Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I will be honest, I am not feeling very thankful. It's not that I haven't tried- and it is not like I don't recognize all my blessings. But I tend to be one of those "look on the bright side" people, one of those "get lemons, make lemonade" types.
And frankly, it has become a little exhausting to keep up all the positivity.
So I am having a pity party today and I am not going to let this season of gratitude make me feel guilty about it.
Hopefully it will just make my appreciation for what I do have that much more precious. Precious like my beautiful daughter, home sick with a cold and napping in my bed. See, I am feeling better already.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Birthday thoughts
I celebrated my birthday this weekend, a milestone birthday of 35. I'm not going to let it get to me though, because my 10-year-old niece told me I don't look a day over 31.
But turning 35 did have me reminiscing a bit about how I imagined my future when I was young and what my life looks like now.
I imagined myself as either a vet or a writer, living in an old, rambling farmhouse with a handful of pets and six kids.
Vet, no- mostly because of my pesky little issues with blood and guts.
Writer, check, albeit not a very well compensated one.
Old rambling farmhouse, well, not really, but I do live near ALOT of cornfields and since the patching and painting of the stairwell in our new and not rambling house was about a six month project, I don't think Tim or I have the lifespan to remodel something old and rambling.
Handful of pets, check on that one.
Six kids- well- we have four and that is plenty! Enough said.
So as it turns out, I haven't done so bad after all.
Sure life throws us all curveballs like divorce or illness or even car troubles.
And it's not to say our dreams can't change. I mean six kids? Never gonna happen.
But with babysteps, I can make all sorts of things happen. Maybe even convince Tim to get our basement finished.
I have at least another 35 years!
But turning 35 did have me reminiscing a bit about how I imagined my future when I was young and what my life looks like now.
I imagined myself as either a vet or a writer, living in an old, rambling farmhouse with a handful of pets and six kids.
Vet, no- mostly because of my pesky little issues with blood and guts.
Writer, check, albeit not a very well compensated one.
Old rambling farmhouse, well, not really, but I do live near ALOT of cornfields and since the patching and painting of the stairwell in our new and not rambling house was about a six month project, I don't think Tim or I have the lifespan to remodel something old and rambling.
Handful of pets, check on that one.
Six kids- well- we have four and that is plenty! Enough said.
So as it turns out, I haven't done so bad after all.
Sure life throws us all curveballs like divorce or illness or even car troubles.
And it's not to say our dreams can't change. I mean six kids? Never gonna happen.
But with babysteps, I can make all sorts of things happen. Maybe even convince Tim to get our basement finished.
I have at least another 35 years!
Monday, November 2, 2009
So last week came and went without a blog entry. It's kinda hard to be disciplined when you only answer to yourself!
Actually, I was enjoying the sweet sound of silence, as Monday is the only day of the week when I get two and a half hours (gasp!) child free.
For some reason I needed that silence all the more after a very noisy week. Have you ever been outside on a summer day and heard the buzz of insects in the air? Very similar to our house, except that it is more of a dull roar.
The boys seem to find it necessary to make humming, popping or lip-smacking sounds while engaged in any task.
Angelina, on the other hand, loves to sing. Sometimes these are nonsensical songs or odes to a family member. (For example, to great-grandma in the wheelchair- "I love grandma-great, grandma great... she can't walk... grandma-great")
But often it is a precious tune from one of her favorite Barbie movies.
This week she watched Barbie and The Diamond Castle movie.
It was so precious as she sang Lydia's parts over and over again:
"I'll rule the world" and "Your going to pay!"
Really... um... sweet...
Anyway, add in the melodious sounds of the dog slurping her own paws and you can imagine how great it is.
And speaking of Great- in our house we have what they call a "Great Room". It refers to the combine space of the kitchen, living room and dining area.
But I will tell you- it is not great at all.
As the kids are working on their homework at the dining room table, singing, humming, smacking and popping away, Tim is watching T.V. on the couch, glaring at us and turning up the volume.
To which the kids' noises get louder... and then so does the T.V....and then the kids...and then the T.V...
You can see where this goes. It's not great at all!!!
So you can see why I enjoyed my silence on Monday all the more.
But then Halloween came, and the house was overflowing with friends and neighbors and lots and lots of kids. And it was noisy. And I loved every minute of it.
So maybe the moral of the story is that there is a place and time to appreciate our kids' noises after all...
Or maybe it was just all that wine I was drinking :)
Actually, I was enjoying the sweet sound of silence, as Monday is the only day of the week when I get two and a half hours (gasp!) child free.
For some reason I needed that silence all the more after a very noisy week. Have you ever been outside on a summer day and heard the buzz of insects in the air? Very similar to our house, except that it is more of a dull roar.
The boys seem to find it necessary to make humming, popping or lip-smacking sounds while engaged in any task.
Angelina, on the other hand, loves to sing. Sometimes these are nonsensical songs or odes to a family member. (For example, to great-grandma in the wheelchair- "I love grandma-great, grandma great... she can't walk... grandma-great")
But often it is a precious tune from one of her favorite Barbie movies.
This week she watched Barbie and The Diamond Castle movie.
It was so precious as she sang Lydia's parts over and over again:
"I'll rule the world" and "Your going to pay!"
Really... um... sweet...
Anyway, add in the melodious sounds of the dog slurping her own paws and you can imagine how great it is.
And speaking of Great- in our house we have what they call a "Great Room". It refers to the combine space of the kitchen, living room and dining area.
But I will tell you- it is not great at all.
As the kids are working on their homework at the dining room table, singing, humming, smacking and popping away, Tim is watching T.V. on the couch, glaring at us and turning up the volume.
To which the kids' noises get louder... and then so does the T.V....and then the kids...and then the T.V...
You can see where this goes. It's not great at all!!!
So you can see why I enjoyed my silence on Monday all the more.
But then Halloween came, and the house was overflowing with friends and neighbors and lots and lots of kids. And it was noisy. And I loved every minute of it.
So maybe the moral of the story is that there is a place and time to appreciate our kids' noises after all...
Or maybe it was just all that wine I was drinking :)
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