Tag Archives: kids

Lessons learned…wisdom earned? Time will tell….

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Friday, Friday and the kids have no school and yet…..yes, that’s right…..Mama and Papa have work.  Stinkers.  Whatev….Either way, I am wrapping up my week with a few lessons (in Quick Take, Conversion Diary form)  learned from this week.

Lesson 1.  Home with the youngest on Monday and I learned that I could do without HALF of my closet.  I mean really, how MANY pair of khaki capris and shorts does one need?  Between donating 5 bags (Publix size, not garbage!) to our church’s thrift store and then reorganizing by color, I feel refreshed, uncluttered and actually inspired to be a little more “fashionable”.  I’ll do it again once it’s cool enough to bring the winter-ish clothes down.  True fact.

Nice right? OK, not my closet, but you can find some great organizing ideas AND this picture HERE!

Lesson 2.  There is a need to revamp my social media.  Apparently.  Now I know why people are always face down in their phones.  They are updating tweets, RTs, MTs, statuses, blog reading, photo sharing, liking, commenting.  You HAVE to be face down 24/7 to keep up. Farm out the laundry, dinner, kid care, schooling, house chores, work for $$ job, because you cain’t do none of that if you’re doing the other. Serious. As for me,  I joined Twitter to be more abreast on the world.  Facebook to KIT with fam and friends.  Pinterest…..ah, I’m not sure on that one but I’ve gotten lost on there a few times and have really added to Hubby’s “to-do” list.  Instagram b/c I love photos, taking and looking.  However, the sad fact is that I don’t get paid to be social 24/7, so I am going to just chill.  Check in when necessary, disregard the numbers and try to relax on the house projects.  ‘Cuz it’s crazy yo!!!    True fact.

Image cred and social media organizing tips HERE

Lesson 3.  Walking near dusk with a gator in the lake, the podcast must be turned down, eyes must be watchful, legs must be ready to run and camera must be ready to shoot.  Sadly I missed the basketball versus gator wrestling match, I heard it was a doozy.  True fact.

Image cred…ME..on Instagram 🙂

Lesson 4.  If perhaps you are with a middle schooler for after school pick up and you see a fight going on with the amoeba crowd closing in and would by chance, I don’t know, lay on the horn like a crazy lady a few things would happen:  a) the amoeba crowd would scatter like ants and, b) the middle schooler in your vehicle would become like melted butter and sink to the floor of the vehicle.  Then, if you were to call the Rec center to report the fight and the coppers came and some kids almost got arrested, YOUR middle schooler would be the scapegoat the next day.  However, if you use The Jedi Mind Trick and remind him that cell phones are pretty popular and ANYONE could have called as well as blaming the honking on a mother– reminding him to remind his friends that their parents are embarrassing sometimes, too….suddenly the scapegoat is freed and the mob are again little kittens eating out of his hands.  And he wouldn’t be mad at his mother anymore either.  Hypothetically true fact.  Of course.

Lesson 5.  If you call your friend to chat and her 2 toddlers answer taking turns regaling you of tales of nausea and vomiting  and “Mama in the shower”…she probably isn’t going to get that message.  True fact.

Lesson 6.  If one is tempted off their healthy eating focus by a son’s birthday it most definitely is a force to be reckoned with to get back on track.  4 1/2 days later I think I broke the spell with a 40 minute power walk, abs and arms workout followed by a healthy dinner!  The fact is, “we can start our day over at any time….even if it’s 5:30 p.m.”  True fact.

Lesson 7.  Open house at the girls elementary school was eye-opening as our district introduces “standard based grading” and implementing all steps at the same time.  And…..it’s not fully ready yet.  All I can say is, holy crap.  These teachers are getting the shaft.  The tediousness in grading in this manner is ridic beyond words.  Not to mention I am going to need a ruler, reading glasses and a freakin’ LEGEND to interpret the grades when this thing is finally up and running.  I am seriously drafting a letter (sans text lingo and cussing) to the school board, because apparently someone with way too much alphabet soup behind their name decided a nice complicated system would make them look like they are earning their grotesque salaries!  Well, guess what…I have alphabet soup, too….(BS)(RT)(R)(CT).  This  IS putting a teacher’s day far beyond the 8 hours required for their job and I honestly believe… 3 months off for summer isn’t enough.  True fact.

That’s all folks.   Hope you learned a thing or two from my own experiences.  Have a great weekend!  Be sure to check in with the MANY awesome peeps @Conversion Diary with Jen (Reality star).  There’s a bunch so a beverage and snack come in handy when reading through…it’s a great Saturday morning distraction for me 🙂

Sick days bite!

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Our youngest had another little sore throat sneak up this weekend and being a veteran of strep throat for far too many episodes, I absolutely believe her self diagnosis as she is SPOT ON.  EVERY.  TIME.

I went ahead and called in to my work yesterday so they’d have time to get coverage and hopefully not shaft my friend and co-worker in my absence..I think it worked out and was far less stressful on me having to jump ship to get our girl to her doctor appointment AND figure out who’d watch her today.  It all worked out.  In the end, her appointment was at 2 in the afternoon so I had a lot of free time on my hands as a result.  Sadly I can’t just chill, nap and read (though I’d LIKE to!) so I tackled some tedious little tasks I’ve been “meaning to get to” forEVAH…

And the cat was truly enjoying snuggling up on humans all day….after he slept off his all-night out and about the neighborhood, that is…

Sleeping off his big night out

he’s snuggling me or my laptop…either way it’s really hard to type like this.

 

  • We had several bags of clothes to donate to our churches thrift store, so I went through my closet and dresser and added several more  bags AND….delivered them.  To the thrift store.  I know, right?  The delivery is key to purging, otherwise it’s just moving it all around.
  • I had so much room on my side of the closet so…….I reorganized and color grouped my shirts and blouses.  I’m a nerd.  I know.  However, it looks really good.  I might actually be able to FIND something when I need it!!
  • I did my Abs and Arms routine, 3 sets each.  I’ll be walking while our oldest daughter has soccer practice, therefore that makes a good start to Week 2 for Peak 313‘s 5 week challenge.  And I DID eat and log my food today which, BTW, is a huge struggle, especially while at home tempted by all the choices.  Add a little restlessness in and it’s a potential recipe for disaster.  I made it through.  Phew!
  • A month ago we had to cut down a magnolia tree in our backyard (it was diseased and dying) and had to replace it with a new tree.  We did that yesterday with an elm in the front yard.  I called the city to come inspect it and check us off the list.  I hate those silly phone calls.  It’s done.
  • Deleted MANY, MANY duplicate albums clogging up my iPhoto library.  Still lots more to do, but I made a HUGE dent today.  Tedious, tedious, tedious..Don’t even ask how it happened…it’s still a mystery!!
  • Then I took the girl to the office and dropped off her antibiotics and then since I was home….the taxi was in full motion…pick up older daughter, pick up youngest son, pick up antibiotics, now to get dinner going and then off to soccer…dang, I need a nap!!
  • I did manage to give myself and my girl a pedicure….garnet and gold toes for my ‘Noles and pink for her.

Peace out, peeps.  We’re off to soccer!

Saints, Ramblings and the F-word

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30 whole minutes!  Alone.  In my house.  Unheard of (unless I come home for lunch).  We split up for Masses today due to lawns/training/Faith Formation, etc, etc, etc and somehow I am alone.  AHHH.  You don’t even know.  or maybe you do.  It’s bliss.

I’ll take advantage of it and blog in peace.  My mind has been running all morning.  It’s going to be a patchwork quilt of my stream of consciousness…enjoy….

My friend sent me a link (to a blog I follow–hee hee, BUT hadn’t read yet) last week or so and the piece was on the F-word and the how our use of the English language has truly lowered the bar in regards to vulgarity.  It is a GREAT post and you can click below on the link and I will tell you I have been re-thinking before I speak more frequently lately as well as being glad that my blog hasn’t gone that road…even though it might get more hits if it did, but in the end, it’s just not me.  most of the time.  though sometimes….I’m sad to say, it is…the link to Tom’s post is here:  “Defusing the F-bomb” with Neal Obstat Theological Pining

I’ve also given a lot of thought to the amazing lessons we learn from the Saints and figured I’d join in with “Saints Sunday” with The Kennedy Adventures today.  Especially as during Mass I had to referee a disagreement between 2 girls for the first 1/4 of Mass…always a joy…you’d think with only 2 kids at Mass it would have been a breeze.  I should  have taken the other 2.  However, as I was praying “Dear, Jesus, Mary AND Joseph protect my children from the demon threatening to break free from my neck at any minute to silence these girls…help me to be graceful and love them even though they are getting on my last.  ever-loving.  nerve. right now.  Amen”  Right then I had a flash of Saint Monica and was shown how motherhood is a marathon.  Now, Lord Help these kids if it takes me 30 years, but…I was filled with a sense of peace and a guiding of “Continue on.  You’re on the right path.”, neck muscles relaxed, girls relaxed and the rest of Mass was good.  Talk about your instant gratification/affirmation.  Yes, please and thank you!!

The temptations of the saints were seen as opportunities for self­discovery. They allowed temptations to show them the breaches in the fortress of their souls, which needed to be fortified until they would become the strongest points. This explains the curious fact about many saintly people-that they often become the opposite of what they once seemed to be.      (Lift Up Y our Heart)  Venerable Fulton John Sheen 

Confirmation.  Our 9th grader is making his this year.  Parent meeting today and his first of 6 classes tonight with a dinner.  Praying for the right sponsor for him, he needs the right  person to talk to and spark that mustard seed.

Busy Saturday.  Football in the morning.  Hubby took our girl while I took the other girl grocery shopping and tackled the house.  Then, after lunch I took both girls to our oldest girl’s first soccer game while Hubby stayed with the boys and tackled the tree stump in the back yard so we can plant a new tree.  The weather was good, the drive was quick (for 1.5 hour to AND from the game–that says aLOT!), and best of all, we made it home in time for dinner on the table!  SCORE!!!

Chill Sunday.  It appears we are getting Isaac reincarnated today.  Not quite the storm he was his first pass before he let loose on the Gulf coast, Louisiana and Mississippi, but it’s a blustery and rainy day.  The library is in store for SURE!!!

And one last note on a Saint-to-be…today Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is decreed as “Venerable” by the Vatican and a celebration of his life and vocation is taking place in Peoria at Celebrate Sheen, a Mass of Thanksgiving for an amazing man and true blessing to the Church.

Game 1. A loss, but a GREAT game with lots of potential to the season!!

 

Redemption through a Pot Roast…

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and other weekly synopses with Jen Fulwiler (soon-to-be-reality-documentary-diva) and pals…

It’s been a short week with Labor Day hogging up my Monday (LOVE me a 4-day work week…it just messes up my, “what-dayis-it?” for the week).  And yet HALLELUJAH, here it is FRIDAY!  Can I get a WOOP WOOP???  And since I need to get kids up and dinner prepped this is going to be quick-ish:

  1. I made ham and northern bean soup the other night for dinner.  It sucked.  the beans didn’t soak and/or cook long enough.  Without fear, they are frozen and will be delectable for round 2, however, I DID make a mean pot roast last night and totally redeemed my cooking skilz…as my Hubby says, “you can’t go wrong with a pot roast”..phew, cuz I was thinking I was losing my touch…

    Even the picky kid had seconds…yep, THAT good!

    2.  Had a needlestick a work last Friday.  A dirty needle.  First time ever.  In 20 years.  So here’s to strong prayers for a better day today!!  Fortunately, all blood tests (mine and source patient) are clean, I’ll just go for a 6 month check up and be done.  Talk about nerve-wracking…ugh..

    3 hours in my local ER on a Friday afternoon isn’t really my idea of a good time…

    3.  Enjoyed a smokin’ hot football game on Saturday with my girls.  90+ temps and a 31-0 win.  Check out our set-up….And yes, people were hating on me…they would be the ones in the bleacher seats and no umbrella…go ahead and hate, people, go ahead…

    Totally worth the effort of twitching biceps from carrying all that swag 1/2 mile from the parking lot…

    4.  Dad and the boys hit the Zoom Air course with Hubby’s bestie (can guys have BFFs??)…maybe I should say best bro’….either way, it was a 3-hour blast!!

    A view of one of the courses….

    5.  I’ve been working in the exercise this week and took the girls for a walk (they bladed) a couple of times…prepping for next week’s Peak 313 challenge...

    A re-enactment…AWWW, they really DO like each other….

    6.  Another walk/blade sesh brought us to the local park and we were able to see some ducks settling in for the night and almost a mama duck nipping off a little dog’s nose for messing with her babies.  Well.  That’s what you get when you mess with mama’s babies…..

    Settling those teenagers down….

    7.  On Labor Day I cleaned out the “junk drawer” and updated the chore board…happy to report 4 days later…the drawer is still clean-ish and the board changes have been noted and followed…mostly…

    Wet erase board+vibrant markers+initial magnets=peace (mostly)

    Have a great weekend, y’all!!

     

     

     

Someone has to be the base….

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Teamwork

In cheerleading stunts, I am learning the lingo.  The “base” is the support for the girl who is being lifted (aka, the flyer) and tossed in the air.  The base must be strong and sturdy and fully focused on her flyer.  The flyer seems more glamorous in their “elevated” status and exciting tricks while being lifted and then tossed, however, they also must be strong, flexible and focused, completely trusting and relying on their base.  It’s teamwork at its best.

In life, and in cheerleading, our best tricks and “AHHHHHH-inspiring” moments only come when we have a good sturdy foundation.  A base we can trust to hold us up and catch us when we fall.  A lesson I’m learning throughout this, our first cheer season, is to hold my tongue in regards to the gossip-monger cliques, for it is quickly becoming obvious how unreliable their own bases are in their own “mean-girl” actions.  A teachable season for both my daughter and I  to  discern people for who they are, pinpoint traits to emulate and moments to rise above.  There are many girls in this sport who are amazing and wonderful girls and I pray they can all rise above the few who are Divas-in-training to encourage and lift up their teammates; that they can be the “base” in their actions and words.  We all have the opportunity to be both base and flyer; its important to remember it all starts with the base.

How sturdy is your base?

1 Thessalonians 5:11 

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.