It's the last week of the month, I found a different outlet for my semi-daily journal entries. I'll keep using that for the upkeep of my journaling skills, but here will be summaries of thoughts, ideas, "big" stories, & the like.
I realized that I somewhat petered off on my journaling consistency by the third week- with only a few sentences just to show something on the overall calendar. I also realized that the actual accounts were usually in 3 to 4 day chunks, unless I got so busy (like this last weekend) that each day simply got one line.
Now this is the first week of me going back to school. I will hopefully get together a whole packet of things for the girls to do when I have to study or when James will be in charge of watching them. It's been a whirl-wind of a month, but I've learned a lot and am ready for the "season of learning" -Autumn. Time for rain, turning leaves, harvest time, new school supplies, & extra layers of clothes. And especially the colors! Gold, red, orange, yellow, & brown.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
New Week
It is Monday. I skipped writing on Sunday as I chose to make it a day of rest.
Rather than try to remember & relay all the specific details of two days, I will simply mention that the Drill weekend went as all the previous ones did -uneventful & with some amount of injustice (albeit less this time) received. I babysat yet another neighbor-girlfriend's kids for their date night (my complete & total choice) which allowed my girls no end of fun & learning to interact with other people. For the most part, it is really just letting them play with minimal interference from myself. I make sure they are fed & concluded the meal with a movie. Luckily, the guest selected movies that my girls were either unfamiliar with or absolutely loved. My youngest uncharacteristically wet herself, stripped (with the guests there), & proceeded to color herself with markers. Quite flustered & a litte more than irritated, brought her immediately up for a bath. Saturday night even gave me a better idea of what it would be like if I had 4 kids with differing personalities. Their parents picked them up late & my hubby decided to reach "level 50" on his online LotR character. I on the other hand turned in early after finishing up a light beer.
Sunday morning I woke up feeling heavy & groggy. I slept well (thanks to the beer) but could just barely pull myself up & clear my head to shower with my hubby as he rushed to get ready for his last Drill day. As soon as he was off (I finally remembered to make Banana Muffins with the girls on Saturday morning) with breakfast to go with his coffee, I crashed back into bed & got a few more moments of sleep before both of the kiddos came & joined me. Once attempted sleep became fruitless, we got up watched The Lion King, ate, bathed my oldest, & quickly dressed for church. We made it in pretty good time & I even got a compliment on the behavior of my daughters in their 3's&4's Sunday school class. The message was on a particularly difficult passage (Luke 16) but didn't fail to give life & a powerful reminder to be a good steward of all that the Lord has blessed me with in this life. I wish my husband had been there, but in some ways, I was almost better able to focus without his physical presence to distract me.
As I mentioned earlier, we really just used Sunday to rest & relax. I finished Dracula. We napped; I did light cleaning; we "loafed." Selah seems to be going through a "phase" I think I will call Preschool PMS. I'm not sure what is going on in her little head, but after her Daddy returned from concluding his Drill weekend, everything about her usual calm, "big-girl" attitude & mentality went down the drain. She soiled her clothes so many times in so many different places around the house that I am still trying to find all of them! After soiling her clothes, she would strip down naked until her sister would come to notify me. She also continued to draw on herself, toys, & furniture! My husband was finishing a Nexflix movie while I had begun the task of sorting all the paperwork buildup on his desk from the summer. I was rather disheartened as she had been doing so well for almost a full month!
We had baked potatoes with shredded cheese, baked broccoli, & I baked some bacon to dice & top the potatoes. I returned to finish up the filing in the office, but was constantly interrupted by the girls & the fact that my husband had pretty much given up on the dull task. It all came to a head when I started upstairs & found wet poop streaks on the tile floor of our entryway!!! After a hot wash down, discipline with lecture, new clothes, & clean up, our youngest was sadly & immediately sent to bed. Shortly later, I followed up in getting the older child (normally the "trouble-maker", but pleasantly complacent) dress & ready for bed, too. I laid by both just a bit longer... wondering if my youngest was acting up because of all the traffic that had been going on in her home -she can be quite the introvert. With her dad gone, new kids over every evening, & late bedtimes she was probably just needing some extra attention. My oldest thrives on action, people, & activities to keep her constantly occupied. She also does a wonderful job of being an "open book" about her emotions, mind, & physical state. Her little sister, not so much. She is much more of an observer, reserved, & easily distracted ...unless of course her mind does get made up & she iron-grips onto the completion/acceptance/permission of that decision. It's in those moments that the combination of stubbornness & strong-will of her 2 first-born parents are manifested in all their terrifying & intense realities.
Back to the day's events. Once I was convince the two of them were not getting up, we decided to watch Leverage (another couple favorite of ours). Lots of fun & good laughter had there! After it finished, I headed to bed while my husband returned to his online game.
I guess I have to mention that I started a new game, for my brother Justin's sake, called Dragonvale. It's slightly entertaining & pretty simple but I have been tending to it off & on the last 2 days. :-p
Rather than try to remember & relay all the specific details of two days, I will simply mention that the Drill weekend went as all the previous ones did -uneventful & with some amount of injustice (albeit less this time) received. I babysat yet another neighbor-girlfriend's kids for their date night (my complete & total choice) which allowed my girls no end of fun & learning to interact with other people. For the most part, it is really just letting them play with minimal interference from myself. I make sure they are fed & concluded the meal with a movie. Luckily, the guest selected movies that my girls were either unfamiliar with or absolutely loved. My youngest uncharacteristically wet herself, stripped (with the guests there), & proceeded to color herself with markers. Quite flustered & a litte more than irritated, brought her immediately up for a bath. Saturday night even gave me a better idea of what it would be like if I had 4 kids with differing personalities. Their parents picked them up late & my hubby decided to reach "level 50" on his online LotR character. I on the other hand turned in early after finishing up a light beer.
Sunday morning I woke up feeling heavy & groggy. I slept well (thanks to the beer) but could just barely pull myself up & clear my head to shower with my hubby as he rushed to get ready for his last Drill day. As soon as he was off (I finally remembered to make Banana Muffins with the girls on Saturday morning) with breakfast to go with his coffee, I crashed back into bed & got a few more moments of sleep before both of the kiddos came & joined me. Once attempted sleep became fruitless, we got up watched The Lion King, ate, bathed my oldest, & quickly dressed for church. We made it in pretty good time & I even got a compliment on the behavior of my daughters in their 3's&4's Sunday school class. The message was on a particularly difficult passage (Luke 16) but didn't fail to give life & a powerful reminder to be a good steward of all that the Lord has blessed me with in this life. I wish my husband had been there, but in some ways, I was almost better able to focus without his physical presence to distract me.
As I mentioned earlier, we really just used Sunday to rest & relax. I finished Dracula. We napped; I did light cleaning; we "loafed." Selah seems to be going through a "phase" I think I will call Preschool PMS. I'm not sure what is going on in her little head, but after her Daddy returned from concluding his Drill weekend, everything about her usual calm, "big-girl" attitude & mentality went down the drain. She soiled her clothes so many times in so many different places around the house that I am still trying to find all of them! After soiling her clothes, she would strip down naked until her sister would come to notify me. She also continued to draw on herself, toys, & furniture! My husband was finishing a Nexflix movie while I had begun the task of sorting all the paperwork buildup on his desk from the summer. I was rather disheartened as she had been doing so well for almost a full month!
We had baked potatoes with shredded cheese, baked broccoli, & I baked some bacon to dice & top the potatoes. I returned to finish up the filing in the office, but was constantly interrupted by the girls & the fact that my husband had pretty much given up on the dull task. It all came to a head when I started upstairs & found wet poop streaks on the tile floor of our entryway!!! After a hot wash down, discipline with lecture, new clothes, & clean up, our youngest was sadly & immediately sent to bed. Shortly later, I followed up in getting the older child (normally the "trouble-maker", but pleasantly complacent) dress & ready for bed, too. I laid by both just a bit longer... wondering if my youngest was acting up because of all the traffic that had been going on in her home -she can be quite the introvert. With her dad gone, new kids over every evening, & late bedtimes she was probably just needing some extra attention. My oldest thrives on action, people, & activities to keep her constantly occupied. She also does a wonderful job of being an "open book" about her emotions, mind, & physical state. Her little sister, not so much. She is much more of an observer, reserved, & easily distracted ...unless of course her mind does get made up & she iron-grips onto the completion/acceptance/permission of that decision. It's in those moments that the combination of stubbornness & strong-will of her 2 first-born parents are manifested in all their terrifying & intense realities.
Back to the day's events. Once I was convince the two of them were not getting up, we decided to watch Leverage (another couple favorite of ours). Lots of fun & good laughter had there! After it finished, I headed to bed while my husband returned to his online game.
I guess I have to mention that I started a new game, for my brother Justin's sake, called Dragonvale. It's slightly entertaining & pretty simple but I have been tending to it off & on the last 2 days. :-p
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Posting
I doubt that anyone wants to read such droll entries about my life, but I am finding it a much more satisfying & gratifying way to fill the "lulling" moments of my day. It seems to be fitting in later & later in the day, but I see it as something to "look forward to" and thus getting through my household tasks earlier & earlier in the day. I've also found myself using social media (mostly Facebook) less ...as I'd hate to keep including it in my "daily happenings." :-p
I also keep wondering if it has any helpful aspect towards my overall memory, journal blogging that is .... forcing me to recall even mediocre moments of the day before. I have yet to include any dialogue or even conversations, but perhaps that will come with time & practice? surely there are things said, read, or heard which are worth recording & remembering each day?! I shutter at the the wastefulness of days gone by with nothing to remember but actions. Language & words, conversation & literature are quite important in legacy making & character guiding. I do believe that "actions speak louder than words" but even the Lord gave us His Words to study & treasure in our hearts.
On that note, I just want to remark at the surprising amount of references to God, His Words, Heaven, & Christ that are mentioned in Dracula! So much of the despair, the actual tragedy, the hunt, the chase, & ultimate climax/conclusion of the story hinges on the religious beliefs of those intimately involved. And, oh my goodness! Mina Harker is a new fictional heroine to me.... There is so much honor, purpose, & righteous struggle in this classic & original tale regarding vampires than the flighty, emotionally-overwrought stories of my current culture. (Within Dracula) Vampires are to be properly feared, not infatuated with; pitied, not envied as a way "out" of morally bound humanity, & horrifically but rightfully freed from their demonic oppression & possession because of their horrific deeds for their selfish, base survival.
But then again, I am a "happily-ever-after" sort of person.... so I won't judge others who do like the current versions & fascinations of present-day vampires. ...I'll just be ever bewildered & "creeped out" about said infatuations. ;-)
I also keep wondering if it has any helpful aspect towards my overall memory, journal blogging that is .... forcing me to recall even mediocre moments of the day before. I have yet to include any dialogue or even conversations, but perhaps that will come with time & practice? surely there are things said, read, or heard which are worth recording & remembering each day?! I shutter at the the wastefulness of days gone by with nothing to remember but actions. Language & words, conversation & literature are quite important in legacy making & character guiding. I do believe that "actions speak louder than words" but even the Lord gave us His Words to study & treasure in our hearts.
On that note, I just want to remark at the surprising amount of references to God, His Words, Heaven, & Christ that are mentioned in Dracula! So much of the despair, the actual tragedy, the hunt, the chase, & ultimate climax/conclusion of the story hinges on the religious beliefs of those intimately involved. And, oh my goodness! Mina Harker is a new fictional heroine to me.... There is so much honor, purpose, & righteous struggle in this classic & original tale regarding vampires than the flighty, emotionally-overwrought stories of my current culture. (Within Dracula) Vampires are to be properly feared, not infatuated with; pitied, not envied as a way "out" of morally bound humanity, & horrifically but rightfully freed from their demonic oppression & possession because of their horrific deeds for their selfish, base survival.
But then again, I am a "happily-ever-after" sort of person.... so I won't judge others who do like the current versions & fascinations of present-day vampires. ...I'll just be ever bewildered & "creeped out" about said infatuations. ;-)
Weekend
Yesterday was one of those dull days that could make for quite a boring entry. Nonetheless, here I go.
I woke up to my alarm @ 6AM but left my husband to wake up & get going to his Drill. For some reason, I am getting this morning & yesterday quite confused. I'm pretty sure that he overslept & I rushed about emptying his car of the carseats & various paperwork that needed to be refiled. Both girls were still sleeping when he finally departed. My oldest awoke & we sat cuddling in a sun-bathed kitchen chair. Rather than speed my way through what I assumed was going to be a long day, I opted to simply enjoy my joyful 4 year old's presence by gently combing through her "bed-head" hair & gleaning whatever thoughts came to her lips. It was a tender few moments & one I hope she will not too soon forget. The "baby" woke up shortly after & I tried to cuddle too, but she was hungry & the oldest wanted to get dressed.
The rest of the day really did pass with me mostly cleaning (lots of vacuuming), getting the girls to help me clean, them playing on the deck & in their room, folding laundry, having lunch, & all the while, me attentively listening to the audio book of Dracula. It is the last aspect that I think makes yesterday such a blur. The house is cleaner, the kids were dressed, fed, entertained, & tasks were done... but my mind was truly on the narrative & following such an engrossing classic story. I do know that I had to put it temporarily away about 3PM for I had agreed to babysit my neighbor-girlfriend's children that afternoon-evening. I got my kiddos down for their naps & re-confirmed my services to my neighbor via text. Almost a full half hour after their expected time, my girls woke up & their family arrived apologizing & explaining that their little boy had fallen down some steps just as they were leaving. Assuring that he was alright & returning across the street for some footwear for their pj-wearing child, they finally headed out for some couple time at the local mall.
I gave the kids all the freedom to do a number of activities while I finished folding a clean laundry load. I put dinner in & on the oven (Shoyu Chicken, white rice, & baked broccoli) & we then took our German Shepherd out for some fetch in at the neighborhood dog park. After each kids had their turn throwing her toys, we returned to our house for more play while I got dinner served. Dinner was mostly a success & after the promise of ice cream for anyone who finished their whole plate, I helped them to select a movie. My territorial (oldest) child pouted much after the eldest guest selected Bolt for the evening entertainment. The ice cream was to be served after the movie. Within 10 minutes of the actual movie beginning, all the children were quietly enraptured in the story & I had time to clean up the kitchen, put away clothes, & while continuing Dracula.
My uniformed husband returned home, joined me for dinner, & went upstairs to change into "civi's" (civilian clothes). Bolt was reunited with Penny (the conclusion of the movie) & the ice cream was served. My husband went down to his office while I played some of the special features of the Blu-ray for the kids. Once bordem set in, I had the kids read books until their parents returned. The couple returned, their kids said their farewells, & we worked to get our munchkins to bed, too.
After the bedtime rituals & countless "goodnights", my husband selected a Netflix movie for the evening. I missed most of the first 20 minutes helping the girls "go potty", getting the old crib mattress out for the "scared" little one who had decided something was wrong with her new bed, reprimanding, & essentially issuing threats of punishment for further bedtime rule breakage. For missing so much, my husband & I still enjoyed Immortals, giving it a good rating & then heading to bed.
I woke up to my alarm @ 6AM but left my husband to wake up & get going to his Drill. For some reason, I am getting this morning & yesterday quite confused. I'm pretty sure that he overslept & I rushed about emptying his car of the carseats & various paperwork that needed to be refiled. Both girls were still sleeping when he finally departed. My oldest awoke & we sat cuddling in a sun-bathed kitchen chair. Rather than speed my way through what I assumed was going to be a long day, I opted to simply enjoy my joyful 4 year old's presence by gently combing through her "bed-head" hair & gleaning whatever thoughts came to her lips. It was a tender few moments & one I hope she will not too soon forget. The "baby" woke up shortly after & I tried to cuddle too, but she was hungry & the oldest wanted to get dressed.
The rest of the day really did pass with me mostly cleaning (lots of vacuuming), getting the girls to help me clean, them playing on the deck & in their room, folding laundry, having lunch, & all the while, me attentively listening to the audio book of Dracula. It is the last aspect that I think makes yesterday such a blur. The house is cleaner, the kids were dressed, fed, entertained, & tasks were done... but my mind was truly on the narrative & following such an engrossing classic story. I do know that I had to put it temporarily away about 3PM for I had agreed to babysit my neighbor-girlfriend's children that afternoon-evening. I got my kiddos down for their naps & re-confirmed my services to my neighbor via text. Almost a full half hour after their expected time, my girls woke up & their family arrived apologizing & explaining that their little boy had fallen down some steps just as they were leaving. Assuring that he was alright & returning across the street for some footwear for their pj-wearing child, they finally headed out for some couple time at the local mall.
I gave the kids all the freedom to do a number of activities while I finished folding a clean laundry load. I put dinner in & on the oven (Shoyu Chicken, white rice, & baked broccoli) & we then took our German Shepherd out for some fetch in at the neighborhood dog park. After each kids had their turn throwing her toys, we returned to our house for more play while I got dinner served. Dinner was mostly a success & after the promise of ice cream for anyone who finished their whole plate, I helped them to select a movie. My territorial (oldest) child pouted much after the eldest guest selected Bolt for the evening entertainment. The ice cream was to be served after the movie. Within 10 minutes of the actual movie beginning, all the children were quietly enraptured in the story & I had time to clean up the kitchen, put away clothes, & while continuing Dracula.
My uniformed husband returned home, joined me for dinner, & went upstairs to change into "civi's" (civilian clothes). Bolt was reunited with Penny (the conclusion of the movie) & the ice cream was served. My husband went down to his office while I played some of the special features of the Blu-ray for the kids. Once bordem set in, I had the kids read books until their parents returned. The couple returned, their kids said their farewells, & we worked to get our munchkins to bed, too.
After the bedtime rituals & countless "goodnights", my husband selected a Netflix movie for the evening. I missed most of the first 20 minutes helping the girls "go potty", getting the old crib mattress out for the "scared" little one who had decided something was wrong with her new bed, reprimanding, & essentially issuing threats of punishment for further bedtime rule breakage. For missing so much, my husband & I still enjoyed Immortals, giving it a good rating & then heading to bed.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Driving
My husband has to be gone for most of the weekend (including Friday) but he took an intentional day off work yesterday to make sure that I had some key things that I've been needing for a while now. We've moved around so much in our almost 6 years of marriage, but I've managed to retain the same driver's license the entire time (even up to a year longer than suppose to BECAUSE of all our moving & the fact that a military ID can often take the place of the usual "photo ID" requirements). I finally relinquished ownership of that well-used piece of plastic for a newer, updated one yesterday! =) After finishing my entry for Wednesday on Thursday morning (which I'm finding is more realistic & helpful than doing the night of the actual day), I got up & did my best to get my husband awake & ready for the day. I understood that this was his only day to "sleep in" because of his weekend duties, but I've yet to find a way to deal with the nervous energy that I build up when watching the sun climb higher in the sky & another mealtime skips by & I still feel unproductive as I wait. So I wrote 2 blog entries. :-p lol.
We finally showered & ate some leftover pancakes while I cleaned up the kitchen again & discussed the specific errands we had to do for the day. Drivers' license (since I wasn't the only one of the two of us who hadn't switched over to our new state of residence), title & tag registration of my vehicle, a regulation appropriate haircut, & desperately needed dishwasher detergent. Our new state has a TON of regulations & this wasn't our first attempt at the licenses. Nay! This was my FOURTH. I truly had been living the "3 strikes" you're out mentality, but this time we resolved to try a different location to see if it yielded better results. Before leaving, it took us about 2 hours of re-reviewing their requirements & gathering the needed paperwork like a pygmy trying to find water during the dry season -and I'm a pretty decent organizer when it comes to paperwork! As I mentioned earlier: it finally worked! :-D I think I deserve some sort of "well-prepared Mommy" award for not only keeping my girls relatively quiet but happily occupied AND fed during our almost 4 hour ordeal at the actual DMV! Praising the Lord even now that we had friendly, helpful, & even fun clerks to get what we needed! The car registering didn't happen but we will save $$ because of the advice of the clerk James got. :-)
We returned to the car all pretty hungry & looked for something we could all agree on in an area we didn't know very well. Remember, we went a little bit out of our way to avoid the other DMV that had given so much grief. ;-) An Old Country Buffet met our needs & gave us all some time to relax & unwind... so much so, that we had to keep reminding each other that is wasn't actually Saturday. lol! Suddenly, at least one very full school bus, of what we decided was a high school sports camp, of teenagers began flooding our peaceful, "off-hour" lunch/dinner, so we got back in our car to continue our errands.
We realized that time was getting short (I thought of all the "sleeping in" time that had eaten up so much of the day) & that it would be better to drop the kids & I at home while my husband received his "regulation" haircut. Once home, I chatted with my neighbor-friend that had been texting us about trading date-nights until her landlord arrived for a scheduled visit. Once in the house, I cleaned up a bit while the girls watched some tv. Daddy returned with 3 bags of cherries & the same desire as I did when he dropped us off -to just unwind and zone-out. :-) We settled down for some family viewing time with Wes & Travis from Common Law. Literally half way into the show, the husband remarked that Costco was closing in 30 mins. Rather than doing it by myself or staying at home with the kiddos, I told him that we could make it happen: we would go together. We immediately got up, got into the car, happily sang to Lion King & Tangled on the way, & enjoyed weaving our way through the quickly emptying aisles of Costco. We'd almost finished our trip when we remembered the dishwasher detergent! hehe... For simply recording our day, I feel it is important to interject how much I love shopping as a family. Yes, we do have some rotten ones, but for the most part I love the random spontaneity & jovial teasing from my husband, the enthusiastic input & "revelations" or "announcements" from our oldest, & the giggles or cute comments from our littlest. It fills my heart with so much joy to watch father & daughters playfully interact and to show off the love & joy that my husband & I have in each other to our daughters & the "world." :-)
Barely 5 minutes after leaving the parking lot, the girls were asleep & the hubby found a Disney reggae album on Mog that we listened to for 10 minutes in our driveway. The bathroom began "calling" me so we brought the girls up to their room, changed them into pjs, returned to the car to unload the groceries, put them away (I finally relieved myself), & we sat down again to finish our tv show. Once finished, we talked a bit about the busy day & headed to bed.
We finally showered & ate some leftover pancakes while I cleaned up the kitchen again & discussed the specific errands we had to do for the day. Drivers' license (since I wasn't the only one of the two of us who hadn't switched over to our new state of residence), title & tag registration of my vehicle, a regulation appropriate haircut, & desperately needed dishwasher detergent. Our new state has a TON of regulations & this wasn't our first attempt at the licenses. Nay! This was my FOURTH. I truly had been living the "3 strikes" you're out mentality, but this time we resolved to try a different location to see if it yielded better results. Before leaving, it took us about 2 hours of re-reviewing their requirements & gathering the needed paperwork like a pygmy trying to find water during the dry season -and I'm a pretty decent organizer when it comes to paperwork! As I mentioned earlier: it finally worked! :-D I think I deserve some sort of "well-prepared Mommy" award for not only keeping my girls relatively quiet but happily occupied AND fed during our almost 4 hour ordeal at the actual DMV! Praising the Lord even now that we had friendly, helpful, & even fun clerks to get what we needed! The car registering didn't happen but we will save $$ because of the advice of the clerk James got. :-)
We returned to the car all pretty hungry & looked for something we could all agree on in an area we didn't know very well. Remember, we went a little bit out of our way to avoid the other DMV that had given so much grief. ;-) An Old Country Buffet met our needs & gave us all some time to relax & unwind... so much so, that we had to keep reminding each other that is wasn't actually Saturday. lol! Suddenly, at least one very full school bus, of what we decided was a high school sports camp, of teenagers began flooding our peaceful, "off-hour" lunch/dinner, so we got back in our car to continue our errands.
We realized that time was getting short (I thought of all the "sleeping in" time that had eaten up so much of the day) & that it would be better to drop the kids & I at home while my husband received his "regulation" haircut. Once home, I chatted with my neighbor-friend that had been texting us about trading date-nights until her landlord arrived for a scheduled visit. Once in the house, I cleaned up a bit while the girls watched some tv. Daddy returned with 3 bags of cherries & the same desire as I did when he dropped us off -to just unwind and zone-out. :-) We settled down for some family viewing time with Wes & Travis from Common Law. Literally half way into the show, the husband remarked that Costco was closing in 30 mins. Rather than doing it by myself or staying at home with the kiddos, I told him that we could make it happen: we would go together. We immediately got up, got into the car, happily sang to Lion King & Tangled on the way, & enjoyed weaving our way through the quickly emptying aisles of Costco. We'd almost finished our trip when we remembered the dishwasher detergent! hehe... For simply recording our day, I feel it is important to interject how much I love shopping as a family. Yes, we do have some rotten ones, but for the most part I love the random spontaneity & jovial teasing from my husband, the enthusiastic input & "revelations" or "announcements" from our oldest, & the giggles or cute comments from our littlest. It fills my heart with so much joy to watch father & daughters playfully interact and to show off the love & joy that my husband & I have in each other to our daughters & the "world." :-)
Barely 5 minutes after leaving the parking lot, the girls were asleep & the hubby found a Disney reggae album on Mog that we listened to for 10 minutes in our driveway. The bathroom began "calling" me so we brought the girls up to their room, changed them into pjs, returned to the car to unload the groceries, put them away (I finally relieved myself), & we sat down again to finish our tv show. Once finished, we talked a bit about the busy day & headed to bed.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
New ideas, More questions
I am thinking that this diary entering might properly guilt me into better planning my days or at the very least cut-down on my more lazy moments.
As to my thoughts, right now I am wrestling through the idea of going back to school to get a Masters in Nursing. Despite having an AA & a BA, neither are very applicable in finding a job that would support me if -God forbid- something were to happen to my husband or his ability to provide for us. I think one of the biggest obstacles for me right now is the reality that pursuing more school now means not having more kids for quite a while. It saddens me. I want more kids. Not like my mother-in-law or sister-in-law... just one or two more. My heart just isn't ready to completely close that door. Even with an accelerated studies track, both girls will be well into elementary school by the time we could even "try" again. It wouldn't be right after the degree was achieved either -then there's the looking-for-an-actual job. Another aspect that I cringe at. Once the degree is in hand, the job secured -how in the world do you fit in the joy of pregnancy & enjoyment of infancy with all its beautiful, quickly passing milestones... milestones I wish I had been more available to enjoy in my last pregnancy... I want the freedom to be pregnant without having my mother or mother-in-law right at hand... In my mind, I suppose it's like the ultimate proof of motherhood & being a full-grown woman, to go through a pregnancy not feeling like I'm still just a child myself. But I know that it's exhausting. I know that it is taxing... I suppose that is why I want to have them now as I am younger/stronger & not as I am older in years.
Then I have the fear that I'm just not capable of rearing more than 2 kids right now... I question if I am adequately raising the ones I already have. I want to "try" for a boy. I truly did like the round 4-some of my siblings & I as we were growing up. We are all 2-3 years apart...
Should I be pursuing the furthering of my own personal interests & showing my girls that I too can & need to learn? Should I be sacrificing myself to the commitment to rear & raise more God-fearing people for this world?
I suppose I have an answer in just asking that last question. Perhaps for now, the ones that I am blessed with need more focus & intentional training in the Lord, His word, & "the way in which they should go." Perhaps they can learn more from my sacrifice of a bigger family & dedication to the challenge of using & refining the blessings & giftings given to us from the Lord. Undoubtably, I have been given the heart of a nurse. The touch of a comforter. The tender spirit of one who feels & see the pain of others & longs to ease & end it. Despite it's difficulty & demanding schedule, I would probably find much joy & fulfillment in the occupation & career of a nurse.
This will be my resolve for now. I will be taking 2 or 3 classes to refresh my student-mind & re-open the education door to this new path & journey I thought I had given up before I graduated from college. It will be hard. It will be challenging. It will be intense & laden with many trials. It will include math. It will require much & probably not give return immediately. It will probably end up being like a child, requiring much sacrifice, personal "deaths", energy, time, & money. But I already know that it's result will be a lifetime of constant reward, knowing that I am using the brain, body, & spirit granted to me....
I am scared. I am hesitant. I am doubtful. I am fearful of this new path. But the more I think through it: it is good. I have a loving, encouraging, extremely helpful husband who supports me & loves me. I have strong, independent daughters who can already take care of themselves in so many ways.... I suppose this really is the better time in life to pursue such a life-altering choice. Not later...
As to my thoughts, right now I am wrestling through the idea of going back to school to get a Masters in Nursing. Despite having an AA & a BA, neither are very applicable in finding a job that would support me if -God forbid- something were to happen to my husband or his ability to provide for us. I think one of the biggest obstacles for me right now is the reality that pursuing more school now means not having more kids for quite a while. It saddens me. I want more kids. Not like my mother-in-law or sister-in-law... just one or two more. My heart just isn't ready to completely close that door. Even with an accelerated studies track, both girls will be well into elementary school by the time we could even "try" again. It wouldn't be right after the degree was achieved either -then there's the looking-for-an-actual job. Another aspect that I cringe at. Once the degree is in hand, the job secured -how in the world do you fit in the joy of pregnancy & enjoyment of infancy with all its beautiful, quickly passing milestones... milestones I wish I had been more available to enjoy in my last pregnancy... I want the freedom to be pregnant without having my mother or mother-in-law right at hand... In my mind, I suppose it's like the ultimate proof of motherhood & being a full-grown woman, to go through a pregnancy not feeling like I'm still just a child myself. But I know that it's exhausting. I know that it is taxing... I suppose that is why I want to have them now as I am younger/stronger & not as I am older in years.
Then I have the fear that I'm just not capable of rearing more than 2 kids right now... I question if I am adequately raising the ones I already have. I want to "try" for a boy. I truly did like the round 4-some of my siblings & I as we were growing up. We are all 2-3 years apart...
Should I be pursuing the furthering of my own personal interests & showing my girls that I too can & need to learn? Should I be sacrificing myself to the commitment to rear & raise more God-fearing people for this world?
I suppose I have an answer in just asking that last question. Perhaps for now, the ones that I am blessed with need more focus & intentional training in the Lord, His word, & "the way in which they should go." Perhaps they can learn more from my sacrifice of a bigger family & dedication to the challenge of using & refining the blessings & giftings given to us from the Lord. Undoubtably, I have been given the heart of a nurse. The touch of a comforter. The tender spirit of one who feels & see the pain of others & longs to ease & end it. Despite it's difficulty & demanding schedule, I would probably find much joy & fulfillment in the occupation & career of a nurse.
This will be my resolve for now. I will be taking 2 or 3 classes to refresh my student-mind & re-open the education door to this new path & journey I thought I had given up before I graduated from college. It will be hard. It will be challenging. It will be intense & laden with many trials. It will include math. It will require much & probably not give return immediately. It will probably end up being like a child, requiring much sacrifice, personal "deaths", energy, time, & money. But I already know that it's result will be a lifetime of constant reward, knowing that I am using the brain, body, & spirit granted to me....
I am scared. I am hesitant. I am doubtful. I am fearful of this new path. But the more I think through it: it is good. I have a loving, encouraging, extremely helpful husband who supports me & loves me. I have strong, independent daughters who can already take care of themselves in so many ways.... I suppose this really is the better time in life to pursue such a life-altering choice. Not later...
New Month, New Ideas
So, it is a new month of this year & I've been listening to more books, spending more time with friends, keeping up with household tasks more to my liking, teaching my kiddos, & pursuing the possibility of my return to formal education. The current book that I am listening to (thanks to audible & my husband) is a compilation of peoples' journal & diary entries. One character in particular, Mina Hartka, actual writes that it's a good way to keep the mind sharp & the memory strong... as well as strengthen her writing skills. Its seems harmless enough & simple enough since all she does is report what happend in her day. It's a good way to finish the day & fill the downtimes in the evening. After all this resolve to start on a new day, I fell asleep before I entered a word. Thankfully, my hubby is not a morning person, so I can "catch up" on my new task till he wakes more calmly (our daughter just knocked, causing our dog to rapidly bark which jostled my husband straight up & out of a sound sleep).
My new task will be to simply record my/our goings on each day.
Yesterday, I had intended to attend my gym's 5:30AM class as I had on Tuesday, but failed to set my alarm the night before & was awakened as normal to the construction going on just outside our bedroom door around 7AM. The hubby & I showered (I forgot the towels), discussed our plans for the day while dressing, then greeted our girls. James was late & had to skip breakfast while I got the girls cereal, began washing dishes from the night before, & eating a banana. I continued to listen to my audio book while I tidied up. After a spat of disagreement, I got the girls in my car & went to the gym to take one of my favorite classes, a combination of yoga & Pilates they call Centergy. The girls stay in a daycare with other kids whose mom's are in the class or using the other equipment offered by the gym. It felt so good to stretch out after lifting weights earlier in the week. I followed up on proper form with the instructor & went to retrieve the girls. After another pleading to play a bit longer, I decided to run on the treadmill for 15min. before retrieving forgotten workout clothes for hubby. More resistance to leaving their playtime, we got the appropriate clothes (& I some Cheerios & almonds to stave off hunger) & drove to their Daddy's place of work & waited for 5 minutes till we realized that we had been waiting in the same parking lot @ different places. =)
Once back home, we made ham & cheese quesadillas for lunch, the girls snacking on applesauce with cinnamon first. I turned on the recording of the Olympics 2012 recap of Tuesday to see the Fabulous Five in each of their events & culminate in their winning the Gold as a team! Such a thrilling thing to see people at their best physicality, working together, & being rewarded before all. Both girls helped in spreading the cheeses for their quesadillas & I allowed them to eat on their new little Costco table in the living room to watch the Olympics with me. My oldest finished all her food, while I worked on my half burnt one, & the youngest played with hers. After ultimately dropping the slices I cut to make it easier for her, my youngest gave up & I bagged them for later. I had just decided that a nap was needed for attitudes & sanity's sake when their was a knock on the door. The girls' friend wanted to know if they could come out to play since they had been locked out of their house temporarily. I allowed my youngest out & explained that the older sister was in time out. With instructions that their mom needed to keep an out for my littlest was my only instruction, I returned to the couch with my oldest pouting on my lap. We watched Team USA receive their medals between Russia & China! USA women's gymnastics teams haven't won Gold since 1996 with the Fantastic Seven, including Kerri Strugg, the very team who secured my love for the Olympic games as a child! Not 10min. later, my neighbor-friend rang the doorbell & was holding my baby with a bloody knee & scratched forehead. Nothing big, but it gave me a chance to hear her plight of being locked out of her house while her night-shift-working hubby was sound asleep on the top floor of their 3-story town home. After an hour of fruitless attempts, she & her 3 kiddos were hot, tired, & just a hint of frustrated. My heart breaks at suffering of any kind and instantly responds especially if solutions or relief can be achieved immediately by myself. I got my girls down for naps & welcomed them inside. I got a sleeping spot prepared for her youngest, in our room. I restarted the Olympics recording for them while I got laundry started & we folded the first load together. I did dishes, turned over more laundry, & chatted off and on until our kiddos woke up & her husband finally woke up around 5ish. My hubby called to let me know he was off work & headed to his gym. I started to prepare dinner while my girls watched MouseTrap. After getting out all the ingredients for green, chicken, Thai curry, I realized that I had no coconut milk & prepared spagetti with tomato sauce for the girls & I. My hubby had leftover spiced pork tenderloin & scalloped potatoes. We watched Covert Affairs & then got into a discussion about President Obama, Mitt Romney, & the upcoming election. I eventually lost my cool & said we needed to get the girls to bed. I sat on the couch to cool down while my husband tucked them in, prayed with them, & waited until I joined them. We exchanged our ritualistic "hugs & kisses" & settled down beside my littlest for a few tracks on their well-loved, over-used Loving Lullabies CD & my hubby with our oldest. We got up, said goodnights & returned downstairs to the couch to continue our political discussion after my apologies for loosing control. We got weary of the topic & made some nachos. Once the cheeses were melted, he took his share downstair to his office where we talked about workouts, sore muscles, bills, & his current hobby -Lord of the Rings Online game. I applied some cream medication to the dark skin spots on his chest & back, followed up with a massage of his tender & sore muscles. I rotated the last clean but damp load of laundry to the dryer & headed upstairs for bed. Once in my room, I settled down to listen once again to my audio book until I realized that an entire chapter had passed & I had fallen asleep. I put everything away & intentionally returned to sleep before my hubby also climbed into bed later.
My new task will be to simply record my/our goings on each day.
Yesterday, I had intended to attend my gym's 5:30AM class as I had on Tuesday, but failed to set my alarm the night before & was awakened as normal to the construction going on just outside our bedroom door around 7AM. The hubby & I showered (I forgot the towels), discussed our plans for the day while dressing, then greeted our girls. James was late & had to skip breakfast while I got the girls cereal, began washing dishes from the night before, & eating a banana. I continued to listen to my audio book while I tidied up. After a spat of disagreement, I got the girls in my car & went to the gym to take one of my favorite classes, a combination of yoga & Pilates they call Centergy. The girls stay in a daycare with other kids whose mom's are in the class or using the other equipment offered by the gym. It felt so good to stretch out after lifting weights earlier in the week. I followed up on proper form with the instructor & went to retrieve the girls. After another pleading to play a bit longer, I decided to run on the treadmill for 15min. before retrieving forgotten workout clothes for hubby. More resistance to leaving their playtime, we got the appropriate clothes (& I some Cheerios & almonds to stave off hunger) & drove to their Daddy's place of work & waited for 5 minutes till we realized that we had been waiting in the same parking lot @ different places. =)
Once back home, we made ham & cheese quesadillas for lunch, the girls snacking on applesauce with cinnamon first. I turned on the recording of the Olympics 2012 recap of Tuesday to see the Fabulous Five in each of their events & culminate in their winning the Gold as a team! Such a thrilling thing to see people at their best physicality, working together, & being rewarded before all. Both girls helped in spreading the cheeses for their quesadillas & I allowed them to eat on their new little Costco table in the living room to watch the Olympics with me. My oldest finished all her food, while I worked on my half burnt one, & the youngest played with hers. After ultimately dropping the slices I cut to make it easier for her, my youngest gave up & I bagged them for later. I had just decided that a nap was needed for attitudes & sanity's sake when their was a knock on the door. The girls' friend wanted to know if they could come out to play since they had been locked out of their house temporarily. I allowed my youngest out & explained that the older sister was in time out. With instructions that their mom needed to keep an out for my littlest was my only instruction, I returned to the couch with my oldest pouting on my lap. We watched Team USA receive their medals between Russia & China! USA women's gymnastics teams haven't won Gold since 1996 with the Fantastic Seven, including Kerri Strugg, the very team who secured my love for the Olympic games as a child! Not 10min. later, my neighbor-friend rang the doorbell & was holding my baby with a bloody knee & scratched forehead. Nothing big, but it gave me a chance to hear her plight of being locked out of her house while her night-shift-working hubby was sound asleep on the top floor of their 3-story town home. After an hour of fruitless attempts, she & her 3 kiddos were hot, tired, & just a hint of frustrated. My heart breaks at suffering of any kind and instantly responds especially if solutions or relief can be achieved immediately by myself. I got my girls down for naps & welcomed them inside. I got a sleeping spot prepared for her youngest, in our room. I restarted the Olympics recording for them while I got laundry started & we folded the first load together. I did dishes, turned over more laundry, & chatted off and on until our kiddos woke up & her husband finally woke up around 5ish. My hubby called to let me know he was off work & headed to his gym. I started to prepare dinner while my girls watched MouseTrap. After getting out all the ingredients for green, chicken, Thai curry, I realized that I had no coconut milk & prepared spagetti with tomato sauce for the girls & I. My hubby had leftover spiced pork tenderloin & scalloped potatoes. We watched Covert Affairs & then got into a discussion about President Obama, Mitt Romney, & the upcoming election. I eventually lost my cool & said we needed to get the girls to bed. I sat on the couch to cool down while my husband tucked them in, prayed with them, & waited until I joined them. We exchanged our ritualistic "hugs & kisses" & settled down beside my littlest for a few tracks on their well-loved, over-used Loving Lullabies CD & my hubby with our oldest. We got up, said goodnights & returned downstairs to the couch to continue our political discussion after my apologies for loosing control. We got weary of the topic & made some nachos. Once the cheeses were melted, he took his share downstair to his office where we talked about workouts, sore muscles, bills, & his current hobby -Lord of the Rings Online game. I applied some cream medication to the dark skin spots on his chest & back, followed up with a massage of his tender & sore muscles. I rotated the last clean but damp load of laundry to the dryer & headed upstairs for bed. Once in my room, I settled down to listen once again to my audio book until I realized that an entire chapter had passed & I had fallen asleep. I put everything away & intentionally returned to sleep before my hubby also climbed into bed later.
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