Motivation, or lack thereof

We are lacking in motivation these days. Last week I let my exercise regimen slip. I also finished a book mid-week and can not seem to pick up another one that interests me at night. Valentine's day ruined my "only one dessert a week" policy last week. And my weekend travels threw off my "8 glasses of water a day" habit. I'm lost without my habits!

The children have had a hard time with school work this week too, wishing their fun weekend could continue on forever. Math itself has taken nearly 2 hours each day if you include our drill time. The more difficult they are, the more I want to choose sweet tea over water and sleep over exercise. It's amazing, as a tightly knit family, how our moods play off of one another.

Yes, we are in need of a little energy, motivation, and drive. But until we find it, I will drag the kids across the finish line of each school day. Even if it takes ALL day to get there! This is where my strong-willed personality comes in handy! Anyone want to come and make me exercise and drink water? No? I guess I need to put on my big girl panties and buck up!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."

Aristotle

The pendulum swings

I was just telling my friend the other day that January was a really lonely month for me. There was a lot of ice and cold and not a whole lot on our calendar. And there were painful, long, hard trials for our family that felt so heavy. The days were sort of dreary and slow for me. With all of our time stuck at home, I felt no motivation to even open a book. In fact, the only book that I have read consistently is the Bible. And I have 5 good books collecting dust on my bedside table. Maybe this month!?

But February has already proved to be something else. People are healing, my husband is not traveling, prayers are being answered in ways that we have longed for, and the days are sunnier. I look at the calendar this month and it makes me dizzy. It is amazing how fast things can change!

Last weekend was loads of fun. The children each had a friend over for playing and a night out at the nearby pizza/arcade. And Saturday I spent the entire day sanding and repainting a hutch for the farmhouse kitchen, while the kids played baseball/rode bikes at the park with Andy. And then just because we are really strange, they decided it was a good day to dissect a frog. I am so glad I missed out. That is not my cup of tea. At all.

After church and lunch on Sunday we went to a fabulous Super Bowl Party (or as Lydie says, a Fish Bowl party). It was great fun. So much fun, in fact, that I forgot to get my camera out of my purse. And here we are already to Tuesday. The weather is cold, but sunny, so between activities the kids are enjoying being reunited with the trampoline. (January was a lonely month for it, too.) Tomorrow we host a 22 little ones at our house for a Valentine party, so I'm off to cut brownie hearts and sprinkle sugar cookies. Maybe one day I will learn to enjoy being quiet and alone more. But right now, like it or not, I adore a full calendar!

" I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."

~Agatha Christie

Questions that have made my noodle dizzy today

A few nights ago I went out alone to have dinner with friends. I saw a hot pink VW "Herbie". It had a light pink floral pattern from top to bottom, along with a large Brazilian Bikini ad (complete with photographed model). How many points does that car score in the traveling car game? I'd say at least 50.


Almost all of my favorite authors wrote juvenille literature. (C.S. Lewis, J.R. Tolken, E.B. White, Laura Ingalls Wilder, J.K. Rowling, Madeleine L'Engle) What does this say about me? Maybe all the really good writers write children's novels. Or maybe I have the insight of a ten year old. Who knows.

As I have been watching the horrorible situation in Haiti, I decided to do some research on the history of Haiti. What a heartbreaking story they have of fighting slavery and desperately trying to build a country with their limited resources. I tried to count the amount of times they have changed leadership, but lost count.
A good place to give:http://www.reformationhope.org/

I have watched The Notebook three times in the last two weeks. If you take out the sex, the courtship in this movie reminds me so much of mine and Andy's. So much passion, so many differences, yet such a perfect match. And, I think the guy looks like Andy (I don't know the actor's name). I watched it one night last weekend when Andy was gone on a hunting trip and cried my eyes out for an hour...after the movie was over! I am so thankful for him, our love story, continued passion...what a gift.

How does a woman balance her many callings? The only universal answer I can come up with is with discernment, wisdom, and grace. It is such a great responsibility to listen to God as I seek to use my moments well.

The week's themes

...could be summed up with two words!

VBS: Crocodile Dock

The "ham" and the "cheese" leading in drama, music and dance

Monopoly


I taught Toot to play Monopoly this week. We played a game each day this week! He's hooked!

That's basically it! (Except maybe for those 50 other Mommy/Wife things that are done on a daily basis!)

Our mascots

This little guy is our new friend. He and his girlfriend hop around our front yard and munch on our grass every day. We were going to name our little friend Peter (Rabbit), but we didn't have the heart. He is so thoughtful to leave our garden alone. We laugh at the little rabbits in our neighborhood. They are smart little creatures. They know that we are the only family that does not pay for our yard to be fertilized, and they love us for it! Weeds must be a bunny's favorite staple.

This little guy is particularly outgoing. He will let my kids get about ten feet away from him. The kids are determined to leave carrots, lettuce and water out for the bunnies at night. But I think their diet will hold them over just fine.

Great movie suggestion

Unfortunately, Lydie came down with a fever last night and I was too pooped to paint. But today we patched the nail holes and taped the molding during her nap. It was a way to trap myself into commiting for tonight. So we are about to get the kidsl in bed and get started. My hubs is on board with me, so we should knock it out early tonight. I will not know what to do with myself if I start and finish a painting project before midnight! I will post pictures tomorrow. Still deciding on the perfect spot for the silhouettes!On a side note, Thursday night we stole away a few hours to be alone on a date. We saw the most thought-provoking movie I have seen in a long time. Please go see it! And if you have children that are 12 and older, it would be a shame not to take them. We saved dinner for after the movie. Instead of doing our usual discipleship date (How is your walk with the Lord? How can I help? What are your struggles/triumphs?), we chatted about the movie. It was really powerful. Especially for us, as Andy is a scientist. So go on and spend the money on this one...it's worth it!

We're home!

We're back from seeing family. What a tiring week it has been! I was at the hospital a portion of every day this week, with the exception of one day that we set aside to take the children to a museum. My precious husband watched all three children with little help from anyone else! That's a big accomplishment for a working dad that is not used to the particular demands of motherhood! I am so thankful. He gave me a wonderful gift to be able to see my grand mom and spend precious time with my mom, dad, brother and many other family members. I heard family stories that I have never heard before. Who knew that I have a great uncle that loves all the things that I love...oil painting, music, etc.? This week provided me with the first opportunity in over eight years to have meals alone with my Daddy. Why would he want to be alone with me when he has three grandchildren in town? :) We had conversations that were deep and rich (and touched on topics beyond that of a 7, 5, and 1 year old's interests).

I also saw some things that saddened me deeply. My very active, very spunky grand mom is sick and feeble. I have no idea how she is still alive, except that she is so strong and determined! She has had no kidney function, no fluids or food, and been on oxygen all week. Her days are shortly numbered now. She sure is determined to talk, and tells everyone "you sure are sweet" and "I love you lots" over and over again in her southern accent. This may be the first time I have seen her without makeup, jewelry and flawless hair. We are all amazed that at 85 she has zero wrinkles. I am not exaggerating, her skin is incredible. Anyway, I loved every minute I spent with her this week and with my family. We finally had to come home yesterday. Home has never seemed so sweet. I missed my bed and our dinner table. I also missed time alone with my four sweeties. We all just looked around and smiled today at lunch.

I'll have to post about our other drama this week in a later post. My husband's mother was also hospitalized this past week and had surgery this morning. When it rains, it pours, I guess!

Good, bad, ugly updates

*Updates on updates: Baby is still calling me Mommy...sigh. All the Easter clothes and gifts are bought. The premature baby is hanging in there and doing better. And the disgusting virus is finally completely deleted from our computer! (THANKS, UNCLE BEN!)

The good...The baby woke up this morning calling me "Mommy". Toot calls me Mommy, so I guess she picked it up from him. It is so odd to see this petite, little pumpkin calling me "Mommy".

The bad...I realized today that I have 7 days until Easter and still have not bought Easter outfits for the boys. They need dress shoes, too. Yikes!

The ugly...A friend of ours has a premature infant with a rare intestinal infection. As I was praying, I decided to google her illness and do a little research. As I clicked on a website, I infected our computer with a virus. For the past two days, our computer has randomly popped-up vulgar pictures! Thankfully, I was the one on the computer each time. These pictures were so graphic that I literally felt violated after seeing them for the split second it took me to scream, turn away, and turn off the computer. Hopefully the problem will be fixed tomorrow. People do the creepiest things!

Three things

Three things that I am excited about today:

1. This art project. This is on my fun-things-to-do-in-March list. Can't wait to start! Between now and then I should be able to collect enough Michael's and JoAnn's 50% off coupons to get the canvas, paper punch and glue dots on sale. It should be a cheap, beautiful addition to a blank corner in our home. Maybe I should set a goal...you think I can do this project with $15?


2. This post by my dear, wise friend. Go read it...you may need to grab a kleenex if you have had a rough day as a mom or it may just fire you up! But either way, it is beautifully written and a good reminder of our ministries as moms.


3. My new coupon system that has enabled me to save $50 a week on groceries (I spent $87 this week, which included 6 dinners, 7 breakfasts and lunches, snacks, toiletries and diapers, not to mention a month's supply of vitamins for the entire family!). Here's the most inspiring part of Stephanie's passion, she created the website in order to give moms a way to cut out hunger in our country. I heard her speak in person and she is PASSIONATE! So I have chosen to start with 10 of those dollars that I am saving to buy items for our local homeless shelter. Let me tell ya, $10 with this lady's coupon savvy advice will provide a LOT of food!

Question: Why do toddlers smile like this when they see a camera? Why, oh, why? The baby started this at around 13 months old. Granted, she has chocolate cake all over her face. But this could have been an interesting picture. Just look at that silly fake smile! Sometimes she actually poses with her head cocked and hand under her chin...with this smile. I'll say, "Relax, just relax, sweetie." But that just leads to this smile...plus squinty eyes!?! The second picture is hillarious...my man imitating her. Of course, this time she smiled normally and he is striking a pose alone. So funny.

Frugal thanksgiving and a new best friend

Here's a picture of my frugal Thanksgiving basket for Jaybird's teacher. I admit, I found the basket at a yard sale. But, it was new, confirmed by the plastic wrapping. It cost 25 cents. The pumpkin muffins were made from scratch all from our pantry, except the canned pumpkin, on sale for 49 cents. The bath salts were on sale for $1 at Wal-Mart. I threw in a few tea bags that I already had from my own stash. And the thanksgiving card was left over from 1999 when we invited all of our family members to our house for Thanksgiving (to share that we were pregnant with Jaybird). All in all, a fun way to say thank-you to a wonderful teacher for less than $2.

On another note, here is a picture of Lydie's new best friend. We named her first doll "Melly". She kisses, hugs and drags her around for hours at a time. They go in the rocking chair, toddle around the house, and play with her play kitchen together. Through out the day she hugs and kisses her over and over again. Melly is a symbol of all that is beautiful and endearing in little girlhood.

In case there is no time to post tomorrow before we leave for the holidays, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope it is full of family, yummy food and deep, rich thanksgiving to our Savior for the many blessings He has provided.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My new interest and a project with Toot

I finally did it! I am officially an ebay seller. After years and years of curiosity, I decided to give it a whirl. I'll let you all know how it goes. I have four items that will be up for auction until Sunday and six that I am posting tonight that will expire on Tuesday. (To the left is a piece of Talavera mexican pottery that I found at a garage sale for $1.00. We'll see if it's worth anything to the ebay audience!) I am a true amateur, but I still have a goal in mind. I should just aim for breaking even. But instead my heart is set on a $50 profit. Making fifty bucks on eight items is reasonable, right? Poor me, the eternal optimist. Always setting myself up for disappointment!

Here is another homeschool project that Toot and I finished today. Earlier this week we made the planet mobile. Today it was was the Lego solar system. We're having fun with this unit!

Creativity denied

Happy 4rth!

I have noticed in perusing my usual blogs that several of you are so creative! I don't boast any talent in any artistic area, but I do so enjoy time to create. I have spent every rare, spare moment reading and writing this summer. I am re-writing some science units for my son's school, along with several other teachers and parents this summer. It has been a very big task, much bigger than I ever imagined! Between the units and my recent insatiable desire to read about classical education and other topics of interest, I have not made time to sew, paint, scrapbook, or draw. I am LONGING for time to just sit and make something! But I fear this fall will be my soonest opportunity, as I have committed to certain deadlines.

All this to say that you all inspire me! Particularly you moms that are sewing such adorable bibs and dresses. Keep the projects coming! I am storing your wonderful, creative ideas in a mental file for "some day soon"!

Blessings

Today I received the BIGGEST blessing! There were two, actually. The first was that my dear friend called and offered to let my kids come over to play for the day. We have had a lot of playdates here since we moved in because we have a pool in the backyard. But this is the first time in the last crazy three weeks that my kids have been dropped off at a friend's house. (Okay, the second. Another friend did watch the kids during one of the closings.) Anyhow, it could not have come at a better time! I am stubbornly trying to get the house in tip top condition for this weekend because we are having the boys' birthday party here. We are basically done unpacking, and so now I am trying to make our house look like a home. I think I hung close to thirty things on our walls yesterday and today. If I was not pregnant, I would probably be painting or sewing window treatments at midnight. I act a little looney when we first move into a house. It's like I am on a race to make life back to normal, so I won't stop until I am completely done with each room. It has been exhausting, but the "nesting" phase of pregnancy could not have come at a better time. So today, while my boys spent 4 HOURS with their friends, I unpacked my little girl's wardrobe and hung pictures in my bedroom. (I also wasted a good 45 minutes shopping in my favorite flea market for plates to hang on my kitchen wall. Is that irrational, or what?)

So, I mentioned I was blessed by two sweet souls today. My friend was the first and my precious husband was the second. He is paying a cleaning crew to come and clean the house on Friday. OH MY GOSH! I literally teared up when he called and told me today. This Friday, I was planning to clean the entire house, buy all of the birthday party supplies, and cook a big dinner for out-of-town guests by 5 pm. I am so relieved that he was so thoughtful!! Yeah! He also told me at dinner that he had planned our anniversary date. On August 31 #2 turns four and we will have our 10th anniversary. We have always planned on Paris for our 10th. I don't think it would be a good idea just a few weeks before the baby is born, so we are settling for some kind of special date here in town. I am excited just to have a night out. I told him that maybe we could go to Paris on our 12 1/2 anniversary...you know, half way to the silver anniversary.

I really was going to post pictures tonight, but...my man borrowed my digital for work and I don't have a clue where it is. I promise, promise to post pictures soon.

Blah, blah, blah

This week has been exhausting, particularly today. I am having aches all over my body! But, we have accomplished a lot and are still planning to move on Saturday. This afternoon I spent almost 2 hours on the phone trying to transfer utilities. It took that long to accomplish 3 phone calls! Thankfully, I was busy organizing our filing system and that kept me patient. Incidentally, I had let our billing statements build into this huge stack on top of the filing cabinet. It took me the entire 2 hours to file them! I love organization and usually actually enjoy anything around the house that accomplishes a look or feeling of being organized. But I hate to file bills.

Anyway, mission accomplished. We accomplished many other menial, yucky tasks like getting all of the storage boxes out of the attic, going through all of the boys' toys and organizing/trashing, and I made #1's space invitations for his birthday party. I also wrote an article for our church's women's ministry newsletter. It will probably be the most worthless piece of reading that any of them have ever read. But today was the day to at least get the first draft done and I did accomplish that. Praise the Lord that the kids were having a blast at VBS and I didn't have to worry about them.

I guess tomorrow will consist of more hours on the phone with utility companies and I think I'll tackle the bedroom closet. Also, I am going to take a ton of stuff to a consignment sale. Might as well let our trash be someone else's treasure, right?

Question of the day: What is your opinion on having a joint party for siblings? I am thinking of doing that this year. I feel a little guilty because birthdays are very special days around here. We try very hard to emphasize JESUS at Christmas, and not focus on gifts for the kids. (Of course, we go the grandparent's houses and that philosophy is null and void.) But on birthdays I really try to celebrate my little one's life. I try to make their big day individual and special. I am always abiding by a strict budget, so it's not so much about the money invested, just about the celebration. So I wonder if having a joint party would be a big let down. Our boys' birthdays are 31 days apart and I'm just not sure if I can handle planning two parties as I unpack the new house and prepare for the baby's birth.

Watching God at work

After a few minor compromises, our offer was accepted on the new house. We will close on our current house on Thurs. and close on the new house on Fri. Moving day will be Sat., we are required to be out by 11PM. Yesterday we had five people come over and help us pack. We got the entire downstairs packed and half of the garage. Now we just need to pack a bedroom each day this week (except for today, thank you Jesus for designating a day of rest). The kids will be at VBS for 3 hours each morning this week, so hopefully I will have plenty of time. Now our biggest prayers are that our new house will get a good report from the home inspector on Monday and that we will be able to find a mover who is available on short notice. We have never paid anyone to move us, so if we can't find professionals I am sure we can recruit help. But I would love for my husband not to have to spend the following week recovering. (He has a defect in his bottom two vertebrae that are not fused together properly and so he is prone to back aches.)

That's it for now. I know these details sound boring, but I feel inclined to post them just to proclaim God's grace and providence. He has lined up each and every detail beyond what we could have imagined. This process has been incredible to be a part of! If I think of it, I will post a few pictures tomorrow when I am on my computer. Gotta go get ready for the college group from church to come over. Isn't that hillarious? They will have paper plates and plastic utensils to eat with. We have furniture to sit on, but absolutely nothing else to enjoy. There are boxes everywhere. Oh well!

Oh, quick funny story. I took #1 to the ENT this week. He likes to STUDY the anatomy pictures on the wall. Right as the doc walked in his proclaims LOUDLY,"Oh, great. More private parts posted on the wall. I asked, "What do you mean?" He says, "Look, (pointing to a picture of the opening of the larynx), there is the woman's hole opening where the baby comes out!" I sink in my chair. It did look a lot like the "woman's private part". Maybe I should rethink taking this kid with me to the OB/GYN! We had noticed that he was studying the graphic posters. I justified that they at least were drawings and not real photographs. Yikes! I am NOT ready for the birds and the bees talk yet.

Fake and spray

Man, have we enjoyed our little boys this past week. My sweetie and I have gone and spent the afternoon in the mountains, watched fireworks, gone to the pool, played in the sprinkler and cooked all together with each other this past week. His new business is slow, and the boys and I are reaping the benefits. What a week! I can't say for sure that men feel the same emotions, but I am completely delighted when we are altogether. The responsibilities of managing the household fade away and the joys of being a wife and mom are overwhelming and wonderful!

That's my serious post. On a lighter note...I have a suggestion for all of you stay-at-home moms who don't have time to think about yourselves, especially for those of you who are pregnant. Bear with me now...AIRBRUSH TANNING!!! I know it sounds cheesy. But, today I gave it a try. It is suppose to be perfectly safe, even if you are pregnant. I am agreeing with a friend who recently said and I quote, "Tan flab is more attractive than pale flab." It's true! My poor stomach has not gotten any sun since I was pregnant with my first son, 6 years ago! I actually wore a maternity bikini, until...the last month. You guessed it, I got "love marks" as #1 would say. You know the permanent "marks" across the belly from too much stretching? Well, my stomach is nice and tan and the love marks look so much better! I decided I needed a "glow" for my baby shower which is this weekend. I also got my hair cut and highlighted today. The boys were so sweet. When my man got home from a meeting, they made me hide and told them they had a surprise. Then they walked him in the kitchen with his eyes closed and yelled, "Isn't mommy beautiful?" Love really is blind, isn't it? I was flattered just the same. Tomorrow I am on a search for a pink dress for the shower. Anyway, just call me "fake and spray", but I'm telling you the airbrush tan is worth a try! I'll post pictures to prove my point when I get new batteries for the camera.

How deep the Father's love for us!

Today was a real "pick me up" day. I was exhausted and a little down when I went to bed last night. We had been cleaning the house all day for an Open House today. I was feeling discouraged about the house not having any offers yet. Basically, I was having a pity party! But this morning we woke up and went to a beautiful service at church. The music was captivating and my heart was soaring as I basked in the love and grace my Father has for me! The message was a beautiful reminder of the meaning and personification of mercy. I needed to hear it. And then after church we saw our dear friends who invited us to come over to their house during our Open House. We were so thrilled to have something to do from 2-5 when we had to be out of the house. I love the fellowship we have with this couple and their children. I came home refreshed and I felt like God, once again, knew what I needed when I didn't even know. I needed to feel His love through His people. I needed to feel hugs and hear funny stories and talk about similar interests and just rest! I feel alive and ready for the busy week ahead of us.

Thank you, sweet Father, for answering my heart's desire when I couldn't even articulate it. Thank you that you care so much for me that you can bless me, even after my big pity party. Thank you that in your great love for your creation, you have given me people who love me so much, in spite of myself!