Just Another Speed Bump

i.am.tired.

Too many days of rushing to get everyone ready and where they needed to go, then rushing home, the rushing to pick everyone up.  Everyone everywhere...everyday different.  Too much planning to do and not enough sleep!  I like having the kids home....but I miss the school year routine.

This morning was not organized with everyone going everywhere.  I was running late...one teenager was cranky and snappy because one of his siblings took his headphones and he needed to leave; one teenager didn't know the details of the day and the other teenager, who was doing the very same thing and was in the same room when we were discussing the day(!), happened to mention as I was dropping them off that the schedule of the day was different than what we thought!  Ugh...so teenager #2 had to be driven back home to change...and I was very late dropping Peter off at camp.(And completely frazzled!)

Feeling like a bad mom today...and struggling SO much with patience!  I keep trying to re-focus and take a deep breath but the baby that won't nap and the 5 loads of laundry waiting to be folded and the bills/paperwork is waiting to be done.....

I opened my email and read Today's Quiet Moment...


There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.

St. Augustine

Thank goodness!(And, just in case you were wondering...I fall into the "no sinner without a future" part of the quote!!!

So..........deep breath!  This is just another speed bump!

Now, if I can just get through the rest of the afternoon without biting everyone's head off and folding the mountain of laundry!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

Summer is moving ahead at 100 mph!!!  That's the way it feels like around here.  Don't get me wrong, it's all good stuff...camps, time with friends...but I'm tired already!  Waiting up for a teenager to come home last night didn't help either.  Trying to negotiate a curfew for a 19 year old that gives him some independence...and let's us get some sleep...is NOT an easy task.

I feel like I'm at the beach...we are enjoying body surfing in the waves(activities) and the waves just keep coming one after the other!

The planning and organizing and coordinating of activities and schedules takes a lot of work...and there's still the laundry, dishes and meal planning that has to happen, too!

I made my first scheduling mistake of the summer today.  I planned most of my week around a planetarium exhibit for Ellen at the library.  We showed up this morning at the library at the right time and.....it was yesterday!  Ugh!!!  Poor Ellie was so disappointed.  I could tell she was trying not to cry :(  Bad parent moment #1 for the day.

Honestly, I just want to stay home for an entire day and catch up on cleaning...and hopefully take a nap:)

Alas...it's not going to happen today.  This afternoon, I'm picking up Andrew from the leadership retreat he's been at all week.  I am looking forward to having all my kids back in the nest...at least for a couple days.  Two or three of them are going to the Vineyard with my parents this weekend after we have a clam boil to celebrate my sister's birthday!  Like I said before...all fun stuff but busy, busy, busy!  (When I say "busy, busy, busy" I hear the voice of the magician from Frosty the snowman!:)

Jay has the week off next week.  Hooray!  Nothing big planned, but it will just be nice to have extra time together:)  I want to spend some time today or tomorrow planning a couple of small outings.  I'm thinking the local oceanarium.  I also want to spend some time planning a fun menu for the 4th.  I'm also making stuffed quahogs(my grandmother's recipe) and trying my hand at a homemade ice cream cake for my sister's birthday party. Trying to make things special takes time!

Did I mention that I really want to take a nap, too?!?

More On A Special Celebration

In case you missed my post yesterday....we celebrated Jay's parent's 40th wedding anniversary last night.  We had a grown-up dinner with Jay's parents, his sister, Julie, and her boyfriend, Tom, his sister, Jackie, and her husband, Robbie, and the two of us...plus Kate.(Not quite kid-less but close..and Kate was great.)

We ate at a really nice restaurant.  The atmosphere was very calm and beautiful and the food was great!  The conversation was laid back and it was a very enjoyable time.

We all surprised Jay's parents with the gift of a 2 night get-away to the Cliffhouse in Maine.  They haven't done many vacations, so we were hoping a mini vacation to a place they've never been would be just enough adventure for celebrating such an important occasion!  While they are there they will also be going to see the musical, South Pacific, at a local playhouse.

We came back to our house to finish the celebration with the kids.  We had the cake that Sarah decorated so nicely.  Mike had run out while we were gone to get flowers...and ice cream.  All the kids had picked up to make it neat for the party while we were at dinner.

It was such a fun night.  Jay's parents enjoyed it.  It was great to surprise them with the get-away...and just a nice way to celebrate them!

(If you missed the first part of the story yesterday, here's the link......)
(http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2012/06/special-celebration.html)

A Special Celebration

Tonight we are celebrating Jay's parents 40th wedding anniversary.  We are going out to dinner and have a couple of surprises planned.  Sorry...I can't spill the beans here yet because my in-laws read my blog and I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!(Plus, my sister-in-laws would kill me!  I will definitely fill you in tomorrow, though:)

What a special milestone 40 years is in the world we live in today!  Jay's parents not only still love each other...they also like each other.

It has been a tough year for my in-laws.  Jay had gotten really sick last summer and scared all of us.  Then, a month later, Jay's sister, Jackie, started going into pre-term labor.  After two stressful weeks on bed rest the doctors could not prevent my niece, Mya, from coming into the world 14 weeks early.  Mya spent 4 difficult months in the NICU and, praise God, is doing great.  In the early fall, Jay's dad was diagnosed with prostate surgery and had surgery in late November.  As I posted recently, he has begun further treatment.  Thankfully, the prognosis is extremely positive.  But the emotional roller coaster was tough on everyone, especially my mother-in-law.

Celebrating this special occasion amidst all the recent health crises makes the moment even more special.  

My in-laws have worked hard all their lives to provide for their family.  They are both teachers.  My mother-in-law has been retired for almost 10 years but my father-in-law still teaches at the Catholic high school my sons attend.  He retired from teaching at the public high school because of the stress of dealing with tough, inner city kids.  But he missed teaching, and was hired at the position he still holds.  He loves it there...and the kids all love him.  He has won teacher of the year and this year the seniors dedicated the year book to him.  He is a great math teacher(which I personally appreciate because he tutors all our kids when they need it!  Good thing, too, because math was never my strong suit!  Thankfully, most of my kids have gotten his "math genes"!)

My mother-in-law is extremely crafty and always takes the extra time to put special touches on whatever she does for all of us.  She is a great cook.   The family favorite dessert she makes is her chocolate cake.  Everyone requests this cake for special occasions.  Andrew has already told her he wants her chocolate cake when he gets married one day!

Usually, my sister-in law, Julie, will make the cake when it's a party for her mom.  Unfortunately, Julie had the work the overnight shift at the hospital so she wasn't going to be able to make "mom's cake".  So, Sarah and I are attempting to do it justice.  So much pressure!  It won't be as good as mom's, but it was made with love.  Sarah is decorating it right now...she inherited my mother-in-law's "craft gene"(again, not my strong suit!)

I hope that we will all be able to help them celebrate this milestone in a way that makes them feel special and appreciated after all they have done for all of us!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! 

To read about the actual party, follow this link:)
http://normalchaosforamultitaskmom.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-on-special-celebration.html

Today's Quiet Moment

"If, in spite of your goodwill, you cannot accomplish what you want

then take every opportunity to sing the psalms in your heart and to

understand them with your mind.  And if your mind wanders as you

read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more."

St. Romuald

I opened my inbox and read the Catholic Digest Quiet Moment for today.  I definitely struggle daily to accomplish what I would like to accomplish...and that goes far beyond laundry!  This morning I had the desire to seek out and feel God's presence.  So often my prayer time is done in stolen moments...driving to drop off or pick up my kids, when I'm alone making dinner, moments before I fall asleep in my bed at night.  I'm not alone very much during the day(or night!), and I do a terrible job of scheduling in solid prayer time every day(or exercise time).

Today is a new day...and I had a desire for connection with God like I said before.  So besides talking to God and asking for opportunities to be close to Him, I took Today's Quiet Moment literally and decided to read a Psalm.  I read Psalm 8...Why?  I don't know, just seemed like the right #.

What I got out of Psalm 8 was a sense of awe at the God who made all things...the incredible moon and stars and everything on the Earth and, despite His incredible power and greatness, He cares so much for all of us!

So I am trying to take the "opportunity to sing the psalms in my heart and to understand them with my mind."  It's hard to wrap my head around that God cares so much for me.(and each one of us!)  Despite my lack of focused prayer, and my lack of patience, and all the other ways I fail each day as a mother, wife, daughter and friend, God continues to give me opportunities to try again and grow in all the roles of my life.

I'm really tired today...last night's sleep was less than stellar despite going to be a little early.  My little ones woke me up quite a bit last night.  So I'm feeling rather foggy and sluggish today.

Kate is also super clingy today and is not happy on the floor or in her bouncy seat.  She just wants to be held.  And that's ok...sometimes there are days I just want to be held.


I feel like I've been more introspective lately.  I feel like I'm waiting for internal directions...especially with writing.  I feel more connected to my kids and trying to better understand each of their needs and finding opportunities to meet those needs.  I definitely feel the pull to be more present in each moment, and I am trying to really immerse myself in the blessings I've been given.  (I'm still struggling to deal with the more negative moments with patience but I keep trying!)  


Sorry if this post sounds all over the place....I really have sleep deprived fog brain!

Our Little Blessing

This week our little muffin turned 6 months old!  6 months old!  I can't believe it!

Kate is sporting 2 new bottom teeth.  She creeps across the carpet....especially if she sees a magazine.  She gleefully tore several pages out earlier in the week when I walked away for a minute and a half!

The last couple of days, Kate has been getting up on her hands and knees in the crawling position.  She doesn't quite to know what to do when she gets there...but it won't be long until she figures it out!  Then the real fun begins...babyproofing 101 all over again.

Kate is so sweet.  She has the chubbiest cheeks..and the chubbiest thighs.  She loves, loves, loves attention! Thankfully, attention is never lacking in our house!

The best is when she sees you and breaks into a great, big grin and starts waving her arms and kicking her legs.  It is very nice to feel wanted and loved:)

My favorite moments are when I hold her and she lays her soft, little head in the crook of my neck.  It makes me just melt.

Kate is such a little blessing.

A Work In Progress

Thankfully, the spinning of my emotional tornado from earlier in the week has faded!  I'm still trying to sort out the lessons it was meant to teach me.  I know that sometimes answers don't come quickly.  God does not always answer my questions in the order they are received!  I have to continue praying on it and working through my feelings....but I always find a place of peace and acceptance eventually(even if the answer I receive is not the one that I am looking for.)

I am grateful for the days when I can love and enjoy my children.

 (Who knew cookies could make you so happy!.....Or a plastic spoon!)

Don't get me wrong...there are no perfect days.  Even on the good days there are meltdowns and impatient words occasionally.  But on the good days, I am able to treat those imperfect moments as speed bumps rather than mountains.  I am able to move on and continue living in the moment and finding such joy in the things that Luke comes out with, and Kate's chubby thighs and goofy grins and, her newest trick, raspberries!  I am able to be more present to the older kids and listen patiently to ALL that Ellie has to say and be open to the times when my teenagers are willing to open up and share parts of themselves with me.

I'm a work in progress.  Thankfully God has much more patience than I do:)

  

Have no dread or fear… the LORD, your God, carried you, as a man carries his child, all along your journey.

Deuteronomy 1:29, 31

linking up with each card tells a story, memories captured and