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.

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!

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

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!

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!

Lazarus Come Forth!!

For those who know me well, they are fully aware that gardening is not my forte. A dear friend had once lovingly grown me a plant from a seed and presented it to me for my birthday. I guess she figured that since it had sentimental value I could somehow keep it alive. I decided that what it needed was foster care so a wonderful woman at my church "plant sat" it for me for few weeks until it was lush, gorgeous and thriving. I optimistically took over the care of the plant and it was dead within two weeks.

That being said I have planted a garden this year. My idea of planting a garden is plant it, let nature run its course and eat whatever happens to survive. I do not weed, I rarely water it and I put forth very little effort. Last year I was lucky enough to get a bumper crop of potatoes, a bunch of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers I never knew what to do with and 2 zucchinis. Not bad for pretty close to no effort whatsoever. Plus, snakes like my garden so I don't like putting my hands too close to it.

This year, however, my lack of effort is evident in that nothing but the zucchini plants are doing anything. No lettuce, no broccoli, no cucumbers and no jalapenos because little critters ate everything down to stalks. My dried out tomato plants have about 5 small green tomatoes on them. There may be hope for the potatoes and onions, but I don't really know how to harvest them since they blend in now with the giant weeds. I don't know what to pull and what not to anymore.

In some spur of the moment urge I decided to water the garden tonight. With the hose and sprinkler thing-a-ma-jiggy that I saw The Husband use to water the sod we had gotten. "Hey, why not?" I thought. Plus, Aunt Extreme Kitchen Makeover had brought over more tomato plants that were dying a slow death in a box next to my garage. Maybe if I got the dirt wet enough I could actually plant them in the ground.

I couldn't really figure out how to use the sprinkler thing, it would not stay in one place so I stood there holding it (I did see my neighbor looking over with a puzzled look on her face). But, while I was holding it looking at the carnage I realized the only thing that was really benefiting from my watering were the weeds. So, in true ZSA ZSA from Green Acres fashion, I dug in as best as I could while trying to protect my cell phone from the sprinkler that kept hitting me as I pulled the carpet of weeds. I decided if Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead and He said that we will do even greater works than this, well I guess maybe there was hope for my little vegetable cemetery. It was like Extreme Gardening X Games trying to avoid the sprinkler and keep The Dog from running after all the rabbits 3 yards over while I mucked around in my sparkly flip flops praying that a snake was not hiding under the mammoth zucchini leaves. I know there is some kind of spiritual message in all this, but I'm too tired to think that hard about it.

I ended up getting about half of it weeded, I was pretty much soaked and my flip flops may not make it. Tomorrow (maybe) I will actually plant the new tomato plants which I at least watered. I am hoping and praying that my toil was not in vain and I have the motivation to "get 'er done". Stay tuned for Woman vs. Nature....

Thorns or Berries?

We interrupt the vacation posts for some deep thoughts, reflections and dare I say, revelations, that I have been entertaining the last few days. The other night the girls had been feeling kind of sad and left out about a few things that they have been going through. So, I shared a story with them out of a kid's devotional book about a girl and her little sister picking berries. The little sister scratched herself on the sharp thorns of the berry bush and called it a bad, bad bush. The mom reminded the older sister that little sis had been enjoying the sweet, delicious berries just minutes before, but now she was only concerned with the "bad, bad bush" that had hurt her. The heart of the story and our new tag line around the house is "Are you thinking about the thorns or the berries?".

It's been a rough summer. I won't deny it. A multitude of conflict has left me feeling defensive and suspicious. The Husband's job has been a tremendous strain on us as a family. GAS went to stay at my mom's house for a weekend and then called a week later to say she wasn't coming home. My mom and a friend came a week later and packed up her stuff. GAS's explanation to other people was that she sat in her room alone and we never took her anywhere. Part of that is true, she did choose to sit in her room alone many times (perhaps the chaos of our house was a bit overwhelming) but we did take her wherever she asked to go and I did my best most days to give her what she needed and include her as a part of our family. I have no idea what she was thinking to have done this to us after pouring so much love and kindness into her. Every day that she's been gone I wonder if I had done things differently, would she still be here? And, I've grown weary of being at war with my mother time and time again. I'm trying to make this an attempt at reconciliation, because quite frankly, I don't think things can get much worse in our family. Pretty soon Jerry Springer is going to come knocking on our door to do his show.....sorry, I laugh about it so I don't cry!

However, I have been trying to look at the "berries" this week, not the thorns. God never promised us a "thorn-free" life on earth, but He did give us the "berries" to enjoy. The Husband's job is certainly not what we had envisioned it to be, but at least he has a steady income. Even though it hurt the way GAS left here with no good-bye, at least she is where she wants to be, and to a degree, some of my burden has been lifted having to care for her. Even though the kids go through hurts and disappointment with other people and situations, there are still many good things for them to think about. We talked about Romans 8:28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

I guess that means we should embrace the thorns with the berries since it is ALL included in God's master plan!

More Florida Vacation Ramblings

After endless "Are we there, yet?"s we finally arrived at The Husband's dad and step-mom's house in western Florida. That sounds funny. "Western Florida" like it is near Montana or something. Sorry...I'll try to focus.

The girls enjoyed swimming in the pool and we ate more food despite the BBQ bloat we were still experiencing...I mean who wouldn't want steak and hot dogs at 10:30 pm...it's vacation, right?? The next day we headed about an hour and a half away to visit The Husband's grand dad, aunt and uncle and a gaggle of cousins, most who have a handful of kids now, too. It was lively, however, #1 slipped on the ceramic tile by the pool and came close to breaking her big toe and also gashed and bruised a chunk of her back. Did I mention she also scared The Husband and I spitless when it happened?? All the air was sucked from my body until I realized she didn't hit her head and she was coherent.

Ok, back to my happy place.....here is The Husband and his grand dad:

That evening we returned back to The Husband's dad's house and ate cake. Vacation, remember? I also spent most of the evening talking The Husband into sticking with our plans to go to Magic Kingdom the next day. There had been a monorail crash there the day before and he was trying to use that as an excuse not to go (yes, my daredevil, atv crashing husband who drives giant trucks up mountains in blizzards was trying to convince me that it would not be safe to go to Disney World). I cajoled, I whined, I stuck out my bottom lip. He insisted it would be too hot, too crowded and he stuck out his bottom lip. But, we all know when Mama wants to go to Disney, Mama goes to Disney! I won! I won! I bought the tickets online (and, his dad even paid for the girls) and we went to Magic Kingdom.

And, you know what?? He told me over and over and over again how glad he was that we went because we all had such a great time. We were even the first group of riders when they re-opened the monorail that night. It was not terribly hot and the lines weren't that long. We have so many happy memories of laughing and being together that day. Splash Mountain was our family favorite so we did it twice, followed closely by Thunder Mountain, which we also went on twice!

Oh yeah. It was awesome! We left Disney around 11pm and drove for 3 hours until we pulled into his sister's driveway at 2am on the next leg of the Tour de Florida. To be continued.....