Ok, first of all....go ahead...ohhh and ahhh about my amazing new autumn template that is motivating me to put away the summer seashell decor and get out my lovely pumpkin candles and assorted knick knacks before it is time to pull out the Christmas decorations.
Now, it is time for the occasional deep thought that runs through my brain during my weekday commute in between the usual thoughts of "Should I stop and get a donut on my way home" or "Man, I should have peed before I left work". Yesterday, the thought was "AHHHHH! There is a stink bug on my passenger side window. Must. Get. It. Out.....". So, I rolled down my window but the little bugger held on for dear life as I zoomed down the highway. I expected him/her to fly off at any minute, maybe when a big truck went by it would scare it away. Nope. So, I grabbed my only weapon within reach. A headband and tried to swat at it. It held on. I then rolled up the window thinking perhaps if it straddled the window I would just squash it gently when it reached the top. Nope, it was still clearly on the inside of the window. The entire time I'm driving I'm worried about it flying up in my face and that thought would trigger a new plan...i.e. the hairband, window up, speeding up, slowing down, grabbing my coat from the back seat and flinging it violently as I drive down I83....that stink bug still held on.
Then, I stopped. I looked at it. I looked at the road. I still did not want it to fly in my face, but I no longer wanted to kill it. I actually admired its perseverance and endurance. It was a courageous little stink bug that moments ago I would have gladly flicked under the tire of a car driving next to me simply because it was insignificant and stinky if you mess with it. I felt like God spoke to me in that moment and said that I've done that to people, too. I may not have wanted a bus to run over (most of) them, but I've tried to "get rid" of them because they were annoying me. I didn't want them "in my face" or distracting me. So, in my own way I dismissed them without a thought of what they had to offer under their "stinky" exterior.
When I got home and was safely in the driveway I carefully flicked the little stink bug into the grass. As I did that, I prayed that I would show the same compassion and gentleness to ALL of God's creation, even when they act like little stinkers!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Attention Co-Workers.....
.....please keep all hands and feet inside your cubicle at all times. Melissa is starting another weight loss adventure and if she doesn't have a nervous breakdown and start trying to eat human appendages, she may just kick you hard because she's grumpy. Or, something like that.
Ok, seriously...I'm not going to go all cannibal or anything. But, after weeks of prodding, I caved in to The Husband's request to order PX90 or P90X or whatever it is called. He said he wants to transform his abs into a six-pack but I told him they look fine as a 2-liter, just like mine! He has been talk, talk, talking about how we NEED to get this (I didn't even know what it was until last night. I kept telling him I'm not taking any weird non-FDA approved diet drug).
Poor, sweet innocent boy. He has never really had to concern himself with the issue of weight loss, unlike my experienced self who has been dieting or thinking about dieting since I was about 8 years old when I looked in the mirror at dance class and decided my head was way too small for my body (don't worry my head has caught up now....kinda). Which is why when he declared we are going to do this insane workout (it is 13 DVDs targeted to confuse your muscles so you never plateau) I just chuckled under my breath. It is an hour or two EVERYday for 90 days along with an eating plan. I was like what? You mean I exercise for an hour and I don't get to eat what I want? Hmmmm, that sounds familiar.....I think the common phrase for that is called "boot camp". And, the timing of 90 days leading up to Christmas, I'm "lol"ing as I type......
So, yes, my faithful readers....you've walked this walk with me before with my Wii Fit and my Jillian Michaels (well, not really because I only did her dvd twice), and I think we also marched through a Biggest Loser competition with some friends in which I only won because I took laxatives the night before we weighed in.....but, I digress. I have lowered the bar of my expectations this time. My goal is to merely live through an hour of daily exercise and eating who-knows-what for 90 days. All I want is to have a pulse at the end of it and not to have devoured some unsuspecting co-worker in the process.
Ok, seriously...I'm not going to go all cannibal or anything. But, after weeks of prodding, I caved in to The Husband's request to order PX90 or P90X or whatever it is called. He said he wants to transform his abs into a six-pack but I told him they look fine as a 2-liter, just like mine! He has been talk, talk, talking about how we NEED to get this (I didn't even know what it was until last night. I kept telling him I'm not taking any weird non-FDA approved diet drug).
Poor, sweet innocent boy. He has never really had to concern himself with the issue of weight loss, unlike my experienced self who has been dieting or thinking about dieting since I was about 8 years old when I looked in the mirror at dance class and decided my head was way too small for my body (don't worry my head has caught up now....kinda). Which is why when he declared we are going to do this insane workout (it is 13 DVDs targeted to confuse your muscles so you never plateau) I just chuckled under my breath. It is an hour or two EVERYday for 90 days along with an eating plan. I was like what? You mean I exercise for an hour and I don't get to eat what I want? Hmmmm, that sounds familiar.....I think the common phrase for that is called "boot camp". And, the timing of 90 days leading up to Christmas, I'm "lol"ing as I type......
So, yes, my faithful readers....you've walked this walk with me before with my Wii Fit and my Jillian Michaels (well, not really because I only did her dvd twice), and I think we also marched through a Biggest Loser competition with some friends in which I only won because I took laxatives the night before we weighed in.....but, I digress. I have lowered the bar of my expectations this time. My goal is to merely live through an hour of daily exercise and eating who-knows-what for 90 days. All I want is to have a pulse at the end of it and not to have devoured some unsuspecting co-worker in the process.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Just the Facts, Mam. Just the Facts.
Anyone out there know of a suburban, soccer mom reality show? I'd like to audition, please. Rather than bore you with the details of how I've only been home to sleep and do a few loads of laundry over the past 5 days (The Dog was looking at me last night like "Do I know you?"), suffice it to say between cheerleading, soccer, play practice and a film shoot this mama thinks Survivor is for sissies....eating tree bark in the jungle is a walk in the park compared to the usual day here!
For example...today was a typical Morning O'Insanity at the oH mY wORD household. Lounging around in bed nursing my migraine with #3 until she cried out to remind me that the two girls I begin watching before school today were arriving any moment....I leapt from my bedroom to discover them at the front door (thankfully I was dressed but disheveled) to which I explained my house was a wreck because we were at a film shoot all weekend. Oh what a glamorous life I lead....not so much. After answering questions about the film and hopefully clarifying that we aren't secretly famous or anything, I sat all the girls in front of the TV like a good mom does so I could finish getting ready for work....you know, the thing I do that I actually get PAID for...unlike my acting career. I discovered the children watching Sponge Bob whom I despise (which I could launch into a full dissertation of the evils of Sponge Bob, but I'll save that for another day) and as I was telling them to turn it off to load up in the van, #2 pulls out her form that was due last week to play the saxophone. Lessons start today and I never even signed the agreement to get the instrument!! And, of course, my sweet child can't play a more inexpensive instrument like say....the triangle, she has to go for the $39 a month instrument....but, I digress....the paperwork gets filled out quickly (I never did fill in the sales tax portion because I had no calculator and my brain was mush) and I realize I am not really "ready" for work so I decide to drop off the girls and come back home.
Upon pulling away from the parent drop off area I realize that #3 forgot her "pet" grasshoppers and she was doing a speech on them today. So, I race back home to grab the plastic container with Saran Wrap on top and realize perhaps I should have given them some fresh grass (not that I was actually home in the last 5 days to do that, but it was a nice thought). I then realized the first grasshopper, "Buddy" was very still and not hopping as grasshoppers should hop. In fact, he was dead. Now what?? I can't deliver a dead grasshopper to school....#3 would be in therapy for years. So, I carefully pull back part of the plastic wrap roof and the smell of grasshopper carnage assaults my nose (actually, it was more like the scent of dead, moldy grass). Afraid now that "Joseph" the other grasshopper will escape I search for a utensil to scoop out the corpse. I open my silverware drawer but can't bring myself to use any actual silverware on it. How can I possibly use a spoon to scoop out a dead grasshopper and then use that same spoon to eat a bowl of ice cream?? No, I need a plastic, disposable utensil but there is only a plastic knife and fork. A knife just seemed so wrong...like a murder weapon so I carefully, removed Buddy with a fork. I wrapped his body in a burial shroud (paper towel) and threw a little fresh grass in for Joseph and zoomed back to school. On the way, my coffee mug tipped over on top of the box, but what grasshopper in captivity doesn't appreciate some good Costco Colombian coffee dripping through his air holes in the morning?
For my grand finale, when I got to work I dropped my cell phone in the toilet.
This is my true story. And, I'm sticking to it.
For example...today was a typical Morning O'Insanity at the oH mY wORD household. Lounging around in bed nursing my migraine with #3 until she cried out to remind me that the two girls I begin watching before school today were arriving any moment....I leapt from my bedroom to discover them at the front door (thankfully I was dressed but disheveled) to which I explained my house was a wreck because we were at a film shoot all weekend. Oh what a glamorous life I lead....not so much. After answering questions about the film and hopefully clarifying that we aren't secretly famous or anything, I sat all the girls in front of the TV like a good mom does so I could finish getting ready for work....you know, the thing I do that I actually get PAID for...unlike my acting career. I discovered the children watching Sponge Bob whom I despise (which I could launch into a full dissertation of the evils of Sponge Bob, but I'll save that for another day) and as I was telling them to turn it off to load up in the van, #2 pulls out her form that was due last week to play the saxophone. Lessons start today and I never even signed the agreement to get the instrument!! And, of course, my sweet child can't play a more inexpensive instrument like say....the triangle, she has to go for the $39 a month instrument....but, I digress....the paperwork gets filled out quickly (I never did fill in the sales tax portion because I had no calculator and my brain was mush) and I realize I am not really "ready" for work so I decide to drop off the girls and come back home.
Upon pulling away from the parent drop off area I realize that #3 forgot her "pet" grasshoppers and she was doing a speech on them today. So, I race back home to grab the plastic container with Saran Wrap on top and realize perhaps I should have given them some fresh grass (not that I was actually home in the last 5 days to do that, but it was a nice thought). I then realized the first grasshopper, "Buddy" was very still and not hopping as grasshoppers should hop. In fact, he was dead. Now what?? I can't deliver a dead grasshopper to school....#3 would be in therapy for years. So, I carefully pull back part of the plastic wrap roof and the smell of grasshopper carnage assaults my nose (actually, it was more like the scent of dead, moldy grass). Afraid now that "Joseph" the other grasshopper will escape I search for a utensil to scoop out the corpse. I open my silverware drawer but can't bring myself to use any actual silverware on it. How can I possibly use a spoon to scoop out a dead grasshopper and then use that same spoon to eat a bowl of ice cream?? No, I need a plastic, disposable utensil but there is only a plastic knife and fork. A knife just seemed so wrong...like a murder weapon so I carefully, removed Buddy with a fork. I wrapped his body in a burial shroud (paper towel) and threw a little fresh grass in for Joseph and zoomed back to school. On the way, my coffee mug tipped over on top of the box, but what grasshopper in captivity doesn't appreciate some good Costco Colombian coffee dripping through his air holes in the morning?
For my grand finale, when I got to work I dropped my cell phone in the toilet.
This is my true story. And, I'm sticking to it.
Monday, September 21, 2009
A Little of This and a Little of That
Just a few of the things running through my brain this morning...perhaps some of you can relate to a few of them and then again some of you may think I'm a kook!
1. I am so glad Giant decided to start selling their store brand fat-free half and half in a bigger size. No more quarts, we get a half gallon now. But, speaking of coffee.....I am turning into the little old ladies that I used to wait on in restaurants that could never have their coffee and soup hot enough. I would burn myself holding their cups and they would insist it was cold. Yeah, that's me now. I have come to realize that when consumed at room temperature, even my good high end coffee tastes like the disgusting Folgers crystals my parents used to make when I was a kid. YUCK.
2. #2 got a concussion this weekend. She slipped in her soccer cleats running on the blacktop and fell sideways onto her head. Scared the spit right out of me (which made me realize if there is a true emergency I need to be better prepared because I went into some kind of zombie-like state of shock where I drove a block then would pull over and just stare at her). Thankfully, #1 had the good sense to call The Husband who said, why don't you call the doctor. Oh right! The doctor! What a great idea! We ran her over to the doctor (thankful that they were even open) and he confirmed she had a concussion so she got to watch soccer this weekend and watch play practice this weekend and watch her sisters and friends stuff themselves into those little toddler cars and push themselves down a hill....she was bouncing off the walls by yesterday so I let her get in a hamster ball at our local Park Day. Don't judge me. She had a helmet on!
3. I'd like to drop about 22 pounds in the next 12 days since we will be shooting another project with our PSU friend/movie maker extraordinaire. This time #2 will have a main part in it and it will be entered into an international film festival. I already warned her no diva-like behavior or we'll pull her out of the project. I wonder if Hannah Montana's parents said the same thing? The Husband and I have to play fighting parents so if The Dog keeps eating muffins off the counter and pooping in my bathroom while I'm at work, then we'll have something to really fight about. One day he is going to come home and she'll be in the crockpot with some carrots and potatoes.
4. It's Monday.
5. I need to go throw my coffee back in the microwave.
1. I am so glad Giant decided to start selling their store brand fat-free half and half in a bigger size. No more quarts, we get a half gallon now. But, speaking of coffee.....I am turning into the little old ladies that I used to wait on in restaurants that could never have their coffee and soup hot enough. I would burn myself holding their cups and they would insist it was cold. Yeah, that's me now. I have come to realize that when consumed at room temperature, even my good high end coffee tastes like the disgusting Folgers crystals my parents used to make when I was a kid. YUCK.
2. #2 got a concussion this weekend. She slipped in her soccer cleats running on the blacktop and fell sideways onto her head. Scared the spit right out of me (which made me realize if there is a true emergency I need to be better prepared because I went into some kind of zombie-like state of shock where I drove a block then would pull over and just stare at her). Thankfully, #1 had the good sense to call The Husband who said, why don't you call the doctor. Oh right! The doctor! What a great idea! We ran her over to the doctor (thankful that they were even open) and he confirmed she had a concussion so she got to watch soccer this weekend and watch play practice this weekend and watch her sisters and friends stuff themselves into those little toddler cars and push themselves down a hill....she was bouncing off the walls by yesterday so I let her get in a hamster ball at our local Park Day. Don't judge me. She had a helmet on!
3. I'd like to drop about 22 pounds in the next 12 days since we will be shooting another project with our PSU friend/movie maker extraordinaire. This time #2 will have a main part in it and it will be entered into an international film festival. I already warned her no diva-like behavior or we'll pull her out of the project. I wonder if Hannah Montana's parents said the same thing? The Husband and I have to play fighting parents so if The Dog keeps eating muffins off the counter and pooping in my bathroom while I'm at work, then we'll have something to really fight about. One day he is going to come home and she'll be in the crockpot with some carrots and potatoes.
4. It's Monday.
5. I need to go throw my coffee back in the microwave.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Once Upon a Time.....
.....I used to have a blog that I wrote in just about every day. But, about a year ago I went back to work, became PTO President and allowed my kids to sign up for 107 different activities (sometimes all on the same day). Throw in a few evil time sucking websites like facebook and ebay and voila! No time to blog (or exercise for that matter, but that is a whole other post).
Yes, I ponder where my life is at right now on my hour long round trip commute each weekday. Some days I have so much on my mind and so much pressure to get everyone where they need to go I crawl into bed at the end of an exhausting day with the famous "Mommy Guilt Complex". In my attempts to give them all their opportunities to excel, is it worth it when they have a cranky mom helping them with homework in the car driving to soccer practice yelling "Sound the word out!" and "C'mon, you learned that last year!" and the ever famous "What do you mean you don't know where your shin guards/sneakers/ball/library book is?".
However, most days on that hour long commute I look forward to what the day has in store and the rare nights home all together are so few that it is like a special event. Last night was one of those night and while I was able to sit down at the dining room table and help with homework, #1 iced a cake that she and #2 had baked when I ran out to the store after school. It was a wonderful evening and I know the kids were happy because there was much singing and dancing and laughing and jumping upon the couch. #3 even got out carrots and was making The Dog do tricks to get one, which cracked us up even more.
Even on the days when I have to coordinate multiple kids having multiple activities in different places I realize that these days will pass. While I believe in balancing what they do and not wearing them (and me) out, I will not always be cheering them on at soccer or taking pictures while they are cheering or applauding them while they are on stage.....it is a season and I have chosen to embrace it. Every once in a while I'll throw a little something in the mix for me to enjoy like acting or taking a class, but generally I'm content to sit on the sidelines (or shall I say, drive in my minivan) and encourage these three precious treasures to be all that God has created them to be!
People ask me how I do it...how I have the energy to do all the things we do collectively as a family. Honestly, it is because I enjoy it. And, it is important that I know my limits. Sometimes I just have to say "NO" when even the best sounding opportunities come up because the scale will tip and all my sanity will come spilling out.
So, if you're wondering what's going on in oH mY wORD land, now you have an idea. I'm probably in my minivan somewhere!
Yes, I ponder where my life is at right now on my hour long round trip commute each weekday. Some days I have so much on my mind and so much pressure to get everyone where they need to go I crawl into bed at the end of an exhausting day with the famous "Mommy Guilt Complex". In my attempts to give them all their opportunities to excel, is it worth it when they have a cranky mom helping them with homework in the car driving to soccer practice yelling "Sound the word out!" and "C'mon, you learned that last year!" and the ever famous "What do you mean you don't know where your shin guards/sneakers/ball/library book is?".
However, most days on that hour long commute I look forward to what the day has in store and the rare nights home all together are so few that it is like a special event. Last night was one of those night and while I was able to sit down at the dining room table and help with homework, #1 iced a cake that she and #2 had baked when I ran out to the store after school. It was a wonderful evening and I know the kids were happy because there was much singing and dancing and laughing and jumping upon the couch. #3 even got out carrots and was making The Dog do tricks to get one, which cracked us up even more.
Even on the days when I have to coordinate multiple kids having multiple activities in different places I realize that these days will pass. While I believe in balancing what they do and not wearing them (and me) out, I will not always be cheering them on at soccer or taking pictures while they are cheering or applauding them while they are on stage.....it is a season and I have chosen to embrace it. Every once in a while I'll throw a little something in the mix for me to enjoy like acting or taking a class, but generally I'm content to sit on the sidelines (or shall I say, drive in my minivan) and encourage these three precious treasures to be all that God has created them to be!
People ask me how I do it...how I have the energy to do all the things we do collectively as a family. Honestly, it is because I enjoy it. And, it is important that I know my limits. Sometimes I just have to say "NO" when even the best sounding opportunities come up because the scale will tip and all my sanity will come spilling out.
So, if you're wondering what's going on in oH mY wORD land, now you have an idea. I'm probably in my minivan somewhere!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Influential People
I was going through some books (okay, "some" does not adequately describe the books we own, more like bazillions) for our yard sale and I came across one I hadn't looked at in awhile. It is a book of "Lists to Live By" and I am going to share one of my favorite lists with you today. I think we all need to be reminded of this...which sounds good in theory, but walking in it is a whole different story!
Influential People
We are impacted most by ......
1. People of courage.
2. People of character.
3. People of discipline.
4. People of excellence. (I try t0 tell my girls this when they clean their rooms!)
5. People of compassion.
6. People of encouragement.
7. People of vision. (I really need to work on this one)
8. People of generosity.
9. People of wisdom.
10. People of faith.
Dr. Steve Stephens - psychologist and seminar speaker
Influential People
We are impacted most by ......
1. People of courage.
2. People of character.
3. People of discipline.
4. People of excellence. (I try t0 tell my girls this when they clean their rooms!)
5. People of compassion.
6. People of encouragement.
7. People of vision. (I really need to work on this one)
8. People of generosity.
9. People of wisdom.
10. People of faith.
Dr. Steve Stephens - psychologist and seminar speaker
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Free
I've been suffering from writer's block lately where I sit down to write a post and the words don't come. Imagine that...me with no words. I'll think of bunches of things going on around here, but in my mind it looks like one of those AFV video montages. August was pretty typical for us, soccer and cheerleading have started for the girls, #1 and I attended a woman's conference hosted by our church and I've thrown myself full swing into PTO to make up for June and July when the words "PTO" caused me to cringe and gnash my teeth. But, it's all good now. Melissa just needed a break. And, a change of perspective. Perhaps, one might even say an attitude adjustment.
Something has happened to me over the summer. After a lifetime of worrying about everything I've ever said or done and everything I might say or do, I feel as if God has brought me to a place of freedom to be me. No apologies necessary. I like to act. I like to make people laugh. I am loud and I talk a lot. I like to cook. I like to read and write. I like to take charge. I like to sing and dance. I like to try new things. I love my family. I love Jesus.
God specifically made each one of us...so many details it makes my head spin. We need to stop apologizing for the way He wired us. And, we need to stop finding fault in the way He made the other people around us, too! Negativity is like a breeding ground and it is easy to get caught up in. We can easily find ourselves complaining about even the littlest things if we take our eyes off of Him. That is the "norm" in the society in which we live and I've been caught up in it many times.
The good news is that Christ came to renew our minds, to revolutionize the way we think which will effect what we DO and what we SAY. I would like to know what gifts and abilities people hide for the sake of appearing humble. They never admit to the things in life they are passionate about for fear of being judged by others. Are you one of those people? If so, stand up and be proud of who God created you to be and GO FOR IT!
Something has happened to me over the summer. After a lifetime of worrying about everything I've ever said or done and everything I might say or do, I feel as if God has brought me to a place of freedom to be me. No apologies necessary. I like to act. I like to make people laugh. I am loud and I talk a lot. I like to cook. I like to read and write. I like to take charge. I like to sing and dance. I like to try new things. I love my family. I love Jesus.
God specifically made each one of us...so many details it makes my head spin. We need to stop apologizing for the way He wired us. And, we need to stop finding fault in the way He made the other people around us, too! Negativity is like a breeding ground and it is easy to get caught up in. We can easily find ourselves complaining about even the littlest things if we take our eyes off of Him. That is the "norm" in the society in which we live and I've been caught up in it many times.
The good news is that Christ came to renew our minds, to revolutionize the way we think which will effect what we DO and what we SAY. I would like to know what gifts and abilities people hide for the sake of appearing humble. They never admit to the things in life they are passionate about for fear of being judged by others. Are you one of those people? If so, stand up and be proud of who God created you to be and GO FOR IT!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Happy Tenth, #2!
Oh my word, it's been so long since oH mY wORD has had a new post! That's because (brace yourselves for the shock) I have been super busy! This weekend we celebrated #2's tenth birthday. I love that kid! Since this was a real milestone birthday we had a big party at the Kidmazium in Palmyra with 20 or so of her closest friends. I highly, strongly recommend having a party there. We brought all of our things in and were prepared to take it all up to our "party room" when they stopped us at the front desk and instructed us to just leave it there and they would take it to the party room and set it all up. I was like "whoa, nice". They were so helpful and they played games with the kids. When it was all over they cleaned everything up and brought all the gifts and leftover supplies/food down to the lobby for us. All with a smile and I was like "whoa, sweet". Well worth the money and the kids had a blast. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. I fear I have grown too old to come up with the elaborate at home parties that we had when they were younger....in fact, I have started wondering what it will feel like to be a grandmother one day and the thought isn't nearly as horrifying as it was 5 years ago.
Okay, that was a strange sounding confession.....I'm not advocating any of my children getting married and making me a grandmother anytime soon. I guess I'm getting older, they are getting older and my elaborate castle cakes and princess costume birthday party days may be coming to an end which can only mean one thing. What that "thing" is yet, I haven't figured out. I know, deep stuff. What can I say? 22 kids screaming in a Kidmazium has turned my brain to mush tonight.
Happy Birthday, my dear sweet #2. Amazing child, really. Nothing ordinary about her. People comment so much on her beauty, yet it isn't until you know her that you realize how beautiful she really is. I often wonder if she will be a judge, a pastor, or head of the Red Cross. Her heart knows no limit of compassion (she gets upset when they show videos of people getting hurt on AFV). She is bright and her love language is affection, which is a true test to me because mine is not. When she wedges herself between me and the cart when I am trying to fly through the grocery store in less than five minutes, I have to be very careful not to hurt her feelings by pushing her out of the way! I call her my tree monkey because she will jump on me and wrap her legs around me and want me to just carry her around like that. all. day. I love her beyond words!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)