Just reminiscing...

It can be hard to remember all of the reasons we make the hard choices we sometimes make. Whenever I get to feeling sorry for myself, I like to get a long hard look into the heart of the matter. My family is everything to me. Thank you, Father, for your guidance that never grows tired.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8

Wagon rides.

It was such a simple thing. I could have thought of it a long time ago. I honestly don't know why I didn't...
I used to take the kids on wagon rides at our old house but I think I started when A. was too young to sit still and appreciate it - so it became too much of a battle.
At our new house our mailbox isn't actually in front of our house - it's in a mailbox community down the street a bit.
Every day, the kids and I walk down the street together to check the mail. It seems like they drift a little further into the street with each trip. The neighbors probably call me "that lady that yells at her kids to get out of the street" or worse, "that poor girl with those children who won't obey."

Enter: RED WAGON

Today we were "on a mission" as J. put it.
They excitedly climbed up into that wagon and off we went.
It was so funny! They kept laughing and saying it was tickling their booties!
I guess the bumpy street added some spice to their day.
We laughed so much!

Sometimes the most ordinary or mundane things can be put into a new perspective.
I love to see the world through their eyes. There is so much more to laugh about!

I AM WOMAN! RRROOOOAAAAARRRR!

I feel like I have been on some sort of speed all day long! I started a new diet-ish type thing today and my energy level is through the roof! It's really only herbal supplements with green tea, but my body is kicking it into high gear. Nice!
I bleached the bathrooms and kitchen, did 5 loads of laundry, AND put it all away, changed all the sheets, did the dishes, dusted, vacuumed the whole house and then steamed the carpet, went through the kids clothes and organized them. I even took the kids on not one but 2 extended wagon rides today! And I sit here wondering how in the world I'm still not tired...
Well, I will let you know in the next few days how the weight-loss part of the deal is working out - but for now, I am just too excited that I am at the end of a productive day with lots of energy!!
Other than my bragging, there's not much else goin on...

Here's to Teresa...

It is really not like it matters very much in the end of all things - but I have been anguishing over what to put in the center of my mantle since we moved into our house over a month ago. I finally broke down and took both of the kids with me to Kirkland's, which anyone with more than one child knows why I'm a glutton for punishment for doing that...

Anyway, my friend, Teresa helped me sort out my thoughts on the issue and I am very grateful!
Thanks for taking time out to help the crazy woman with oodles of kids! I will think of you fondly every time I see this beautiful clock.

Home, Sweet Home

Well, we are all back home from our short trip out of town. We must've picked up a stomach virus while we were gone. Beware, droppers-by, you do not want this one...
I have so enjoyed this silly blog thing. It has become such a regular part of my day - I really feel like I'm missing out if I can't keep it up for a few days!
Thanks to those of you who have shared your days with me. It does make the insane things that happen in our little worlds seem a little less bizarre!

terriffic news!

At long last, my sister has gotten the promotion she has been waiting for!
It has not come without cost. She has certainly paid her dues! She has been looking so forward to getting her very first 'big girl' job! This will be the kind of thing that will be a dependable career. I am so very proud of her!

The Twilight Zone.

Ok, Melissa, I know I promised you pictures of my new and improved living room once I got the kids home. I was expecting that within a nanosecond of our arrival, there would be a sudden burst of toys that would measure on the Richter Scale. Not so. Apparently, my amazing and multi-talented parents 'tuckered' them out to the point that there was no coaxing them to play.
The only thing that I could get them to do was snuggle up next to me on the couch.
How perfectly splendid!
Warm, squishy, freshly bathed babies SITTING QUIETLY, CALMLY on the couch next to me.
I thought I had entered, 'doo-doo-doo-doo, the Twilight Zone..."
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There is, however, always room for drama in my life. Today, the drama came from 'yours truly.'
It appears to be the case that without my kids I am prone to going Stir-crazy.
So crazy, it seems, that I would walk into my bathroom and catch a glimpse of myself that didn't set well...
I felt the necessity to give my hair a trim. Yeah, you've heard of pre-schoolers doing it...
It was AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!
My hair looked like my mom's that time she got it caught in the freezer fan on vacation. She was at a convenience store and bought a bag of ice, their supply was low - while reaching waaaay down to the bottom of the freezer... her hair got tangled up in the fan blades - the rest is obvious...
Yes, my self-inflicted haircut was THAT bad.
Bad enough to inspire thrifty me to go to a salon. You will absolutely love the new me. Short hair never looked so good. Especially when you have a point of reference like I had today...I was so very willing to have short hair after what I did to myself!!
So let me encourage you, if you are having trouble making a change, come over to my house and let me help convince you...

Listen.

Can you hear that? It's nothing. Beautiful, wonderful nothing. No bickering. No crying. nothing.
Do you see all the toys strewn about my house? No - you can't. Because THERE AREN'T ANY. Not one toy is on my floor.
Not one sippy cup is overturned.
Not one cabinet is open with little fingers prowling through it.
I have not been asked for a fruit snack.
I was not awakened by a little body crashing into me and saying, "Wake up, Mommy. I want breakfast."
I have had pleasant phone calls from friends today. Uninterrupted.
I've not had to sneak off to the bathroom so that I might steal a moment of privacy.

As nice as it is, I miss them.
I have had the nicest morning. The kind of morning that every mother needs ever once in a while.
Not to mention that I went on a date with my hunny last night...
What a treat!
Thanks Momma! Thanks Daddy!
We are so fortunate to have you in our lives!
I pray that my relationship with my grown-up children is as wonderful as ours!
{And yes, my other mommy friends regularly remind me of how fortunate I am to have my parents nearby...} I agree. ;)

Life is good.

Can you think of anything that is more of a gift than 'life?'
I love living. Thanks, Lord, for life.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
John 10:10b

Balancing Act

I have noticed that there is a central theme in most of my writing. My kids. I love to think about, write about, sing to and about, clean up after, tell stories about, you get the idea - my kids.
It has been my life's highest calling to raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ha! Admonition. Look it up - now there's the perfect word to describe parenting.
I guess it's easier to hide behind your children. To let your every motivation and purpose be defined as "what's best for them." No one would ever chide a parent for doing things that were for the ultimate benefit of their children. It has been my way of not really letting people know what's inside me. I talk about my kids.
They define me.
I have struggled with this very concept.
My life has been tailored to fit their every need. I have sacrificed to see their needs met above mine. To the extent that I have neglected my very personal need for fruitful friendships. Ones that, in order to bear fruit, must be nurtured consistently. Motherhood is a profession that lends itself to a lack of consistency. The only constant in motherhood is the fact that you are always adapting to meet your children's changing needs.
It is the ultimate balancing act.
I have NEVER suffered though. I have found myself craving our little conversations. Personally benefiting from the unexpected wisdom of their simple words.
The things I have forgotten to think about in ages are the things their curiosity arouses in me. Not the dreaded questions like, "Where do babies come from?" But ones like, "Can we send God a Father's Day card too?" and the best answer I could muster was a broken, but very proud, "Son, I think you just did."
These are the little reminders that, in every conversation, parts of a mother's heart are revealed through their children...

WHAT!?!?!

Today was a hot booger-bear. That's what J. called it anyway. After Daddy left for work this afternoon around 3pm, the kids wanted to play outside. J. had put together this little get-up with a gun, some darts, a walkie-talkie, some 'hand-cuffs' (Don't ask) and man, was he ever ready to get outside and conquer! I was getting myself ready:
1. Go to the bathroom.
2. Get the phone.
3. Get drinks.
When I got it all together, I told J. to come get his juice - "just in case you get thirsty" I said. He looked back at me, with all his ammo in hand and scoffed, "Hunters don't drink JUICE!"

Flossy-flossertons!

A. is finally "All the way" potty trained! She is soooooooo potty trained, in fact, that she is systematically teaching all her dolls to use the toilet. So cute! I caught her in the act this afternoon. Sadly, it was too late for the Cabbage Patch doll that ended up halfway in the toilet... EWWW!
Sunday night is personal hygeine night at the O. casa. I know it sounds funny, but I have a tendency to overlook things like clipping fingernails and toenails, flossing teeth, et cetera, while amidst the endeavor to take over the world.
So I set aside Sunday nights, when, if all other nights fail - at least I did it ONCE this week.
Here's a thought: Whoever set up this idea that you should floss your kids teeth
CLEARLY never followed through on the task. My fingers actually HURT from being gnawed on after we're finished - and their teeth are so tiny...
Please tell me that there are mothers out there who don't floss their kids teeth as religiously as they're supposed to...

WAH!

My camera is broken. That is all.

The tea party.

Today, we had a great time hanging out with some of our church friends at a tea party. The most magnificent hostess I know threw a tea party for the MOPS kiddos! SO MUCH FUN! We ate tiny treats - not tiny in calories, I'm sure...
Our kids ransacked La's house. We laughed. We talked. We ate. The older kids tortured the youngest ones. Then we ate some more. It was divine!
This is where it gets ugly! I was framed! Lori coaxed Esther and Melissa (who, by the way, is ALWAYS the willing one) to "try out" Yoga-bootie ballet - a horrendous workout video where once you start shaking it, your bootie will NEVER stop having tremors...
And at the VERY MOMENT I decided to let loose and stand up and have a laugh with the girls, there she was in all her sinister ways - ready with camera in hand to snap a photo of us - FROM BEHIND!! I know she's gonna post it, so here's my side of the story. IT ISN'T ME - unless for some reason I look unusually slim - and then, why yes, I have been watching what I eat... all the way to my mouth...

We had the best day!

It is so much fun being "off for the summer." Daddy was off work today too - that always means we have an EXTRA-good time! Never in my wildest dreams could I have told you that life would be so sweet! It's not everyday in my big, grown-up world that I get to laugh so much; make so many memories!

Psalm 92:1
What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night...

Solo Voyage

He's 4. NOT 14. Today I went to my parent's house to pick J. up after a night of being spoiled. A. opted to stay here at the house with me - and I was glad because I needed to catch up on fairy kisses and finish up potty training. When I rolled up in their driveway, (expecting jumps of joy as he ran to greet me with much glee...) all I saw was a body running the other direction and my little friend screaming, "But I wanted to stay for SEVERAL YEARS! WAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
How on earth does this reach the balance: If your TODDLER acts as though you are wretched, what can you expect in their teens?
I am verklemmt!

Lowget

So it has come very apparent that A. has some difficulty saying her "R's" and "Y's." Dora the Explorer is Dowa the Explowa and strawberry yogurt is stwabewwee lowget. Well, J. has tried and tried to get her to say them the way he KNOWS you're supposed to... I guess he gave up and decided, if you can't beat 'em...
So this morning they were eating their breakfast and A. was talking about her Dowa Stwabewwee Lowget and J's Dee-laygo lowget *dora strawberry yogurt and J's Diego yogurt* - J. said, "A. is that good lowget?"
And A. scrunched up her face in disdain and said, "Not lowget, It's LOWGET!"

My big little man

Today was J's 4-year checkup. FOUR YEAR CHECKUP. Has it been that long?
He's still holding steady at the 90th percentile. 42 pounds and 43 inches tall.
He was so brave, but he clutched onto me when he saw the needle tray. You have to get 4 shots at your 4-year checkup...
For a moment, I felt like he was a baby all over again. I almost cried when he held onto me as if I was the only one who could save him from the tragedy that was a visit to the doctor. But I held strong and explained to him (the best way I could) why it was so important - not even sure I believed what I was saying.
He's grown so much. He's developing into such a big little man. I am so proud of him.

Potty training.

What can a mother say about potty training that any other mother doesn't already know and even empathize with? I think potty training your child defines a part of motherhood that is indescribably bittersweet.
Complete satisfaction that you'll never have to change another diaper on your child. Excitement over the independence she has attained. Excruciating pain as you find yourself betwixt, knowing you have to let her grow - but terrified to let go.
She's my last baby. I know that. That's probably why she's 2 and a half and still in her crib.
I will use any reason to keep her there. Because I know the moment she's in her big girl bed, that's it. Very different from the oldest child.
I so enjoy each step from infancy to toddlerhood. It's like looking at the same jewel through each of it's different facets, never seeing the whole of it. Until one day, there it is, a beautiful stone that's been carved, at least in part, by you.

Overwhelmed

It has come to my attention in the last month or so that I have spent the majority of motherhood in a state of "overwhelmed."

I now have a new project. My goal throughout this summer (and longer, if need be) is to eliminate the mentality of being Overwhelmed.

In the past, just going to the grocery store was a feat to be recognized by my husband as a trophy-worthy achievement. Let alone, if a hot dinner were to appear on the table AFTER said trip to the grocery store... oooodalolly!

So this is the summer of decompression.

I have been doing better than I expected. I still have to make concerted efforts to remember that I am not, in fact, overwhelmed. It is getting easier though.
I think my kids are appreciating it. I have found myself shouting less and saying "Yes" more often.
I like the new me. It is much more fun than flitting about in a fit of frustration.
If you find yourself in a perpetual state of "overwhelmed" - shake it off.
I challenge you to change your mindset. I wish I had done it sooner.