Friday, January 11, 2013

Dive Right In

Linking up with Lisa-Jo at 5 minute Friday again today!

Today's word:

DIVE

Diving into things in my life has definitely been a recurring thing.  In high school, my friend convinced me to try out for the swim team and I spent the next 4 years diving into lots of different pools.  I found myself diving into 'grown-up life' and motherhood sooner then expected....and then diving into motherhood again, and again, and again, and again, and again....and again and again and again!  I dive with Jay into moments of prosperity, uncertainty, and financial stress.  I have had moments when I felt I would drown from emotional pain and moments where joy made me feel that I could walk on water.

Each day brings its own challenges and surprises....what will I dive into next?

Looks like it will be playing trucks with my favorite little boy who is looking for some attention from his mommy.....

Good thing this post only takes 5 minutes:)

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Tired and Blah

I almost never miss a Wednesday blog day.  But I did.  I just had nothing except 'tired and blah' and really didn't want to share that muck!

Tuesday night had provided less than adequate sleep.  Unfortunately, this lack of sleep seems to be a theme here lately.

On Wednesday morning, I had to be out of the house by 7:30 because Kate and Luke had physicals at 8.  The combo of being super tired and having to race to get out of the house and wrestle with 2 busy kids at the doctor's office left me feeling "done" by the time we arrived back home...and it was only 10am!

Thankfully, they are both doing great!  (Now if I can only manage to get them to be good sleepers...and get Luke to use the potty!)

Last night was, (surprise, surprise!), another less-than-stellar night.  Trying to manage that 'blah' feeling is not easy when the sleep deprivation train is parked at your station!

When I'm very tired, it makes everything seem darker.  It makes my day feel like I'm balancing on a hill covered in ice.  Every little struggle sends me sliding backwards and everything takes twice as much effort.

When I'm tired, it is 10x harder to stay positive and not get snappy with people around me!  I don't want to be negative and snappy.  So, I have to figure out how to escape this black cloud hanging over my head and making everything feel heavy.

It's just one of those 'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming' types of days!

I read a quote today from St. Francis about Jesus' humility....I think it was a reminder that if God can do all that He does for me, then I can readjust my focus and keep my emotions from spiraling out of control.

God is bigger than my sleep deprivation, and my messy house, and my family's busy schedule, and my stress about losing weight, and my worries over a struggle that a couple close to us is going through, and, and, and....everything!  


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

2012 Recap

Some of the blogs that I follow did this really cute recap of the year of 2012 in 12 photos, so I decided to join in:)

January....with a brand new, beautiful baby girl!
February....celebrating Mike's 19th, Andrew's 17th,and Jon's 16th birthday at Dave and Buster's!  They all have February birthdays and Mike and Andrew were born on the same day!


 March...Mike's induction into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at his college!

 April...celebrating Ellie's birthday at the American Girl Store:)
 May....Sarah's 13th birthday...bringing us to a grand total of 4 teenagers in the house!

June....Kate and I tag along on a field trip with Sarah to the Newport Mansions!

July....long weekend on the Vineyard!   


 August....our super fun vacation to Hershey Park!

 September....enjoying the last beach days of summer with cousins and friends!
 October...our 20th Anniversary!

 November....Pierogi Fest!

 December...our baby turns 1!

....It was a very good year!

linking up with Dweej

Monday, January 7, 2013

The Joys of Head Wounds!

This weekend started out with a little more excitement than I was looking for!

On Friday night, Peter and Luke were playing together as I finished cleaning the kitchen.  Peter lost his balance and bumped his head on Kate's child size bureau.  He cut his head but didn't say anything.

A few minutes later, Luke told me, "Mommy, someone spilled juice on the floor!"  I looked up to see what he was talking about, and had that moment of confusion when you know something isn't quite right but I hadn't figured it out yet.

A few seconds later I realized that the "juice" was a trail that started in my bedroom(where Kate's bureau resides for now), through the living room, and into the dining room where Peter stood looking like a scene from a horror movie.  His hands were covered in blood and there was blood all over his face and arms.  I jumped from the couch where I had just sat down to nurse Kate.(So she started screaming.)

I yelled to Mike that I needed help and Andrew and Ellie came running from their rooms as I figured out where the blood was coming from.(Jay was out at Sarah's basketball game and Jon was on the Vineyard at his basketball game.)

I quickly discovered it was his head and that it was spurting out with each of his heartbeats.  I grabbed a kitchen towel and held it on tight to stop the bleeding.  Peter stood there laughing at all the commotion.  I told him, "Peter, you're bleeding.  You have a cut on your head."  He looked at me and said, "That's not good."  Umm.....no!

We learned that Mike is not the person to call in an emergency.  He walked out of the bathroom, saw all the blood on Peter and all over the floor, and started walking in a circle waving his arms and swearing.  So.not.helpful.

Thankfully, the other kids were not squirmish.  I started barking out orders like a drill sergeant....'Ellie, put a video on for Luke in the family room so he doesn't step in blood."  "Andrew, get me a warm face cloth to clean some of this blood off of Peter."  Andrew was also holding a (still) screaming Kate, too!  "Mike, stop swearing and call your father."  "Ellen, grab paper towels and start cleaning up the blood."  "Andrew, Swiffer the floors."

Meanwhile, the bleeding stopped and I was able to see exactly what was going on.  It was a small cut...about 1/3 of an inch...but pretty meaty.  It's definitely not a spot you can put a butterfly bandage on either.  Ugh...another trip to the ER!

I cleaned off Peter while Ellen and Andrew got the floors clean.  I realized that he had gotten blood on my bedspread and sheets....so after spraying them with oxyclean and throwing them in the wash with a quick prayer that the blood would come out,...I threw them in the wash.  (It worked:)

Jay took Peter to the ER.  Peter thought the visit was great...his own personal field trip!  Thankfully, the doctor was able to use glue and they didn't have to wait long.

In the daylight on Saturday, I found some missed spots on the floor...and blood on our dining room sliders and the bathroom door!  I continued the cleaning to include the dining room walls and the side board and the girls' bedroom door.  That was something positive!

The last three months have each had a visit to the ER...Mike's broken hand and stitches in his chin in November, Jay's eye incident in December, and now Peter in January!  I'm certainly hoping that this trend does not continue!


Friday, January 4, 2013

Opportunity

Five Minute Friday is back!  I'm joining on in.....5 minutes of (hopefully) uninterrupted writing on one particular word.  Today's word is......

Opportunity

When I think of the word opportunity, so many things pop into my head.  Opportunity is such a positive word.  It's like the root of a tree that grows into the seemingly endless large and small branches that lengthen and stretch their way upwards towards the sky.

Each day holds so many opportunities.  Some opportunities are more welcome than others.  I would much rather jump on the opportunity to go out to dinner on a date with my husband than the opportunity to nurture my kids through a stomach virus!  

I am grateful today for the opportunity to blog for these 5 minutes....uninterrupted so far!  I am grateful for the opportunity to make a Walmart stop and get most of the grocery shopping done with help from Mike.  I am grateful for the opportunity to snuggle my little ones and enjoy their (mostly) smiling faces.  

Some days the opportunities are bigger than just the cleaning, shopping, nursing, and playing.....but the little, everyday, ordinary things are really the biggest treasures!
Five Minute Friday

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Ready, Set, Purge!

I have started the purge!  It is a very.slow.moving.process!  But it has begun!  Woo hoo!  I already feel lighter!

This purge of excess stuff will take baby steps.  If I can just stay focused on whatever I can get accomplished and be thankful for any spot that gets a thorough sorting through, then I will be able to remain peaceful and focused and not lose heart!

There are lots of nooks and crannies in this house to go through!

And it's not like the daily dishes and laundry will disappear!

Or that Kate and Luke won't need the majority of my attention!

Or that the older kids still need rides/have games or meets/or need help with something!

Or that everyone still expects dinner every night!

I will get through what I can....even if it's just a drawer....or a pile....or one small shelf!

Trying to create an atmosphere of peace in my home is important.  Working on the outward disorganization will free up essential energy to work on my own inward disorganization.  (That's a mighty big task in itself!)

I am not looking for perfection, but a little controlled chaos would be good!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

It's A New Year!

The whirlwind of the holidays has come to the abrupt end, as it always does every year!  After over a week of family parties, get togethers with friends, lots of baking, cooking, cleaning...and all the shopping and wrapping in the weeks leading up to the big week....I have to say that I am ready for the normal routine.

Oatmeal, salads, and yogurt are looking pretty good right now, too!  It always amazes me that I can get sick of dessert by New Year's!

A part of me is sad that this special season is over.  Despite the busyness of it all, there is a lot of family bonding that happens around Christmas.  The teens seem a bit less grouchy and are tapping into their childhood excitement.  The kids seem to actually seek out and enjoy each others company more often.  Everyone seems a little more helpful to get ready for all the special treats and get togethers.

There is also the innocent excitement of the younger kids that makes the season even more enjoyable.  Seeing Ellie, and especially Luke, enjoying family traditions and Christmas morning fun made for some great memories!

As we slowly venture into the New Year and old routines....and try to be inspired to create some new and improved routines...I need to spend a little time re-charging.  I don't have set 'resolutions' right now, but definitely a few goals that I want to achieve.

This year will bring a lot of change.  Kate will be getting more independent.  Jon will get his driver's license.  Sarah will graduate from 8th grade.  Andrew will graduate from high school.  Mike will graduate from BCC.  Luke will be going to pre-school.  Andrew will start college somewhere!  Mike will probably be going away to college.  Peter will be aging out of the class he is in and starting in another class at a different school.  Jon will have to decide where he will apply to college.

And that's only the changes that I actually know about!

How will I change this year?

And how will I make time for the changes I hope to make while trying to help everyone else with the changes in their lives?

I'm not really sure yet.

I know that prayer is the first step.  Otherwise, if I try to change just on emotions or sheer will, my goals will become dust bunnies in the giant walk-in closet in my mind.....which is just as cluttered as the closet in my bedroom!

So, I am stepping into 2013 slowly.....trying to move forward with purpose and determination and fortitude!

I've always heard that 'slow and steady wins the race'!

I've got the slow part down!  Now to focus on the steady:)