Category Archives: life

Where did last week go?

Last week is a blur of images in my head. I remember lots of fever checks and Motrin giving, followed by cough syrup and Tamiflu. The Tamiflu I remember well because the pharmacy gave us liquid for Matthew and it is disgusting. I mean in the worst possible way-BAD! Trying to get that down him twice a day without it making him sick was a feat in itself. Note to self – if the pharmacy doesn’t have pills in his dosage, drive to another pharmacy. Seriously.

Matthew still had a fever on Thursday, so he didn’t go to school on Friday. The big dilemma was going to be his basketball game on Saturday, but he really wanted to go. I told him that if he started coughing too much the coach may have him sit on the bench and he was ok with that. I think he really wanted to be there with his friends, and boy am I glad I took him. It was game 6 of 10 for these first graders, and God love ’em, they hadn’t had a win yet. Until Saturday!! That’s right people, they won! Finally they played against a team that was on their level. I swear the other teams have looked like they’ve been playing for years.

On the way out of the gym Matthew was coughing a lot. When I mentioned we might need to use the yucky cough medicine when we got home, he told Grammie and I that he had thrown up twice in his mouth on the court. Umm..gross!! And then he threw up in the parking lot. So probably not the best parenting decision, but when I asked him if it was worth it to be there and play in the winning game he said YES! Oh, the score was 14 – 12 and they play 6 quarters, 6 minutes in length. It was exciting people, I promise you that.

The game just wore me out so after running into the grocery store for a few things we headed over to the McDonalds drive thru. (Another great parenting moment) That was pretty much the most we had done all week, so I took a nap. I had bought some frozen pizza for dinner, but they all fended for themselves (oh my goodness, did that really happen??) and it was a quiet evening.

Brian was still sick yesterday so the kids and I went to church. It was an awesome day because in the two services, 15 people were baptized! FIFTEEN! I love how our church does baptisms. We’re all standing and singing, and the side screens light up with these amazing testimonies. Stories of sin and grace. Love, loss, mercy and forgiveness. Then they enter the baptismal and are baptized and we all cheer and party like its 1999. Just like the angels are in Heaven rejoicing, so do we!

All this leads me to today. I awoke with a plan to have a nice breakfast of oatmeal with berries and a banana,drive all children to their designated schools,pack a healthy lunch, and go to work. Simple plan that was going swimmingly until I reached the stop light right before the shop. My phone rang, and it was the middle school. Immediately I panic, but then I tell myself he probably just forgot something at home. I answer and the school nurse tells me that Zach is in the office throwing up. Really?!

By this time I’m already in the parking lot at work, so I go in and inform one of the guys what is going on and turn around and leave. I don’t know what we’re dealing with yet, because he’s been asleep since we came home. I do know that he was sitting in class and almost passed out. He developed tunnel vision, started shaking and got hot. While I was rehashing last weeks illnesses with the school nurse, she informed me that it has been a VERY busy few weeks for her.

So my boss isn’t happy with me for missing last week and now today, so I may get fired. And my boss is my husband! It’s not like I want my kids to be sick for crying out loud.

Did you have an eventful week?

Be Still-Part 2

Last month I hinted around at something that I wanted and it didn’t happen. The opportunity presented itself again, and I didn’t know what to do. I wrestled with God, and I had questions. Was I doing the right thing, or using my free will to do the wrong thing? I finally decided that God would close the door again if it wasn’t supposed to be. The IT, was a job at a school. There were lots of pros and cons on the list, and I was just uncertain. When it didn’t happen the first time around, I will be totally honest, my heart was broken. I was upset and confused, but I came to the place that I understood, it wasn’t meant to be. God closed that door for a reason, and I might not ever know the reason, but I will go on. So, when the postings came up again, there was inner turmoil. Turmoil because of what happened the last time, and a few other reasons too. But, like I said previously, I prayed about it and went out on a limb.

I had inner turmoil, and that’s when I knew I needed to be still. I wanted to interfere, but I didn’t. That was hard for me, an admitted control freak, but I stayed strong.

Our schools are way, WAY over budget. They proposed a referendum, a property tax increase for 7 years to help ease the budgetary problems. Most people in our community are feeling the down turn of the economy, reigning in spending, and leary of increased taxes. The referendum did not pass, therefore, the teaching assistant position that I interviewed for back in August and didn’t get, will be cut. The person who did get the job, a teacher who didn’t get a teaching position, but a teachers assistant, will be losing her job. It’s hitting home. God closed the door, and now He’s revealing why. He always knows.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I’m glad that I was able to listen and be still. I didn’t take control and mess things up. It would have been a hassle, an inconvenience that we just don’t need right now. So, it was hard, but He saved me from the really hard. Thank you Jesus for loving me and my flaws. You forgive me when I’m controlling and mess things up. Please continue to grow and change me.

Weekend Re-cap

It’s tough to be a mom and have two kids doing different activities in different locations at the same time. Can someone just split me in half and put my heart back together?

Friday night Brooke danced at the JV football game and the boys raced. I’ve attended all the other football games to watch her dance, and missed the boys racing on those nights. This night was different in that Zach moved up out of the Restrictor class to the Open Wing class. Instead of racing with boys aged 10-16, he was now racing with 16++. My baby racing with grown men! I wanted to be there for that first time.

Brooke tells me they had their best performance ever, so YAY! I’m sad I missed it baby girl, but thank you for understanding. Matthew had an astounding night. He passed a few cars, and ended up finishing 5th in the feature. He is making great strides, and he’s only just turned 7, so I am so proud of him.

Zach moved up and qualified 3rd fast, won the heat race and won the feature. It was so awesome to see that smile back on his face, and to see these grown men coming up and praising him for doing so well. My heart swells! It was amazing.

Saturday brought another football game, this time Varsity played at Lucas Oil Stadium, and Brooke danced at pre-game. She was right, best performance ever. My baby girl is so beautiful all the time, but when she dances, she is absolutely radiant! I can’t take my eyes off of her to see what the whole group is doing. God has gifted her with dance. It DID NOT come from me.

I left the game early and rushed to Martinsville to see the boys race again. We had never been to this track, and don’t think we will ever go back. It was too small and sandy dirt, so they were sliding all over the place. Good experience for them, but not enjoyable.

Church yesterday was awesome! The sermon was about Abraham, and what to do when you don’t know what to do. One thing that still sticks in my mind is this…God doesn’t want you to follow a plan, He wants you to follow HIM!

The boys went to the woods after lunch, and Brooke and I spent some quiet time together, then we went to the grocery store. Busy weekend, and I don’t really feel like I accomplished much. I’m ready for the busy season to come to a close, and spend some time with my family at home.

Be still

I’m not a patient person. It’s not a virtue that abounds in me, but I do try to work on it. Mostly.

A couple of months ago I wanted something. I thought it was going to happen. The excitement was there, and then the nerves. I said “if it’s meant to be it will be, if not, God will close the door.” But I believed that He wasn’t going to close the door. Then He did. Closed it with a bang, and I was hurt. There were tears and questions, but I got over it and did believe again that it wasn’t supposed to happen for me. I moved on and was enjoying where I was.

Last week it came back up in the forefront of my life. The opportunity is there again, but this time I was leary. There were nerves that didn’t exist before. Should I want this when I’m happy? Am I supposed to do this?

I prayed about it, and enlisted prayer partners to ask Jesus to just give me an answer. A flashing neon sign if you will. After a few days of silence, I began to wonder if this was His answer. No answer means don’t go for it. Then I started thinking about free will. Is it me using free will if I went for it when I wasn’t supposed to? Because then He could just shut the door again, so it really wouldn’t be that bad. All of these thoughts were running through my head, and I started to over analyze all of them.

Talking with some people that I really respect helped me sort out my feelings, so I went for it. Now I’m waiting. Not so patiently. Actually, this morning I was going to talk to someone and see if I could find anything out, but as I was thinking about it, His voice whispered in my ear to Be Still. So I listened, and I was still. So, this is me, blogging it out, as patiently as I can.

I don’t want to give more information yet, but I promise I will either way when I find out. It’s a story where it makes me uncomfortable, but God might be choosing to stretch me and use me. We’ll see.

They grow up fast

I remember way back when I was pregnant for the first time, lots of people would look at my growing belly and tell me to cherish every moment because she won’t stay little forever. Then when I laid my eyes on her, and held her in my arms, I knew she was going to do big things. The responsibility rushes at you with all the love and fears. I remember looking at that sweet little pink face, and thinking I had forever.

As it turns out, they DO grow up way too fast. Today I drove my daughter to the high school and dropped her off for freshman orientation. My baby girl! Where did the time go? Where are the carefree days of butterfly kisses and sun dresses, the Little Mermaid, and Barbies? I don’t think I took the time to cherish them then, in the midst of it all, but I remember them now. When she is 14 and starting high school. When she walked away from the car to meet up with her friends, and the little girl that she used to be flashed before my eyes.

Now she’s growing up and maturing daily. DAILY! The woman that she is becoming is amazing to me. She finds strength in God, happiness in dance, and joy in her friends. I’m enjoying this time of her life too. It just makes me emotional, and she told me I couldn’t be emotional. So I waited until she walked away from the car, and then I cried. For the child that she once was, the young woman that she is, and the woman that she will be.

So now I give the same advice to new moms, knowing that internally they are rolling their eyes! Cherish them, for they grow up way too fast.

Myrtle Beach Bound!

I am so excited to be going somewhere for spring break this year, and with wonderful friends too!  It has been so long since we’ve been to a beach, gosh Zach was a baby.  It will be the first time that Matthew’s toes hit the sand, and the first time that Zach will remember it.  Brooke has purchased three new bikini’s that she looks utterly fabulous in, and I found nothing that I am happy with.  Of course, I’m not happy with my body either!  Thus, my diet has begun.  Not a great reason, but you ladies out there will understand, a great motivator!  We’ll see how it goes.

Love is a choice

I love my husband.  I do!  But life seems to happen and we get busy with the kids and neglect to spend “quality time” with each other as a couple.  Friday night we changed that.  Our church hosted an event called Married Life Live and it was awesome!  Laughter, tears, kissing, hand holding, goofy, and totally what we needed.  Our homework is to continue on with a date night for the next 6 months.  We are going to take that time for us, because it will strengthen our family as well.

Another amazing thing happened at our church yesterday.  Pastor Scott concluded his sermon series on marriage by calling all the husbands in the room to go to the back and pick a red carnation for their wife, present it to her and lead her by the arm to the front of the church.  We stood at the front with LOTS of other married couples, and he told us to look into each others eyes and maybe talk about what we did when we lit our unity candle on our wedding day, while someone sang.  I can’t even remember what the song was because I was crying!!!  After the song, and it was wonderful, I do remember that, Pastor Scott led us all in a marriage vow renewal!

I have had the best weekend!  For those of you that have read Jay and Laura’s  book, He said, She said…..the “conversation” was great too!!

A GREAT RECIPE

A GREAT RECIPE

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the
ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what
is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My
purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for ______________ ‘.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is
manufactured in plants..

5.. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan
salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of
the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest
your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a College
kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to
disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

14. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will
this matter?’

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything – but you have to ask Him.

20. However good o r bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will.
Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am
thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You’ll be
smiling before you know it.

I received this in an email and it was too good to just delete.

Indiana Friends

FRIENDS   VS     INDIANA   FRIENDS
FRIENDS: Never ask for food.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Always bring the food .


 
FRIENDS: Will say ‘hello’.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Will give you a big hug and a kiss .


 
FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. And Mrs.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Call your parents Mom and Dad .


 
FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Cry with you .


 
FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Will spend hours there, talking,  
Laughing, and just being together .


 
FRIENDS: Know a few things about you .
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Could write a book with direct quotes from you .


 
FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that’s what the crowd is doing.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Will kick the whole crowds’ back-ends that left you .


 
FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Walk right in and say, ‘I’m home!’


 
FRIENDS: will visit you in jail.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : will spend the night in jail with you .
 
FRIENDS: will visit you in the hospital when you’re sick
INDIANA   FRIENDS : will cut your grass and clean your house  
Then come spend the night with you in the hospital  
And cook for you when you come home .


 
FRIENDS: have you on speed dial
INDIANA   FRIENDS : have your number memorized .
   
FRIENDS: Are for a while.
INDIANA   FRIENDS : Are for life .

crying and curfews

I have a 12 year old who thinks she’s 20.  Apparently this is a problem amongst many of her friends.  Friday, Brooke and 3 of her friends wanted to go to the movies.  I checked the listing, and the PG movie they wanted to see was on at 7:15 pm.  No problem!  Now there was an incident in the past where these kids were dropped off at the movies with no parental supervision, and trouble ensued.  Brian and I had discussed that this would not happen again.  A chaperone must always attend with them. 

Brooke calls me and tells me they have decided to go to the 9:45 showing, and I promptly tell her no.  The movie was and hour and a half, so that would mean being out until 11:30, and I am not OK with that.  She started giving me attitude, and I reminded her that she is 12, and I didn’t have that late of a curfew until I was a junior in high school.  (Thanks Mom for telling me I was actually a Senior!)  Well, she hung up on me, then called me back and told me they would go to the earlier show.  I said OK, and that I would take them and stay.  That didn’t go over well with her, as everyone gets dropped off.  everyone!!!  Again, I had to remind her of the last time that happened, and if she wanted to go, this was the only option.  She was not happy with me, there were tears, and the silent treatment.  She was embarassed, and it didn’t help that one of her friends was teasing her for me going along. 

When we arrived at the theater, the movie they wanted to see was sold out.  We ended up watching Marley and Me, which is a good movie, but I think it should be PG 13!  Before we sat down, me in the front, them in the back, Brooke told me they were gonna stay for the 9:45 showing too.  I said NO.  Tears again…..

When Marley and Me was over, I walked out and called one of the parents to let them know what was going on and see how they felt about staying.  They were fine with their child staying unsupervised and being out until 11:30, so Brooke and I left.  Brooke felt so bad about the way she had behaved, so she was crying again and apologizing to me.  I was hurt and angry at the same time.  Why does my child get teased because I love her and am trying to protect her???  Why are parents allowing this?  The theater was over run with middle schoolers, and there were no parents.  I just don’t understand it.  If you need a break, hire a babysitter for your kids.  Don’t just drop them off at the mall or movies and let them be a nuisance to others.  These kids are too young to be responsible and mature at all times. 

I had to tell Brooke not to ask me to do something with these kids again.  They cannot be trusted, and peer pressure is too easy to cave in to.  I’m probably going to lose a friend over this too, but my daughter is more important to me.