All I Can Do is Laugh!

Life has been quite busy around here. Dan had surgery on both of his shoulders 3 weeks ago, the twins are moving full steam ahead in Kindergarten, I'm pluggin' along with my 2 full-time jobs at home and my part-time job as a Dental Hygienist, and... the saga with my extended family continues.

I've tried to remove myself from the whole situation, and I've done a pretty good job of removing myself physically, but emotionally...well, how does one not think about such a situation? I try to pray about it instead of worry about it or become angry about it, but, well, what can I say? I'm an imperfect human. I'm really just very blue about all of this. Especially because the holidays are fast approaching and my sister won't talk to me and my parents are upset with me because I haven't taken my sister's side in all of this. Let's all say it together, "DYSFUNCTION!"

The lighter side? This could relieve much of the holiday stress that I usually have to face. I won't have to referee at the dinner table, or facilitate small talk. This could be good.

On a brighter note, Adam & Katie are just taking off in Kindergarten! They are like little sponges soaking up all the fundamentals of reading and math, and science. It is so exciting to see them learning so much and so quickly.

Sophie goes to Noni & Bomas' house for a 2-day sleepover every week. She's being spoiled...as are they! They've never had the experience of having just one grandchild at a time. I think they really look forward to Sophie's weekly visit. It will be sad for them when she goes to preschool next fall.

Dan is doing well with his recovery, although his range of motion is very limited right now. He goes to physical therapy once a week and should be getting back to normal in the upcoming months.

Well, that's all I have to say about that. Life! What a journey! I'm looking forward to the destination!

It's Been A While...

Where does the time go? I began the summer with a whole list of "fun" things to do with the kids...that list has very few check marks on it. I don't know where the time went. But, I do have a list of what we did this summer...it goes like this:

1. I went to NYC, called home from La Guardia Airport to let Dan know my Orlando-bound plane was delayed. He proceeded to tell me that he and Katie just got back from the ER. She fell and possibly broke her wrist. Nice. I got in at 2:00am. Called the Orthopedic doc at 8:00am and spent the afternoon in the doc's office only to learn it was just a sprain...thank God.

2. Took all 3 kids to the beach...by myself! I must have had a moment of temporary insanity to think that this would be fun and relaxing. Fun, yes for the kids...not even remotely relaxing for me. What was I thinkin'?

3. We decided to save $ this summer, so both sets of grandparents "switched off" with babysitting on the days that I worked. One week my mom came to our house, the next week the kids spent the night at Dan's parents' house. Those weeks that the kids spent away...pure bliss...a little hard to adjust to the silence and the sleep at first, but that didn't take too long! I'm kinda sad summer's over...no more "me" time every other week.

4. Orthopedic Incident #2 - Adam tripped over something on the floor in his room when he was supposed to be in bed...2 lessons here - put things where they belong, and go to bed when Mom says. Anyway, the foot doubled in size and the kid limped for 2 days. Having learned the signs and symptoms of a sprain from Katie's ordeal earlier in the summer, I wrapped his foot in an Ace bandage, made him do Epsom Salt soaks, and waited for it to get better. It did, then Katie stepped on the foot and it got worse. Made another trip to see the Orthopedic doc. 4 x-rays later...it's just a sprain, he's too little for crutches or just "keeping his foot up" so the doc recommended a good pair of running shoes to support his little foot...I never thought I'd do it, but I went out and bought my 5-year-old son a pair of Nike shoes. Many $$'s later, the foot's better.

5. After much ado...which included zone waivers, waiting periods, physicals, shot records, registration appointments, blah, blah, blah.............Adam & Katie got registered for Kindergarten! Again, where does the time go?

6. We went on a "Staycation" this past weekend. That's kind of like a fake vacation. We went to the beach for a night. Cocoa beach. One of my least favorite beaches...not sure how we ended up there. We spent Friday on the beach, slept over, and woke up the next morning, checked out and went to one of my favorite beaches, Playa Linda. A much more beautiful beach, with much better waves than Cocoa.

7. Orthopedic Incident #3...Dan was body surfing at Playa Linda Beach, got hit by a huge wave, and has had constant, unbearable, uncontrollable pain radiating from his right arm, with numbness in the fingers of his right hand. So, I made yet another call to the orthopedic doc. Dan is going to see him today.

8. Adam & Katie will meet their Kindergarten teachers on Thursday and school will start 1 week from today. Good Times!

I'm hoping to have one last week of fun with my sweet babies. My goal is to just really keep my focus on them this week. I have the rest of my life to clean the house and do the laundry. This is the only "1 week before they start Kindergarten" I'll ever have!

Kids...

Look at these adorable kids!!!

My kids CRACK me up! Sophie always wants to play rock, paper, scissors. So she goes, "wok, paypo, paypo, shoot!" (she forgets the scissors) and immediately says, "ha, ha, I win!" She thinks scissors wins every time so she always chooses scissors. Well, if I play with her I know she's gonna pick scissors, so I pick rock and I then say, "ha ha, I win!" To which Sophie responds by throwing a massive temper tantrum on the floor, screaming "I don't want to be the loser! I'm supposed to be the winner!" Oh. My. She's 3! I wonder how many times I have that same tantrum in my own head on any given day...and I'm almost 30 years older than her.

I guess it's about 5 weeks until Adam & Katie start Kindergarten. Bittersweet! What ever will I do with myself? Rhetorical question of course... As if there will ever be a time in the next 50 years of my life that... you get the picture.

I wish my kids would go to a school with mandatory school uniforms. Imagine that, no arguments about what we're going to wear. A girl can dream can't she?

A Better Day

No ranting today...My sister is going through some personal crises right now and I'm the safest person for her to lash out at because I typically just swallow it down without retaliation. I'm trying to reach out to her, but she has this belief that I'm judging her and I think I'm superior to her. Neither is true, but the enemy is working hard. I'm praying for my sister. Mainly that she would walk in His truth and learn not to listen to the enemy's lies. That she would see that I love her and I want what's best for her. That I want to help her attain her goals, but that success doesn't come easily, nor does it come without major sacrifices.

On a lighter note, I had a great day at work yesterday. My boss gave me a bonus at the end of the day. Occasionally he just hands me some cash and says, "here you go, have fun." It's so refreshing to be appreciated...and monetarily at that! I'm so blessed by my job.

Now, I have to get my housework done so I can have some fun. I'm not sure what I'll do today. Maybe take the kids somewhere so they can work off some of their excessive energy. I hope everyone has a very happy 4th of July! Be safe!

A Rant...

My little sister doesn't like me very much. I know this, beacuse she says so. I'm not sure why. Isn't that sad? My only sibling. All I know is that she's my sister and I love her. Yes, we are different. Yes, we are in different places in our lives. Yes, I've not always been kind to her...she's almost 10 years younger than me and she cramped my style. But, when all is said and done I LOVE my sister. I try to walk in the Spirit and not be judgemental, and I try to show her unconditional love. Though, I do admit that I sometimes fail...what can I say, I'm human. Thanks for listening/reading...just had to rant for a minute to clear my brain of this frustration.

Hello Old Friend...

Well, it seems I've been incommunicado for a week or so. Our trip to Miami was good, but exhausting. Upon our return my kids, one by one, came down with very high fevers. This threw an interesting twist to my schedule since Dan was out of town and Adam couldn't go to school on Thursday - when I had to go to work. Luckily my mom is currently without a job and I was able to call her at the last minute to come and be with Adam.

The Wedding in Miami was a nice "American Style" wedding. No weird food or anything! We went to a BBQ at the bride's parent's house the day after and Adam told the bride, "that was the worst wedding ever! The music was so loud!" He sounded like a little old man. Luckily, the bride got a good laugh and wasn't offended.

I tried on a $50,000 sapphire ring while I was there...it was the property of a New York jeweler, who is trying to sell it through Dan's cousin to someone in Boca Raton. It was a perfect fit, but was too gaudy for my taste, besides I can think of a few better things to spend $50,000 on.

Friday was the Persian New Year. I took the kids over to Dan's parent's on Friday morning for the festivities. Which includes a little ritual of being sprinkled with rose water, looking into a mirror while smiling, eating something sweet, and walking two doors down to Dan's uncle's house to do the same thing again. Typically Dan's uncle makes this neat Iranian dessert which is called Faloudeh (Faw-loo-day). It's kinda like tapioca without the pudding part, rose water syrup (which I have finally acquired a taste for after 13 years!), milk, & ice cream. Anybody who wants to give it a whirl can come over for a foloudeh party sometime. Anyway, he didn't make it this year. Drat! That's my favorite part. My Mother-in-Law requested that he not make it because everyone is on a diet. Hhhmmph!

Yesterday, 3 chicks hatched from our eggs. Cute little blonde chicks. I'll post pics tomorrow, maybe. My internet is acting up...

A Simple Woman's Daybook

A Simple Woman's Daybook for today...February 9, 2009

Outside my window...Most everything is brown. There is a mystical blanket of fog covering the blueberry fields in the "valley" to the north of our house. The sun casts an early morning shade of yellow across the yard.

I am thinking...I have a little more tolerance for life this week than I did last week.

From the learning rooms...Maybe we'll do some Valentines.

I am thankful for...My semi-clean house, the 1 load of laundry I have to do today, a fridge that's stocked with food.

From the kitchen...Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef Stew) with brown rice, Thai Peanut Chicken, Roasted Chicken with Sun dried Tomatoes & Artichokes.

I am wearing...Jeans, a long sleeved white tee, & a pea green wrap sweater that ties at the side.

I am reading...I just finished "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" & I thoroughly enjoyed it! Next, I may read "The Invisible Wall" by Harry Bernstien or "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs. We'll see if my Po' Dunk library has either one of them. If not, I'll be looking for another classic. Any suggestions???

I am hoping...for more spring-like weather this week. This chill in the air has cut right through me this season and I need a little warm sunshine on my face.

I am creating...I am still laboriously knitting this baby sock. I may not end up knitting the mate, because let's face it, life is too short to do things that just aren't fun. I'm also knitting this little baby slipper which is much more fun than the sock.

I am hearing...Sophie just walked in to tell me that she peed her pants. Are you kidding? The kids has been potty trained for at least 2 months. I don't get it.

Around the house...clutter as usual, but beyond that there's not that much to do.

One of my favorite things...CAKE! Homemade cake. Chocolate Homemade Cake. Chocolate Homemade Cake with Homemade Chocolate Ganache for icing.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Today is Dan's birthday, maybe a special dinner tonight. I have a date with a root canal specialist tomorrow. Wed. night we have our accountability group. Friday we have a special little get together. At some point this week I'll need to go buy coffee and coffee filters or somebody might get hurt. Just Sayin'

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing... Sophie is a girl after my own heart!

A Little Mp3 Humor

I saw this over at the "Tree Climber's" blog. Thought it would be fun. Disclaimer: I share this Mp3 player with Dan and his taste in music is, well, a little ghetto sometimes.

1. Put your iPod (or MP3 player) on shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button for your answer.3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.4. Tag some Moms you admire who could use a laugh and a song.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A MOM? Big Boi (Fantasia) he he!

WHAT DID YOU THINK THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW YOUR BABY? She's a Butterfly (Martina McBride) oh my, how sweet! I really thought, "I sure hope she grows into that nose!"

WHAT DID YOU DO THE FIRST MORNING AFTER A SLEEPLESS NIGHT? Unchanging (Chris Tomlin) Yes, it's unchanging - still havin' those sleepless nights!

WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN SOMEONE COLORS ON THE WALL? Summertime (Kenny G & George Benson)

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH A TODDLER'S BODILY FLUID ISSUES? Better is One Day (Third Day)

IF SOMEONE SAYS "Can I have a snack" YOU SAY: Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet (Tchaikovsky) hmmm

IF SOMEONE LEAVES THEIR STUFF ON THE FLOOR YOU SAY: Good Time (Alan Jackson) he he! "I been workin' all week and I'm tired, and I don't want to sleep, just want to have fun, time for a good time) Yes, that sums it up!

IF SOMEONE ISN'T SICK TODAY YOU SAY: let's groove tonight (Earth Wind & Fire)

HOW DO YOUR KIDS ENJOY YOUR COOKING? Blessed Assurance (Third Day)

HOW DID YOUR KIDS DO IN SCHOOL TODAY? Aint No Other Man (Christina Aguilera) hmmm?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHILE YOU SIT IN THE CARPOOL LINE/ DRIVE THRU? Just For You (Lionel Ritchie) yes, that's how I justify eating that fried chicken sandwich & french fries from Chick-Fil-A.

HOMESCHOOLERS, WHAT IS THE FIRST SUBJECT TAUGHT OF THE DAY? I not a homeschooler, so how about HOW DOES OUR DAY START? A World to Believe In (Celine Dion)

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS WANT TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP? Take My Life (Third Day) AWWWW! I pray that this will be true.

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY AS A MOM? Morning After (Kevin Carlberg) I'm cheatin' let's try again: Made To Worship (Chris Tomlin) yes, that's better.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE AS A MOM? The Good Stuff (Kenny Chesney) aww!

HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE REALLY A MOM? Are You Washed In The Blood (Alan Jackson) YES! I realized that I would not survive another day of Motherhood without the blood of the Lamb!

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO AS A MOM? California Dreamin' (Queen Latifah) ha ha! I wish this was mu motto, I might not scream as much.


WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MOST OFTEN AS A MOM? Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Michael McDonald) Yes, I can do this.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY AS A MOM? Don't Know Why I Didn't Come (Michael Buble & Norah Jones) Yes I do know, I have 3 kids and I can't! I'm not bitter, really I'm not.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET AS A MOM? I've Always Loved You (Third Day) Not a regret! This shuffle thing is so fickle!

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE AS A MOM? Do You Remember (Jack Johnson) hmmm?

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS DO THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Come Away With Me (Norah Jones) hmmm?

WHAT DID YOUR KIDS DO THAT MADE YOU CRY? I Told You So (Randy Travis)

WHAT DO YOUR KIDS DO THAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Disco Inferno (Earth Wind & Fire) Um Yeah! I feel quite scared that my kids might burn my house down!


HOW DO YOUR KIDS DESCRIBE YOU AS A MOM? Theme From Forrest Gump - okay, that's just wrong! Run Mommy, Run!

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Jacksonville (Josh Turner) ???

WHAT WILL YOUR MOM OF THE YEAR CERTIFICATE SAY?Like Red On A Rose (Alan Jackson) AWWWW!

Hi, My Name Is Sue. I'm a Recovering...

You name it, I'm jaded in almost every way. I have to admit that before I had kids, 3 kids in 22 months that is, I was obsessed with making sure my house was SPOTLESS before anyone came over (not obsessed with having it spotless at all times, just when someone other than Dan & I would see it). Well, my kids have cured me of that little obsession. I'm officially recovered. Now all I care about is that my hair has been brushed and I'm not in the PJ's. I'm still quite ashamed to let someone see that I'm not the perfect housekeeper, but it is what it is!
We had friends over for dinner last night and it's so nice to have friends in my life who are so loving and "real." I can put down my guard, focus on the friendship, & know that they'll still love me even though there are dishes in the sink and I haven't swept the floor. No explanations necessary. That's very liberating. My day will come when my babies are all grown up, living independently of me, possibly far away from me; I'll have a clean house then. I'm trying to live every day remembering that that day will come before I'm ready, so as long as I can cuddle my little ones in my lap, let the dishes stay dirty.

A Story of a Girl...

A few weeks ago I mentioned that you should swing back by here for a story involving Katie, a dead mouse, and an almost-empty water bottle. Well, here's how the story goes. The first day I worked at my new office here in town, my mom babysat for me. When I got home from work my mom gave me a "heads up" about a dead mouse she found in the garage. She kicked the mouse out of the garage onto the driveway (don't ask me why she didn't kick it out of site into the bushes, I guess she wanted me to see the good that she had done by at least removing it from the garage). She showed me where it was when she was leaving (don't ask me why I didn't kick it out of site into the bushes, I guess I'm my mother's daughter). After waving goodbye to my mom, I left the twins to ride their bikes on the driveway (for those of you who don't know where I live, don't be so quick to snatch my mom badge, we are in a very rural area - so it's relatively safe for the kids to play alone just outside the garage), I went in to start cooking dinner, got a phone call from a friend, talked on the phone much longer than I should have, and was interrupted by Katie who very proudly walked into my kitchen with a plastic water bottle that I saw had about three inches of water in it. What I didn't see until she, again very proudly, said "look mommy!" and shoved the bottle toward my face. Oh. My. Word! The dead mouse was now in the water bottle. "Who put that in there?!" I exclaimed. "I did." Said Katie, again, full of pride. Now, quite horrified, I ask, "Katie, how did you get that in there?!" Katie says, "just with my fingers." Uhh, duhhhhh. I'm dumbfounded. I have no words. I snatched the water bottle from her, told her to go wash her hands with hot water and to do it twice. Did I throw the bottle in the trash? No! I just had to show Dan this half-empty water bottle with a dead mouse floating in it. I have to admit, looking back at this, there are three generations of females here who all made poor choices regarding this one little dead mouse, but Katie's choice, oh. my. This chick is quite the bug collector, and "toucher" of all things gross. She's not disgusted by anything.

Later that evening when I showed Dan, it pretty much just reinforced his long-time hypothesis that Katie was deprived of oxygen at birth. She does do some very strange things, but I think she's just very artistic. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Dark Chocolate S'mores = Decadence

So, since we have a big group of family visiting from Canada this week, two of whom are fresh off the boat from Iran, we thought we'd have a little fire in the backyard and do some good ole fashioned American s'mores. Since I was the one delegated to get the ingredients, I decided that a little decadence was needed - I'm typically not a big fan of s'mores because I don't care much for milk chocolate...yes, I'm a choco-snob. I got Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bars for those of us who have refined taste buds and plain old Hershey's for the rest of the folks (who couldn't tell good chocolate from tree bark...just sayin'). I have to say, I've never enjoyed a s'mores quite like I enjoyed the 2 I ate last night! On my list of "quick, yet decadent desserts," Dark Chocolate S'mores.

Sweet Stuff

Well, now that the job situation is under control, it's time to get out of my funk and start doing some holiday baking. I have several new cookie recipes I want to try. Thin and crispy oatmeal chocolate chip are among the first on my list. My dad is always talking about these cookies that his friend's mom used to make way way back. He has lost the recipe, and being the pessimistic fatalist that he is (along with everyone else in my family), he thinks it's impossible to duplicate that recipe. Nothing motivates me more than hearing someone tell me something can't be done (most especially if it's my dad doing the telling). So, game's on! I'll keep you posted.

On another note, we had some discouraging news from Dan's dad's cardiologist. Dan's dad is having atrial fibrillation (AF) and his MD has put him on blood thinners to prevent a stroke. He had a triple bypass 4 years ago. Upon learning of the AF, Dan's dad told him that he knows he won't be here much longer. Scary stuff! The most scary, he's not saved and he doesn't speak english. When opportunities have arisen for me to "gently" witness to him, nobody would translate for me because they said it would just start a fight. So, I'm just praying... It really bugs me that we're now at that stage in our lives that we have to face the unavoidable mortality of our loved ones.

And on a more positive note, I do feel like God could use me to bring this new dentist to the knowledge of His saving grace. I asked a coworker if the doc goes to church, she quickly replied, "no." We'll see where that goes.

I decked some halls today. I put some very pretty evergreen garland with red velvet hydrangeas on my mantle today. I also put some poinsettia garland over the top of my big mirror in my front entry. So, a little de-funking is going on around here. I thought that once I got this new job I would instantly feel better. Well. I. don't. I know things take time, but I'm not sure that I'm still sore about the two (previously noted) creeps. It's just really hard being a working mom. Don't get me wrong, I like to work, it's all the other "details" that need to be worked out as a result of my working. Such as childcare - especially if the kids are sick, housework, meals, baths, etc... It's also very draining to be new-on-the-job. It really requires a tremendous amount of energy to prove myself worthy/proficient/efficient/trustworthy, among other things, the first couple of weeks. Although, these are my rules. Nobody expects as much from me as I expect from myself.

Anyway, stay tuned for a very interesting, but slightly disturbing story about Katie, a dead mouse, & an almost-empty water bottle...