Holiday Happenings

The days following Christmas are always bittersweet. Yet again, the holidays have flown by and I'm shell-shocked. To make many long stories short (I won't bore you with the details of all our happenings): During the month of December we traveled to the mountains, took the kids to Disney on Ice, went out looking at lights on several occasions, had multiple parties to attend and cook for, contributed to several service projects, wrote what felt like a hundred Christmas cards, saw Santa three times (at the mall, the boy scouts ceremony and breakfast), visited a live Nativity, shopped with the crowds (one too many times), drank a gallon plus of Russian tea and a dozen batches of monster cookies (which I will be paying for later this week), attempted to organize the house for the new toy arrivals and most importantly, laughed and loved one another through it all.

My favorite part about Christmas is how kind and loving everyone becomes to one another. For a moment, it is as if time stops and we forget all our normal worries and frustrations and just focus on the magic of the season. Josh was off last week and it was so nice to just be together with no agenda. For the two days after Christmas we didn't leave our house or even get out of pajamas. It was very calming just to soak up every one's laughter and delight over Santa's surprises, play board games and card games, eat good food and have meaningful conversations.


Another thing I love about Christmas is attending the candlelight ceremony on Christmas Eve. There is something special when the candles are lit and "Silent Night" is sung. My hope is that we can all take a piece of Christmas with us throughout the new year by spreading Jesus' light and love wherever we may go.

Attitude of Gratitude

One of my daily guidepost entries this past week encouraged readers to carry an "attitude of gratitude". I have been mindful of all that I have and after a day full of family, food, outdoor play and more food, I am very ready for bed (the turkey effect), but wanted to take a few minutes to comprise a quick list of some of the things I am grateful for in my life:

1) My family. My husband who has given me the greatest gifts of all (our children) and loves me despite all my imperfections. Kaleb who allowed me to first wear the title "Mother" 7 years ago and continues to amaze me with his wit, compassion and curiosity. Myles who encourages me to go faster, play harder and laugh louder as I try to keep up (both mentally and physically). Norah who with her sweet disposition, determination and intense gaze has shown me that surprises can be wonderful indeed! My mom who is always there for me in thick and thin. My husband's parents and grandparents who raised him as a Christian and taught him the basics of what it takes to love and honor your family.
2) Health - as I pray for family, friends and others I am ever aware of how very fortunate we are to have three healthy children and good health for ourselves as well.
3) Jobs for both my husband and I. I am grateful in a struggling economy to have professional jobs that allow us to provide for our family.
4) Sweatpants and slipper socks.
5) Bubble baths - occasionally even by myself!
6) Knowledge - books, education and insight gained from mentors. Knowledge is power.
7) The basics - water, food, electricity, shelter, clothes, cars, health insurance, etc. All the things we often take for granted, but have come to rely so heavily on.
8) The innocence, magic, wonder and pure joy that radiates from children. I love to see their eyes light up with a simple discovery.
9) Our church family and faith. In a world full of pain, I am grateful to know there is a God who connects us all and offers us hope through fellowship with one another.
10) Freedom - of speech, of religion, of life. So many other countries don't know the indulgences we do in the USA.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day with their families and friends!

Watch WALL-E

Really, too cute. I'm a big fan of Disney and this is no exception. Love the plot of a little robot finding love, but the overall message should hit home to adults too about how we care for ourselves and our planet. The boys really liked it and I love hearing them say "WALLLLL-EEE". Good movie for the whole family.

Picture Perfect

We finally were brave enough to take the entire party of five to get pictures taken! I've been wanting pictures of my three little bears together, but have put it off for fear of all that might go wrong. It took about two hours to get everyone dressed and cleaned only to get to our 3:10 appointment and be told they were running behind and there were 5 people in front of us. If people just walk in, they try to fit them in to the schedule so I'm not sure why we even needed an appointment . . . Dilemma: do we wait or leave??? We decided to wait since it was such an effort to coordinate in the first place. Thankfully, my mom was with us and she brought the boys drinks and snacks and I even remembered a bottle for little lady - I have no idea where I could have gone to nurse if I'd had to.

Almost two hours later, we were finally called back. I'm really proud of the kids for being as good as they were and we did manage to get some good shots, enough to satisfy our goal of Christmas gifts for the grandparents. The boys even put on dress shoes for the shots (which will probably be the first and last time they are worn) and trust me getting them out of their crocs typically involves tears and tantrums (mostly mine).

I got stuck reviewing all of the pictures by myself and being the indecisive person that I am I had the hardest time making up my mind. I went in there with thick skin, thinking I would stick to the special and maybe a couple extra sheets tops. True to form, I came out with well over $100 of pictures and since I spent over $69, I also got a c.d. with all 103 images to make more copies of when I want to! I'm posting a couple of all the kids together, though we also had family shots, couple shots and individual shots.

Lessons learned from this experience:
1) Never make a Saturday picture appointment, especially in the months of November or December.
2) Bring lots of snacks, drinks and quiet toys/activities for the kids.
3) Bring support whenever possible to help with the little ones!
4) Have a game plan for how many pics you plan on purchasing and stick to it. Use restraint . .
5) Be well rested and carry an optimistic attitude - you'll need strength and patience to make it through!

Quotes to Reflect On

In my quest to "never stop learning" I read everything from textbooks to food labels. I've decided to start including some of my favorite words of wisdom. I'm always adding to these inspirational quotes, so check back often and feel free to share some of your own.

"Always give your children two choices at mealtime - take it or leave it." ~Unknown
*I think this is great advice, but as a short order cook, I'll admit, it's not one I am personally following . . .

I can do anything through He who gives me strength~Phillipeans 4:13
*This has gotten me through many roadblocks in my life.

We have not inherited the earth from our ancestors, we have only borrowed it from our children. ~Ancient Proverb
*Makes you a bit more prone to "Go Green".

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.
~Alexander Graham Bell

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.~Albert Einstein
*Amen!

Don't take life too seriously; you'll never get out of it alive.~Elbert Hubbard
*Just funny . . .

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Unknown

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, from Women and Beauty

Mothers of little boys work from son up till son down. ~Unknown
*And all those hours in between too . . . : )

Have no fear of perfection--you'll never reach it.~Salvador Dali

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
*Section of the poem - the entire poem is wonderful, but this last thought is one to remind us all to live without regrets.

In the dreams of an unconscious mind lie great mysteries unknown, locked away in a silent soul.~LLB
*I attempt to write poetry on occasion . . . . It's good to unleash, like keeping a journal, or writing in this blog!

Keeping the Peace

I decided to retract my earlier "Come Together" blog. I still stand behind my words, if you had the chance to view it before it was deleted, but just feel like politics can drive an unnecessary sword in relationships. Plus, I want for my children to understand that while we are entitled to our opinions, we also need to be mindful of how our words can affect others. We must all choose our battles wisely - which is always good advice when you have children!

Halloween

Was it just me or were there drastically less houses giving out candy this year? We take our kids to my parent's neighborhood and usually every house has their lights on, eagerly awaiting trick-or-treaters but this year a good 50% of the houses were dark. It could be the economy or the ever-present fear in most families these days that they could be victims of violence or the growing trend in trunk-or-treating. I personally let our kids do trunk-or-treating, trick-or-treating and every other Halloween party in between, not because they need the candy, but because when you pay $50 per costume you want to get as much wear out of it as possible! The kids were super cute this year - we had Luke Skywalker, Batman and Little Lamb. They had tons of fun at trunk-or-treat and we only had to bypass one neighbor's house this year (they had a gory mannequin on their porch that the boys decided wasn't worth getting close to for a piece of candy). I adored dressing up a little girl this year in a ridiculously furry outfit complete with pink trimming. She really was not that impressed though!

Superwoman

This week has left me very little time to do anything for "me", so to explain why I'm short on posts: I am attempting to portray Superwoman right now and I feel like I'm falling extremely short. I am back in steady part-time position with the college. In addition I hold a contract position and manage all of the household duties, including finances and with an infant that still has night-time nursing sessions I get by on very little sleep. Plus, I want to give each of my children quality time each day. My hubby helps out tremendously, but as we all know there are some things that only mommies can do.

I know I am doing what I need to for my family and I'm grateful that I don't have to put any of the kids in childcare. Still, is it selfish to feel so overwhelmed?!!? I've taken courses on time management, but sometimes there just isn't enough time to efficiently manage everything on my plate . . .

Sleep Deprivation

For a good 7 1/2 years I have been either pregnant and/or nursing a child which means I have not had a "good night's sleep" in that amount of time. I've learned to adapt to 4 hours or less of sleep a night, but for the past several weeks, my little one has not stay settled for longer than 30 minutes. Forget the wisdom of "sleep when your baby sleeps". When you have two other "babies" there is absolutely no down time. I can't even make up on sleep on the weekends b/c I work and/or we have family activities scheduled. I've done extremely well, if I do say so myself, on so very little sleep but it's finally starting to affect me. I've forgotten about bills until the last minute, phone calls aren't returned for several days, my house has become more than just a little cluttered and my intellect is not quite so sharp these days. Still, when anyone mentions letting her scream it out, I loudly protest. I do not complain during my nightly marathons - you can ask my husband whom I never wake up. My first two received my full attention during their night time battles and my third will as well. I remind myself in these wee hours of how grateful I am to hear that little cry and how blessed I am to be her mother. I mean I truly adore my kids and would sacrifice anything for them. I'm just hoping my baby girl figures out the whole sleep situation sooner than the boys did. I just got the 7 year old and the almost 4 year old to sleep through the night 2 weeks ago!

In Remembrance

Today, October 15, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Being a mother, I can think of no greater pain than losing a child. I am angered by individuals that don't look at life as starting until a child takes his/her first breath outside of the womb or make comments such as "it's better this way" to mothers who have suffered miscarriages or lost infant children. Our MOPS group listened to a Grief Counselor speak last week and she confirmed that people often just don't understand how hurtful their words can be to someone who is suffering.

I have been so blessed to have three pregnancies and three healthy children. However, during my first pregnancy I went in for the first ultrasound and they didn't see anything. They concluded that I had a blighted ovum and a fetus would never form. I was advised to go home for the weekend and stay off my feet and return to their office on Monday to discuss a D&C procedure to clean the walls of my uterus. My husband and I were devastated. I had to call friends and family and let them know that the happy news we had only recently shared might not come to be. I spent the weekend on the couch crying for the child I might never hold and prayed that God would make it all right. When Monday came, they checked my hormone levels and they had doubled - a sign of a successful pregnancy! They did another ultrasound and there, tiny as could be, was a tiny peanut shape, but a magnificent sight as it concluded our baby was indeed there and growing. They had merely miscalculated how far along I was.

From that experience, I may have moments of exhaustion with my children, but I NEVER fail to see how blessed I am to have each one of them and I value each one of them for the special individuals they are. A life is formed the moment sperm meets egg, a parent is present when he/she accepts responsibility for a life other than his/her own, a child is forever with us, even when we are not able to hold him/her. Remember families that have lost that most precious gift today, and always, as their pain never ends. For more information, visit http://www.october15th.com/

Trash to Treasure

We had our FIRST ever yard sale this past Saturday. It was an early morning, waking at 5:00 a.m. to get everything organized and accepting our first visitors at 7:00, but it was quite entertaining (especially since the boys decided to wake with us and were wide open the entire morning!). I'm sure we could have made double what we did, but my husband concluded that every person that came through didn't have much and so he would knock a good 50% off our already incredibly-low priced possessions. For example, an investment of collectible wrestling figures and accessories cost us over $500 and the entire lot was sold for $6! It was interesting to see the variety of people who came through and what they were interested in. One man came asking if we had guns or flea control medication for his dog! Two other men came with magnets and bought everything metal. One little proper lady bought a handful of paperbacks and a vampire cape and wig. People bought whole boxes of toys for less than $10. We spent a lot of time just talking to people, got to know our neighbors better and even met friends of past occupants of our house! We used our "profits" to buy halloween costumes for the kids and let the kids have money to buy a new toy - one that will probably end up in our next yard sale . . .

I like going to yard sales much better than hosting one though. It is a lot of work to clean up your own clutter. Plus, it really is sad to let go of items with attached memories - I ended up pulling several items before they could be purchased. There are so many great things that people get rid of in yard sale - one man's trash really is another's treasure. A few weeks ago I got 4 chairs for $5, painted them and they are our new dining room chairs. I also got a cute bookshelf for $10, cleaned it, sanded it, put a few new nails in, painted it and it is now an adorable addition to my daughter's nursery. Look at the pictures I've posted to see what you think.

Born to be Wild

I'd like to devote my first attempt at the blogging world to my two balls of energy, my boys. I've often heard people say that children take after their parents, especially the primary caregiver since they spend the most time with that parent. This being said, I can tell you that my boys, ages 7 years and 3 1/2 years, are not imitating me when they jump off the furniture, run screaming through the house, disrobe the minute they step foot inside (and often while outdoors even if the mood strikes), urinate outside despite the fact we have three working bathrooms, make bodily noises and insist on wrestling each other every other second. There has to be an inate drive for males to exhibit such "primitive" behavior. I try really hard to instill good manners in them, which is why they will at least say "excuse me" after belching or otherwise releasing gas (while laughing hysterically) or yell "watch out Mommy" as one hurdles the other one toward me at lightening speed. I try to engage them in calm activities like arts and crafts time, reading and nature walks, and while I have to say they enjoy these activities momentarily, the action always returns to some type of physical display of testosterone. Just yesterday, they made a wrestling ring out of their 8' x 8" bounce around that left our 3 1/2 year old with a nosebleed, a scraped back and a bump on his head. Oh, that's nothing - you should have seen our 7 year old!

We've made emergency trips to the doctor on more than one occasion, already had stitches and exhausted our supplies of band-aids. I have at least one first aid kit on each floor in the house, one in my purse and one in my car. My heart stops several hundred times a day as they test their physical limits. Short of restraining them in gurney jackets though, I have to just try to limit their outlandish antics and pray that their baby sister isn't getting any ideas from watching them as intently as she does.