make it hard, if not impossible, for us to get to the circus. Again, God is gracious, and the way was clear. We had so much fun. My brother's kids had been before and loved it. This was my kids first time to attend the circus. They enjoyed it, though I'd say Amy enjoyed it the most. She watched attentatively the entire time, which was quite a long time. Nathan and Alex were tired, however, and at the intermission halfway through the show, Alex began complaining that he wanted to go home. I think he thought it was over at the break, and he was so tired at this point he really was ready to go home and climb into his cozy bed. But a couple acts into the second half, particularly when the motorcycles were zooming around amazingly in the spherical cage, he perked up a little and watched without complaint. And of course, thanks to an overly gracious Granny, they each came home with a souvenir. Alex and Nathan had new swords to add to their collection (can you ever have enough?) and Amy had her little light up ballerina thing - no idea exactly what it is - that plays music... very loudly. Let's just say you could hear "Music Box Dancer" over the trumpeting sounds of the circus performers and screaming audience. You can imagine how loud it is in our home, without the added noise. Wonder how long those batteries will last...
Circus Events...
Alex with cousin Caden and their new swords...
Alex and Nathan enjoying the greatest aspect of the circus - eating...
What you get when you ask the kids to smile for the camera...
That's what almost happened yesterday. Bill was going to leave work early and go by the bank on his way home to meet me in the kids. Then we'd take them to my parents and he and I would go watch the latest Harry Potter movie. What we didn't expect was difficulties caused by the rain. First, Bill was stuck at the bank for awhile due to a power outage that occurred as they were sending his drivers license back through the drive through tube thing (for lack of a better description). Then when he finally went to leave the bank, he found all the roads were flooding. He had to continuously back track and take different paths in his attempt to get home. He finally braved the high waters as he drove behind another SUV, keeping a sharp eye on the leading SUV's tailpipe to ensure safe passage through the water. Thankfully, he did make it home and we weren't off schedule by too much. But we were a little worried about the drive to my parents as we had to go back through this same flooded area. Thankfully, the rain had let up and the water had drained by the time we passed through. And Bill and I made it to our movie on time. I say on time. Bill is still laughing at me because I insisted that we get there early (only 45 minutes!) because I just knew there would be a huge crowd and I did not want to get stuck on the front row, destined for a neckache the remainder of the day. But when we got there, on time according to our (okay, my) plans, we were the first ones there. But Bill can't argue - we got the best seats in the house! :)
The rain was also a potential problem for our later plans. We were afraid continued rain would cause more flooding and make it hard, if not impossible, for us to get to the circus. Again, God is gracious, and the way was clear. We had so much fun. My brother's kids had been before and loved it. This was my kids first time to attend the circus. They enjoyed it, though I'd say Amy enjoyed it the most. She watched attentatively the entire time, which was quite a long time. Nathan and Alex were tired, however, and at the intermission halfway through the show, Alex began complaining that he wanted to go home. I think he thought it was over at the break, and he was so tired at this point he really was ready to go home and climb into his cozy bed. But a couple acts into the second half, particularly when the motorcycles were zooming around amazingly in the spherical cage, he perked up a little and watched without complaint. And of course, thanks to an overly gracious Granny, they each came home with a souvenir. Alex and Nathan had new swords to add to their collection (can you ever have enough?) and Amy had her little light up ballerina thing - no idea exactly what it is - that plays music... very loudly. Let's just say you could hear "Music Box Dancer" over the trumpeting sounds of the circus performers and screaming audience. You can imagine how loud it is in our home, without the added noise. Wonder how long those batteries will last...
Circus Events...
Alex with cousin Caden and their new swords...
Alex and Nathan enjoying the greatest aspect of the circus - eating...
What you get when you ask the kids to smile for the camera...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Home Improvements
When we first bought our house, it had dark green, leafy wallpaper in the kitchen, the den was painted pale yellow, the two formal rooms were painted dark maroon on the lower third of the walls, a border being the divider in the dining room, and the downstairs half bath was painted dark green. The upstairs bedrooms were also painted in vibrant colors. I'm not saying it all looked bad. In fact, the way the previous owners had the home fixed up, it was beautiful. That's probably what sold us the house - everything had a place and it all seemed to coordinate so well. But the decor was different from my own and the colors weren't going to work. So we set out to change it. We painted most of it ourselves, though we hired someone to come in and remove the kitchen wallpaper and paint it and the two-story foyer. Yes, we painted it. White. Plain white. And a very white, white. It looked nice, certainly, but over the years it has become too plain... almost drab. And of course, with three children, you can imagine the impact on the solid white walls. They had become adorned with dark lines, various color marks, handprints, odd dirty spots, and of course, the expected dents and missing paint around the corners - not to mention tea stains on the kitchen walls and ceiling (funny story behind that). We have been itching to change it. So, even with sick children, we have managed to repaint most of the open areas of the house, all a lovely shade of beige. So beautiful!
We still have the study and dining room to paint, though we haven't decided on the color just yet. We will either stick with the all beige look, or paint the lower third green - a lighter shade than our pine green carpet - and do beige on the upper section. Or we might decide to paint the whole thing a lovely shade of green, though I think I've already just about ruled that idea out. The dining room is also going to take some work because when the border was removed, the wall was damaged. We decided to retexture the walls. Heh, heh. That was a BIG mistake. We know nothing about texturing, and if you've seen my dining room you'll agree. It looks SOOO bad. Ugly, in fact. Let's just say, we over-textured. We've kept it all these years, but I refuse to paint that room until we've done something about that texturing. So poor Bill. One weekend, I will take the kids to my parents and Bill will bravely sand down the walls in the hopes of removing the massive texturing job. With any luck, just sanding it down will allow us to then paint it and have a nice, slightly textured look. But I worry we'll have to texture it again. Do we even know how this time? I'm afraid of creating another "hairy" room, as best I can describe the current appearance. Sooo... hopefully in the near future we can finish these two rooms. We'll at least do the study soon. But that dining room...
We also have a few rooms upstairs I'd like to paint, but at least for the time being I can just shut the doors to those rooms and enjoy the all new appearance of the rest of my house. Oh, and did I mention I got new appliances?!? My generous and loving husband bought me a new refrigerator and stove. My refrigerator, which was left to us by the original homeowners, worked fine, with the exception of the ice maker. It would produce ice, but you wouldn't want to use it. It had lovely black things frozen into the ice. Yum. So we've always had to use ice trays. And then there were the shelves on the door... When you'd least expect it, one of them would decide to fall off. I learned quickly not to store glass items on those shelves! I think the final flaw, which I believe is what pushed Bill to get a new one, was in its appearance. It was beginning to rust. Bill couldn't stand the sight of it, as it was on the front of the refrigerator just beneath the ice/water dispenser. And on a white refrigerator, it looked pretty bad. So now I have a gorgeous black fridge, with working icemaker, water dispenser, AND gallon size door shelves which never fall off. Can you beat that? As for the stove... Well, replacing it came as a true surprise. My old one worked fine. It did need to be releveled, as I noticed everytime I had to "fry" something in oil, all of my oil would run to one side of the pan. It also only had one large burner, and that sometimes made cooking difficult. Finally, it was hard to clean, which is why I rarely did and it looked mighty gross. So now I have an electric, FLAT TOP stove. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! It never looks gross, because I can clean it in no time, with very little effort. Celeste, you couldn't have been more right about that! Now... If I can just find a really good excuse to replace the old dishwasher... :)
Notice the lovely new black stove...
Notice the lovely new black refrigerator...
Pictures of recently painted den...
I'll try to post more pictures after we've completed more rooms, which hopefully will be in the next couple of weeks!
We still have the study and dining room to paint, though we haven't decided on the color just yet. We will either stick with the all beige look, or paint the lower third green - a lighter shade than our pine green carpet - and do beige on the upper section. Or we might decide to paint the whole thing a lovely shade of green, though I think I've already just about ruled that idea out. The dining room is also going to take some work because when the border was removed, the wall was damaged. We decided to retexture the walls. Heh, heh. That was a BIG mistake. We know nothing about texturing, and if you've seen my dining room you'll agree. It looks SOOO bad. Ugly, in fact. Let's just say, we over-textured. We've kept it all these years, but I refuse to paint that room until we've done something about that texturing. So poor Bill. One weekend, I will take the kids to my parents and Bill will bravely sand down the walls in the hopes of removing the massive texturing job. With any luck, just sanding it down will allow us to then paint it and have a nice, slightly textured look. But I worry we'll have to texture it again. Do we even know how this time? I'm afraid of creating another "hairy" room, as best I can describe the current appearance. Sooo... hopefully in the near future we can finish these two rooms. We'll at least do the study soon. But that dining room...
We also have a few rooms upstairs I'd like to paint, but at least for the time being I can just shut the doors to those rooms and enjoy the all new appearance of the rest of my house. Oh, and did I mention I got new appliances?!? My generous and loving husband bought me a new refrigerator and stove. My refrigerator, which was left to us by the original homeowners, worked fine, with the exception of the ice maker. It would produce ice, but you wouldn't want to use it. It had lovely black things frozen into the ice. Yum. So we've always had to use ice trays. And then there were the shelves on the door... When you'd least expect it, one of them would decide to fall off. I learned quickly not to store glass items on those shelves! I think the final flaw, which I believe is what pushed Bill to get a new one, was in its appearance. It was beginning to rust. Bill couldn't stand the sight of it, as it was on the front of the refrigerator just beneath the ice/water dispenser. And on a white refrigerator, it looked pretty bad. So now I have a gorgeous black fridge, with working icemaker, water dispenser, AND gallon size door shelves which never fall off. Can you beat that? As for the stove... Well, replacing it came as a true surprise. My old one worked fine. It did need to be releveled, as I noticed everytime I had to "fry" something in oil, all of my oil would run to one side of the pan. It also only had one large burner, and that sometimes made cooking difficult. Finally, it was hard to clean, which is why I rarely did and it looked mighty gross. So now I have an electric, FLAT TOP stove. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! It never looks gross, because I can clean it in no time, with very little effort. Celeste, you couldn't have been more right about that! Now... If I can just find a really good excuse to replace the old dishwasher... :)
Notice the lovely new black stove...
Notice the lovely new black refrigerator...
Pictures of recently painted den...
I'll try to post more pictures after we've completed more rooms, which hopefully will be in the next couple of weeks!
Healthy and Happy
We appear to be well, finally. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we remain that way for awhile! I especially pray we can remain well through tomorrow. Not only do Bill and I have pre-purchased tickets to go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tomorrow afternoon (please don't think ill of me for being a fan), but we also have tickets to the circus tomorrow night, and we are supposed to go to that with my parents and my brother and his family. So I would be devastated if someone ends up sick before we get through tomorrow - we are really in need of a fun day out of the house!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Still Here - And Still Sick
Nathan had been feverless for 4 days. We thought we were in the clear. No more sickness in this house... at least for a few more weeks. But as luck would have it, Alex came down with fever yesterday afternoon. He may have had it all day, but it wasn't obvious to me until I found him curled up with a blanket on the floor as he watched television - for an entire movie. Usually if he's watching tv, he's walking around playing with his action figures, or drawing on his DoodlePro. So I had my suspicions when I found him just sprawled out there on the floor. Sure enough, he had fever. So round four, here we go. At least I know what to expect. I think I am a pro when it comes to this particular bug. I don't look forward to another week stuck inside, or another Sunday at church alone. But at this point, I'm more concerned that we may never see the end to this. That even though Amy has already had it, it's been weeks and she could get it again. As could I. And then Nathan. And of course, Bill has never had it so he's a prime candidate. I just really want it to be over. I'm ready. I've had my fun and now I think it's time to get off this roller coaster. Please?
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
We're Still Here
It's been awhile so I thought I'd post real quick just to say that we have not fallen off the face of the Earth. For the past several weeks, we have been battling illness. Amy was sick for almost a week - she caught it at VBS - and then Bill went on a week long backpacking trip in New Mexico with my brother (a post for later), at which time I came down with Amy's bug and was sick for a week. Then my first day well, Nathan became ill and we had to go through it for another week. I also have very sensitive eyes and wound up with, I assume, eye infections. I've had problems with both of my eyes since being sick and am having a real problem with light sensitivity. This is one of the big reasons for my not blogging. It's very hard to type an entry on the computer when you can't open your eyes to look at the screen. :) But today things are a little better; I'm actually able to look at the computer without wincing... not much, anyway. And all kids and parents appear to be well. I hope this means we are over this last bug and can continue with our summer activities. It's been somewhat depressing being stuck inside all this time, excluding the brave attempts to run necessary errands. Thank God I didn't run into anyone out on the roads, though I did look silly wearing two pairs of sunglasses, one hand cupped around my eyes to shield them as much as possible, and at the same time fighting to keep my eyes open despite all of these measures. Probably shouldn't have been driving...
But there are many changes happening to my home (interior painting, new appliances, etc. - another future post), so being stuck inside isn't necessarily all that bad. Today is a busy day, but I will try and post soon about all we've been up to the past few weeks - besides being sick.
But there are many changes happening to my home (interior painting, new appliances, etc. - another future post), so being stuck inside isn't necessarily all that bad. Today is a busy day, but I will try and post soon about all we've been up to the past few weeks - besides being sick.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Today in Pictures
I haven't posted any pictures lately of the little people who make my life so exciting. So here are a few I took today for your viewing pleasure!
Oh, There They Are!
One particular geranium in a hanging basket on our deck has been a favorite nesting place for birds. Or perhaps it's just one bird who keeps coming back to her familiar home. But the plant had been deserted for a couple months since March, and then late May (I think) I noticed we had another bird, nesting comfortably in my plant. So day after day, I would check out my kitchen window and watch for signs of baby birds. Finally, it happened. There they were, two baby birds. I've enjoyed watching them, seeing them grow and grow, as the mama bird tended to their every need. Really so sweet.
This past weekend, during the morning hours, we were outside and the kids were playing and I noticed the mother bird really giving us the stare. And then later that day I took some pictures of the two birds out of my kitchen window. They weren't great photos due to the extent I had to zoom in, plus the spotty window (it's really in desperate need of a good Windexing). And of course, I also could not use the flash since it would reflect off the glass. At the time, the mother bird was away. In fact, she'd been away for quite some time and I was actually worried something might have happened to her. But thankfully, as it was getting dark, I noticed she had returned. So this time, I stepped out onto the deck and I held my camera up high and snapped a few pictures with the flash on. All three birds looked shocked, with their little eyes just bulging out. I was worried I'd frightened them, though I really tried hard to keep my distance. It was probably the camera flash that did it. The next day, I noticed that all three birds were gone. I was surprised and quite saddened by my discovery. I so enjoyed watching them each day and I just knew I'd scared them all away. I figured the mama bird had spent that previous evening searching out a new home for her and her babies, where there weren't any scary people spying on them and intruding on their space.
I've thought often about our little bird family the past two days. And then this morning, as I was doing some chores about my room, I saw out my bedroom window the mama bird and her two little birds in my back flower bed. There they were! And though the mama bird briefly flew off, she only went as far as the fence and continued to watch over her young as they ran about the flower bed. I can only guess that they've created a place amongst the bushes, though this seems unusual. Or perhaps they have a nest in one of my trees and are just searching the flowerbed for food. I do believe that their leaving had nothing to do with my scaring them away. Perhaps they outgrew the geranium - a highly likely possibility as the babies were getting fairly large and my pot isn't all that big. Whatever their reason for leaving their original home, it's refreshing to know that they are all okay and are still living somewhere in my backyard!
This past weekend, during the morning hours, we were outside and the kids were playing and I noticed the mother bird really giving us the stare. And then later that day I took some pictures of the two birds out of my kitchen window. They weren't great photos due to the extent I had to zoom in, plus the spotty window (it's really in desperate need of a good Windexing). And of course, I also could not use the flash since it would reflect off the glass. At the time, the mother bird was away. In fact, she'd been away for quite some time and I was actually worried something might have happened to her. But thankfully, as it was getting dark, I noticed she had returned. So this time, I stepped out onto the deck and I held my camera up high and snapped a few pictures with the flash on. All three birds looked shocked, with their little eyes just bulging out. I was worried I'd frightened them, though I really tried hard to keep my distance. It was probably the camera flash that did it. The next day, I noticed that all three birds were gone. I was surprised and quite saddened by my discovery. I so enjoyed watching them each day and I just knew I'd scared them all away. I figured the mama bird had spent that previous evening searching out a new home for her and her babies, where there weren't any scary people spying on them and intruding on their space.
I've thought often about our little bird family the past two days. And then this morning, as I was doing some chores about my room, I saw out my bedroom window the mama bird and her two little birds in my back flower bed. There they were! And though the mama bird briefly flew off, she only went as far as the fence and continued to watch over her young as they ran about the flower bed. I can only guess that they've created a place amongst the bushes, though this seems unusual. Or perhaps they have a nest in one of my trees and are just searching the flowerbed for food. I do believe that their leaving had nothing to do with my scaring them away. Perhaps they outgrew the geranium - a highly likely possibility as the babies were getting fairly large and my pot isn't all that big. Whatever their reason for leaving their original home, it's refreshing to know that they are all okay and are still living somewhere in my backyard!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Inspiration to Change
Today I read a wonderful blog entry that made me rethink some things in my life. It was a beautiful post by a woman who I admire a great deal, even though we've never met. Her blog often inspires me when it comes to my role as mom and wife. Today's post was a humbling one, and one that I found rather unexpected from her. There are several moms in the blogosphere whom I consider somewhat heroes in the examples they set. They're devotion to their children, their husbands and God Himself are so clear as I read their blogs. Melissa is definitely one of those people. So it surprised me when I read her post about life and how she needed a readjustment on how she looks at things. And as I read her words, I felt encouraged to change, since a reflection on my own life certainly does not show the woman I would like to be. When I look at myself, I see a woman who often sees things in a negative light, instead of focusing on the positive. I see a wife, who often does not offer the understanding and support her husband needs. I see a mother who loves her children, but doesn't show them the patience and affection they so deserve. Obviously, this is a woman who is ready for a change.
It's not that my situation is bad. Hardly! I have a wonderful, devoted husband who loves me and works hard each and every day to provide for his family. I have three amazing children, who are beautiful inside and out. I have a home and lovely things and truly lack nothing. But it's my perspective that needs changing. It's how I view my situation, and how I respond to it.
I wrote a comment to Melissa's blog, letting her know how her words affected me and how I planned to take on a similar view of my life and the daily moments I have with my children. To enjoy the moments with them and not spend this special time God has given me constantly upset and irritated by the day-to-day frustrations, whether a result of stress from misbehaving children, especially one who tests me almost constantly, endless chores that need to be done or just some other miscellaneous mountain I am trying to climb. I sat at my computer feeling empowered and ready to take on my day. But sadly, I am now sitting at my computer, hiding from everything and everyone, to find my own moment of peace. I have not lived out what I set out to do at the start of my day, having read Melissa's insightful post. I have been snappish and irritable and incapable of dealing with the various trials I've been faced with. I am at a loss. How do I change? How do I make myself into the patient, respected and loved mother that I long to be? I'm so afraid of distancing myself from my children. How can I hope to teach them and guide them, especially in this crucial time of their lives? And how do I adjust my attitude to focus on enjoying the time with my children instead of making it miserable?
These are questions I plan to research until I have found the right answers. The answers must be out there. Somewhere. I know prayer will help, as God is most certainly the answer to everything. But no matter how hard I've tried, I have not been able to commit to a regular prayer life. I was getting up early for a couple of weeks, trying to spend some time in prayer and in God's Word. But it was difficult as each day I became more and more tired and found it harder and harder to cope throughout the day. I know that over time, it will get easier. I'll have more time to strengthen my prayer life. And that will be great. But it won't help me right now. I need to make the change in my life that will bring me closer to my children and my husband - and to God.
I hope this doesn't leave an impression on readers that I am unhappy in my life. That is far from the truth. I love my life, especially my children. But at the same time, these special little people who are so dependent upon me each and every day take a lot out of me. And as a result, I don't always respond well to those all too frequent difficult moments with said children. But I am happy. I'm just not as happy as I think I ought to be, and am definitely not as appreciative as I should be. Afterall, I have been graced with so many blessings in my life.
I am sure there are some very kind people out there who would say I am being too hard on myself. And maybe there's just a little truth to that. But I think it's necessary to be hard on ourselves in order for real change to happen. Even to slightly embarrass ourselves by openly discussing it on our blog. I can honestly say that today was a failure in my attempt to be happier in life and truly appreciate the blessings I have been given. But I think with a little more inspiration from other wonderful mothers out there, continual effort on my part, and yes, prayer anytime I can fit it in, I'll get there yet!
It's not that my situation is bad. Hardly! I have a wonderful, devoted husband who loves me and works hard each and every day to provide for his family. I have three amazing children, who are beautiful inside and out. I have a home and lovely things and truly lack nothing. But it's my perspective that needs changing. It's how I view my situation, and how I respond to it.
I wrote a comment to Melissa's blog, letting her know how her words affected me and how I planned to take on a similar view of my life and the daily moments I have with my children. To enjoy the moments with them and not spend this special time God has given me constantly upset and irritated by the day-to-day frustrations, whether a result of stress from misbehaving children, especially one who tests me almost constantly, endless chores that need to be done or just some other miscellaneous mountain I am trying to climb. I sat at my computer feeling empowered and ready to take on my day. But sadly, I am now sitting at my computer, hiding from everything and everyone, to find my own moment of peace. I have not lived out what I set out to do at the start of my day, having read Melissa's insightful post. I have been snappish and irritable and incapable of dealing with the various trials I've been faced with. I am at a loss. How do I change? How do I make myself into the patient, respected and loved mother that I long to be? I'm so afraid of distancing myself from my children. How can I hope to teach them and guide them, especially in this crucial time of their lives? And how do I adjust my attitude to focus on enjoying the time with my children instead of making it miserable?
These are questions I plan to research until I have found the right answers. The answers must be out there. Somewhere. I know prayer will help, as God is most certainly the answer to everything. But no matter how hard I've tried, I have not been able to commit to a regular prayer life. I was getting up early for a couple of weeks, trying to spend some time in prayer and in God's Word. But it was difficult as each day I became more and more tired and found it harder and harder to cope throughout the day. I know that over time, it will get easier. I'll have more time to strengthen my prayer life. And that will be great. But it won't help me right now. I need to make the change in my life that will bring me closer to my children and my husband - and to God.
I hope this doesn't leave an impression on readers that I am unhappy in my life. That is far from the truth. I love my life, especially my children. But at the same time, these special little people who are so dependent upon me each and every day take a lot out of me. And as a result, I don't always respond well to those all too frequent difficult moments with said children. But I am happy. I'm just not as happy as I think I ought to be, and am definitely not as appreciative as I should be. Afterall, I have been graced with so many blessings in my life.
I am sure there are some very kind people out there who would say I am being too hard on myself. And maybe there's just a little truth to that. But I think it's necessary to be hard on ourselves in order for real change to happen. Even to slightly embarrass ourselves by openly discussing it on our blog. I can honestly say that today was a failure in my attempt to be happier in life and truly appreciate the blessings I have been given. But I think with a little more inspiration from other wonderful mothers out there, continual effort on my part, and yes, prayer anytime I can fit it in, I'll get there yet!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
More Excitement
but this time it's the good kind (mostly).
Last night, I gave Amy some Tylenol for her fever. It dropped the fever fairly quickly, and the fever never came back. We got up this morning (after a somewhat difficult night - we're just not all used to sleeping in the same room!), and Amy was still feverless and in good spirits. Nathan's forehead was now only slightly bruised, not the least bit swolen. I was amazed. So when my mom called and said that my sister had invited us all over to swim for the afternoon, I thought why not? Okay. I did hesitate for a bit as I tried to determine what would be the responsible thing to do. But the boys were so tired of being trapped in the house and Amy was afterall without fever. She also doesn't like going in the water, so preventing her from swimming would not be a problem. So we went. Of course, we first stopped at Half Price Books so that I could spend a bunch of money on more books - can you ever have enough? And the rest of the day, we swam. My mom got to spend lots of time cuddling and playing with Amy, who was fine all day. And the rest of us got to enjoy the pool. What could be better on such a hot summer day?
There was one exciting moment that I could have done without, however. Alex gave us all a brief scare when he took off his floatie so he could see better (still not sure what he was trying to see) and accidentally roamed too far into the deep end. His feet suddenly wouldn't reach the ground and he began to panic and take in water. Thankfully, my mom had seen him take off his floatie and had just alerted me to watch him, so the moment he was in trouble I was able to pull him up and get him to the shallow end. He wasn't as fond of the big pool after that and spent the majority of the time in the hot tub.
Despite that frightening moment (and my really bad sunburn), all went great and after a long day of swimming, all of my precious children fell right to sleep on our way home. And now I get a moment of peace and quiet to myself - the first in a couple of days. It's going to be short, however, as I think I too am worn out. My bed has never looked so inviting. And I really should get some rest before I begin a new day. Afterall, who knows what sort of excitement is in store for us tomorrow!
Last night, I gave Amy some Tylenol for her fever. It dropped the fever fairly quickly, and the fever never came back. We got up this morning (after a somewhat difficult night - we're just not all used to sleeping in the same room!), and Amy was still feverless and in good spirits. Nathan's forehead was now only slightly bruised, not the least bit swolen. I was amazed. So when my mom called and said that my sister had invited us all over to swim for the afternoon, I thought why not? Okay. I did hesitate for a bit as I tried to determine what would be the responsible thing to do. But the boys were so tired of being trapped in the house and Amy was afterall without fever. She also doesn't like going in the water, so preventing her from swimming would not be a problem. So we went. Of course, we first stopped at Half Price Books so that I could spend a bunch of money on more books - can you ever have enough? And the rest of the day, we swam. My mom got to spend lots of time cuddling and playing with Amy, who was fine all day. And the rest of us got to enjoy the pool. What could be better on such a hot summer day?
There was one exciting moment that I could have done without, however. Alex gave us all a brief scare when he took off his floatie so he could see better (still not sure what he was trying to see) and accidentally roamed too far into the deep end. His feet suddenly wouldn't reach the ground and he began to panic and take in water. Thankfully, my mom had seen him take off his floatie and had just alerted me to watch him, so the moment he was in trouble I was able to pull him up and get him to the shallow end. He wasn't as fond of the big pool after that and spent the majority of the time in the hot tub.
Despite that frightening moment (and my really bad sunburn), all went great and after a long day of swimming, all of my precious children fell right to sleep on our way home. And now I get a moment of peace and quiet to myself - the first in a couple of days. It's going to be short, however, as I think I too am worn out. My bed has never looked so inviting. And I really should get some rest before I begin a new day. Afterall, who knows what sort of excitement is in store for us tomorrow!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The Excitement Never Ends
I'm sure all of you mothers out there can agree that life with children is filled with excitement... Never a dull moment, you could say. Today is no different. Actually, this past week has been an adventure in sickness. Amy has been sick with fever since Tuesday. We're talking fever up to 103.6. She did have one day without fever, but she was throwing up on that day. Thankfully, we have an appointment with our pediatrician for Monday - an appointment I didn't feel would be necessary, but am now so glad he suggested I make it as a precaution. I have a feeling we'll be keeping it afterall!
To add to the excitement, Nathan decided to fall and hit his head on the tile this evening while I was upstairs getting their bath ready. He has a lovely purple bump on his forehead the size of a quarter. I panicked at first, thinking back on an all too familiar trip to the emergency room for a similar episode with this same child. But thank the Lord he appears to be okay and I think we've escaped the ER this time. Of course, even though bedtime has arrived, I don't want him sleeping just yet. So I made popcorn and all three kids are happily munching on sweet kettle corn and watching episodes of Andy Griffith. No one even seems remotely tired. I've promised the boys they can sleep in our room tonight, but only tonight. Hopefully, the remainder of the night will be less exciting. A mom can only handle so much.
To add to the excitement, Nathan decided to fall and hit his head on the tile this evening while I was upstairs getting their bath ready. He has a lovely purple bump on his forehead the size of a quarter. I panicked at first, thinking back on an all too familiar trip to the emergency room for a similar episode with this same child. But thank the Lord he appears to be okay and I think we've escaped the ER this time. Of course, even though bedtime has arrived, I don't want him sleeping just yet. So I made popcorn and all three kids are happily munching on sweet kettle corn and watching episodes of Andy Griffith. No one even seems remotely tired. I've promised the boys they can sleep in our room tonight, but only tonight. Hopefully, the remainder of the night will be less exciting. A mom can only handle so much.
Plans for Homeschooling
We still have much of summer left, but I have made my plans for Alex's Kindergarten year and I have even purchased most of what I need thanks to the awesome homeschool conference Celeste and I recently attended. It was so enjoyable flipping through the different curriculum books as well as the many other books, both educational and fun. There were also such neat teaching manipulatives available as well, and though I was tempted by many, I managed to steer away from them as most were certainly not inexpensive. I was so happy when I came home with most every book I needed for the subjects I plan to teach this next year (and then some!).
I have always loved the idea of the unit study. It just sounds like such a fun approach to learning, one that will hold my children's attention better and encourage their desire to learn. There are many unit studies out there, but I went with Five in a Row, as recommended to me in a recent homeschool consultation. I was a little hesitant at first because this unit study centers on lots of reading. Unlike many other children I know, my kids are not book lovers, though I pray that they someday will be. We do go the library every week where I let them choose books, and they are read to each evening before bed. But Alex is more interested in the children's Batman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle books. I limit him to one per week as I do not feel that these are the greatest enrichment books. And of course, I choose several books, too, so that we have a few well written books to select from. But what I want is for my children to regularly grab a book off the book shelf and sit and look at the pictures, or better yet, asked to be read to, instead of their typical use for books, constructing houses. So I pray that Five in a Row will change their appreciation for books and the sweet stories contained within. My big fear, of course, is that Alex's lack of desire to read the books will make it hard for me to follow the plan of utilizing one book a week to teach all the basic subjects. If he does not like the book, he probably won't be too interested in reading it day after day and using it as the main subject for our daily lessons. But I'm going to give it a try. I am having some difficulty with the book selection, however. They are all classics and I'm sure, wonderful books. But many are no longer in print and are very hard to come by. Anybody got an extra copy of The Giraffe that Walked to Paris lying around that they are willing to part with for less than $75?!?
In addition to the unit study, I plan to use Horizons Mathematics to work on Alex's math skills. I've heard good things about this program, though one lady did inform me that it was a little advanced for her son when he was just starting out. She had to go to a different teaching tool to get him started and then she was able to go back to Horizons later on. Alex is a slow learner and therefore may also have trouble with the Horizons books. But we won't know until we try! Should we find he's struggling, we may move to the Math-U-See program as the visual aspect of this teaching tool may be easier for him to grasp.
I am also using the D'nealian Handwriting book to work on his handwriting. He's already done a lot with writing in preschool and I believe they used the traditional method. But he is still having trouble with his writing, so we're just going to start over with D'Nealian. Hopefully that won't confuse him too much!
Finally, I am using the Explode the Code curriculum for his phonics. This also came highly recommended. Alex has always had speech issues and will continue speech therapy at the local public school his kindergarten year. Hopefully, this phonics program will help him make better sense of letters and their sounds and thereby help with his difficulty with language and speech, in addition to preparing him for reading.
I still need to work out our schedule - when our school year will begin and when we will have our breaks, when we'll cover what topics, etc. But I am so excited that I at least know what curriculum we are using and that I have most of what I need to begin the first year of our homeschooling journey.
I have always loved the idea of the unit study. It just sounds like such a fun approach to learning, one that will hold my children's attention better and encourage their desire to learn. There are many unit studies out there, but I went with Five in a Row, as recommended to me in a recent homeschool consultation. I was a little hesitant at first because this unit study centers on lots of reading. Unlike many other children I know, my kids are not book lovers, though I pray that they someday will be. We do go the library every week where I let them choose books, and they are read to each evening before bed. But Alex is more interested in the children's Batman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle books. I limit him to one per week as I do not feel that these are the greatest enrichment books. And of course, I choose several books, too, so that we have a few well written books to select from. But what I want is for my children to regularly grab a book off the book shelf and sit and look at the pictures, or better yet, asked to be read to, instead of their typical use for books, constructing houses. So I pray that Five in a Row will change their appreciation for books and the sweet stories contained within. My big fear, of course, is that Alex's lack of desire to read the books will make it hard for me to follow the plan of utilizing one book a week to teach all the basic subjects. If he does not like the book, he probably won't be too interested in reading it day after day and using it as the main subject for our daily lessons. But I'm going to give it a try. I am having some difficulty with the book selection, however. They are all classics and I'm sure, wonderful books. But many are no longer in print and are very hard to come by. Anybody got an extra copy of The Giraffe that Walked to Paris lying around that they are willing to part with for less than $75?!?
In addition to the unit study, I plan to use Horizons Mathematics to work on Alex's math skills. I've heard good things about this program, though one lady did inform me that it was a little advanced for her son when he was just starting out. She had to go to a different teaching tool to get him started and then she was able to go back to Horizons later on. Alex is a slow learner and therefore may also have trouble with the Horizons books. But we won't know until we try! Should we find he's struggling, we may move to the Math-U-See program as the visual aspect of this teaching tool may be easier for him to grasp.
I am also using the D'nealian Handwriting book to work on his handwriting. He's already done a lot with writing in preschool and I believe they used the traditional method. But he is still having trouble with his writing, so we're just going to start over with D'Nealian. Hopefully that won't confuse him too much!
Finally, I am using the Explode the Code curriculum for his phonics. This also came highly recommended. Alex has always had speech issues and will continue speech therapy at the local public school his kindergarten year. Hopefully, this phonics program will help him make better sense of letters and their sounds and thereby help with his difficulty with language and speech, in addition to preparing him for reading.
I still need to work out our schedule - when our school year will begin and when we will have our breaks, when we'll cover what topics, etc. But I am so excited that I at least know what curriculum we are using and that I have most of what I need to begin the first year of our homeschooling journey.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Keep the Kleenex Coming
Every once in awhile, a movie comes along that no matter how many times you watch it, you are brought to tears upon every viewing. In fact, even the music from the movie makes you cry. I find this happens more with movies from my childhood, perhaps out of nostalgia. This morning, while parked on the couch with one sick child and while the other two were happily playing in the next room, I watched such a movie - one of my favorites. And as always, by the end my eyes were puffy and red and I was grasping for the Kleenex. It's possible that others would not be moved by this movie as much as I am, or maybe not at all. But let's just say that if it didn't sound so terrible with my last name, my daughter would be named Savannah. I love this movie. If you haven't seen Savannah Smiles, or even heard of it, you should try it. It's a tear-jerker, but it's so sweet and so heart-warming. I could never grow tired of it!Disclaimer: Just so there are no surprises, this isn't necessarily a movie you would want to watch with younger children (unless they are sick ;) ) because there are a few instances of swearing and some mild violence, and I mean mild. But compared to most current movies, this one is quite refreshing.
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