Thursday, September 27, 2012

Glad September is wrapping up...

Several times over the last week it has occurred to me that September is a month of mourning for me.  I mean, yes the kids went back in August, but there are all those back-to-school things to be doing and seeing friends that have been doing their summer thing.  But September really means back to school.  End of summer.  No more pool or lazy summer days.  Another year, another grade passed.  Perhaps it is because I have a senior that I have been waxing nostalgic.  Yes, the fall colors are pretty.  But the reality is the leaves are dying.  Cooler nights.  Okay, the snuggling part is nice do to the cooler weather, but wearing a sweatshirt... depressing.  Perhaps it is doing all the stuff to get ready for all of the fall things that is overbearing.  Or addressing all of the chores that fell to the wayside last month whilst we were cramming in one more pool trip.  But, I can tell from my clothes, that I have been eating my way through September.  Emotional eating, yeppers, that's me. 

However, like all good things, the mourning must come to an end and I must embrace FALL and the good things it brings.  Starting tomorrow...

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Filing Cabinet Renovation...

Still working on previous resolutions... update to come soon.  Since the shredder has overheated, I'm taking the moment to tell you Resolution 39:  clean out the filing cabinet.  Seriously, in this age of onlineness, why do I even have a filing cabinet?  Okay, then, why do I have two?  Not sure.  If I figure it out while purging through, I will let you know.  Do you have a filing cabinet?  Box?  Folder?  Does it need purging?  Revamping?  I have 3 file boxes also.  DOWNSIZING!  I'll let you know how it goes...

On another note, yes, I'm still reading.  I've got a reading thing going that I'll tell ya about when I'm all done and I'm halfway through.  Ooooh!  Aren't ya curious now?

Funny story... Stina posted on FB that she was roaring at small people in her house trying to get out the door to Bible Study (see the irony, here).  I so got it.  Cause that was me on Monday.  Sad, but true.  HOWEVER, I got in the car and words of a certain redheaded bible study member popped into my head:  "I have been trying to pray in the car on the way to school with the kids."  So I said to LRHB that I thought after the morning we'd had that we needed to pray.  He really looked unsure in the rear view mirror, but I PLUNGED forward and started the Our Father... and I paused a few lines in and he picked it up.  We were so filled with peace when we arrived at school.  Amen.  So, there's a tip for the week.  I wanted to share it with Stina on FB, but due to her circumstances, she wasn't ending up in the car so I didn't think it would work. 

And what is about rainy days that make us so unproductive?  Boy I got NOTHING done yesterday afternoon when teen boy was home.  He napped.  I watched some TV and read.  And we did none of the things on our to-do list.  I wish I was kidding, but... today is another day.

Off to shred; Happy Wednesday.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

LOONNNNGGGGGGGG WEEK...

Well, it must be fall if I've got kiddos home from school sick.  One or the other or both ALL week long except for Friday.  And Friday I went on the field trip with the second graders and held a tarantula (ewwww).  So Teen boy was struck down last weekend with illness.  A trip to the doc on Monday didn't confirm strep, but sinusitis in the extreme.  By Tuesday, LRHB decided he too wanted to be at home so he came up with the mysterious tummy ailment.  That was pretty real all night long Tuesday night/Wednesday morning resulting in a MOMMY CANNOT TAKE WATCHING YOU IN PAIN ANYMORE moment and a trip to the ER to rule out the mysterious appendicitis.  Not appendicitis.  TIP:  If they can jump up and down, they don't have appendicitis.  "Wish I'd known that an hour ago."  I actually did say that to the very nice ER doc.  Sometimes I need a mouth filter. 

What did I accomplish this week... hmm.  umm.  hmm.  Well, I was a one woman entertainment committee.  And for a mom, that is A LOT.  And I can live with that.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Why I Didn't Prep for Bible Study

Why else?  A book.  Instead of doing any of my resolutions, instead of interacting with my sick teen (who quite frankly was relieved I was leaving him to his own devices), instead of doing some household chores or prepping for bible study, I picked up a book, read it all day long, and finished it.

This is another title I got from the back of I Will Carry You and I really need to figure out some other books to read besides heart wrenching memoirs.  comeback:  a mother and daughter's journey through hell and back was a compelling story of a mother helping her daughter survive the pain of incest and drug abuse.  It made me cringe in horror.  It made me so thankful for my life, my upbringing, my husband, my choices, my GOD.  After all, HE played a role in all of these things that have brought me to this point, a journey far different from this family.  Interestingly, unlike I Will Carry You there is only a slight faith reference (from this Jewish mom) throughout the book, but what is there, is true.  I couldn't put it down.  From each step forward, backward and sideways, I needed to see this story through to the end; not unlike the protagonist who needs to see her daughter back into her life.

Now, from the title, you can ascertain that she does come back, so I'm not ruining the story.  There were times that alone kept me going.  Today, I did some research into where they are now, 6 years later and have discovered a new book by them that I need to investigate.  It looks at the evolution of their relationship and also a global perspective of mothers/adult daughters.  In fact, they were just in Huffington Post less than a month ago and are having book signings over the next month ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/claire-fontaine/fierce-mothers_b_1821937.html#slide=1414392 and http://www.claireandmia.com/news---events.html).  Come on Katie Couric... add them to your show cause theirs is a journey of survival!


 

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Resolution 37 - Mend, Clean or Toss

DAWN DISH DETERGENT.  That's what I used to get the grease stains out.  I was getting ready to do a multi-step process with Goo Gone, but saw on Yahoo something about tough stains or laundry or something.  Click, click, click and there was the solution in black and white.  I glanced over my shoulder at the sink... yep, I actually had DAWN.  So I covered the stains with the DAWN.  And I waited the hour (or so).  And I washed them.  And then I rinsed again cause I had also used laundry detergent and there were still soap suds in the washer after round one.  CLEAN!  GONE!  AMAZING!  Apparently, if you draw on the grease stain with chalk, that also will get it out, but I've not got chalk.  I've got the POWER OF DAWN!  I've also got clean shirts to wear!  Happy me!

Famous! Well, not really, but sorta!

Last week I blogged about our Summer Book Club.  Which I really need to start calling our Book Club because we are continuing it.  One reason I blogged about it was as prep work for this:

http://sinkingspringsreadingpromises.blogspot.com/2012/09/resolution-25-stop-preaching-start.html

I was asked to Guest Blog on a reading promise blog site and I said yes.  The above is my Guest Blog and I am really proud that I someone else wanted to print what I had to say!  It is very similar to what I wrote on my site last week, but has some additional information included for those folks that don't know me.

The other reason I blogged about it was because I am proud that this group is continuing.  And as I shared my story about being a guest blogger, "others" (some that I invited the first time around) acted like this was such a great idea.  Perhaps next month, I will extend my invitation to the "others" (again).  In the meantime, happy reading!

47, 48...

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich.  Still enjoying the series.

Two Kisses for Maddy: a memoir of loss and love by Matthew Logelin was compelling and at times moved me to tears, but not the emotional read I feared.  I got the title off of the back of the Angie Smith book.  The after thoughts, however, those are emotional.  What would Hero Daddy do without me?  What would my boys do without me?  My photos are a mess, there is still tons to clean up and out and I have so many commitments to so many things.  What would happen if I were to die suddenly?  So, I love on my men, I put one foot in front of the other and I'm making of list of things I just need to get done.  In life.  Not a bucket list, but a how would I leave my life better than it is now list.   Today, after reading this book, I am concerned about my mortality.  So if you feel you need to be motivated to improve your life, perhaps this is the book for you. 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

What to say, what to do...

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.  It is now called Patriot Day.  I know there are places that it is remembered in a big way, like at the sites of the plane crashes.  Here, though, the day kinda passed by in a quiet way.  Maybe because last year was such a big remembrance, 10 years.  But I fear that it is going quietly to the wayside and I don't know how I feel about that.  Yes, the flags were flown at half-mast.  And all over FB there were memories, YouTube videos, remembrances of all kinds.  By the time I remembered, we were late for school, so I couldn't redress my boy in red, white and blue.  It would NEVER occur to me not to dress him in those colors on Independence Day.  I felt unAmerican.  But we were late and I couldn't go back and undo.  Where were the reminders from school?  Shouldn't our children be remembering?  Coming home with Wear Red, White and Blue tomorrow stickers, like they do when they want us to eat at Chick-fil-A?

Actually, I do know how I feel about it... I want to remember, but maybe it is just not appropriate for small children to be reminded of the fear that my small children lived in during the days immediately following.  2+ months of sleeping in mommy's room.  The sound of planes flying overhead, all day, every day; we never got used to that.  My boys watched the towers fall on TV because we didn't know that was going to happen.  We thought the crashes were the worst that happened.  Yesterday, I felt I should blog about Patriot Day, but I refused to blog for the sake of blogging.  Today, I woke with a need to blog about it.  A need to say, "I think we should remember MORE," yet with an understanding that we don't remember more the Bombing of Pearl Harbor.  I didn't grow up with a clear picture of the horror of that day.  That doesn't make me any less affected by it, learning about it later.

So for now, we'll use Patriot Day as a way to remember to love each other every day as if it is our last.  Be kind.  Be important.  Be smart.  Be happy.  Be loving.  Be thankful.

Monday, September 10, 2012

These are a few of my favorite things... Today

Things I like
  • Feeding Teenboy homemade pancakes for breakfast on a school day (frozen then toasted)
  • Playing cards before school with the LRHB
  • Treating a friend to a latte
  • banana bread with big walnuts
  • my Bible study group
  • holding sweet babies and putting them to sleep
  • checking things off my to-do list
  • helping a friend without even knowing it

Things I don't like
  • not getting a job I thought was perfect for me
  • grease stains on tshirts
  • cars with steam coming from them and a bad smell
  • being an emotional eater
  • discussing politics

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Resolution Revolution!

I looked at my calendar on my phone when Father A told us too in church this morning and discovered that my phone calendar tells me which week it is in the year.  So cool!  So as I was going to write this week's resolution (and last week's), I discovered I am further behind than I thought I was.  WHAT?!  Are you kidding me?!  Okay, I can roll with that.

Resolution 35: Clear off a book shelf.  You guys know I am a book FREAK.  I love reading and I love books.  However, over the years, I collected books that aren't really anything I am ever gonna read again.  Or that I never read.  See it's funny.  If I am cleaning out a room, I don't clear off the book shelf.  I straighten the books, I dust the shelf.  I don't clear out the old for the new.  I will say the inspiration for this came when I cleaned out my bible study bag and had 3 books to put on my bookshelf, but there was no room.  And Kelle is cleaning out too, http://www.kellehampton.com/2012/09/the-great-home-purge-day-one.html.

Resolution 36:  Clean out the Garage.  Seriously, I thought this would be one over the summer, but the summer is now gone, giving way to fall and the garage still needs cleaning.  And it's got to get done before the cold comes back around.

Resolution 37:  Mend, Clean or Toss.  Ripped pants.  Items with missing buttons.  Grease stained tshirts.  At the end of this week,  these need to be resolved.  Seriously, I have 12 tshirts with grease stains.  I really need to wear an apron.

Resolution 38:  Get the mail.  Regularly.  And do something with it, don't pile it up on the counter.  I'm getting ahead cause I think this stuff is going to take me two weeks and I need to figure this mail thing out.  I just never get it and it is across the street.

Resolution 28:   Clean out your freezer.  Don't know what it is, throw it out!  Don't remember how long it's been there, throw it out.  Take inventory and use it up before shopping for more.

Now, that might throw you off a little bit... resolution 28.  That's because I took stock in my year and I discovered that I had resolved twice to make a chore list.  Okay, it still isn't made, but that doesn't mean I can keep resolving to do it.  That is just against the rules.  And the year isn't over, so that chore list may still get made.



Summer Book Club continues...

After I read The Reading Promise by Alice Ouzma, I felt that I needed to do something.  The obvious choice would have been to make a reading promise with my boy.  Nope.  I was too chicken.  I mean some days it just doesn't fit into our life.  Excuses, I know.  But I just wasn't there.  However, instead, I took Resolution 25 (stop preaching and start leading) to heart and started a Summer Book Club.  I invited friends from all areas of my life, old friends, school friends, church friends, neighbors, swim friends. They all have early independent readers... I decided this was the age when many parents stop reading to their children because the children are now reading to themselves.  I invited A LOT because I was afraid to invite just a few and have no one show up. Or commit. And I was asking for a commitment:  read to your child even though we are encouraging them to read by themselves.  It was a good thing I invited many because I only got one family from each of those groups.  Read aloud a book I've chosen, then come to my house for discussion, movie watching and comparison, and snacks.  If you ask them, they will come. They gathered for discussion and snacks and movie.  It was fun!  The friends of my son would gather in a circle and take turns answering questions as simple as, "Who are the main characters?" or "What is the setting?" as well as more complex questions such as, "How are the characters in both books similar or different?  Why?"  They didn't say, "Aren't we going to watch the movie?" rather they seemed to enjoy the discussion.  Then, during the movie, I would stop/start it to discuss comparisons between the book and the movie, without a complaint!  It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E.  This summer our books were Winn Dixie and Tale of Despereaux, both by Kate DiCamillo, and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.  After watching James, the kids all asked what was next?  I pointed out that we were already back in school and we might be too busy.  It was unanimous... we are continuing through the school year.  This month our choice is Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks and everyone in the group has ideas for what to read next, so now I will have to decide how to handle that because I LIKE CHOOSING THE BOOKS.  So my promise to my son may not have been to read every day to him, but rather to continue to read to him.  My promise was to encourage his friend's parents to continue reading to their now independent readers.  My promise to read and lead has turned out to be so much fun!  If you are interested in how to start your own group, please feel free to leave me a message.

45, 46...

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich continues the Stephanie Plum series and my total enjoyment of her books.  It is pure entertainment for me and as I was finishing it last week by the pool, I had to look around more than once to see if anyone was staring at the crazy lady laughing out loud!

Then, after a busy week, I had a realization that my bible study book group would be meeting on MONDAY to discuss Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza.  So Friday night I started it.  And at lunchtime on Saturday I finished it.  Such a powerful tale of faith.  FAITH.  TRUE BELIEF.  I just couldn't put it down!  I read until late (too late).  I read in the morning (so much for morning chores).  I read instead of fixing lunch (there's a banana and some yogurt).  And then it was done.  The first thing I did was text Sweet LM to see if she wanted to read some before Monday.  I just wanted her to read it too so we could talk about it.  Need Faith?  Read this book.  I will now locate her next book to read that too.

I promise, more on resolutions, soon.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

43, 44...

I Will Carry You by Angie Smith tore my heart out.  There I was, in the dugout at baseball practice reading it in my new baseball-watching chair, crying and reading and reading and crying with the intermittent check on how practice is going and even a quick call to Hero Daddy to tell him how practice is going.  I had to take those breaks or I'd have been all out sobbing hysterically in front of strangers.  Did I mention it was the first practice of the season with no one we know on the team?  Several tissues were used.  In fact, when I left and went to my meeting, friends asked if I was okay because my voice was husky from crying and my eyes puffy.  That's a good look when you're in charge of the meeting, NOT!  So it might not be the book for you.  I read it because my friend Aimee (http://afwifeadventure.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-id-do-differey.html) was reading it and it was moving her in a powerful way.  I know now why.  Total AH-HA moment.  I do recommend this book for anyone out there who has a friend or family member that has lost a baby.  It tells you the story in a bruitful way and it tells you HOW TO BE THERE for that person.  Be in the moment.  Acknowledge.  Many of you know that my dear friend Sweet LM lost her daughter.  I really tried to be there for her and her family.  But feel like I fell short.  Some I know I did right... I'm not afraid to talk about her baby girl and SO MANY ARE!  Many act like it never happened.  But it did.  But I have regrets.  This book taught me what to do more of next time.  This was an amazing story in a horrible heartbreaking way that can lead to such growth.  I took notes.

After that, I had to go with brainless.  A sweet, romance from Debbie Macomber, A Girl Like Janet.  It was a Christian romance, to be honest.  With prayer and church and no hanky-panky.  I read it all poolside this afternoon.  Now, that's how to spend Labor Day Weekend.