Another first. Today I had my first filling at the dentist. I’ve never had any kind of cavity before. The only thing I’ve had is x-rays, cleanings, flouride, and braces. So today, I went in for a filling to be inserted into one of my back teeth. After I thought about it for a while, I realized (before I left) that this meant I was going to have to get a shot and some drilling. You see, I’m quite ignorant about these things, so lest I be surprised by anything else, I called my mother and found out from her what to expect. It wasn’t terrible, but I wasn’t particularly jumping up and down with glee either.
When I arrived at the dentist’s office and was called in, the first thing I found out wsa that I really didn’t know anything. In fact, I wasn’t even correct about which tooth they were filling. He put the cotton in my mouth and started rubbing on the topical anethetic and talking to me about what he was going to do. Then, la de da, he just pulled out that syringe and started to shoot me! AHHH!!!! OK, let’s just say I DO NOT LIKE NEEDLES! It was very stressful having him numb my mouth and I suppose that was the worst part of the whole thing. Well, except for when I mentioned that I was nervous. He said, “What!? You’ve had four babies! You can’t be nervous about a stupid little filling.” Oooooooh! I just wanted to pound his face and maybe somehow make him have a baby- then say- “What, you have a mouth full of fillings, what’s one baby!?”
It is NOT the same! I also think that everyone has there little sensitive spots and one of mine happens to be shots and needles and the like. It is not fun to me. I’d rather have a baby! Anyway, there’s not a lot of ways to drag this story out. The procedure went well and all through the event, the dentist kept saying he was almost done, so that was comforting…. somehow. And then I found out that they don’t do both fillings at the same time, so the other one I need, I’ll just have to come back another time for another thrilling time in the CHAIR!
Now for all you people out there that have not had this happen, I will say that I still don’t think dentists are scary- just ignorant. And perhaps you will get one that is as nice as mine was. It really wasn’t all that bad, just my own personal jitters, issues, and mental insanities.
Alright, now I’m off to do something besides think about my mouth. Yow!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
A Good Week
So far this week is looking up. I had a little bit of a rough time Tuesday, but I think it was similar to the depression that sometimes comes after a "high". (I'm not on drugs, though I'm sure some of you are convinced otherwise.) Anyway, we began spring cleaning here at Fairwood on Monday. I am VERY involved in this process, but mostly from the planning aspect.
News Flash: Brandon reports that he is feeling nauseous, but that's just to make me roll my eyeballs. He's fine- he's actually not permitted to be sick!
Anyway, I planned for the cleaning day and then in a fit of insanity, I told the other mothers here that I would keep all the kids if they wanted to work. That brought the grand total to 8 boys and 1 girl, with the oldest child being 5 years of age and Rachel the youngest. I had five in diapers and four of them had stinky pants while I watched them. I should hasten to add it went VERY well considering the volume of little boys and their tendency to move violently and break things. We had a fun lunch of fish sticks, mac n cheese, and green beans. We watched Robin Hood (Disney cartoon version), and played with trains. The last of them went home around 4pm. I was tired, but it really did go well. Of course, that night I did my shopping trip and run to Panera Bread.
Yesterday was a recovery day and I had a bit of trouble actually recovering to a point that was satisfying. Brandon, however, in a fit of wonderfulness sent me up to my room and told me to watch a movie and fold laundry for two hours after dinner. I was thrilled. I got the room clean, about 6 loads of laundry folded, a patch sewed on Jonathon's jeans and a shirt hemmed that I've been trying to finish since July.
Today I awoke feeling rested and upbeat and somehow before 9am I managed to wash three loads of clothes, change all the sheets on the beds, change some children's clothes, make and serve breakfast, clean up from breakfast, and take out some of the trash in the bedrooms. I figure I got enough done this morning, I can take the rest of the day off.
I should mention that yesterday, I had some good advice from my mother to spend less time talking about all I have to do and how busy I am and spend more time actually doing some of those things that need to be done. It's not that I spent tons of time standing and whining, but just a little of that greatly effects my attitude and drains energy away. I've also thought about "asaphat's" comment to keep everything in perspective and the two together have been some good encouragement.
It always helps to have well family members which I am encouraged to report is finally the case! (And for those of you who were interested Brandon's moles- three were fine, three were precancerous and he will have those excised in March. Praise the Lord for getting them early.)
So, I'll just carry on with some positive thinking for the rest of the day and I hope some of it can overflow to the rest of you as well. It's really helping. Tata.
News Flash: Brandon reports that he is feeling nauseous, but that's just to make me roll my eyeballs. He's fine- he's actually not permitted to be sick!
Anyway, I planned for the cleaning day and then in a fit of insanity, I told the other mothers here that I would keep all the kids if they wanted to work. That brought the grand total to 8 boys and 1 girl, with the oldest child being 5 years of age and Rachel the youngest. I had five in diapers and four of them had stinky pants while I watched them. I should hasten to add it went VERY well considering the volume of little boys and their tendency to move violently and break things. We had a fun lunch of fish sticks, mac n cheese, and green beans. We watched Robin Hood (Disney cartoon version), and played with trains. The last of them went home around 4pm. I was tired, but it really did go well. Of course, that night I did my shopping trip and run to Panera Bread.
Yesterday was a recovery day and I had a bit of trouble actually recovering to a point that was satisfying. Brandon, however, in a fit of wonderfulness sent me up to my room and told me to watch a movie and fold laundry for two hours after dinner. I was thrilled. I got the room clean, about 6 loads of laundry folded, a patch sewed on Jonathon's jeans and a shirt hemmed that I've been trying to finish since July.
Today I awoke feeling rested and upbeat and somehow before 9am I managed to wash three loads of clothes, change all the sheets on the beds, change some children's clothes, make and serve breakfast, clean up from breakfast, and take out some of the trash in the bedrooms. I figure I got enough done this morning, I can take the rest of the day off.
I should mention that yesterday, I had some good advice from my mother to spend less time talking about all I have to do and how busy I am and spend more time actually doing some of those things that need to be done. It's not that I spent tons of time standing and whining, but just a little of that greatly effects my attitude and drains energy away. I've also thought about "asaphat's" comment to keep everything in perspective and the two together have been some good encouragement.
It always helps to have well family members which I am encouraged to report is finally the case! (And for those of you who were interested Brandon's moles- three were fine, three were precancerous and he will have those excised in March. Praise the Lord for getting them early.)
So, I'll just carry on with some positive thinking for the rest of the day and I hope some of it can overflow to the rest of you as well. It's really helping. Tata.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Reruns
How many of you like reruns? I think I usually like them if it's a favorite show and I like them if it's just as good or better as the new garbage coming out, and well...my brain doesn't generally remember that I saw it the first time anyway.
This week's post is about reruns- and ones that I don't particularly care for. It seems as though we've been on the same theme for weeks. I know some of you out there are eagerly awaiting the day that I post an "ALL'S WELL". Unfortunately, that day has not come. Here I am again writing the same old stories:
The children are doing better, but I am currently sick. We just dicovered that Jeff had the same tooth problem that James had a month ago and so he just had one of his front teeth pulled as well. People here at Fairwood seem to be in a perpetual state of sickness. I'm not sure what we've got going, but I just heard of yet another family with a stomach bug and there are so many cold and flu things going on that it makes me not want to walk out the door. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon for a strep test, since that's the only thing I can think of that makes things just keep going over and over. We'll see.
On the other side of things, all this sickness has had a tremendous impact on what we get done around here. Brandon has work up to his ears and I have so much to do that I find it debilitating just to think about what needs to be done.
On that note, it's time for prayer meeting, so I'll run along. Hope you are all doing better than we are and I look forward to the day when I can write that people are well.
This week's post is about reruns- and ones that I don't particularly care for. It seems as though we've been on the same theme for weeks. I know some of you out there are eagerly awaiting the day that I post an "ALL'S WELL". Unfortunately, that day has not come. Here I am again writing the same old stories:
The children are doing better, but I am currently sick. We just dicovered that Jeff had the same tooth problem that James had a month ago and so he just had one of his front teeth pulled as well. People here at Fairwood seem to be in a perpetual state of sickness. I'm not sure what we've got going, but I just heard of yet another family with a stomach bug and there are so many cold and flu things going on that it makes me not want to walk out the door. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon for a strep test, since that's the only thing I can think of that makes things just keep going over and over. We'll see.
On the other side of things, all this sickness has had a tremendous impact on what we get done around here. Brandon has work up to his ears and I have so much to do that I find it debilitating just to think about what needs to be done.
On that note, it's time for prayer meeting, so I'll run along. Hope you are all doing better than we are and I look forward to the day when I can write that people are well.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Maybe, perchance, perhaps….we might possibly be seeing the end of the illness marathon somethime soon. So far, it’s been a record three and a half weeks of colds, stomach flu, and various viruses. We’ve also added in there, several doctor visits, an ear infection, a couple of dermatologist visits, three dentist check- ups, and uh….I’m sure there is some more, but I’d rather not try to think of it…it’s already a painful enough thought. Anyway, we are down to a couple of runny noses and Jeff running a low grade fever as far as contagious diseases go and I think these things have been going on so long, that they aren’t very contagious anymore. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean we are all going to suddenly have obsessions with spitting on other people’s door knobs or anything!
Speaking of spitting, we also have our share of non contagious ailments. I believe I’ve already mentioned James visit to the dentist where he had a dead tooth pulled. I also got the pleasure of visiting the dentist and discovered that for the first time in my life I have to have something besides just a cleaning. I have made an appointment to have two fillings put in. Alas, great teeth should last forever…even if we abuse them! So, I’m looking forward to this new experience.. They aren’t large areas, just tiny pin holes on the side of two different teeth.
And speaking of new experiences, Jonathon has his share of problems, though they aren’t as pleasant. He’s had some bleeding of a sensitive nature and when we went to the doctor to find out the cause, she suspected that the opening in his “equipment” is closing over and set us up with a urologist. At least the situation isn’t painful for Jonathon, for which I am VERY grateful. There is no infection it seems, only some sort of stubborn scar tissue.
And speaking of scar tissue, Brandon had a dermatologist check up and had a pound of flesh removed from his body…not really, just 6 moles, but this morning, while he was taking a shower, the pain was intense enough that he passed out over it. Not to worry, God worked things out so that I walked into the bathroom to talk to him just before it happened and I could gently let him down to the floor, so he wasn’t hurt. Anyway, this cheery situation is awaiting results from biopsys on the “samples” removed from his person to find out if they are canerous---oh goody! I’m glad we did it though.
And speaking of cancerous, I’m headed for patch testing myself at the dermatologist. I’ve had some skin problems for about a year and a half and I’ve tried all the doctors suggestions, all my friends wacky ideas, and many other things, including personally lancing the blisters off my hand hoping they would just not come back. Now, I’m reduced to having people intentionally attempt to make my skin irritated by the 23 most common skin allergens. I’m thrilled about this process as you can see…my only hope is that it will reveal something that leads me closer to fixing the problem.
And speaking of fixing problems, things aren’t all bad. Don’t get me wrong, there have been numerous days in the last three weeks that I have just cried my eyes out over being so overwhelmed with everything, but there have been good times too. This past week we had several days in the 50’s. The snow all melted away and the boys had some GLORIOUS days of outdoor play. We took some walks and I found myself outside in short sleeves and bare feet a couple of times. I’ve also had some fun in the Fairwood kitchen working on meals with some of the men. We’ve had one of three scheduled swap days and I get the pleasure of working with some excellent chefs of the male persuasion. I have another one coming up tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. We’ve had some meals with the Bible School lately and that has been a nice break. I say break, but I’m sure most of you know that break means a break from one thing so I can catch up on another.
Speaking of catching up another thing I’ve been enjoying is learning to play raquetball. Several weeks ago I went to the “Y” with a student and friend here and she taught me how to play. The next morning in a fit of (as Brandon calls it) over ambtitousness, I went up to the gym at 6 am and beat the ball around the walls for a half an hour before I started the day. Yesterday I went up again with previously mentioned buddy (Bet’nay, BJ, Gunslinger Girl) and we played again. Now we’ve played a total of three games and on the third game I actually got 6 points. It was quite thrilling since the other two I was a big fat zero. It is great for cardio and I’m enjoying the exercise. This morning I did some toning stuff and I am hoping to continue the insane morning regiment in hopes of allowing the feeling that I’m a big bloated blob of buttery blubber ( say that three times fast) fade fast. It’s already fading and that’s exciting. (Brandon just said he’s going to start calling me “Bluttery Bubber”- I think it has a nice ring to it…ugh!) Anyway, the regular workout is good for me and it is also giving me a bit of a head start on the day. Of course, one must crawl out of bed to do such things and that’s my biggest difficulty! Sometimes I feel almost nailed to the mattress for all the effort it takes me to drag my body off the bed. Perhaps if I slept on nails it wouldn’t be as difficult to get up…but then I don’t think I would sleep very well either.
Speaking of sleeping well, I will leave you with the stupid story of the day. Jonathon was playing quietly in his room and as usual had been instructed to stay there “until his clock said a 3”. So later in the afternoon, he comes running into the kitchen saying, “My clock says the right time, I can get up now.” I looked at the clock and it was only 2:22pm, not 3, so I told him he was mistaken. He said his clock did say it was time and for me to come and look at it. Upon arriving in his room I discovered that his clock did not say 2:22 as mine did, so I asked him how it came to say what it did. “Oh it changed all by itself.” He replied. Oh, no it didn’t! You changed it didn’t you! “Yes, I did.” He said. So I instructed him to stay in there until it said a 3 and I reset his clock. The funny part was that he had mistakenly changed his clock to say 7:00am- when he’s allowed to wake up in the morning, not the afternoon time of 3pm. Oh well, it made it easy for me.
And speaking of easy, I’ve written long enough and should pay attention to my army once again.
Speaking of spitting, we also have our share of non contagious ailments. I believe I’ve already mentioned James visit to the dentist where he had a dead tooth pulled. I also got the pleasure of visiting the dentist and discovered that for the first time in my life I have to have something besides just a cleaning. I have made an appointment to have two fillings put in. Alas, great teeth should last forever…even if we abuse them! So, I’m looking forward to this new experience.. They aren’t large areas, just tiny pin holes on the side of two different teeth.
And speaking of new experiences, Jonathon has his share of problems, though they aren’t as pleasant. He’s had some bleeding of a sensitive nature and when we went to the doctor to find out the cause, she suspected that the opening in his “equipment” is closing over and set us up with a urologist. At least the situation isn’t painful for Jonathon, for which I am VERY grateful. There is no infection it seems, only some sort of stubborn scar tissue.
And speaking of scar tissue, Brandon had a dermatologist check up and had a pound of flesh removed from his body…not really, just 6 moles, but this morning, while he was taking a shower, the pain was intense enough that he passed out over it. Not to worry, God worked things out so that I walked into the bathroom to talk to him just before it happened and I could gently let him down to the floor, so he wasn’t hurt. Anyway, this cheery situation is awaiting results from biopsys on the “samples” removed from his person to find out if they are canerous---oh goody! I’m glad we did it though.
And speaking of cancerous, I’m headed for patch testing myself at the dermatologist. I’ve had some skin problems for about a year and a half and I’ve tried all the doctors suggestions, all my friends wacky ideas, and many other things, including personally lancing the blisters off my hand hoping they would just not come back. Now, I’m reduced to having people intentionally attempt to make my skin irritated by the 23 most common skin allergens. I’m thrilled about this process as you can see…my only hope is that it will reveal something that leads me closer to fixing the problem.
And speaking of fixing problems, things aren’t all bad. Don’t get me wrong, there have been numerous days in the last three weeks that I have just cried my eyes out over being so overwhelmed with everything, but there have been good times too. This past week we had several days in the 50’s. The snow all melted away and the boys had some GLORIOUS days of outdoor play. We took some walks and I found myself outside in short sleeves and bare feet a couple of times. I’ve also had some fun in the Fairwood kitchen working on meals with some of the men. We’ve had one of three scheduled swap days and I get the pleasure of working with some excellent chefs of the male persuasion. I have another one coming up tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. We’ve had some meals with the Bible School lately and that has been a nice break. I say break, but I’m sure most of you know that break means a break from one thing so I can catch up on another.
Speaking of catching up another thing I’ve been enjoying is learning to play raquetball. Several weeks ago I went to the “Y” with a student and friend here and she taught me how to play. The next morning in a fit of (as Brandon calls it) over ambtitousness, I went up to the gym at 6 am and beat the ball around the walls for a half an hour before I started the day. Yesterday I went up again with previously mentioned buddy (Bet’nay, BJ, Gunslinger Girl) and we played again. Now we’ve played a total of three games and on the third game I actually got 6 points. It was quite thrilling since the other two I was a big fat zero. It is great for cardio and I’m enjoying the exercise. This morning I did some toning stuff and I am hoping to continue the insane morning regiment in hopes of allowing the feeling that I’m a big bloated blob of buttery blubber ( say that three times fast) fade fast. It’s already fading and that’s exciting. (Brandon just said he’s going to start calling me “Bluttery Bubber”- I think it has a nice ring to it…ugh!) Anyway, the regular workout is good for me and it is also giving me a bit of a head start on the day. Of course, one must crawl out of bed to do such things and that’s my biggest difficulty! Sometimes I feel almost nailed to the mattress for all the effort it takes me to drag my body off the bed. Perhaps if I slept on nails it wouldn’t be as difficult to get up…but then I don’t think I would sleep very well either.
Speaking of sleeping well, I will leave you with the stupid story of the day. Jonathon was playing quietly in his room and as usual had been instructed to stay there “until his clock said a 3”. So later in the afternoon, he comes running into the kitchen saying, “My clock says the right time, I can get up now.” I looked at the clock and it was only 2:22pm, not 3, so I told him he was mistaken. He said his clock did say it was time and for me to come and look at it. Upon arriving in his room I discovered that his clock did not say 2:22 as mine did, so I asked him how it came to say what it did. “Oh it changed all by itself.” He replied. Oh, no it didn’t! You changed it didn’t you! “Yes, I did.” He said. So I instructed him to stay in there until it said a 3 and I reset his clock. The funny part was that he had mistakenly changed his clock to say 7:00am- when he’s allowed to wake up in the morning, not the afternoon time of 3pm. Oh well, it made it easy for me.
And speaking of easy, I’ve written long enough and should pay attention to my army once again.
Monday, January 16, 2006
A "New" New Year
Brandon and I have come to the conclusion that we should start the year over with the hopes of doing it a little differently. I know some of you have been eagerly awaiting me to say we're finally all well....but it is not to be yet! As soon as Brandon got over his stomach flu, he caught some heavy duty cold that he has passed to the rest of us- or most of us. Jonathon is ok and Rachel is too, but the rest of us are a big pile of runny noses, sore throats, headaches, achy bodies, and general fussiness.
You need not fret however, I am not beat yet. Thankfully, Brandon and I have had our bad days on different days so the tag team continues. Of course, work around here continues at full speed as well, so just in case we need a distraction from sickies, there's always our jobs.
There have been some good things: I took the kids to the grandparents over the weekend and that was a good mini break. The weather was nice over the weekend too and that always helps. Ok so that's my brief update.
Oh...Brandon has declared he does not want to be a housewife when he grows up!
You need not fret however, I am not beat yet. Thankfully, Brandon and I have had our bad days on different days so the tag team continues. Of course, work around here continues at full speed as well, so just in case we need a distraction from sickies, there's always our jobs.
There have been some good things: I took the kids to the grandparents over the weekend and that was a good mini break. The weather was nice over the weekend too and that always helps. Ok so that's my brief update.
Oh...Brandon has declared he does not want to be a housewife when he grows up!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
For Grossness Goers Only!
It just keeps going and going and going and going….
James threw up this evening. I thought he had already been sick. At least, one morning, he came in with a bowl and said, "Mama, I need to spit." Then he proceeded to do his thing, but maybe he really did just spit. Well, he didn’t just “spit” tonight! For all of you sensitive stomachs out there I will spare the rest of the details. But let’s just say things are still quite germy around here.
And that’s really too bad, because I thought we were over all this stuff and so I took up an offer on Sunday to go to someone’s house with my children. We went to iceskate, sled, and just hang out. They have 9 children and the mother is truly an inspiration to me. I love their kids- they are well behaved, active, and fun to be around. Somehow, I hope that my children turn out something like hers in a lot of ways- good character! Anyway, I’m afraid that at least one of their sons has this stomach flu stuff now- though I’m not sure if it was to our credit or not. I also had one of the Bible School girls here this afternoon helping me clean in James’ room- it was quite dirty, so I hope she doesn’t get sick.
And speaking of dirty- this mornings diaper duty was the worst I’ve had so far. Jeff had some runny brown “stuff” this morning that seemed to be going the “extra mile” if you get my meaning. We had it down the legs, soaked into the pants, dripped on the bed, puddle on the floor, tracked around the room, dripped in a long line down the hallway, puddle in front of the changing table, mess on the changing table and later this afternoon, I found it still on the floor, underneath some books in his room. I think he used the books as a cover up. (They were cloth books, so I washed them.) He knew it was bad and he knew I just couldn’t handle seeing another spot of that stuff. For all those of you who are wishing for kids---this is the part that is just plain disgusting and makes you reconsider all those dreamy ideas of raising a large family- or even any family at all. I tossed Brandon his swimsuit in the shower and handed Jeff over to him for a hosing down so I could put clean clothes on him and get the mess off the floor. Ahhh…it’s this routine that makes me just LOVE mornings!
It’s all this excitement that makes me grateful for several things: candles, air freshener, windows that open, and my new handy dandy electronic odor eliminator that Brandon got for me as a gift. This is not a joke, it does work- very nicely!
Ok, time to go to bed and prepare to spit into the wind again tomorrow morning.
James threw up this evening. I thought he had already been sick. At least, one morning, he came in with a bowl and said, "Mama, I need to spit." Then he proceeded to do his thing, but maybe he really did just spit. Well, he didn’t just “spit” tonight! For all of you sensitive stomachs out there I will spare the rest of the details. But let’s just say things are still quite germy around here.
And that’s really too bad, because I thought we were over all this stuff and so I took up an offer on Sunday to go to someone’s house with my children. We went to iceskate, sled, and just hang out. They have 9 children and the mother is truly an inspiration to me. I love their kids- they are well behaved, active, and fun to be around. Somehow, I hope that my children turn out something like hers in a lot of ways- good character! Anyway, I’m afraid that at least one of their sons has this stomach flu stuff now- though I’m not sure if it was to our credit or not. I also had one of the Bible School girls here this afternoon helping me clean in James’ room- it was quite dirty, so I hope she doesn’t get sick.
And speaking of dirty- this mornings diaper duty was the worst I’ve had so far. Jeff had some runny brown “stuff” this morning that seemed to be going the “extra mile” if you get my meaning. We had it down the legs, soaked into the pants, dripped on the bed, puddle on the floor, tracked around the room, dripped in a long line down the hallway, puddle in front of the changing table, mess on the changing table and later this afternoon, I found it still on the floor, underneath some books in his room. I think he used the books as a cover up. (They were cloth books, so I washed them.) He knew it was bad and he knew I just couldn’t handle seeing another spot of that stuff. For all those of you who are wishing for kids---this is the part that is just plain disgusting and makes you reconsider all those dreamy ideas of raising a large family- or even any family at all. I tossed Brandon his swimsuit in the shower and handed Jeff over to him for a hosing down so I could put clean clothes on him and get the mess off the floor. Ahhh…it’s this routine that makes me just LOVE mornings!
It’s all this excitement that makes me grateful for several things: candles, air freshener, windows that open, and my new handy dandy electronic odor eliminator that Brandon got for me as a gift. This is not a joke, it does work- very nicely!
Ok, time to go to bed and prepare to spit into the wind again tomorrow morning.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
A Week of Blisss.....tering Mess!
I think lately I have been trying to keep to a once a week posting schedule if not more often. I don't relly get to the more often, but I feel like I'm neglecting my readers if I go much longer than the self imposed week limit. This week however, I have legitimate excuses with which to comfort myself and thus relieve my worn conscience from all guilty pricks and tingles.
I, hereby, propose to you my recent schedule of events, worthy of preventing much if not all recent blogging attempts:
We'll begin with Friday, the 30th. ( I posted on the 28th, so Friday was only two days later.)
Friday: Made lunch for the directors meeting (volunteered for it, but I was busy)
Made soup for lunch on Sunday.
Took care of the kids alone for the day (normal except for meal times)
Dressed everyone for Sabbath meeting alone.
Took them to Sabbath meeting.
Jonathon came home not feeling well.
Went back and forth between dinner and home checking on Jonathon and the other children eating.
Jonathon begins throwing up.
Jonathon throws up in the night.
Parents change sheets.
Saturday
Brandon goes to meetings.
All children running fevers and fussy.
No children have appetites.
ALL DAY!
Jeff begins throwing up.
Rachel throws up once.
People go to bed.
Brandon does the laundry!!!!!!
Sunday
James throws up.
ALL children want to eat everything in sight.
Brandon goes to meetings and brings me a double portion of Lord's Supper.
Lewis brings some more later.
I had already had one. (A quadruple portion of Jesus for this month! Sounds good to me!)
Hmm....perhaps that much wasn't such a good idea. Icky feelings.
Jonathon throws up in the night again.
Mumma starts throwing up.
Up all night! Yuck. Sick. Gross.
Monday
Ugh!
Children fussy, but not sick.
Mumma sick, fever, achy back, not throwing up any more...(lost 7 lbs. in 24 hours!)
Brandon on duty for the day.
Tuesday
Try to get back to normal...a little too fast.
By 9 am, mom's exhausted. Rest.
Make dinner. Rest.
Baths for the stinky family.
Fellowship meeting.
Crawl into bed.
Jonathon wakes up crying.
Wednesday
Jonathon and James and I run errands in town.
Eat lunch (everyone fussy)
Jonathon has an earache and keeps me occupied all afternoon.
Dinner.
Take Jonathon to the doctor (7:15 apt.)
Mumma feeling sick again.
See doc. @ 7:50pm.
Doc calls in a prescription.
Pharmacy says we aren't in the system, so they didn't fill it.
Fill out paper work.
Prescription put in the back of the line to be filled.
"It should only take 30 min." Arg!
Come back at 9pm after killing half and hour at Colony Mills.
Get meds and go home.
Go to bed.
Thursday (today)
Tired, but feeling ok.
Children ok.
Jeff a little fussy.
Mom's night out tonight....can Brandon stand it???? We'll see.
So there, I rest my case. Yesterday I told my mother I was turning in my "Mom" badge. But today I think maybe I'll keep it a little while longer. After all, surely the worst is over.....perhaps?
( Now doesn't that make you all want to have loads of kids at your house...we could rent out...)
I, hereby, propose to you my recent schedule of events, worthy of preventing much if not all recent blogging attempts:
We'll begin with Friday, the 30th. ( I posted on the 28th, so Friday was only two days later.)
Friday: Made lunch for the directors meeting (volunteered for it, but I was busy)
Made soup for lunch on Sunday.
Took care of the kids alone for the day (normal except for meal times)
Dressed everyone for Sabbath meeting alone.
Took them to Sabbath meeting.
Jonathon came home not feeling well.
Went back and forth between dinner and home checking on Jonathon and the other children eating.
Jonathon begins throwing up.
Jonathon throws up in the night.
Parents change sheets.
Saturday
Brandon goes to meetings.
All children running fevers and fussy.
No children have appetites.
ALL DAY!
Jeff begins throwing up.
Rachel throws up once.
People go to bed.
Brandon does the laundry!!!!!!
Sunday
James throws up.
ALL children want to eat everything in sight.
Brandon goes to meetings and brings me a double portion of Lord's Supper.
Lewis brings some more later.
I had already had one. (A quadruple portion of Jesus for this month! Sounds good to me!)
Hmm....perhaps that much wasn't such a good idea. Icky feelings.
Jonathon throws up in the night again.
Mumma starts throwing up.
Up all night! Yuck. Sick. Gross.
Monday
Ugh!
Children fussy, but not sick.
Mumma sick, fever, achy back, not throwing up any more...(lost 7 lbs. in 24 hours!)
Brandon on duty for the day.
Tuesday
Try to get back to normal...a little too fast.
By 9 am, mom's exhausted. Rest.
Make dinner. Rest.
Baths for the stinky family.
Fellowship meeting.
Crawl into bed.
Jonathon wakes up crying.
Wednesday
Jonathon and James and I run errands in town.
Eat lunch (everyone fussy)
Jonathon has an earache and keeps me occupied all afternoon.
Dinner.
Take Jonathon to the doctor (7:15 apt.)
Mumma feeling sick again.
See doc. @ 7:50pm.
Doc calls in a prescription.
Pharmacy says we aren't in the system, so they didn't fill it.
Fill out paper work.
Prescription put in the back of the line to be filled.
"It should only take 30 min." Arg!
Come back at 9pm after killing half and hour at Colony Mills.
Get meds and go home.
Go to bed.
Thursday (today)
Tired, but feeling ok.
Children ok.
Jeff a little fussy.
Mom's night out tonight....can Brandon stand it???? We'll see.
So there, I rest my case. Yesterday I told my mother I was turning in my "Mom" badge. But today I think maybe I'll keep it a little while longer. After all, surely the worst is over.....perhaps?
( Now doesn't that make you all want to have loads of kids at your house...we could rent out...)
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
"The Aldrich Army" Rated R- for violence
Jonathon with his wooden kitchen knife won the quote of the day award when he told James, "James, if you do that again, I will cut off your neck with this knife and chop it into a thousand pieces and we will eat it for breakfast!"
I have NO idea what the offense was, but it must have been terrible. ( He probably took his toy or something.)
James gets most endearing quote:
"Mama, you're my friend."
"Oh, thanks James. Who else is your friend?"
"Nothing. I only have one friend. Mama, you are my friend."
"Oh, what about Jonathon?"
"NO, he's not my friend."
"What about Gabriel?"
"No, he's Michael's friend?"
"Oh, what about Jesus?"
"Oh, YEAH! He's my friend. Just two friends. Jesus and Mama."
"Ok, James. Just two friends."
Jeff gets the award for most likely to sabatoge. He keeps taking the chair away from Rachel when she is standing at it.
Rachel wins the award for greatest accomplishment: Eating baby food regularly now!
Mary gets the award for most successfully ambitious: I cleaned out the attic today! Hooray!!!!
Brandon gets the award for successfully completing the most tasks in the shortest period of time AND washing and drying ALL the laundry for the last week! Three cheers for Brandon.
(How's that for a politically correct post? Everyone wins. But I still think Jonathon's wins most.)
I have NO idea what the offense was, but it must have been terrible. ( He probably took his toy or something.)
James gets most endearing quote:
"Mama, you're my friend."
"Oh, thanks James. Who else is your friend?"
"Nothing. I only have one friend. Mama, you are my friend."
"Oh, what about Jonathon?"
"NO, he's not my friend."
"What about Gabriel?"
"No, he's Michael's friend?"
"Oh, what about Jesus?"
"Oh, YEAH! He's my friend. Just two friends. Jesus and Mama."
"Ok, James. Just two friends."
Jeff gets the award for most likely to sabatoge. He keeps taking the chair away from Rachel when she is standing at it.
Rachel wins the award for greatest accomplishment: Eating baby food regularly now!
Mary gets the award for most successfully ambitious: I cleaned out the attic today! Hooray!!!!
Brandon gets the award for successfully completing the most tasks in the shortest period of time AND washing and drying ALL the laundry for the last week! Three cheers for Brandon.
(How's that for a politically correct post? Everyone wins. But I still think Jonathon's wins most.)
Monday, December 26, 2005
Watch Out! Here's James trying to follow in Roy's footsteps. He fell a year and a half ago and killed the roots to one of his front teeth. Recently, it became infected and had to be pulled. He was quite a trooper. No crying or anything through the whole process! So now he'll have a hole in his mouth for about 4 years- until his new one grows in.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
NO! I didn't really see that! Did I?
Did you ever do a double take because what you saw could not POSSIBLY be what you actually saw?
Well, here’s some that make me look twice recently:
- Captain Hook’s hook hanging from the bathroom cabinet.
- James with the front part of the fan on his head- dust and all.
- Rachel eating a grape stem.
- Jonathon sledding by himself and having fun.
- All the dishes washed- and I didn’t do it (Thanks Brandon!)
- 6 loads of CLEAN laundry on the bed waiting to be folded (Ditto)
- Jeff opening presents and being mad at them because the wrapping didn’t instantly fall off with the first rip.
- Buzz lightyear “flying” down the stairs
- discovery of spit up in the train tracks box (everyone say “EWWWW!)
- Rachel stuck in the train track box- haha!
- and last for this list is Wesley!- I’ll post a pic tomorrow for this one.
Have a great Monday!
Well, here’s some that make me look twice recently:
- Captain Hook’s hook hanging from the bathroom cabinet.
- James with the front part of the fan on his head- dust and all.
- Rachel eating a grape stem.
- Jonathon sledding by himself and having fun.
- All the dishes washed- and I didn’t do it (Thanks Brandon!)
- 6 loads of CLEAN laundry on the bed waiting to be folded (Ditto)
- Jeff opening presents and being mad at them because the wrapping didn’t instantly fall off with the first rip.
- Buzz lightyear “flying” down the stairs
- discovery of spit up in the train tracks box (everyone say “EWWWW!)
- Rachel stuck in the train track box- haha!
- and last for this list is Wesley!- I’ll post a pic tomorrow for this one.
Have a great Monday!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
New Heights in the Aldrich Clan
Ok, so the latest news in our family beginning with the youngest.
Rachel: She has moved out! Of our room- that is. She is finally in the crib in the room across the hall and I can now get dressed for bed and get to bed while also being able to see where I am going and the things I am about to bump into. She also stands and has "walked" around some of the furniture a bit. The other day I found her standing at the trash can and eatting a plastic bag out of it. She can climb stairs and has also started eatting some rice cereal. The best thing she does is play a cuddly game. She loves to lay her head on my shoulder and grin while I coo at her. Then she sits up looks around and then lays her head down again. It's hard to resist feeling large amounts of affection for her when she does this.
Jeff: Has just smacked his head on the floor. He also has a temper and refuses to be comforted, but prefers to suffer alone- loudly. He has just graduated to a "big" bed and sleeps in the room with James. For the most part this has been very successful. He doesn't get down from the bed like the older two did and he really seems to like his bed. Jeff is gradually adding words to his vocabulary, but only very slowly. He gets all sorts of inflection, like when you say "thank- you" he tries to repeat it with no consonants.
James: most amusing thing said today was when Brandon called him over and James replied very sweetly, "Don't bother me right now, Daddy. I'm very busy." Among his recent accomplishments he adds successful "stinky in the potty" to the list. I think he is as potty trained as you can get for a 3 yr. old. He has started requesting to wear underwear to bed at night and has remarkably stayed dry most nights. He is generally in good spirits and can often be sickeningly pleasant. "Hello Mama. I have a good attitude. I am playing sweetly. I would like to take my nap now. I'm happy, Mama." He goes on and on sometimes.
Jonathon takes the cake on humor this week though. He came home yesterday and said, "Mama, that lady said I could sit in the parlor. I asked Jesus and he said I could and she said I could too."
"Who was the lady?" I asked.
Jonathon thought for a moment, "Ummm....It was Mrs. Sandford's mother!"
Hehehehee, I later discovered that it was Mrs. Murray he was talking about and Sharon and I had a good laugh! For those of you who don't know her, the said mother is in her 90's and Mrs. Murray is in her 50's.
As for other events in the life of the Aldrich Clan:
Note for Mission Brown Blog readers:
Jeff and Fritha were at our place this weekend. They were both looking great and seemed to be having a fun time though tired after the weekend. They brought a huge fruit tray to the dessert banquet we had here and it was one of the favorites of the table. We all went out and saw the new Chronicles of Narnia and that was great. They both seem to be staying busy and I miss having them around!
Ok, umm....other things...this will have to be quick.
We had a dessert banquet- I've already mentioned. I took Cookie Dough Truffles, Coconut Snowmen, Sweet Rangoon, and Spinach Dip, thankfully not all in the same dish.
The students have two days left here before break and I am looking forward to the last evening when we get together and exchange gifts and such.
I managed to get a good portion of the upstairs cleaned up this morning and am looking forward to when the downstairs can look similarly tidy.
Jeff has his second birthday coming up this Thursday and the plan is to celebrate with all manner of Thomas the Train paraphinalia (I don't think I spelled that right, but oh well) and an ice cream cake. I should mention, we will probably celebrate Friday since the students are having their thing Thursday.
The boys recevied a massive kitchen set thanks to Andy and Carol and Grandmama Turner and they have been playing with it quite a bit. The other day, James asked Brandon if he could make him some "Lemon Merengue Pie". I am not making this up. They are happy to create all manner of food creations for us if we will only pretend to eat it.
Ok, gotta run. Type at ya later.
Rachel: She has moved out! Of our room- that is. She is finally in the crib in the room across the hall and I can now get dressed for bed and get to bed while also being able to see where I am going and the things I am about to bump into. She also stands and has "walked" around some of the furniture a bit. The other day I found her standing at the trash can and eatting a plastic bag out of it. She can climb stairs and has also started eatting some rice cereal. The best thing she does is play a cuddly game. She loves to lay her head on my shoulder and grin while I coo at her. Then she sits up looks around and then lays her head down again. It's hard to resist feeling large amounts of affection for her when she does this.
Jeff: Has just smacked his head on the floor. He also has a temper and refuses to be comforted, but prefers to suffer alone- loudly. He has just graduated to a "big" bed and sleeps in the room with James. For the most part this has been very successful. He doesn't get down from the bed like the older two did and he really seems to like his bed. Jeff is gradually adding words to his vocabulary, but only very slowly. He gets all sorts of inflection, like when you say "thank- you" he tries to repeat it with no consonants.
James: most amusing thing said today was when Brandon called him over and James replied very sweetly, "Don't bother me right now, Daddy. I'm very busy." Among his recent accomplishments he adds successful "stinky in the potty" to the list. I think he is as potty trained as you can get for a 3 yr. old. He has started requesting to wear underwear to bed at night and has remarkably stayed dry most nights. He is generally in good spirits and can often be sickeningly pleasant. "Hello Mama. I have a good attitude. I am playing sweetly. I would like to take my nap now. I'm happy, Mama." He goes on and on sometimes.
Jonathon takes the cake on humor this week though. He came home yesterday and said, "Mama, that lady said I could sit in the parlor. I asked Jesus and he said I could and she said I could too."
"Who was the lady?" I asked.
Jonathon thought for a moment, "Ummm....It was Mrs. Sandford's mother!"
Hehehehee, I later discovered that it was Mrs. Murray he was talking about and Sharon and I had a good laugh! For those of you who don't know her, the said mother is in her 90's and Mrs. Murray is in her 50's.
As for other events in the life of the Aldrich Clan:
Note for Mission Brown Blog readers:
Jeff and Fritha were at our place this weekend. They were both looking great and seemed to be having a fun time though tired after the weekend. They brought a huge fruit tray to the dessert banquet we had here and it was one of the favorites of the table. We all went out and saw the new Chronicles of Narnia and that was great. They both seem to be staying busy and I miss having them around!
Ok, umm....other things...this will have to be quick.
We had a dessert banquet- I've already mentioned. I took Cookie Dough Truffles, Coconut Snowmen, Sweet Rangoon, and Spinach Dip, thankfully not all in the same dish.
The students have two days left here before break and I am looking forward to the last evening when we get together and exchange gifts and such.
I managed to get a good portion of the upstairs cleaned up this morning and am looking forward to when the downstairs can look similarly tidy.
Jeff has his second birthday coming up this Thursday and the plan is to celebrate with all manner of Thomas the Train paraphinalia (I don't think I spelled that right, but oh well) and an ice cream cake. I should mention, we will probably celebrate Friday since the students are having their thing Thursday.
The boys recevied a massive kitchen set thanks to Andy and Carol and Grandmama Turner and they have been playing with it quite a bit. The other day, James asked Brandon if he could make him some "Lemon Merengue Pie". I am not making this up. They are happy to create all manner of food creations for us if we will only pretend to eat it.
Ok, gotta run. Type at ya later.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Come on in
We've just returned from a energy packed time in the gym. "We" consisted of Brandon, Jonathon, James, Jeff, and me. When we got there we shared the time with Dan, Ruth, Timothy, and Peter. For those of you who don't know these people, the first two are parents, and the later two are toddlers- 3 and 1. There were balls flying all over the place and it was a good time for just getting some energy out. Now the three of them are content to sit on the couch and listen to a story on CD. There are blocks on the floor and baby toys spread out in a corner. The room is fairly orderly since Brandon cleaned up while I was making dinner. We've turned off the overhead light and switched on three lamps and that gives the room a nice warm glow without making things too bright.
So...the boys...each of them is staring off into space. Jonathon is staring at different parts of the ceiling with his mouth half open and is tugging at his shirt. Normally he would be sucking his thumb as well, but he's too concentrated to remember to put it in his mouth. James is on the other end of the couch, sucking on the first two fingers of his righ hand. I think he's staring at my socks across the room and blinking hard as if the time in the gym was enough to put him back to sleep. He's been whiny since he awoke from his nap this afternoon and it's a relief to see him happy and quiet. Jeff is sitting in the middle of the other two boys and there is a blue fleece banket across all three sort of giving me hope that they will be more buddies and less enemies someday. Anyway, Jeff is feasting on the two middle fingers of his left hand and has a stack of Mega Blocks in his right hand. He goes back and forth from sucking to playing with the blocks.
At the very end of the couch is the fourth boy- or Brandon. He's not quite into the CD of "Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes" so he is reading an exciting book called "The Power of Tithing"- something he's suppose to talk about soon. He's been reading all sorts of books lately, the last one being a textbook on Negotiating Skills. This was fun because when I asked for something he would sometimes grin and say something like, "I don't know about that, you don't have very much leverage in this situation." Anyway, all four are on the couch and relatively quiet. The best part is that they all go to bed (not Brandon) in less than a half and hour!
In case you were wondering where the girl is in the picture. Rachel is up in her playpen asleep. She's due to eat soon, but for now she's quiet. I'm sitting in the recliner in my cozy clothes right down to soft socks with my feet propped up and of course the laptop in my lap.
It's times like this that I think, "I can do this." Earlier when I was trying to cook dinner and it took me 20 minutes just to get the can opener out of the drawer (not because it was lost, I just got interupted that much) I was thinking that I was ready to hide under a log in a dense forest, behind a waterfall and on the otherside of a large mountain. It's good that God gives us the calm in the midst of the storm to help us regain perspective. Afterall, it's not about the moment. It's about raising an army for Jesus and that takes more that just a couple of minutes with the kids!
Hope your evening is enjoyable. I'm determined mine is going to be so.
So...the boys...each of them is staring off into space. Jonathon is staring at different parts of the ceiling with his mouth half open and is tugging at his shirt. Normally he would be sucking his thumb as well, but he's too concentrated to remember to put it in his mouth. James is on the other end of the couch, sucking on the first two fingers of his righ hand. I think he's staring at my socks across the room and blinking hard as if the time in the gym was enough to put him back to sleep. He's been whiny since he awoke from his nap this afternoon and it's a relief to see him happy and quiet. Jeff is sitting in the middle of the other two boys and there is a blue fleece banket across all three sort of giving me hope that they will be more buddies and less enemies someday. Anyway, Jeff is feasting on the two middle fingers of his left hand and has a stack of Mega Blocks in his right hand. He goes back and forth from sucking to playing with the blocks.
At the very end of the couch is the fourth boy- or Brandon. He's not quite into the CD of "Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes" so he is reading an exciting book called "The Power of Tithing"- something he's suppose to talk about soon. He's been reading all sorts of books lately, the last one being a textbook on Negotiating Skills. This was fun because when I asked for something he would sometimes grin and say something like, "I don't know about that, you don't have very much leverage in this situation." Anyway, all four are on the couch and relatively quiet. The best part is that they all go to bed (not Brandon) in less than a half and hour!
In case you were wondering where the girl is in the picture. Rachel is up in her playpen asleep. She's due to eat soon, but for now she's quiet. I'm sitting in the recliner in my cozy clothes right down to soft socks with my feet propped up and of course the laptop in my lap.
It's times like this that I think, "I can do this." Earlier when I was trying to cook dinner and it took me 20 minutes just to get the can opener out of the drawer (not because it was lost, I just got interupted that much) I was thinking that I was ready to hide under a log in a dense forest, behind a waterfall and on the otherside of a large mountain. It's good that God gives us the calm in the midst of the storm to help us regain perspective. Afterall, it's not about the moment. It's about raising an army for Jesus and that takes more that just a couple of minutes with the kids!
Hope your evening is enjoyable. I'm determined mine is going to be so.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving a little belated!
Thanksgiving and all that goes with it has truly been great this year for us. Though we didn't go and visit family, we had a good time together and plenty of food and fun! Diane and her parents were here due to the snow on the roads and we had our Thanksgiving feast in the dining room beside a very toasty fire in the fireplace. I'm sure some people would have gaped in horror at our table, for we had reheated, leftover turkey, NO STUFFING (YES!), and nixed the cranberry sauce as well. We did have cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, lots of gravy, and four pies, but no apple pie! I guess we're just odd, but it was fun.
And...in honor of the holiday I'd like to mention a bunch of things I'm thankful for this year:
Jesus!
1 Awesome husband- who's willing to pitch in around the house at a moment's notice.
3 Rambunctious boys- who are a handful, but I wouldn't trade for anything
1 Precious little girl- who just cut two teeth today!!!
All of our needs met- food everyday, housing, clothing, and much more.
Financial needs met- everything paid for, no debt!
The joy of being a Christian- it's real and it makes a difference in my life (Smile)
Learning to depend on God emotionally.
Immediate answers from Him- just today I prayed, "God, I need help. I'm not even sure what help I need, but I need some." Seconds later, the phone rang: Mary, it's Diane. I was wondering if I could take the kids for a while. Me:Uh....YEAH! Praise the Lord!
Blogging- It's been a great outlet and a comfort to know I'm keeping in touch with people a little.
A Godly family- I have all immediate family that loves Jesus! My parents sibilings, and all my inlaws. Support on every side!
New Appliances in the house this year- bathtub, bathroom flooring, a fan in the bath, stove/oven, refrigerator, kitchen faucet, blinds, curtains for James' room, hand mixer, and many small items.
Help from Sisters- for almost 2 months Jane and Diane slaved away for me while I was busy trying to figure out how to be the mother of 4.
Help from God with Fairwood work- many times it seems that I've bitten off more than I could chew, but time and time again, God finds a way to make things work.
Holy Spirit's work in my life- I'm learning not to yell, and be respectful more often, and realize that everyone comes from a different frame of reference and that just because they don't see things my way doesn't mean they are stupid...they're just ignorant...haha, just kidding...most of the time it just means we've had different experiences and come to the table with opposites on "I'll never let that happen again".
Vacation to Maine for a week with the kids and Diane- what an awesome getaway!
Fun times with the children- the zoo, a couple of children's museums, the park with the train, going to the library, slip n' slide in my parent's back yard, picnics, visiting old friends, and rough housing in the living room.
Going to Georgia for a grand total of 9 weeks this year!!! Wooohooo!
Grandparents keeping the kids for 2 weeks and 2 weekends total!- Quality time with Brandon!
Care over the vehicle and all our travel.
Good health.
Many friends and family willing to encourage and love me over and over!
Thank you Jesus for your bountiful care over me and those around me!
And...in honor of the holiday I'd like to mention a bunch of things I'm thankful for this year:
Jesus!
1 Awesome husband- who's willing to pitch in around the house at a moment's notice.
3 Rambunctious boys- who are a handful, but I wouldn't trade for anything
1 Precious little girl- who just cut two teeth today!!!
All of our needs met- food everyday, housing, clothing, and much more.
Financial needs met- everything paid for, no debt!
The joy of being a Christian- it's real and it makes a difference in my life (Smile)
Learning to depend on God emotionally.
Immediate answers from Him- just today I prayed, "God, I need help. I'm not even sure what help I need, but I need some." Seconds later, the phone rang: Mary, it's Diane. I was wondering if I could take the kids for a while. Me:Uh....YEAH! Praise the Lord!
Blogging- It's been a great outlet and a comfort to know I'm keeping in touch with people a little.
A Godly family- I have all immediate family that loves Jesus! My parents sibilings, and all my inlaws. Support on every side!
New Appliances in the house this year- bathtub, bathroom flooring, a fan in the bath, stove/oven, refrigerator, kitchen faucet, blinds, curtains for James' room, hand mixer, and many small items.
Help from Sisters- for almost 2 months Jane and Diane slaved away for me while I was busy trying to figure out how to be the mother of 4.
Help from God with Fairwood work- many times it seems that I've bitten off more than I could chew, but time and time again, God finds a way to make things work.
Holy Spirit's work in my life- I'm learning not to yell, and be respectful more often, and realize that everyone comes from a different frame of reference and that just because they don't see things my way doesn't mean they are stupid...they're just ignorant...haha, just kidding...most of the time it just means we've had different experiences and come to the table with opposites on "I'll never let that happen again".
Vacation to Maine for a week with the kids and Diane- what an awesome getaway!
Fun times with the children- the zoo, a couple of children's museums, the park with the train, going to the library, slip n' slide in my parent's back yard, picnics, visiting old friends, and rough housing in the living room.
Going to Georgia for a grand total of 9 weeks this year!!! Wooohooo!
Grandparents keeping the kids for 2 weeks and 2 weekends total!- Quality time with Brandon!
Care over the vehicle and all our travel.
Good health.
Many friends and family willing to encourage and love me over and over!
Thank you Jesus for your bountiful care over me and those around me!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Say it Now, Believe it Later
It’s amazing how quickly one can go from feeling on top of the world to feeling like someone actually laid the gutter pipe on top of you in the ground. One minute everything is going smoothly. The children are happy, the home is tidy and pleasing to the eye. Bad habits are being held at bay. Relationships are at an all time high. Communications are caught up with. And for a moment I start to feel like I might not ever want to die because I might have to come “down” to experience Heaven. (For those of you who take me seriously- that last comment was not serious) Then, almost as fast as I can blink things are at the opposite end of the spectrum. The house is a wreck. The dishes are dirty. I have not the slightest idea for dinner. The kids are disobedient, restless, mischevious, and dirty. The husband is busy. I’ve finished several days in a row of unexpected events, unusual commitments, emotional efforts, and hidden insults. I’m tired, I’m stressed, I’m having problems with my skin disease (which no one knows how to cure or even quite what it is but everyone has ideas on how to cover up the symptoms- none of which have worked) and I suddenly find myself contemplating how in the world I can get myself out of this mess! I mean, not just get back to normal, but drop the whole GREAT MOM thing and pick up the next train bound for Siberia and bury myself in a cave with nothing but a pile of good books, an unlimited supply of good coffee and a cozy pair of socks. I might add a pillow.
Sometimes these feelings come because I’ve changed my priorities and they are now out of balance. Sometimes this happens when the kids have just been cooped up inside too long because of bad weather. Occasionally we have the unexpected bout with an inoperable household appliance and that can throw everything off. Then, there is also the spiritual angle: The “I testified of God’s power in my life” and now it’s “Day after Testimony” time to live it out in a difficult circumstance. Today has all of the above!
The truth is…the break from it all, the emotional break down, and the irritability and anger usually don’t help. Sometimes it gets me a little help from someone else and sometimes it releases some pressure from inside like a kettle boiling and whistling out its tune of steam. Most of the time though, it just results in hurting some feelings of others, making my kids more unhappy, and leaving me less time to get back to where I need to be.
Just now I’m desperately trying to remember what the Holy Spirit has been teaching me recently about these times: They don’t last for long. Ask for help from Jesus and then DO something- even a little something to move it in the right direction.
So the children are about to get up from the naps they haven’t yet taken, it’s almost time for Brandon to eat, and I’m tired from the nap I tried to take but was unsuccessful, yet GOD IS FAITHFUL! And I can start with something- maybe 5 minutes to clean up in the living room…
Sometimes these feelings come because I’ve changed my priorities and they are now out of balance. Sometimes this happens when the kids have just been cooped up inside too long because of bad weather. Occasionally we have the unexpected bout with an inoperable household appliance and that can throw everything off. Then, there is also the spiritual angle: The “I testified of God’s power in my life” and now it’s “Day after Testimony” time to live it out in a difficult circumstance. Today has all of the above!
The truth is…the break from it all, the emotional break down, and the irritability and anger usually don’t help. Sometimes it gets me a little help from someone else and sometimes it releases some pressure from inside like a kettle boiling and whistling out its tune of steam. Most of the time though, it just results in hurting some feelings of others, making my kids more unhappy, and leaving me less time to get back to where I need to be.
Just now I’m desperately trying to remember what the Holy Spirit has been teaching me recently about these times: They don’t last for long. Ask for help from Jesus and then DO something- even a little something to move it in the right direction.
So the children are about to get up from the naps they haven’t yet taken, it’s almost time for Brandon to eat, and I’m tired from the nap I tried to take but was unsuccessful, yet GOD IS FAITHFUL! And I can start with something- maybe 5 minutes to clean up in the living room…
Monday, November 14, 2005
short and butchered
As I write this, james has wet his pants, jonathon has been exerting big brother authority over his brothers, jeff’s air is stcking up due to over use of mayo for styling gel and rachel is eatting a little early because she was so tired she couldn’t wait 15 moe minutes. But things are ok…really. Actually we just got back from a nice weekend away and rachel is making fabulous strides in her physical abilities. Alas my brain goes much faster than I can type one handed. So I’m changingto bullet point style here:
-Rachel is crawling and actually climbed two steps today!
She’s five months old.
- Jonathon just succeeded in fighting the screen door to the death with a new sword and the sword one leaving the door with no less than 10 fatal stab wounds. Arg!
-James has succeeded in scrubbing out his stnky underwear in the toilet without my knowledge until later- twice – he did this voluntarily, lest you think I made him do it.
-Jef throws five star temper tantrums and does it so often, if you are interested in seeing one, feel free to stop by anytime, your chances are good that one will be in session.
-we went to the children’s museum in portsmouth and it was a great success aside from standing outside for 30 min cause they were full to capacity. The kids were very miserable and I even let them scream right at the feet of the lady telling people when to go in. she told us after about 30 seconds that maybe we could stand right inside until it was our turn. Oh??? Thanks!!!
-we had a bonfire sat. night and discovered jonathon loves them-especially the throwing wood into the fire part.
Ok, that’s all for now hope this was slightly intelligible.
-Rachel is crawling and actually climbed two steps today!
She’s five months old.
- Jonathon just succeeded in fighting the screen door to the death with a new sword and the sword one leaving the door with no less than 10 fatal stab wounds. Arg!
-James has succeeded in scrubbing out his stnky underwear in the toilet without my knowledge until later- twice – he did this voluntarily, lest you think I made him do it.
-Jef throws five star temper tantrums and does it so often, if you are interested in seeing one, feel free to stop by anytime, your chances are good that one will be in session.
-we went to the children’s museum in portsmouth and it was a great success aside from standing outside for 30 min cause they were full to capacity. The kids were very miserable and I even let them scream right at the feet of the lady telling people when to go in. she told us after about 30 seconds that maybe we could stand right inside until it was our turn. Oh??? Thanks!!!
-we had a bonfire sat. night and discovered jonathon loves them-especially the throwing wood into the fire part.
Ok, that’s all for now hope this was slightly intelligible.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Poochie Lips Anyone?
This week's highlight has been my two older boys singing the song, "The Poochie Lip Disease" almost nonstop. When they tire of that one, they switch to singing the ABC's. That's a new one here also. James has a solo in that song that he bellows out. While the rest of us sing, "H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P", he sings, "H-I-O an O an O an O an O an P" He puts a lot of effort into his part and as many of you know he can whisper sound like he's shouting in your ear.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Poochie Lip Disease, it's a song from Patch the Pirate Goes to the Jungle CD and the chorus goes like this:
The poochie lip will get you if you don't watch out.
The poochie lip will get you if you start to pout.
So take this little tip,
Please control your lower lip,
And chase away the poochie lip disease.
It also has two verses about King Ahab pouting over not having the vineyard, which both boys also know word for word. Anyway, they seem to want to sing this song morning, noon, and night. It's fun, but I've found myself humming it when I'm trying to sleep, when I'm in the shower and when I'm doing all sorts of housework. It might be getting to be a little much!
For the remainder of the time this week things have gone fairly well. I am intentionally leaving out today because I'm sick, I've felt miserable, things have been a bit hectic, and it seems to be trying to take over my happy feelings about the rest of the week- which I think actually has been marvelous.
It started after a refreshing weekend away from the boys, then I went to pick them up on Monday. That took most of the day, but I also managed to fit in a town trip that evening for groceries and other such things and took Jonathon with me. We had some good one on one time.
Tuesday we did a little school with the boys, we're on the letter "C" and I decided to take them to the library for books about things that started with "C", but when we got there, the cupboard was bare, and so the...oh wait, we were talking about the library. Um...it was closed. For some strange reason, our library is only open from 4pm-8pm Mon- Thurs. and Wed and Sat mornings. So, we came back home and went later that evening. Then I made flour bags for a Flour Bag War for Fellowship Mtg. with the students. (For those of you who are not familiar with this game, it's a variation of Capture the Flag with little bags of flour as weapons that you throw at the enemy) It went over pretty well except one girl got smacked in the eye with a bag and had a nasty black eye later that evening.
Wed. was productive with lots of housework done and a good meeting that night. We've been watching varioius DVDs about topics of today and I've enjoyed it so much I've made some extra efforts to attend. Normally I don't try to go on Wed. nights cause I either take the kids and spend my time just watching them, or I leave them in there beds and go, but have to check on them regularly because they are not always faithful about staying there. Lately, they've been behaving, so I've been going. We watched one about bacterial flaggellum (sp?) and how DNA and stuff can only be explained by intelligent design and NOT evolution. Next, we watched a DVD about the amazing things that God does to make a baby, all the little things down at the cellular level- WOW. Last Wed. we listened to a man give his testimony about standing for God even in the most difficult of situations. I was encouraged and impressed by his choices. Pretty amazing stuff and it's for ALL of US!
Thursday was um....I don't remember, but it was fine. Another day of school (we got three of those this week!) and work. I've spent lots of time with the children and oh, I went on the outreach trip with the students. That was interesting. I handed out cards with two other girls to various neighbors telling them about our church, our radio station, and asking them if they had any prayer requests we could take up. The people we spoke to were generally reserved, but willing to share a prayer request when we asked. Many people were not home. But I have to believe that it was a positive thing. Otherwise, I wasted my time and I refuse to admit I wasted my time doing such a thing!
The other thing that happened Thurs. was that T. Murray gave a talk that morning on overcoming the World. He referenced many verses that talked about how we, as sons and daughters in Christ HAVE overcome! One thing he mentioned that has been helpful was some comments he made on victory. There are so many places that talk about us being victorious now and overcoming sin and the world NOW! Many people see us as Christians being perfect and victorious in Heaven, but fewer see us as being victorious now, but I appreciated something he said, "The Bible, the Word of God trumps our experience!" AMEN!!!! And well it should! The Bible says that we are victorious now, so regardless of my experience, not matter that I think I may fail tomorrow, I AM A VICTOR over the World, because the Bible SAYS so. I believe the Bible and if I only believe it after what I experience and see, then how can I believe God is real and here? I HAVE TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE FIRST! And since I do, I can believe that I am successful for Jesus and that I HAVE overcome the flesh and the Devil by Jesus.
Ok, so Praise the Lord and that's all the sermon you have to endure for one day. I need to go pay attention to my children. Tata.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Poochie Lip Disease, it's a song from Patch the Pirate Goes to the Jungle CD and the chorus goes like this:
The poochie lip will get you if you don't watch out.
The poochie lip will get you if you start to pout.
So take this little tip,
Please control your lower lip,
And chase away the poochie lip disease.
It also has two verses about King Ahab pouting over not having the vineyard, which both boys also know word for word. Anyway, they seem to want to sing this song morning, noon, and night. It's fun, but I've found myself humming it when I'm trying to sleep, when I'm in the shower and when I'm doing all sorts of housework. It might be getting to be a little much!
For the remainder of the time this week things have gone fairly well. I am intentionally leaving out today because I'm sick, I've felt miserable, things have been a bit hectic, and it seems to be trying to take over my happy feelings about the rest of the week- which I think actually has been marvelous.
It started after a refreshing weekend away from the boys, then I went to pick them up on Monday. That took most of the day, but I also managed to fit in a town trip that evening for groceries and other such things and took Jonathon with me. We had some good one on one time.
Tuesday we did a little school with the boys, we're on the letter "C" and I decided to take them to the library for books about things that started with "C", but when we got there, the cupboard was bare, and so the...oh wait, we were talking about the library. Um...it was closed. For some strange reason, our library is only open from 4pm-8pm Mon- Thurs. and Wed and Sat mornings. So, we came back home and went later that evening. Then I made flour bags for a Flour Bag War for Fellowship Mtg. with the students. (For those of you who are not familiar with this game, it's a variation of Capture the Flag with little bags of flour as weapons that you throw at the enemy) It went over pretty well except one girl got smacked in the eye with a bag and had a nasty black eye later that evening.
Wed. was productive with lots of housework done and a good meeting that night. We've been watching varioius DVDs about topics of today and I've enjoyed it so much I've made some extra efforts to attend. Normally I don't try to go on Wed. nights cause I either take the kids and spend my time just watching them, or I leave them in there beds and go, but have to check on them regularly because they are not always faithful about staying there. Lately, they've been behaving, so I've been going. We watched one about bacterial flaggellum (sp?) and how DNA and stuff can only be explained by intelligent design and NOT evolution. Next, we watched a DVD about the amazing things that God does to make a baby, all the little things down at the cellular level- WOW. Last Wed. we listened to a man give his testimony about standing for God even in the most difficult of situations. I was encouraged and impressed by his choices. Pretty amazing stuff and it's for ALL of US!
Thursday was um....I don't remember, but it was fine. Another day of school (we got three of those this week!) and work. I've spent lots of time with the children and oh, I went on the outreach trip with the students. That was interesting. I handed out cards with two other girls to various neighbors telling them about our church, our radio station, and asking them if they had any prayer requests we could take up. The people we spoke to were generally reserved, but willing to share a prayer request when we asked. Many people were not home. But I have to believe that it was a positive thing. Otherwise, I wasted my time and I refuse to admit I wasted my time doing such a thing!
The other thing that happened Thurs. was that T. Murray gave a talk that morning on overcoming the World. He referenced many verses that talked about how we, as sons and daughters in Christ HAVE overcome! One thing he mentioned that has been helpful was some comments he made on victory. There are so many places that talk about us being victorious now and overcoming sin and the world NOW! Many people see us as Christians being perfect and victorious in Heaven, but fewer see us as being victorious now, but I appreciated something he said, "The Bible, the Word of God trumps our experience!" AMEN!!!! And well it should! The Bible says that we are victorious now, so regardless of my experience, not matter that I think I may fail tomorrow, I AM A VICTOR over the World, because the Bible SAYS so. I believe the Bible and if I only believe it after what I experience and see, then how can I believe God is real and here? I HAVE TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE FIRST! And since I do, I can believe that I am successful for Jesus and that I HAVE overcome the flesh and the Devil by Jesus.
Ok, so Praise the Lord and that's all the sermon you have to endure for one day. I need to go pay attention to my children. Tata.
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