Five years ago, I started this blog...and I think I've updated it like maybe 5 times or so since then, but in my defense, I only had half the children that I have now, so I was just, you know, sitting around with nothing to do and lots of free time. Five years ago, I had a 2 year old and an almost 1 year old. My husband was in seminary. We were working with youth ministry and worship ministry at our old church. Five years ago, I knew very little about autism or ADHD, homeschooling, or a host of other topics. Five years. It's a long time. I started blogging, little by little, because I wasn't doing well being isolated at home with two small, crazy people, who I was pretty sure were trying to get me to join them in an asylum somewhere! I named the blog "Everyday Adventures" because I wanted to look at life positively as an adventure, and I was sure having adventures everyday in my job as stay-at-home momma.
Fast forward 5 years. I have 4 lovely children, one with Asperger's/ADHD, my husband is a pastor, we cyberschool our oldest two children and we have a wacko life. We still have adventures. Lots and lots of adventures. Some of them are funny, some of them, not so much. I find myself as mom to 4 amazing, incredible, treasures from God, and I wonder daily HOW to be the mom they need. I think I need to start blogging again. I'm not making any promises. If I can, I will. If I can't, well... I won't. But I want to at least think about the blog again. At least remember the password again. Happy reading!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Adventures in Tripper
I love my kids. I mean, really, stinking love them, but sometimes... sometimes they drive me nuts! Take riding in the van with them, for instance. Last night, after a long day at Vacation Bible School (VBS), and an afternoon of feeling alternately exhausted and completely sick, I loaded up the whole gang and headed to THE grocery store. I was able to quickly and efficiently make my way through THE grocery store with 50% of my children (the other 50% were gorging themselves on television in the child watch area) and we were on our way after less than an hour.
Mistake #1 in our adventure was making more than one stop. The kids were so good getting in and out of the store (Read: No one fought or tried to push a sibling into oncoming traffic) that I thought we'd make a "quick" stop at Michael's to "look" at some school supplies for Operation Christmas Child. You know, because I had a 25% off your entire purchase EVEN sale items coupon and it was burning a hole in my binder, baby. SOOOOOO.... in to Michael's we went...
Now, the behavior of the short people when we were in Michael's is the stuff of horror stories, but it's what happened in our van, Tripper, on the way home that still has me laughing.
On our way from Michael's to home and ohyeahwehavetostopatHomeDepotrealquicktogetstufftomakeawhaleforVBStomorrow SweetPea started singing, over and over and very loudly, "there are squirrels in my butt"- a miquote of the wonderful song, "SIMP- Squirrels in My Pants" from Phineas and Ferb. While this was happening, Ladybug and Superman were arguing about whether or not we were going to TRU to get more Legos for Superman. (Here's a hint: We weren't!) Ladybug says to Superman: "Listen dude, there's more to life than Legos" and the battle began... All the while, sweet little Ruby is screeching AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS. AND, then my cell phone rang. In Robinson. Where it's really busy, even at night. Good, good times. I've often thought that the whole debate about whether people should be allowed to talk on the phone and drive is not as big of an issue as whether one should be allowed to drive somewhere while transporting children. I am a huge advocate of a vehicle with the capability of going from standard seating to seperate sound-proof pods for each passenger. I think if a car maker could develop that, it would be a HUGE seller for families. You know, the togetherness of travel is great, but what parent wouldn't like to press a button and contain the screaming toddler in a safe little pod for a few minutes until the kids chills out? I may make a few calls to Ford or Chevy- this could be just the idea they need!
Mistake #1 in our adventure was making more than one stop. The kids were so good getting in and out of the store (Read: No one fought or tried to push a sibling into oncoming traffic) that I thought we'd make a "quick" stop at Michael's to "look" at some school supplies for Operation Christmas Child. You know, because I had a 25% off your entire purchase EVEN sale items coupon and it was burning a hole in my binder, baby. SOOOOOO.... in to Michael's we went...
Now, the behavior of the short people when we were in Michael's is the stuff of horror stories, but it's what happened in our van, Tripper, on the way home that still has me laughing.
On our way from Michael's to home and ohyeahwehavetostopatHomeDepotrealquicktogetstufftomakeawhaleforVBStomorrow SweetPea started singing, over and over and very loudly, "there are squirrels in my butt"- a miquote of the wonderful song, "SIMP- Squirrels in My Pants" from Phineas and Ferb. While this was happening, Ladybug and Superman were arguing about whether or not we were going to TRU to get more Legos for Superman. (Here's a hint: We weren't!) Ladybug says to Superman: "Listen dude, there's more to life than Legos" and the battle began... All the while, sweet little Ruby is screeching AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS. AND, then my cell phone rang. In Robinson. Where it's really busy, even at night. Good, good times. I've often thought that the whole debate about whether people should be allowed to talk on the phone and drive is not as big of an issue as whether one should be allowed to drive somewhere while transporting children. I am a huge advocate of a vehicle with the capability of going from standard seating to seperate sound-proof pods for each passenger. I think if a car maker could develop that, it would be a HUGE seller for families. You know, the togetherness of travel is great, but what parent wouldn't like to press a button and contain the screaming toddler in a safe little pod for a few minutes until the kids chills out? I may make a few calls to Ford or Chevy- this could be just the idea they need!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
SUPER MOM?
I have held on to the illusion that somehow I oculd make myself "SuperMom"- you know... the mom who take Mrs. Proverbs 31 and makes her look a lazyface? Lovingly growing her baby's fruits and vegetables from seedlings, tending the garden, pureeing them into delicious meals and then lovingly serving them, and freezing the leftovers, all while quietly and delightfully homeschooling the older children, having an immaculate home, complete with freshly baked cookies (healthy & delicious, of course), neatly folded laundry, and happy sounds of children reading and playing. I dreamed of what it would be like to turn in to the SuperMom of my illusions.... I hoped that if I just tried harder, I could do it.
Along the first 6 years of my journey of mothering, I have come to realize more and more that I am not now, nor will I ever be SuperMom, as evidenced by the fact that I often feel a taser would be a lovely item to have in my home or that I tend to get irritated with incessant whining and crying (because, you know SuperMom doesn't get irritated) and want to smack my children with rubber mallets.... (I think my anger language is physical touch!) I now know that SuperMom doesn't actually exist... she is made up. A figment of my imagination, a made up creature, similiar to a unicorn, or a flying pig. I have been trying to let go of SuperMom aspirations. And it's unbelievably hard. And it's amazingly freeing.
I don't grow Ruby's baby food because if I did- she would be eating weeds. Yum-o. And I don't get up at the crack of dawn and prepare wonderful, homemade from scratch meals everyday because if I did, I'd be in bed by 5 p.m. I don't have an immaculate home. Some days I'm just happy to have a somewhat filthy house.... but that's another post. I don't have well thought out, completely organzied and incredibly creative lesson plans for the homeschooling.... etc. etc. etc. I oculd go on about what I don't have/do that makes me the un-SuperMom, but instead, I need to start focusing on what makes me GoodMom.
Yup. I'm not afraid to admit it- I'm a Good Mom. Not a great mom, not an awful mom. A Good Mom. A mom who loves her kids with everything that God has put in me, but still longs for a break from them because they are causing me to go permanently crazy. A mom who does think about things like nutrition, exercise, media usage and the like and wants to do everything I can to have healthy children. A mom who loves God and will just have to learn that the days of morning "quiet time" that lasted over an hour (or over 5 seconds) are gone for now. A mom who wants God's best for her kids, even when it's really hard. A mom who wants to grow alongside her kids.... and enjoy them.... and sometimes complain about them and sometimes crack up at them, but always, always, always love them...even when they are crying and screaming because someone has touched them with a pillow and it "Really, really hurt"... (ahh... a pillow? comeon!!). A mom who will post this blog, wake up her littlest two, get shoes on, return 7 late library books and run through a drive through while her husband is away at a meeting and not feel one bit bad about it... A mom who will spend the entire drive to the library (over 25 minutes) opera singing about road signs and cracking her kids up, say no to toys at the drive through and then probably spend the whole trip home banging her head against the steering wheel because the good time has turned into cryfest because of her moody 4 year old, nut case 6 year old, screamy toddler and hungry infant. Yup... Good Mom is out. Peace.
Along the first 6 years of my journey of mothering, I have come to realize more and more that I am not now, nor will I ever be SuperMom, as evidenced by the fact that I often feel a taser would be a lovely item to have in my home or that I tend to get irritated with incessant whining and crying (because, you know SuperMom doesn't get irritated) and want to smack my children with rubber mallets.... (I think my anger language is physical touch!) I now know that SuperMom doesn't actually exist... she is made up. A figment of my imagination, a made up creature, similiar to a unicorn, or a flying pig. I have been trying to let go of SuperMom aspirations. And it's unbelievably hard. And it's amazingly freeing.
I don't grow Ruby's baby food because if I did- she would be eating weeds. Yum-o. And I don't get up at the crack of dawn and prepare wonderful, homemade from scratch meals everyday because if I did, I'd be in bed by 5 p.m. I don't have an immaculate home. Some days I'm just happy to have a somewhat filthy house.... but that's another post. I don't have well thought out, completely organzied and incredibly creative lesson plans for the homeschooling.... etc. etc. etc. I oculd go on about what I don't have/do that makes me the un-SuperMom, but instead, I need to start focusing on what makes me GoodMom.
Yup. I'm not afraid to admit it- I'm a Good Mom. Not a great mom, not an awful mom. A Good Mom. A mom who loves her kids with everything that God has put in me, but still longs for a break from them because they are causing me to go permanently crazy. A mom who does think about things like nutrition, exercise, media usage and the like and wants to do everything I can to have healthy children. A mom who loves God and will just have to learn that the days of morning "quiet time" that lasted over an hour (or over 5 seconds) are gone for now. A mom who wants God's best for her kids, even when it's really hard. A mom who wants to grow alongside her kids.... and enjoy them.... and sometimes complain about them and sometimes crack up at them, but always, always, always love them...even when they are crying and screaming because someone has touched them with a pillow and it "Really, really hurt"... (ahh... a pillow? comeon!!). A mom who will post this blog, wake up her littlest two, get shoes on, return 7 late library books and run through a drive through while her husband is away at a meeting and not feel one bit bad about it... A mom who will spend the entire drive to the library (over 25 minutes) opera singing about road signs and cracking her kids up, say no to toys at the drive through and then probably spend the whole trip home banging her head against the steering wheel because the good time has turned into cryfest because of her moody 4 year old, nut case 6 year old, screamy toddler and hungry infant. Yup... Good Mom is out. Peace.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Adopted. Again. Yippee.
We have been adopted. By a cat. Again. I'm not all that excited about it. Last summer, when we were preparing to move to our new home, we noticed a black cat seemed to be living on/around the porch. He appeared as if he owned the place; we found out later that he was the former occupants' house cat and had been left behind when they moved. We moved in to the house, got settled and the little black cat kept making his appearance on the porch. Jefferson nicknamed him "Fleabag" after walking out on the porch one day and yelling, "Get out of here Fleabag". The kids were astounded that Daddy knew the cat's name!
Anyway, I digress.... Fleabag was captured by our neighbors' son and was escorted to the Humane Society. We made a few attempts to visit Fleabag but were unable to see him. Fast forward to this month.... we returned home from a few days away at camp to find a orange and white cat on our porch. It looked similiar to our neighbors' outdoor cat, Buddy, aka the friendliest cat EVER. Buddyimposter jumped up in our window sill and meowed. Not unlike Buddy has been known to do in the past. After a day or so, we noticed that this cat seemed a little disheveled and didn't look quite like Buddy. (this was after a few cans of tuna for "Buddy" because we thought maybe the neighbors were away). Jefferson and I both heard small meowing noises coming from under the porch and we thought that the cat formerly thought to be Buddy, had in fact given birth to kittens under our porch. Yippee. Ha.
Jefferson, in his wisdom, said we should take her directly to the Humane Society. I, in my sucker-ness, said we should wait until the kittens would be big enough to be away from their mother, yada yada. Jefferson told me to buy the stupid cat some Meow Mix... which the store did not carry.... I was accused of buying "fancy" cat food, etc.... Anyway, to make a long, drawn out story even longer and more drawn out.... we (the kids and I) decided to name the cat Giggles. The plan was still to take Giggles to the Humane Society and find homes for the kittens when they got to be big enough.
Yeah. Except that was at the beginning of the month and we haven't heard anything lately, leading us to conclude that Giggles either:1. is a ventrilocat, 2. moved the kittens somewhere, or 3. something happened to the kittens.
So, Giggles has been living under the porch, eating copious amounts of cat food, looking less disheveled, and worming her little feline way into Jefferson's heart. Meanwhile, I, upon realizing that the cat played on my soft mother's heart, now say she should have gone to the Humane Society! :) Ahhh... irony.
So, we're trying to decide what Giggles fate will be- stay here and live under the porch, be escorted to the Humane Society, or a third option- find a home somewhere else. With 4 small people and a dog, we can't handle an indoor cat.... not an option for us right now.
So.... anybody want an adorable ventilocat named Giggles? She comes when called, likes to get her head scratched and rub up against your legs, hisses at the kids and enjoys soaking up sunshine.
Anyway, I digress.... Fleabag was captured by our neighbors' son and was escorted to the Humane Society. We made a few attempts to visit Fleabag but were unable to see him. Fast forward to this month.... we returned home from a few days away at camp to find a orange and white cat on our porch. It looked similiar to our neighbors' outdoor cat, Buddy, aka the friendliest cat EVER. Buddyimposter jumped up in our window sill and meowed. Not unlike Buddy has been known to do in the past. After a day or so, we noticed that this cat seemed a little disheveled and didn't look quite like Buddy. (this was after a few cans of tuna for "Buddy" because we thought maybe the neighbors were away). Jefferson and I both heard small meowing noises coming from under the porch and we thought that the cat formerly thought to be Buddy, had in fact given birth to kittens under our porch. Yippee. Ha.
Jefferson, in his wisdom, said we should take her directly to the Humane Society. I, in my sucker-ness, said we should wait until the kittens would be big enough to be away from their mother, yada yada. Jefferson told me to buy the stupid cat some Meow Mix... which the store did not carry.... I was accused of buying "fancy" cat food, etc.... Anyway, to make a long, drawn out story even longer and more drawn out.... we (the kids and I) decided to name the cat Giggles. The plan was still to take Giggles to the Humane Society and find homes for the kittens when they got to be big enough.
Yeah. Except that was at the beginning of the month and we haven't heard anything lately, leading us to conclude that Giggles either:1. is a ventrilocat, 2. moved the kittens somewhere, or 3. something happened to the kittens.
So, Giggles has been living under the porch, eating copious amounts of cat food, looking less disheveled, and worming her little feline way into Jefferson's heart. Meanwhile, I, upon realizing that the cat played on my soft mother's heart, now say she should have gone to the Humane Society! :) Ahhh... irony.
So, we're trying to decide what Giggles fate will be- stay here and live under the porch, be escorted to the Humane Society, or a third option- find a home somewhere else. With 4 small people and a dog, we can't handle an indoor cat.... not an option for us right now.
So.... anybody want an adorable ventilocat named Giggles? She comes when called, likes to get her head scratched and rub up against your legs, hisses at the kids and enjoys soaking up sunshine.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
How YOU Doin' ?
After an unintentionally long break in blogging, I have been yearning to write a new post for quite some time. But, I also yearn for sleep.... and so in the spare moments, that's what will win.
I don't really think I have to tell you that our house is mass chaos,pretty much 24-7. I like to tell myself it's somewhat orderly, organized mass chaos.... Yes... I like to tell myself that as I step over the raisins *SweetPea* has dumped on the floor and avoid the sharp Legos in the hallway as I make my way through the house.
I think one of the main reasons, aside from life, that I haven't blogged with any regularity for quite some time is just the sadness that seems to have permeated my heart. Giving birth is a wonderful, crazy experience and I am blessed to have done it 4 times, safely and relatively safely. However, it really throws a girl's body for a loop, you know? Hormones all over the place.... doesn't help the sad.
My wonderful Grandpa passed away in April and my heart still really hurts. I am reminded each day as prayer requests come to my husband from church members via phone, email or Facebook about how fragile this life is and my heart is heavy as I hear those requests. My children, oh, the darlings.... they each have their own amazing strengths and incredible challenges. It might be a health issue, behavioral thing, current stage, temprament challenge, but they're all still so little and they're all going through different challenges right now. My husband is adjusting to life as a minister and we're all still getting used to life in the country. Loneliness seems to be an overwhelming thing and I miss my family in NY a lot.
In the midst of what feels heavy and sad, I know in my mind and believe in my heart that God is faithful, that these things are not permanent, that they are not in and of themselves major ordeals, and that my joy comes from the Lord.
And so, I write a blog post. Because for me, blogging has always been a good outlet. And, I need some good way to document some of the actual silliness that goes on here!
I don't really think I have to tell you that our house is mass chaos,pretty much 24-7. I like to tell myself it's somewhat orderly, organized mass chaos.... Yes... I like to tell myself that as I step over the raisins *SweetPea* has dumped on the floor and avoid the sharp Legos in the hallway as I make my way through the house.
I think one of the main reasons, aside from life, that I haven't blogged with any regularity for quite some time is just the sadness that seems to have permeated my heart. Giving birth is a wonderful, crazy experience and I am blessed to have done it 4 times, safely and relatively safely. However, it really throws a girl's body for a loop, you know? Hormones all over the place.... doesn't help the sad.
My wonderful Grandpa passed away in April and my heart still really hurts. I am reminded each day as prayer requests come to my husband from church members via phone, email or Facebook about how fragile this life is and my heart is heavy as I hear those requests. My children, oh, the darlings.... they each have their own amazing strengths and incredible challenges. It might be a health issue, behavioral thing, current stage, temprament challenge, but they're all still so little and they're all going through different challenges right now. My husband is adjusting to life as a minister and we're all still getting used to life in the country. Loneliness seems to be an overwhelming thing and I miss my family in NY a lot.
In the midst of what feels heavy and sad, I know in my mind and believe in my heart that God is faithful, that these things are not permanent, that they are not in and of themselves major ordeals, and that my joy comes from the Lord.
And so, I write a blog post. Because for me, blogging has always been a good outlet. And, I need some good way to document some of the actual silliness that goes on here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)