Wednesday, May 13, 2009
30 in 30
I got this idea from another blog I read. I wish I could take credit, but I cannot. I've talked quite a bit about my battle with bulge. I'm a little obsessive. Sorry. But I've come to the realization that the reason I'm not losing is two-fold. #1 I LOVE food! #2 I HATE excercise! Bad combination. So, I have set a goal for myself. I'll need help attaining this goal, but I know I have to do it. I've decided for the next 30 days, I will do 30 minutes of physical activity each day. I'm not going to limit myself to what I might do, because I know the boredom will set in. So, it might be a walk (I don't run unless being chased), a bike ride or just a work-out video. I'm hoping by the end of 30 days I will no longer loathe exercising and it will just be a formed habit. So, wish me luck and PLEASE hold me accountable!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sharing
I thought I'd share a picture of why my life is blessed. Not only has God given me 3 wonderful (most of the time) children to watch over daily, He has also gifted me with 2 special nephews. What I wouldn't do for any of these kids...
Middle Bit: 5 Years
Big Bit: 8 1/2 Years
Baby C: 3 months
P: 2 Years
Little Bit: 3 1/2 Years
Middle Bit: 5 Years
Big Bit: 8 1/2 Years
Baby C: 3 months
P: 2 Years
Little Bit: 3 1/2 Years
Mother's Day
It's hard to believe that I have been blessed with 8 Mother's Days. Some of them have been full of joy and others have been sad, but no matter the emotion of the day I know that my cup truly runneth over. My 3 bits make each day interesting and exciting. Viewing the world through their eyes is always an experience. On this day I also remember 2 other special bits of my life who watch over us every day from Heaven. I know that one day I will also hear their special voices calling me Mom.
I have been blessed with an amazing mom. She may tend to be over the top and totally dramatic, but I couldn't love her more or have more admiration for her.
My heart and life have been blessed to meet so many wonderful moms the last few years. It makes my heart swell when I think of some of the great friends I have made and how this variety of women has completed my life.
A good friend and fellow mom sent this to me and I tucked it away knowing one day I'd share it. I think today is the perfect day. So thank you Kim and happy FIRST Mother's day to you and to all the wonderful mommies out there.
Invisible Mother......
>
> It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
>
> Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
>
> Obviously, not.
>
> No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
>
> I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
>
> Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What > number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
>
> I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
>
> One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..
>
> Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.
>
> I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.
>
> I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
>
> It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..
>
> I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
>
> 'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
>
> In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
>
> No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
>
> These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
>
> They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
>
> The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
>
> A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees'
>
> I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.
>
> It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
>
> At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
>
> It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
>
> I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
>
> The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
>
> When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him
> to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'
>
> As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.
>
> And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
>
> Great Job, MOM!
>
> Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.
>
>
> We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.
I have been blessed with an amazing mom. She may tend to be over the top and totally dramatic, but I couldn't love her more or have more admiration for her.
My heart and life have been blessed to meet so many wonderful moms the last few years. It makes my heart swell when I think of some of the great friends I have made and how this variety of women has completed my life.
A good friend and fellow mom sent this to me and I tucked it away knowing one day I'd share it. I think today is the perfect day. So thank you Kim and happy FIRST Mother's day to you and to all the wonderful mommies out there.
Invisible Mother......
>
> It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
>
> Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
>
> Obviously, not.
>
> No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
>
> I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
>
> Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What > number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
>
> I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
>
> One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..
>
> Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.
>
> I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.
>
> I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
>
> It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..
>
> I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
>
> 'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
>
> In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
>
> No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
>
> These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
>
> They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
>
> The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
>
> A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees'
>
> I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.
>
> It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
>
> At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
>
> It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
>
> I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
>
> The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
>
> When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him
> to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'
>
> As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.
>
> And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
>
> Great Job, MOM!
>
> Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.
>
>
> We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.
Friday, April 24, 2009
A Trip to the Dentist
The other day I was feeling very courageous and took all 3 bits to the dentist. It was the first time for Middle Bit and Little Bit. I thought Little would be problematic. Boy was I wrong! He climbed up in that chair and did everything they asked of him. The only thing they had problems with was the xray where they put that little card in the mouth. But, they weren't terribly concerned since they had the 360. He checked out fine and was on his way with a goodie bag and balloon. What a great way to start out. Too bad it didn't end up that way. Middle Bit and Big Bit both have cavities which will be a small fortune to fix. Big Bit also had an ortho consult. I was thinking we had a few years before we started anything because she hasn't lost all of her baby teeth. WRONG! Apparently her upper jaw is too small and she needs a palate expander. They want to put it on with a few brackets in the next couple of months. So, what we'd planned on insurance covering for braces will now be spent on the expander. I have no experience with one of these. I wore braces for 4 years and they pulled permanent teeth as well as my wisdom teeth, but nothing like this. They also told us that Middle Bit will need one and to start saving because both girls will need the expander as well as braces. Fantastic. But, at least we got an advance warning and can save for a couple of years. Maybe Little Bit will be lucky and take after my brother and Woody and not need any ortho work. I can hope, right?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Unacceptable
The size of my ass. Seriously. I worked so hard over the last couple of years to lose weight and since I've moved back to Wichita all I've done is pack on the pounds. What is it about this place? I can try to blame it on thyroid issues or blood sugar issues all I want, but part of it is that I LIKE FOOD! A friend of mine told me I'm getting fat because I'm happy again. (Being back home.) And that happy people eat. So that creates a quandry in and of itself. I'm unhappy that I'm a lardo, but do I go into a depression just to get thin? That doesn't seem right, either. So now I have some things to figure out. How can I eat what I want and it not make me blow up? Or, how can I eat more healthy but still feel satisfied? And, how am I supposed to exercise when my knees are on the verge of having a blow-out? I don't know. I think I'll go munch on some coconut creme Hershey kisses while I ponder all of this.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Playing "Where's Waldo"
That's kind of how I feel right now. I feel like I am here, there and everywhere. I haven't updated in a while, so I figure while it's quiet I'll take a minute or two.
Things are going well. I am currently splitting my work hours. I work Friday and Saturday on 2nd shift and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on 3rd. It messes up my sleep schedule, but we are short people so I am trying to help out. I'm also picking up overtime when I can. There are a few things we are really working on having paid off by August, so that is where that money is going. I also have a trainee sitting with me the next 3 weeks. I haven't trained in a while, so I'm having to get back into a groove. My schedule makes my home/personal life pretty much non-existant. Thank goodness I am surrounded by understanding family and friends.
We took an unexpected trip to Arkansas a couple of weeks ago. Nathan's grandpa (Granddaddy) passed away. He took it pretty hard. We haven't seen him in over 6 years. In fact, he's never even met Mariah or Grayson. We know that he understood and loved us none-the-less. But, it was still hard for Nathan to swallow. I think it really brought home the importance of family and spending quality time with them.
The kids are doing well. Haley is flourishing in 3rd grade. Her teacher had nothing but good things to say at conferences. Sometimes it sounds like she is describing a different child than what walks through the door at my house! Mariah is LOVING her peer model program. Her teacher said she exemplifies what it means to be a peer model. She said that when she transitions to Kindergarten that she has no doubt she will continue to be a model student. That really made my day. She is really picking up on things quickly. After 2 weeks she was already able to write her name. Haley often plays "school" with her at home and is teaching her basic math. I need to get some flashcards and such so they can do more "school work". Grayson is....Grayson. He is 3 and I feel it in my bones every single day. That child is non-stop from the time he gets up until he falls asleep. I'd love to get him into a preschool program, but his hyperactivity concerns me. He is still my tiny boy, but is starting to catch up to others his age.
Other than all of that, not a lot to report. This month is filled with training, overtime, spring break and my one sanity saving night of Bunco. While I tend to complain about the speed of our life and the stages of the kids, I wouldn't have it any other way. I know these days are short-lived and I'll look back in a couple of years and wonder where they all went.
Things are going well. I am currently splitting my work hours. I work Friday and Saturday on 2nd shift and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on 3rd. It messes up my sleep schedule, but we are short people so I am trying to help out. I'm also picking up overtime when I can. There are a few things we are really working on having paid off by August, so that is where that money is going. I also have a trainee sitting with me the next 3 weeks. I haven't trained in a while, so I'm having to get back into a groove. My schedule makes my home/personal life pretty much non-existant. Thank goodness I am surrounded by understanding family and friends.
We took an unexpected trip to Arkansas a couple of weeks ago. Nathan's grandpa (Granddaddy) passed away. He took it pretty hard. We haven't seen him in over 6 years. In fact, he's never even met Mariah or Grayson. We know that he understood and loved us none-the-less. But, it was still hard for Nathan to swallow. I think it really brought home the importance of family and spending quality time with them.
The kids are doing well. Haley is flourishing in 3rd grade. Her teacher had nothing but good things to say at conferences. Sometimes it sounds like she is describing a different child than what walks through the door at my house! Mariah is LOVING her peer model program. Her teacher said she exemplifies what it means to be a peer model. She said that when she transitions to Kindergarten that she has no doubt she will continue to be a model student. That really made my day. She is really picking up on things quickly. After 2 weeks she was already able to write her name. Haley often plays "school" with her at home and is teaching her basic math. I need to get some flashcards and such so they can do more "school work". Grayson is....Grayson. He is 3 and I feel it in my bones every single day. That child is non-stop from the time he gets up until he falls asleep. I'd love to get him into a preschool program, but his hyperactivity concerns me. He is still my tiny boy, but is starting to catch up to others his age.
Other than all of that, not a lot to report. This month is filled with training, overtime, spring break and my one sanity saving night of Bunco. While I tend to complain about the speed of our life and the stages of the kids, I wouldn't have it any other way. I know these days are short-lived and I'll look back in a couple of years and wonder where they all went.
Monday, February 9, 2009
People with NOTHING to do...
People need to mind their own business. Within the last month, I have read 2 blogs (one belonging to a fantastic woman on my moms group) where CPS has been called on the writers. Seriously people? Many of us bloggers, men and women alike, blog to get things out. We also blog to share our ups and downs, joys and downfalls with people. Never would I think of calling CPS or the police on someone from another state whom I've never met. While I don't know all the circumstances surrounding the callings and I'm sure I never will, I just want to send cyber hugs to those that have had to deal with this. It's disgraceful.
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