Thursday, February 17, 2011

Choo Choo

Here's a little glimpse of my world.  I'm driving back from Highland today (I went to Highland because I think they have the best Wal-mart around.)  Anyways, there's your free tip of the day.  Go to Highland's Wal-mart.

At any rate, Hannah is in the backseat saying, "Chugga chugga, chugga chugga, Choo-Choo!".  She started out quietly and then slowly got louder.  She eventually told me that the trains are coming because she's calling them!  She continued her chanting for several minutes (at the top of her lungs, mind you).  And, yes, I actually let her yell for several minutes in the car with Leah sleeping.  She tells me several times that they're coming and she's watched the train tracks very intently.  I eventually had had enough and told her that she was going to have to call to the trains in a quieter voice because that was too loud for the car.  She stops and says, "I fink they can't hear us.".  I just rolled.  I love that she wasn't phased by the fact that the real trains weren't coming...they simply couldn't hear her.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Stupid Pharisee

Stupid Pharisee...You are Me

I recently read a devotion about being a pharisee. Most days I'd rather be a pharisee than a disciple.

Complex Creatures

...2 year olds. I don't understand 2 year olds. And here are some of the things that confuse me.

They could be naked for days and not even notice or care.

They don't think twice about sitting on infants.

They pick up fruit-filled jello in their hands. An entire handful of jello. All the while, saying, "Mommy, this is a big bite."

They're scared to poop in a toilet.

Yum



We call it "Daddy's Special Applesauce".  Its the best in the world.  And its gone...sadly it never lasts long.  :)


(10/29/2009)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Slowing Down

It is a conscious decision for me to slow down.  It certainly is not something that comes naturally.  I must force it and it's good for me.  I don't do it often enough and yet love it when I do.  So, how do I learn to slow down more often?  How do I fight against my natural tendencies?  I rush rush rush through my days.  Partly because I legitimately have a lot to do and partly because it is my nature.  I am task oriented and anything that gets in my way is a problem...regardless of the fact that what's getting in my way is usually my husband and my children. 
 
I honestly don't know how to consistently slow down.  And, to be brutal, I mostly don't want to slow down.  I like the fast pace.  I like to get a lot done.  I like to be productive.  But, I don't like running over the people in my life in order to accomplish my list of tasks.  I also am realizing that I don't slow down because I don't want to truly deal with or face the issues in my life and in myself.  The faster I move and think the less time I have to deal with myself or pain that I feel.  Grrr.  Why is it that something as simple as needing to slow down is bringing to surface deeper issues?  The more I learn about myself the more I learn that I have built in lots of different distractions and walls to protect myself.  And...that's another issue for another day.  For now, I'm going to just try & slow down a little more. 

So, my question is...how do I build things into my life to help me learn to slow down? 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Car Trip

So, I'm traveling with Chad and the little girls. Its interesting, but good. Its not often that the four of us are trapped in such a small space for such a long period of time. It has reminded me of the joy that my family is to me. I hope that I can slow down and enjoy the trip. I pretty much only have one speed, and that is warp. This will be a test of patience. But, I'm so blessed to have this opportunity to go on a car trip with them (and we're going to warmth!).

I did have a major revelation today. It is immensely easier to travel with a one year old than it is with an infant. I love that. Infants don't stay infants. Yay.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Balance

So, for those of you who know me probably already know that I'm not always very balanced. Passionate, one-tracked mind, dedicated, organized...yes, but not so much balanced. I don't so much like the gray...I prefer black or white.

Anyways, my current life phase has brought me to learning more about my Myers-Briggs personality type and my strengths from the book Strengths Finder 2.0. I have found much value and understanding come from learning more about myself and what makes me tick. All the things that I always tried to ignore about myself seem to be coming to light...in a good way. I'm actually made this way. I was created in a particular way with certain strengths. I can't believe it. I usually drive people a little crazy and now come to find out its one of my strengths. haha

All of this randomness...especially random since I haven't written on here for months...is to encourage you to find your Myers-Briggs personality type and your strengths and figure yourself out.

Oh, and I'm an ESTJ. :) Shocking, eh?

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Every Single Last One

Here's my tip of the day. Kill every single ant you see, especially indoors.

I like to keep a napkin around to aid myself. I don't like to kill them with my bare hands, you see. I can assure you that flip-flops make excellent weapons, some of the best, in fact. Tennis shoes and other types of shoes aren't always flat on the bottom and this gives the ant a little maze instead of a quick death. Just a word to the wise. It will keep your eyes and mind active, all that looking and searching. You might think of it as a way to extend your life expectancy and quality of life. (Ok, so maybe that's going a bit far, but you never know.) (Oh, and these statements have not been verified or approved or tested by a physician, or anybody else for that matter.)

With your help we can end the ant invasions that have taken over all our homes. (Your help and maybe a can of BugOut. I plan to confront these ants on all fronts later this evening...when humans and domestic animals aren't in the way of my spray can, apparently the stuff is hazardous.)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Just a little rant...

...so, I've been watching The Bachelor. And, by watching, I mostly mean I have it on but am doing laundry or walking out of the room periodically because I can't focus too much because I can't handle the drama!! It is seriously ridiculous. What woman, in her right mind, in the real world, would ever date a man who she knew was also seriously dating several other women. No one. No one I know would tolerate that. Thank you television and media for jacking people up with your distorted and dysfunctional portrayal of relationships.

(And yet, I keep watching because I want to know who will win the madness.)

Friday, February 5, 2010

Lets get organized!

There are few things that make me more excited and calm and stress-free than living in an organized home (& having an organized life). In light of that I'd like to try & pass along tips, tricks, and systems to anyone who will listen!

Tip of the day: Check Target's dollar section for containers. Last week I paid $1 each for some bright pink & blue metal-basket-like-containers that perfectly match the girls' room. This week I picked up "ice buckets" for $2.50 in the same pink & blue colors. I now have 4 new containers to organize craft supplies, the million pieces of little pets, and the miscellaneous small toys that have no home. Most of the cubes, baskets, etc., that you find for organization are $10 and up. I saved money and got more organized thanks to the dollar section!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The older I get, the more she's right.

So, my mom was totally right. I shouldn't have even questioned her. She always said that once you have a kid you always think about how much more you could get done if someone could keep her for a couple hours. Then, once you have two kids you always think about how much more you could get done if someone could just keep one of them for a couple hours. Thanks for the warning, mom.

(Oh, and now you're older too...Happy Birthday!)

Monday, November 30, 2009

It's Official.

Well, I am officially fatter than I am wide.

That's a great day folks.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Have You Forgotten?

It's Veteran's Day. I heard the song today, "Have You Forgotten?", by Darryl Worley. I was listening to NPR talk about the war, yeah, that's right, I listen to NPR sometimes. :) Anyways, in listening to them talk about the war & in hearing that song I was reminded of the fact I have forgotten. Although, truth be told, I probably block it out more than actually forgetting, but that's another whole post. I am more grateful than I even know how to express for the men & women defending and protecting our country. We truly live in a great place, not perfect, but great. We have so many "rights" and freedoms that we don't even stop to be grateful for and mostly we don't even realize that we have them.

I know of the sacrifice that it takes the men and women and their families. Chad's been home from deployment for 3 1/2 years and I assure you that we still feel the repercussions on a weekly basis. I am an expert at blocking people, thoughts, and feelings so that I don't have to deal with them. It's a little something I learned while Chad was gone. I could teach you if you like.

Since today is a day of honoring those who have served I dug up some pics to help myself, and maybe you too, to remember. I hope you enjoy them. They represent but a few small moments of 16 months of our life.

(I couldn't figure out how to rearrange them so forgive the randomness of their order.)

This is how a soldier goes muddin'...except it's sewage and trash, not mud.

This is how a soldier drives at night...night vision...for like 8 hours.

This is how a soldier reaches out to the country that's war torn.

This is, hopefully, how a soldier comes home!

This is how a soldier lives during training.

This is a soldier & his happy wife.

This is how a soldier gives to the children who don't get enough to eat (an MRE).
(And some sunglasses which make me smile every time!)

This is what a soldier fears...an explosive that is meant to kill him.

This is what a soldier sees through night vision...on all night patrol.

This is how a soldier rests.

This is how a soldier lives.

This is what a soldier calls home.

This is how a soldier travels.

This is how a soldier works.

This is what a soldier protects...rebuilding.

This is who a soldier protects.

This is how a soldier does special missions. (Did I say special...I meant dangerous.)

This is how a soldier finds peace.

This is what happens to a soldier's vehicle when hit by an IED.

This is what a soldier searches for...weapons cache.

This is street patrol...soldier style.

This is who a soldier serves beside. 2/130 2nd platoon 1st squad.

Thank you, soldiers. Thank you, Husband.

I'm not a total hater

Ok, just so everyone knows...I'm not a total hater. There are some aspects of pregnancy that I adore. Yep, that's right, pregnancy and adore in the same sentence. I'm growing a human here folks. I mean that's pretty much the biggest deal ever. We humans think we're so cool. We build buildings, make things out of wood, plastic, metal, paint, etc. However, none of those even compares to pregnancy. I mean, the God of the Universe invites man and woman to join together with Him in creation. Literally, life out of 2 cells. In my body, there are 2 of everything (well, maybe not everything since I'm not sure if Lil Baby Stu #2 is a boy or a girl!), 2 hearts, 2 sets of lungs, 2 entire humans. I'm growing a person. Seriously, that is unbelievable and I adore the fact that I get to be part of that. People are always pondering the great question of "what am I here for?", "what am I doing with my life?". Some people build empires on clothes, real estate, money, sports, etc., but moms and dads get to say, I created life. What trumps life? Not much.

Also, I adore feeling the baby. Now, not so much when I get a swift kick to the bladder or other internal organ, but most times I love it. I love knowing that baby is inside my womb just hanging out and growing. Twisting, turning, summer saulting, kicking, punching, yawning, and who knows what else he/she is doing. But, it's a wonderful joy. (A joy that often serves to remind me why I'm so miserable!)

Only 6 days to go!

Monday, November 9, 2009

I'm so pregnant...

...that I can literally cry and laugh in the same breath.

...that as badly as I don't want to go through delivery it seems like a walk in the park compared to being pregnant for 6 more weeks.

...there is no quality sleep.

...that just getting out of bed overwhelms me.

...that I could eat about anything...and then immediately regret it knowing that tums will be my dessert.

...that even my sweatpants aren't comfortable. :(

...that all I can think about is delivering the acrobat living inside me.

...that any liquid looks appetizing.

...that any offer of help will not be turned down.

...that the thought of nesting makes me want to lay down and take a nap.

...that sitting, standing, or lying I'm not comfortable.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

So, for those of you who have never my little girl there's one thing you should know about her. She's not friendly. And she doesn't hide it well. She has a pretty standard furrowed brow look that she'll give you to let you know that she is not going to be bothered by you. She also will just flat ignore you and turn away. And on rare occasion she'll just reach over and hit you, just to prove that she doesn't have to deal with you.

She was pretty crabby the other day because she wasn't feeling well. We had to run some errands, which we knew was pretty dangerous. Our first stop was the eyeglasses place. Husband was on guard with her while I looked around. She seemed to think that she should be able to touch every pair of glasses in the store so she ended up being held. And she's pretty vocal, which of course the lady working thought was very cute and funny. Well, the nice lady working in the store came over to put some glasses away and peeked around the corner at Hannah. Hannah was pretty fussy at this point because she had lost all freedom. So as the lady peeked around she said "peekaboo" to Hannah. Hannah's response, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO." And then she turned around to ignore the woman. Yep, my child totally yelled at her.

Now, I found great humor in this since Husband was the one in charge of the situation. And he appropriately got onto Hannah for telling the woman no. I got to laugh at the whole situation since I wasn't in eyesight...ironic don't you think? ha

The more I'm around Hannah the more I find great humor in children. They just say whatever they think. Their emotions totally shows on their face at all times. And rarely do you have to guess what they're thinking or wanting. They are just who they are all the time with no regard for social norms. It's kind of liberating and stretching for me, because I follow social norms very closely and get very irritated and nervous around people who do not follow them.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Me and the Mall Don't Mix

So, I probably shouldn't be allowed to go to the mall anymore. I'd like to blame it on the pregnancy, but I'm not sure that was the entire problem. To be fair, tonight was mall trick-or-treating so that added a little to the craziness, but still that didn't account for all the crazy. As a side note, when did they start trick-or-treating at the mall?? Not a bad idea in my opinion. Well, it's nice for the parents and kids, maybe not so great for normal mall shoppers.

People at the mall just make me angry. I mean, do they have to be so rude? It's not like I'm a little kid, I'm pregnant and pretty hard to miss! If I'm already walking in a pretty consistent path why would you suddenly veer over and cut me off?? There is too much disorganization and people just meandering slowly around like they have no purpose. If you come to the mall you really ought to have a plan people. And please do not stand outside the store door/window and debate whether to go in. Either go in or keep moving, that's how you keep the traffic flow going. If you have to think about it that hard you probably don't need to go in.

And then there was this little girl who wouldn't eat her chicken or her french fries and cried when she couldn't get the stickers off the paper of her toy. And she kept wanting out of her stroller and screaming and saying "No, Mommy. I want Daddy to.". Oh wait, that was my kid. I guess I can't blame that one on the mall.

At any rate, I did meet 4 nice people. One mom in the elevator who was also pregnant, one store assistant who rang us out and asked about the pregnancy, one man in line at Chick-fil-A, and the manager at Chick-fil-A. (I do have to admit that I almost always have a good experience at Chick-fil-A...they're just nice people who serve me great food!) Oh, and there was the brave mom who had like 8 kids with her trick-or-treating. Like 6 of the kids were going to cut in front of us and she made them stop and stay where they were so that they didn't cut us off. That's good parenting. Teach your children to watch where they're going...then people like me don't have to get so irritated.

Anyways, I'm hoping to do the rest of my shopping at regular stand alone stores or online so hopefully I won't have to endure the mall again for a while. I just don't think my nerves can handle it. Or maybe I just need to be thankful that I did run into 5 nice people.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Dec 21

Well, it looks like Lil Baby Stu #2 will be (hopefully) arriving on Dec 21 bright & early. My c-section is planned for 6 AM. That means I have to be at the hospital at 4 AM and we live about 45 minutes away. It's going to be a long first day I have a feeling. But, at least we'll have a baby! And since I can't get out of bed for about 24 hours it means that Husband will be on diaper duty and transport duty and any other duty that seems necessary. That makes me happy. Look, husband, more meconium.

We are still accepting name suggestions for anyone who would like to contribute. (Except for a certain cousin who knows who he is...he's been cut off and we will no longer take suggestions from him.)

So far we're looking at Eli & Noah for boy first names. And no ideas for a girl's name.

Lately I've been trying to talk to Hannah about having a baby come live with us. She usually just gives me her normal furrowed brow look...I think that means that she's not impressed. I often try to ask her, "What's in Mommy's belly?". Her pretty standard reply is "Daddy's belly. My belly." So, I'm going to take that as her dodging the question.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Because My Life is Just That Exciting

So, I was folding towels today. I fold towels a lot because I'm pretty much a freak about how many times they can be used before they must be washed. I'm pretty weird about water, dirty food, germs, and dirty towels. And, I'm trying to be more green and use fewer paper towels so I use more towels instead. I wash and fold towels a lot. Did I emphasize that enough? I fold them a lot.

Well, I finally decided that one of my favorite things to do is to cut the tags out of the towels! It makes folding them so much quicker. And, yes, I fold my towels every time. I use a tri-fold system and always fold them right side out every time. So, you can see how much time I can save by not having to worry whether the tag is properly tucked into the towel. Heaven forbid that the tag might stick out once it's folded. And it's just one of those little things that makes my life a little smoother. Cut the tags out of the towels!! You should really try it sometime.

How about you? Do you have any little tricks that might make my life a little smoother? Or I am the only weird one out there. (And by weird, I'll also accept the descriptions of anal and OCD.)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

30 weeks down, 9 to go

So, I realize that 30 + 9 = 39 & not 40, but I'm having a scheduled C-section at 39 weeks so I have less misery than the normal 40 weeks. Yep, that's right, misery. I know. I know. Some women love being pregnant and think it's the most glorious time in their life and claim they've never felt better, blah, blah, blah. I am not those women and I have most definitely felt better. I've gained 28 pounds and have 9 more weeks to go, which means 9-10 more pounds. Ugh. I've never been fatter, slept worse, felt worse, and been in more pain for such a long period of time. I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say that pregnancy can be painful!

The other night everyone in my house woke me up at one point or another, Chad, Hannah, the puppies, Lil Baby Stu #2, and myself. Chad talks in his sleep so I got a rude awakening when he grabbed my arm and woke me up talking...all while he kept sleeping. Hannah apparently dropped her paci and wasn't happy about it. The dogs needed to go to the bathroom. The new baby was kicking up a storm. And between my bladder being too full and legs and arms falling asleep and then throbbing, I guess I woke my own self up. (Although I'm tempted to blame this on the baby too). I'm not sure I got any sleep at all. That does not sound like a joyous pregnant now does it. Nope, but it does sound like an honest one. ha

Well, all of this has certainly made me ponder children. Of course they're worth it, but how many times do I actually need to be the vessel for them getting here? And, I think I've decided it's 2. I'm definitely not doing this again by choice. (Let's all hope it doesn't happen accidentally!) I've always wanted to adopt and I have to say that this pregnancy may just be God's way of insuring that I don't get too selfish and decide not to adopt afterall.

I was tempted to post a pic of my ginormous belly, but then I realized that I don't have any current pics. So, you'll just have to take my word for it that all of my groanings are quite justified.