Trying To Be Realistic In August

So, maybe I wrote this list back in May. And maybe I bit off more than I could handle, or had the energy or organization for. And maybe I am ready to make an updated, more realistic list that can actually be accomplished before we officially start school on September 3.

1) Pray without ceasing.
2) Get back on the bandwagon with my Bible Gateway reading plan and enjoy it, not just read to check it off the app.
3) Make my relationship with Kyle a priority: Continue almost weekly date nights, figure out times to chat for fun and planning times.
4) Continue having LOTS of play and reading time with Paul. Help him weed his pumpkin patch.
5) Reading time with Isaac.
6) Write with John and have him teach me origami. Plan a great 10th birthday for him on the 13th!
7) Play outside with those boys every day. I’ve only been in the pool once this summer!
8) More talks with Rachel about growing up and fashion. Help her with her fall clothes.
9) Listen to Luke. Get to know that boy better. Enjoy him. Make his birthday on the 28th super!
10) Talking with Adam. Figuring out a plan for the school year.
11) Connect with my Good Morning Girls Bible Study group and decide about the September study.
12) Be a good neighbor–invite someone over for dinner.
13) Be a good church friend– ditto.
14) Help the children budget their mission money and write letters to our World Vision children.
15) Exercise daily.
16) Write a note–thank you, encouragement, birthday, etc. at least three times a week.
17) Write something every day.
18) Blog at least three times a week.
19) Update and organize our calendar for August and September with speech and debate, 4H and our new music and theatre classes, in addition to regular church activities and family fun.
20) Continue clearing out and scrub the laundry room.
21) Organizing the school room.
22) Help with and encourage progress with the bonus room renovation.
23) Continue making a simple, organized meal plan.
24)Finish my dad’s birthday project from last year.
25) Go to bed by 10 each night and get up at 6 a.m. daily.

AND, love, love, love my family.

Psalm 90:12 (ESV)
“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Birthdays, Boys and Blessings: Hello New Week

I’m writing, for the first time, a “Hello new week” post and linking in the comments at Lisa Leonard’s blog.

20130729-215256.jpg
The new five-year-old telling me a story at the park in Virginia earlier this month.

20130729-215455.jpg
The will-be-17 tomorrow-year-old posing for me at the pool at the Homewood Suites in Virginia.

20130729-215548.jpg
Lifeguarding for my boys, minus the two oldest, plus two neighbor’s grandsons.

20130729-220458.jpg
Painting an antique thrift-store tool box this afternoon with my two youngest and a neighbor’s grandson.

Hello today’s birthday date with my five-year-old youngest.

Hello celebrating my oldest turning 17 (!!!!!) tomorrow. How in the world?

Hello meeting new neighbors yesterday (they came to introduce themselves–we are a lame greeting committee) 🙁

Hello continuing the major de-cluttering. We are very grateful for a gracious trash service and will be giving them a gift Wednesday morning as a thank you!

Hello lifeguarding.

Hello cooler temps, which make being outside wonderful, but the un-heated pool not-so-much. (Yea! Short lifeguarding break!) 🙂

Hello getting the children registered for our second year of speech and debate.

Hello going to the big city county fair on Friday for the first time in years to see the children’s first year blue ribbon 4H exhibits that moved on from our club’s small county fair. (That was a confusing mouthful!)

Hello volunteering with Rachel to sort new school supplies for the Salvation Army with new friends on Saturday.

Hello planning on enjoying the last month of summer before we start school after Labor Day.

And, Hello doing this again next week!

Psalm 135:5 (NKJV)
For I know that the Lord is great,
And our Lord is above all gods.

Blessed With Good News: Out Of The Blue On Thursdays

Last week my youngest saved the day with a cuddle .
On Monday, I received good medical news, the kind that makes you overflow with relief. The kind that, before you received it, made you stop, think about the what-ifs and re-evaluate a few things.
Why did I get the good news, while I am sure there were others in the same office, on the same day, that did not? A gift of grace for my day. For my life. My week was changed, my attitude changed, I hope my life from here on out, changed.
I have struggled this summer with a self-diagnosed lack-of-joy. Tired of the mundane, daily, repetitive chores. Tired of referring sibling squabbles. Just tired.
This week I have felt a relief, a refresh, a recharge.
I hope this feeling is not a fluke, but will transform me into a better Jesus follower, wife, mother, daughter, friend.

20130724-184853.jpg

Taken at the St. James Park on Monday a few hours after my good news: Pretty proud of himself, cramming his big-boy body into a baby swing and expecting me to pry him out! And the socks, the wrong size bought by a friend and given to him the day before. He had to wear them, not his no-shows, in the 90s heat. Pulled up–all.the.way! Mr. Slick!

Psalm 30:11-12 (ESV)
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Five Minute Friday: Fall

Joining in to write another Five Minute Friday post.

The rules:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Fall

I worked so hard to make everything safe when they were little. Rubber edges and corners for the fireplace (still have them), the “Slow downs!,” “Be careful!,” “Watch where you’re going!”‘ and on and on.

Then those older three decided to become teens, and the next one almost 10, the next just turned eight and the baby, well, at almost five, he’s not a baby anymore.

I learned that I had to prepare for their fall. They were going to come. Only one broken arm, and that was the girl on our brick kitchen floor, trying to catch her baby brother seven years ago as he started to fall. One set of stitches to the head and one to an arm, one trip for glue to the head.

They fall, I learn to relax, we are getting through this wonderful life together.

They climb trees, I sometimes can’t watch. Skateboarding, bike riding, all good, all scary for mom.

I want to not fear the falls, I want to help them try to avoid what they can and recover from what they can’t. I love my six.

20130606-225413.jpg

The older three on an outcropping at the South Rim of The Grand Canyon.

20130606-225623.jpg
The younger three with Daddy, waiting for their big sibs. Some things you have to say no to. That would have been too far too fall!

Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Five Minute Friday: View

Five Minute FridayFive Minute Friday.

View
GO

The view gets a bit fuzzy some days in the tired.
Thinking yesterday afternoon when the blog engineer wanted to cuddle me and our youngest came in and talked and talked and asked so many questions in a 30-second period. These days aren’t going to last long.

Listening to a podcast yesterday evening, while adding up the last two month’s grocery receipts, I heard the encouragement from two mamas with children in their 20s to slow down, don’t wish these days away, have more fun with your children.

Thinking-how in the world do we eat so much? Well, there are eight of us. Two teen boys, a teen-ish girl, tween boy and two younger (can’t call them “little”) boys. It won’t last forever.

I am so going to miss these days. I don’t want to miss them now.
The view is clearer here in the early morning with a quiet house.
I’m going in a few hours to take my oldest to get his driving permit!
STOP.

I didn’t do well with five minutes this morning. I added three minutes to the timer, in one minute increments (Not recommended for optimum concentration!)

20130524-055003.jpg

This gift was on my photo stream. I found it early, while looking for inspiration before starting the timer. These two boys, the type-a twins separated by 11 years and 360 days and their triplet sister who snuck in, while on a walk in the neighborhood with Daddy last night.

Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)
“So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Diabetes Blog Week: Day 3, Memories

I wrote the following as a comment to this post back in February.

“I really appreciate your thoughts, Emily. I think a lot about a diabetes diagnosis (February) this time of year. My son’s to be specific, 8 years ago next Friday. He was 18 months old and I was 6 months pregnant with baby #5.
His diagnosis was not as traumatic as yours sounds, his blood sugar was “only” 350 when he was tested at the pediatrician’s office after I noticed his increasing thirst and diaper wetting.
He spent two nights in the hospital and began taking four insulin injections per day.
I truly did not appreciate a nurses’s prophetic words that it would not be so bad because he wouldn’t remember life before diabetes. She was right, but I remember it and mourn for those simpler days.
I am a blessed mama and though I would drop diabetes in a heartbeat if I could, I have never felt angry at God, as I do know that he has a plan for my kind-hearted, beautiful-blue-eyed boy. He has diabetes, he is not a diabetic. We don’t let us define us, though it has definitely refined us.
Thank you again for sharing.”

I thought I would add to that, and I probably will someday, to tell the full story, but I can’t think about diabetes any more today, except of course in real life. 🙂

I am editing this post on Thursday…
Yesterday, I had included Emily’s reply, but kept thinking about it and didn’t have a peace about posting it. It wasn’t a private reply, but I didn’t have permission to post it here. It is on the post I linked to at the beginning. I know that was a long and rambly explanation. That pretty much sums up what’s going on inside my brain 😉

20130515-173949.jpg
Playing at The Discovery Center on February 15, 2005, a week before diagnosis.

20130515-174123.jpg
Playing at home, also before diagnosis.
He wore these slippers during his two-day hospital stay, along with the baby blue hospital gown that came to his ankles. (I couldn’t even imagine taking any pictures then–those hospital images are burned into my brain. Maybe John would have liked to see them though.)

Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)
God Is Our Fortress

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

Diabetes Blog Week: Day 1, Seeing Our Real Life

I like to write and have been enjoying having a blog. While spending way too much time contemplating blog names, I tried different combinations including sugar and gluten, diabetes and celiac. I just couldn’t envision only writing about auto-immune diseases, though they are a huge drain on my brain. That said, I am going to spend this week writing about diabetes. Hopefully my posts will be a bit more organized than last time.

The prompt for today is:

“Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one’s daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don’t see?”

I think our doctor and nurse practitioner have a pretty good sense of what our daily life is like, as far as diabetes is concerned. We try to eat well, we count carbs, John has an acceptable A1C.
We are blessed to be able to homeschool, so we don’t have the school issues to deal with. That is one stressor off my shoulders. (Well, to keep it real, homeschooling in and of itself is a stressor in many ways, but I’ll save that for a different post.)

The second question is harder. Or more embarrassing.

While I have been able to do what needs to be done and focus in on carb counting, mostly whole food meals and the like, it has come at an expense.
I don’t know anyone who can do it “all,” I certainly can’t. So, since I have the diabetes thing to do, there are many times my brain and therefore body is just too wiped to keep the house in the condition that I would like for it to be. It has taken me a long time to figure that out. At least that’s my excuse. I have spent a lot of time feeling badly about myself because my house doesn’t look like a magazine or what I imagine my friends’ houses look like.

This is what I hope they don’t see:

20130513-144350.jpg

Our living room and my writing nook, with children waiting for me to read aloud, laundry to be put away and lots of books, magazines and assorted paperwork for me so sort.

20130513-145418.jpg
One more, for good measure.

Of course it doesn’t look like this when I invite people over. I can kick it into high gear when I have to. I also have children who love to socialize, so they are pretty willing to help out when we are having people over. It’s the daily routines that I struggle with. I’m attempting to figure out solutions, I do know I need structure.

Life isn’t all about diabetes (or celiac), though it feels that way sometimes.

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

After Attending My First Writing Workshop

So, today was the day. The learn day. The day I took the plunge and called myself a writer. I attended a “Writing To Publish” workshop that was held for the first time at our local homeschool convention, which begins tomorrow.

The workshop, (which I repeatedly referred to as a conference yesterday)–newbie oops 😉 was presented by Carol Barnier.

She has written several books and scores of magazine articles over the past decade plus. I have been reading her submissions to The Heart of the Matter homeschool blog for several years.

I was not planning to attend, because:
* I didn’t feel that I was on a track to publish anything.
*I couldn’t really justify the expense of a workshop when this writing thing is just a hobby.
*The workshop wasn’t covering “exactly what I thought I needed, which is creativity and writing encouragement.

I learned:
* Magazine article writing would be a great way to be published. (With lots of brushing up and practice.)
* My husband felt the expense was justified.
* Had the workshop covered what I really wanted, I would have been totally overwhelmed.

The conference was a great overview of the writing-to-publish process (just as the brochure promised). I had heard of queries, agents, book proposals, but didn’t know what they were and when they were required. Now I do. And I’m tired.

My three biggest take-aways:
* Don’t wait to feel inspired before I write. Just write. Regularly. It will help develop my “voice.”
* The thought-mapping exercise was so helpful. It made me think about myself, my experience, who I am, what I am living and how that can translate into potential writing assignments. (If I am led to go that route, still not sure about that.) Kyle?
* Everyone gets rejection.

Now, on to some organizing, scheduling of all things Heironimus, more writing and lots of prayer.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”