My heart aches

There's too much pain around me... friends losing  sons, people name calling on Facebook over politics and Komen/PP, lack of health (chronic) in my own family.  And I know I shouldn't let facebook stuff bother me. It does hurt, however, when people who I truly consider friends call people who believe how I believe "stupid, disgusting, small minded."

I just want to sit in a warm field with a cool breeze and write poetry.

Except I don't write poetry, lol.

{{haiku doesn't count. my haiku is like guerilla poetry. I need peaceful, breathing, slow poetry}}

I just want it to stop hurting.

Perhaps the sun coming out would be helpful.

Our Backyard

This is not a downer post, however. You may read it like that, but that is not the reality of my heart.

No, I don't have any quick fixes -- no "wrap it up warmly in four paragraphs" going on here.   Have I ever?

How do you wrap up this crazy world? This awesome journey?

Perhaps it doesn't matter how sad I am, perhaps what matters is each moment of choosing. Choosing to enjoy slicing an avacado for the family's lunch. To laugh at a visiting 5 year-old's potty humor. To find beef bones at the market and make beef stock for the first time, learning and being present with it.

A better blogger would have nice pictures to go along with all this. I am not that blogger.

I'm not sure what I am.  Should a woman about to turn 43 still wonder what she is going to be when she grows up? :)

Did you know my favorite poet is e.e. cummings?  I think of him as a sculptor-poet.  I think like him.


This often gets me in trouble.

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Snap Crackle Pop

Dear St. DH,

I apologize if the collars of your dress shirts are a little sticky. I was eating Rice Krispy Treats while doing your laundry.  You see, I was feeling a little draggy and thought maybe I was anemic, and Gluten Free Rice Krispies provide 50% of my daily iron needs.

I know you wouldn't have wanted me to wait and risk fainting during laundry folding.  You are such an understanding husband.

Love,

Your devoted wife

Amy

P.S. We left you one.

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Brace yourself

This week, at 42 years old, I got braces for the second time. My choice, although highly recommended by my former dentist. LOL, he's not former because he recommended this torture, he happened to move to a different area of the state. :)

Looking on the bright side of all this:

1. In two years(!) I will have nice straight teeth again, Lord willing.

2. I have more to offer up now. Not the least of which is the mental audio of a kid getting sick behind me in the orthodontist's office, which keeps replaying in my head even though it was two days ago. *shudder*

3. I have renewed sympathy for pregnant women. Seeing these 2 years of torture stretch before me, I remember those first days of being pregnant...when I would look at the pregnancy tickers on my blog that said "ONLY 278 DAYS LEFT!!" ... and panic

4. I will hopefully lose a little weight.

5. On the flip side of that, the things I am finding to eat right now are mostly high fat and yummy...much easier to eat ice cream with sore teeth than a bunch of carrot sticks or even salad, YKWIM?

6. My husband has been giving me sympathetic looks and trying his best to go easy on me. Kids too.

7. It's a lesson in humility...seeing the odd looks when I smile...sitting in the ortho's office with 2 other women saying, "I did NOT want to be a 30 something mom with braces, so I got invisalign." Um, HI, I'm Amy, a 40-something mom who could only get the real deal braces. *smile* (owwww...)

8. I was bemoaning my grey hairs and wrinkles lately. But with this mouth I now look 13 again. ;-)

A wrinkled, grey 13. :)

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Help, I've fallen off the face of the earth

...and I can't get up! :)

I haven't stopped blogging for Lent intentionally, it just seems to be a time for me to sit and ponder instead of letting it all hang out.

But I have a quiet hour ahead of me, and it's Sunday, so I thought I'd say hello! Sunday being noteworthy only because if it were any other day I'd feel *guilty* for resting and chatting. :)

A few weeks ago we let a house go by us without making an offer. Hardest thing I've done in a long time! I felt the house was perfect, and we could afford it, but it was just more money than we thought we should spend. Sometimes it's very hard to be different, to live by your convictions, isn't it. The house backed to a field with cows. COWS! In our silly suburban subdivision. OK, I'll stop, because I'm starting to miss what I never even had. Offer it up!

Dh is struggling more with pain right now, I'd love if you could say a few prayers on his behalf.

Today I "rested" by hacking a man-eating bush in half. :) We have this large bush that grows like crazy right next to our driveway and eats little children as they go by and paint jobs off cars if we don't trim it regularly. Trouble is, it's very "leggy" and you have to cut it back so far that only sticks are left when you are done, and no leaves! It looks horrible right now, but hopefully in a few weeks will green up. I find it very mentally restful to be outside with the earth and it's fullness, so I hope God forgives the muscle work I did. I *need* mental rest much more than I need physical rest right now.

I'm trying to work out a daily schedule/routine. Schedule more than routine. I read something very wise that said (very roughly paraphrasing) - don't make changes to something due to emotions if you made the decisions in the first place with more mental clarity. It was referring to making a schedule when you are in your right mind and after much prayer. If you believe, as my dh does and I am more and more beginning to, that your family should run by a schedule, pick a time when you are emotionally stable, determine your overarching goals for your life, and prayerfully make a schedule according to those goals, then DON'T break it for the willy nilly! Of course don't be a slave to it (i.e. if you need to see a doctor or your dog gets loose and needs to be chased down, do it), but don't just say every other day, "Hey the weather is nice/I have the sniffles/my husband looked at my funny this morning/oh woe is me" and throw the schedule out the window forever. Looking at myself when I say that, LOL! I am SO guilty.

I'm also trying to make a schedule for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. I am so OVER the constant, "I want this for lunch, no, I want THAT! Can I have ice cream for snack?" from the peanut gallery. Because the older two girls make most of the lunches (theirs and a younger sibling) I was leaving it up to what they wanted to do, but it is too chaotic and creating selfishness and whining. Enough. The hard part for me will be making sure I have those things in sufficient quantities each week!

I got brave last week and made a call to have a free orthodontic consultation. I had braces for years as a child, and wore my retainer at night until I was probably 21 at least, but my teeth have shifted terribly and I hate smiling now. It's hit the point where my bite is different I know that can cause (and probably is causing) teeth clenching, headaches, and gum receeding. So hopefully soon I'll be able to smile without embarrassment soon. I've gone from thinking it's a vain splurge to understanding it's for the health of my whole head!

Well, that was my hour, in between pouring drinks, getting snacks, kissing boo boos, and listening to a very endearing 3yo boy!

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The Year in Review

Last year about this time I copied many bloggers in making a "year in review post" for 2009.  I enjoyed doing it last year so here I am again!  I know I'll have much less to say this time, as I don't think I blogged much of anything of note this year!!

January 2010
 - I started a 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge...and bombed miserably just two weeks later!
- I blathered on about schooling, and nothing has changed. I still don't know what I'm doing.
-Jeffrey weaned. :(
-I gave thanks.

Feb 2010
-still house hunting (which we did all the previous year too)
- I turned 41 and Grace turned 7
-we had a blizzard

March 2010
-house hunting takes a strange turn which has since changed back and may flip yet again (but oh please God no)

April, May, I didn't blog! Ack! Leah did turn 5 in May.

June 2010
- I found mulberry trees in our backyard and something strange was using our garden as a bathroom
-I realized how much weight I had been gaining (and it hasn't exactly stopped. Ahem.)
-I continued to be confused about schooling
-Dh joined me in old age :)

I didn't blog in July either

August 2010
-ummmm, not much exciting happened here either.  Dh did hire a lawnmower guy! That was cool. :)

Sept 2010
- The Blessed Virgin Mary sent me a surprise
- we went on a vacation
-Jeffrey turned 3. THREE!

Oct 2010
-I realized I probably could be accomodating for Juliet's dyslexia better than I was (am)...and could do it without guilt that I was somehow "cheating".
- I spent what was hopefully our last visit with the vaccine nazi.

November 2010
- Lots of thanks giving.
- Maggie and Juliet turned 11 and 13, and we all became odd, and prime!
-I found out that dh was my soulmate...and I was his yogurt.
-lots of stuff I'd rather forget

December
-St Andrew Novena!  I don't think I missed one day! I've never been able to pray a whole long novena before w/o missing one. Fat lot of good it did me, though...
-I thought a bit about God's will (linked and elsewhere)
-Stiiiiiilllllll house hunting. Just shoot me, OK?

And that brings us to today!  Now that it's the end of the year, I was thinking about a "word" or phrase for 2011. Something I want to be my focus.  I thought about TRUST...but I don't want to prod God into putting 1000 situations in my life where I have to learn to trust Him more, YKWIM? I'm already at my brink.  It's like praying for patience.

Maybe I should just make my word MONEY, ANSWERED PRAYERS, or MIRACLES, lol.

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To show you the depth of our math nerdiness

Dh realized last night that not only are we all odd now, but we are all odd and PRIME. In addition to all the signs made for dd's 13th birthday, was a hundreds chart with all the prime numbers highlighted and all our ages circled.

Aren't we special??

:)

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We're all odd...

... save one.

We have an odd family this year. Dh and I turned 41, Jeffrey turned 3, Leah 5, Grace 7, and Maggie just turned 11. Juliet is the only one that hasn't had a birthday yet, so she is normal even for two more weeks. :)

Anyone else have interesting number patterns in their families?

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2009 in Retrospect

I just love how Sarah has done a thoughtful and moving retrospective of her year. I hope she doesn't mind if I borrow the idea. Of course, mine will not be anywhere near as beautiful to read. I just wanted to jot down my ideas and remember my year in whatever cursory way I can accomplish right now.

~January~

January saw us get serious about house hunting. (I have a feeling that house hunting is going to have a prominent place in this Year in Review!) Looks like we were also sick a lot!

~February~

I made the realization that it's OK to be OK with the fact that Leah and Jeffrey will be loud while we are doing school. It wasn't bothering anyone but me! I can even love it (I'm still working on that...) This is actually one epiphany I mentally come back to, and it has been very helpful in attempting a calmer atmosphere here. I also turned 40! I've felt 40 all my life, it's nice to finally be here. I discovered LOST and my life has never been the same ;-). We went to the Educational Testing consultant to get the follow-up information for Juliet's dyslexia testing - it hit me hard, but it wasn't anything I didn't already know. More house hunting (or not). Grace turned 6!

~March~

Lent. More sickness. I realized that I'm not always as generous as I think I am, especially with my time/efforts. I worried about having a passion. I still haven't figured it out. Maybe simple living? We met a realtor who has gone above and beyond for us this year.

~April~

We rearranged the closets and kids rooms. More house hunting (really, NOT). You'd think by now I'd see God was telling me to quit it, LOL. WARMTH! and we put a little garden in.

~May~

I realized why I'm disorganized thanks to Dr. Mercola. ;-) Leah (who was then called Batty) turned 4. We celebrated our 15th anniversary! The kids and I finished Sonlight's Core 4.

~June~

We started with Oak Meadow. Just call my kids "guinea pigs" as it only half-worked for only one child. DH turned 40 (the youngster). More house hunting! I started a Catholic Waldorf egroup, that I have since passed on to a wonderful homeschool mom.

~July~

Seems like nothing interesting happened in July, lol! Well, my grandmother did turn 96! Stillllll house hunting. At the very end of July, our most perfect house ever was found to have an ex-con across the street who had police close the street for half a day because he was armed and not coming out of his house. I'm STILL NOT LAUGHING, lol. ;-P

~August~

Some time around here I moved blogs, again! My late grandmother was moved to a nursing home :( (although we were lucky to find something relatively good). We abruptly drop Oak Meadow 4 for Maggie (OM 1 fizzled out sometime later for Grace).

~September~

Sick kids again (flu, maybe? It wasn't that bad but definitely "flu like"). We bought a great chalkboard and started with Netflix (worth it! Especially since we no longer get cable). We came this close to putting an offer on a house. Jeffrey turned TWO! My mom, MIL, uncle, and neice turned undisclosed ages. ;-)

~October~

Even less interesting happened in October, apparently!

~November~

Maggie turned 10 and Juliet turned 12! We got a Wii as a birthday/Christmas present for them - boy do they love that thing! I didn't blog much of note, but many things happened : my grandmother passed away, the company that employs St. DH was bought out by another company, and we put our house hunting on hold indefinitely. We also switched gears again, homeschooling wise, to more of a Latin Centered Curriculum type. It's only been a few months, but I can say we really like it, and it's working well! I believe we can ride out much of the rest of our schooling with this, in kind of a combination of LCC and Sonlight/Ambleside read alouds and history.

~December~

Here we are in December - Christmas was lovely and laid back. No cookie baking, no parties, no piles of presents - and it was wonderful. We focused on Jesus and preparing our hearts. Nobody missed the other stuff! Last week brought a fun snow storm. Lots of Wii-ing was done! We continued to enjoy our new curriculum and I began re-counting my blessings.

One of my favorite pictures from this year: When my dd said, "I'm sorry Mommy, I accidentally wrote on my leg."

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I'm easy to please

Despite ALL evidence to the contrary on this blog, I really am easy to please. ;-)

A short while ago the UPS man came to the door. "The UPS man! The UPS man! I love the U-P-S man!" I chanted and sang, until I realized that my littles were listening and I didn't want them repeating that at the supermarket to the cashier. "My mom loves the UPS man!" LOL *blush*

The UPS man left a tidy package from Rainbow Resource. Latina Christiana I and Classical Writing Aesop A are now at my feet waiting to be devoured calmly perused. I punched out Latin flashcards with glee as I sat next to my 10yo helping her with TT math. I think she wondered what in the world was wrong with me. Nah, I think she is getting used to my craziness.

I'm on a high from some decluttering that is also going to help out a friend. A win-win.

The girls are getting into a routine with their December schedule and it isn't taking us ALLLL day like it did on Monday. Of course I am most likely forgetting something, and our December schedule doesn't even include history or science (formally) so there's that to consider.

Well, I'm going to go smile some more and punch out more flash cards, while making up more UPS man songs and wondering when the postman is going to get here. ;-) Then I'm going to figure out what to declutter next. It is getting BARE in here, I tell ya.

Multum non multa.

I love it.

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A quick fill in

Long time no blog, huh.

I've composed many posts in my head, only to A) think they were stupid when I had time to sit down and write, or B) never have time to sit down and write.

In the last few weeks, my dh's business was bought out by another company, leaving his job in danger for who knows how long until the waters settle. I don't like living with an anvil over my head.

It's also put our house hunting on the shelf indefinitely. Wouldn't want to move now if we are going to be jobless and/or need to move again for another job in another area. This is a blessing in disguise, as I can see how God is using it to further detach me from things, including this house or any particular house. Now, if only I could get dh to detach us from this nasty carpet and kitchen, I'd be all set, LOL.

Last week, on Thanksgiving, my grandmother passed away. She was 96 and it was truly a blessing. My dad is on overdrive with stress though, which is bad for both my mom and dad, so I am worried for them. I'm extremely thankful that we got to see my grandmother the Monday before she died, as she lived several states away and we had not seen her since she had been moved to a nursing home.

School wise, there are some big shake ups on the horizon. Have you ever felt like you were waking up from a long, crazy dream? That is how I feel right now, with my youngest being 2 and no pregnancies on the horizon. I feel like I'm seeing things more clearly all of a sudden. Seeing that I'm really NOT a Waldorfy person, that I only WANT to be one. But I cannot make myself one (it's like trying to make me Martha Stewart, lol). So back to the drawing board on academic style ponderings... I read the Latin-Centered Curriculum a few weeks ago, and it really resonated with me, although I don't think we would do everything he says. It's not so far from where I started all those years ago - in neo-classical education. Kind of like going back to my blog name of A Call to Adventure, which I started back then.

Here's something totally unrelated - my dd is doing an experiment, and she wants to know why a piece of ice melts faster in water than in the air, when the water was colder than the air. I have NO idea. I'm sure my dh does, but I'm guessing someone else will know before he gets a chance to read this. :)

OK, back to homeschooling - I just ordered Latina Christiana I, and Classical Writing Aesop A for my oldest two. They are both below their "age" level, but we are working with a dyslexic and a student who thinks ANY work that requires thinking is akin to torture. So I think it's a wise decision to start slow, but go deep.

I'm not sure if I'll drop Oak Meadow 6 history/english/art for my oldest - actually the plan before a few weeks ago was to let the 4th grader start 6 in January, since OM 4 didn't work for us (6 is set up differently). It's "fine," but it presents so many different things so quickly! Like a few weeks on Ancient Egypt, a few on Greeks and myths, a week each on Ancient Persia, Holy Land, etc, etc...my head is spinning and I feel like it's just throwing so many facts at us, but not going deep and learning/enjoying enough. I can't imagine spending months and months on one topic either, but there has to be some balance, right?

OK, my "quick" fill in post has turned long, and I am needed to put a tired toddler to bed. :) So I will say adios, and maybe have more thoughts for next time. Any thoughts/comments on any of this appreciated - I have missed my readers. :)

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So basically, just sit there and stare at it

Warnings on my 2yo's new T-ball set:
(paraphrased a bit for readability)

• adult supervision required
• do not place hands, fingers or face near or on ball or tee
• never place t-ball set on hard surface such as concrete, asphalt, wood, or other hard surfaces
• never place or use t-ball set in or near street, driveways, sidewalks, alleys, patios, hills or garage
• never place or use t-ball set near playground equipment, trees, low branches, wires, clothesline, fences, pools, and parked cars
• do not use product when raining or when ground is wet
• recommend or encourage use of batting helmet to promote safety.

....why you'd need the batting helmet if you are just going to sit inside and stare at it I have no idea.

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I'm 2 happy

Meet my happy mug. It's not only my favorite color {blue}, it's my favorite shade of my favorite color {no idea what it's called, I just like it}. It's a big mug, and the gentle curve makes it fit perfectly in my hands. I don't even care that it has some silly computer aided design software company logo on it...I just pretend that little swish is a cloud and the letters stand for Perfect Tea Cup, LOL.

So when I found out my dh was going to travel to see some PTC people a few weeks back, I jokingly {...ok so really I was dead serious...} said, "Ooooo! You can get me another happy mug! That way when someone takes mine or it's dirty, I can still use one." Saint that he is, he only rolled his eyes at me a little, and said he would try but that he didn't think he would be able to get one ... being busy and all {and way too embarrassed to tell those people he was with that his crazy wife wanted some silly mug}.

He comes home with one of those tall, stainless steel water bottles that one of the guys there must have given him. Not a Perfect Tea Cup, maybe a Pretty Tall Carafe, lol. I sent him off to work with that baby, and pretend I'm not disappointed. {OK, so I really wasn't that disappointed, I'm not that immature, only pretty darn close} I put the whole episode behind me.

So imagine my surprise when he walks in from work days later with a little something he got from his boss. He truly is a saint.

...and I'm 2 happy. Aren't they cute together??

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Supfast

My biggest critic:



Needs syrup, Mom. And where are those chocolate chips you usually add?

note: the child has clothes on now that we are done cooking together**

**said note mostly for dh who wonders if the todder is EVER dressed, LOL




mama should spend more time watching the pancakes and less time taking pictures...

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A post about garbage

That title is sure to win me some new readers, huh? ;-)

First let me take you back about 10 years. I was a member of message board dedicated to moms of babies born the same month as my oldest daughter. A thread starts on "early Christmas presents" -- things the women couldn't wait to open so their dh's gave in and presented them early. I think one woman said she got a camera, another mentioned some jewelry. Me? I *asked for* and received from dh, a ladle. I needed one! I had just broken one a week earlier. So I mentioned this on the message board.

"Did you hit him with it?" came the wise-cracking reply.

Dh and I still joke about that 10 years later.

So this is why, when asked what I wanted for my belated 40th birthday present (since the house thing is not working out in a timely fashion), my dear husband would NOT accept my answer of "a new garbage can."

So I went out and bought one myself. Well really, I ordered it from Amazon.



See that little bitty blue thing being dwarfed by the gorgeous, sleek, new can? That was our old kitchen trash can. Do you know how quickly that little thing filled up in a familly of 7, even one who tries hard not to make a lot of trash? Oh, let's just say too quickly. One too many times I was grumbling under my breath about "that man who forgets to take out the trash" (I know, I need to re-read Debi Pearl), only to realize that he DID take it out that morning, but it was already full.

That itty bitty thing is now our recycling receptacle. And it still gets filled way too quickly.

But *OH* what joy throwing things out brings me now. I step on the foot pedal, and *boing* up pops the top, in goes the garbage. All day long, and it's not even full! Then the top glides gently down. It even has a child lock.


Jeffrey can't resist the new can either.

Dear, you should have gotten me the new can for my birthday, it is bringing me much joy. And it would stop me from asking you for this:



which is expensive and totally unnecessary. But man, your camera is freakin' HUGE!

OK, I'm off to find something to throw away.

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Buckling Songs

Today on the way to the orthodontist, we played round 7,362 of "Four Pokey Bucklers and an Irate Mommy". See, I *try* to train them to get in the car, sit down right away, and buckle up, helping younger children if need be. But for some reason they all seem to want to wander around the van all the time. It's not like they can go anywhere, it's only a Honda Odyssey and there are 5 of them - they take up all the room in there! But still they manage to climb on each other's car seats and goof around.

So today, as I was trying NOT to lecture too much or let them see my head exploding, Jeffrey hit his musical toy and it started playing (LOUDLY!) "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Something inspired me to immediately burst into song-

Sit down and buckle up!
Buckle up!
Buckle up!

Sit down and buckle up
so we can drive away!

...and another one, inspired by another (LOUD) song on Jeffrey's toy, by my oldest. This one works because we have only girl bucklers right now. :)

To the tune of London Bridge Is Falling Down:

Take the seatbelt, buckle up, buckle up buckle up
Take the seatbelt buckle up, my fair ladies!

They thought it was so much fun, and it certainly defused what is usually a tense moment. You know, the whole, "We're late and your not buckling even though I told you a million times and now the dentist is going to yell at me or worse yet cancel our appointments and it will be all your fault so you'd better get your little behinds in that chair right now and put that seatbelt on and please help the toddler while your at it because in yelling at you I forgot the diaper bag in the house and have to go back and get it" moments. ;-)

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Curses, foiled again!

Who used to say that? I can't remember!

Today the day started out rocky. Among other things, the oldest two children were fighting over breakfast and refused to tone it down despite warnings from their father.

I decided to put off doing several of my own chores, knowing that I would probably need them later as punishment a way to keep them busy and out of trouble. We soon set about to tackle our schoolwork.

Wouldn't you know it, these two who never stop fighting have kept out of each others hair ALL DAY LONG. I had to go and do all my own chores! Darn those kids! ;-)

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Finally, they're giving back

After all these years of the washer/dryer fairies stealing socks, today we took a cute light blue shirt out of the dryer that none of us had ever seen before. Thank you dryer fairies! :-)

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Is someone trying to tell me something?

I've mentioned previously that everyone seems to have some kind of eczema/skin thing going on - all different types, but everyone seems bothered at once.

So of course I've been thinking constsantly about it to see what I could come up with as a cause, and trying a few internet searches. Jeffrey's was mostly in one area...I thought, "Maybe it's some kind of bite?" Not soon after, I come across a thread on bedbugs on Mothering.com, and I start imagining some horrible infestation (they are apparently very hard to get rid of, and just for the record, I'm 99.9% sure we don't have them!). But now they are in my head and I keep thinking "bedbugs."

Fast forward a day or so to tonight. A new-ish neighbor and his wife have taken a liking to our kids (they don't have their own yet), although we don't know them very well. He dropped something off inside our door because I missed the bell while trying to wrestle a clean diaper on a very upset Jeffrey. I go to open the door, and see a bag of...

BEDBUGS.


Turns out they are really supposed to be dust mites. ;-) The neighbor pops by later to explain that he works for a pest-control company and they were giving away these things, and he wanted our kids to have some.

I'm still chuckling, but a little :-P.

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Morning storms

There's something so fascinating about a morning thunderstorm. Maybe it's just the novelty - usually we only have thunder here after 4PM or in the middle of the night).

Yesterday ended just as pitifully as it began - my daughter's softball team lost in the playoffs, on a walk, no less. I guess it's just as well, they got IN to the playoffs in the exact same manner - by the other team walking in a run in a tie game in the bottom of the last inning. Jeffrey put a hole in the wall by pushing the front door open hard, even though we have a door stopper. The evening was spent consoling my dd and then killing ants and spraying more poison. I'm not proud of that.

This morning, after the storms, (*warning, gross medical alert*) Jeffrey had a few horrible diapers, with some blood in them. I'm *hoping* it's just something he ate yesterday, as he is not acting sick in any other way. He *did* have some awfully weird things - several without my knowledge - half a hot dog (that he didn't chew too well), an oreo, part of blue and yellow freezer push-pops, and some melon (new to him). I'm going to watch him, but this may negate my plans to have my parents come over and watch the kids while I run to get dh his presents for his birthday. :-( He will understand, but still...

Anyway, the storms are over (darn) and the day is turning hot and humid. Thank you for all your kind comments yesterday. I am hoping my life storms are over and I can have a more *normal* chaotic and stressful day. ;-) Hope springs eternal!

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The Joys of Today

-eating raw peas straight from the garden with the children in the fading sunlight

-thinking of my beloved in the middle of a conversation with my daughter and realizing later that it was the moment his plane was landing

-mint chocolate chip ice cream in my favorite mug. I don't even like mint chocolate chip ice cream but that perfect-shade-of-blue mug makes me so *happy*. I don't even care that it has a goofy computer aided design company label that I don't even know what it stands for.

-teaching Skye how to improve her cartwheel, and knowing that at 40 years old with 5 kids, I can still do a cartwheel and not kill myself

-watching Jeffrey so carefully imitate everyone, from kneeling in prayer, to climbing the swingset and kicking a soccer ball, to lying on his tummy with his hands under his chin right next to all his sisters doing the same at the laptop computer.

- bed time. Ahh yes.

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