Do you ever just sit down and think about the life you have been blessed with? Do you consider where you are, where you were and where you could be? I often find myself pondering those very questions and I always settle on the same conclusion. I live a lovely, charmed and blessed life.
I've faced a number of true hardships. Some have been entirely avoidable - entirely my fault. Others have been a result of the hand I was dealt. An unfortunate roll of the dice. However, through it all, one thing remains certain and steady. I love my life, my children, my family, my job, everything.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
What do you do with your spare time?
Spare time?? What is that? Certainly, those who have extra time find something to do. Something that makes them feel happy, relaxed, etc. Or, they simply get chores done. Do the things that life requires.
We've been exploring things that we like to do. Things that make us feel good and relaxed. Things that help us to get our chores done.
When we moved here, we disposed of all of the dressers we owned. They were all old, worn and tired. And, our U-haul was packed as full as it could be. I'd been keeping my eyes open for dressers for the kids. They need them more than Hubs and I do, because we have an awesome closet!! The picture below doesn't even do it justice. The shelves go all around the closet, which probably measures 8x8 or larger.
So, after having looked around for dressers and visiting the limited number of yard sales that this little town offers, I went to local thrift stores. I found these two dressers for $15 and $20 each. As you can see from the photos, they were in tired shape when I got them. I think my husband must have thought I was pretty crazy. But I had a vision. When I got home, I went to work on Google to find ideas on what I wanted the finish to look like. Ultimately, we ended up with this:
As you can see, the difference is phenomenal. I let the girls pick their colors themselves and then they helped to sand, prime and paint them. Daddy added the hardware and the mirror over the green dresser. In their rooms:
She's really proud of how hers turned out.
We've really decided that we're going to refinish furniture to finish furnishing our home. We may also continue to refinish furniture and sell it. We both enjoy doing it very much.
These are our most recent acquisitions. I think we'll do the bed to match the green dresser (we'll do the bed black and accents green). The other dresser will be finished for the boys' room since I took their 'dresser' to use as my entertainment center. I rearranged my living room. I feel like the new look is more clean and modern. Hubs was resistant, at first, but I asked him to humor me while I set it up. The finish product made him quite happy.
He finally agrees that we can let the old set go!! So, I posted it for sale on a local FB sales and trade group. Not sold, yet, but keeping my fingers crossed. That darn set was impossible to keep clean!
It had several (smaller) scratches in the top of the TV stand. I took black glossy fingernail polish to it and you can't tell that it was ever scratched!! I'm proud of that one!
So, the stand the TV is now on is what we were using for the boys' clothes in their room. The smaller stand to the left of the picture is what we were using for Tiger's clothes. Because I now have a more grown up living room area, I am without adequate storage for Ti's clothes. It now looks like this
Yeah. The crib in our house is a place to dry rugs, blankets and diapers. It also holds all of Ti's clothing. He never, ever sleeps in it anyway, so we're no worse for the wear. In fact, I've been looking for a toddler bed, because all this thing is doing is using up space.
Last night was a hard night with Tiger. He woke in the middle of the night and was pretty much inconsolable. So, we marched our way into the living room so that Hubs would have a chance to sleep. The boys had soccer this morning, and I had no interest in being out in the cold, so it was a fair trade for us both. I stayed up with Ti, he slept and took the boys to soccer.
While he was gone, I cleaned and arranged the house some more.
I swept, scrubbed, mopped and cleaned all day today. The majority of the house is hard floors and the exterior of the house is desert. Sand everywhere all the time. I'm fighting a losing battle. Hubs is trying to clean up the back yard so that we can get something down outside of the doors to minimize the traffic that comes into the house. We're only renting this place, so we don't want to do anything too costly or permanent, but I can't stand the mess!
One good thing about living in the desert is all of the rocks. Hubs loves looking at and playing with the rocks. I drove him up to Garnet Mountain a couple of weeks ago and left him there all day. He spent the day hammering and chiseling rocks, enjoying nature and finding himself. When I picked him up, he returned with these:
The black gems inside the rocks are garnets. There are some good sized ones in this bunch. He also found some pretty cool quartz crystals. He had a great time.
Tomorrow, we're going to carve pumpkins... Stay tuned for the end product.
We've been exploring things that we like to do. Things that make us feel good and relaxed. Things that help us to get our chores done.
When we moved here, we disposed of all of the dressers we owned. They were all old, worn and tired. And, our U-haul was packed as full as it could be. I'd been keeping my eyes open for dressers for the kids. They need them more than Hubs and I do, because we have an awesome closet!! The picture below doesn't even do it justice. The shelves go all around the closet, which probably measures 8x8 or larger.
So, after having looked around for dressers and visiting the limited number of yard sales that this little town offers, I went to local thrift stores. I found these two dressers for $15 and $20 each. As you can see from the photos, they were in tired shape when I got them. I think my husband must have thought I was pretty crazy. But I had a vision. When I got home, I went to work on Google to find ideas on what I wanted the finish to look like. Ultimately, we ended up with this:
As you can see, the difference is phenomenal. I let the girls pick their colors themselves and then they helped to sand, prime and paint them. Daddy added the hardware and the mirror over the green dresser. In their rooms:
As you can see, she has already adorned it with stickers (which I will be removing) and stuffed it full of clothes. Excuse the rest of the mess, she has a friend over and I didn't care that they trashed her room.
She's really proud of how hers turned out.
We've really decided that we're going to refinish furniture to finish furnishing our home. We may also continue to refinish furniture and sell it. We both enjoy doing it very much.
These are our most recent acquisitions. I think we'll do the bed to match the green dresser (we'll do the bed black and accents green). The other dresser will be finished for the boys' room since I took their 'dresser' to use as my entertainment center. I rearranged my living room. I feel like the new look is more clean and modern. Hubs was resistant, at first, but I asked him to humor me while I set it up. The finish product made him quite happy.
He finally agrees that we can let the old set go!! So, I posted it for sale on a local FB sales and trade group. Not sold, yet, but keeping my fingers crossed. That darn set was impossible to keep clean!
So, the stand the TV is now on is what we were using for the boys' clothes in their room. The smaller stand to the left of the picture is what we were using for Tiger's clothes. Because I now have a more grown up living room area, I am without adequate storage for Ti's clothes. It now looks like this
Last night was a hard night with Tiger. He woke in the middle of the night and was pretty much inconsolable. So, we marched our way into the living room so that Hubs would have a chance to sleep. The boys had soccer this morning, and I had no interest in being out in the cold, so it was a fair trade for us both. I stayed up with Ti, he slept and took the boys to soccer.
While he was gone, I cleaned and arranged the house some more.
I swept, scrubbed, mopped and cleaned all day today. The majority of the house is hard floors and the exterior of the house is desert. Sand everywhere all the time. I'm fighting a losing battle. Hubs is trying to clean up the back yard so that we can get something down outside of the doors to minimize the traffic that comes into the house. We're only renting this place, so we don't want to do anything too costly or permanent, but I can't stand the mess!
Tomorrow, we're going to carve pumpkins... Stay tuned for the end product.
Too close a call
I got sick. We're talking terribly sick. Ever had a kidney infection? They're not fun. And, this kidney infection was spreading to my blood. Even less fun. I'd known for a short while that I had a bladder infection. No big deal, right? I'm sort of prone to them, so I decided to take care of it on my own. I had some leftover Septra (an antibiotic) from a previous bladder infection. So, I took the full round of antibiotics. But it didn't get better. In fact, it actually got worse... much worse. Turns out Septra's expiration date is not a joke. Don't worry -- it's not toxic. But as it ages and expires, it actually loses its potency. So, I had some weak antibiotics. Sure, it probably killed some of the baby bacteria. But it certainly allowed the stronger bacteria to grow, thrive and multiply.
So by last Thursday, I'd had as much as I could handle. The symptoms of the bladder infection had all but subsided, but I was facing excruciating pain in my side and back. Having been there before, I immediately knew that I had a kidney infection. I continued through the day, hoping I was just imagining things. When I woke at 3:00 in the morning with the baby, I knew that I'd let it go too far. I went to work in the morning, because lately I've missed a little bit of work.
One of the reasons I self treated is because of the local clinic. First, it is short staffed and over worked. Second, it took 8 weeks to get my children in to update their immunizations with the additional shots that Nevada requires (a whole different conversation). So, I figured that it was going to take some time to get me in.
Suffering from a considerable amount pain after getting to work, I called the doctor. I explained to the scheduler that I was certain that I had a kidney infection. She asked if I wanted to be seen right away. I indicated that I would prefer to be seen that day, but if they couldn't accommodate me, I understood. She took my number and told me she'd call me back after she'd had a chance to speak with the doctor working that day to see if they could squeeze me in. She returned my call about an hour later and I scheduled an appointment to be seen in the clinic at 3:30 that day.
I continued to work, sit through court and go through the ordinary motions of my day. However, everyone around me could tell that I was just not myself. The pain I was suffering was extraordinary. My face was pale. I was clammy and disheveled. By lunch, I'd had as much as I could handle. Erick came and took me to the emergency room. By the time I arrived, my fever had reached 102 degrees. I was in so much pain that I could not think straight and was terribly disoriented.
The staff at the hospital admonished me for having allowed the infection to proceed so far, but were kind and understanding otherwise. They immediately put me in a room, took blood and did other tests and started me on intravenous antibiotics. They did a CT scan to rule out kidney stones and additional infection. They gave me demoral to ease the pain. When the tests and the blood work came back, the doctor was quite concerned. He indicated that it looked like the infection was starting to spread and that my WBC count was pretty darn high. He indicated that he thought it would be best if I remained in the hospital until they got the infection under control. Of course, I had no desire to remain in the hospital, acquiring additional debt and leaving the chaos to my husband. He saw the reservation on my face and asked about what our family life was like.
I explained to him that I am the provider for our household at the moment. I explained to him that I have five children. I explained that I had a nursing child. I explained that I had to travel for the next two weeks for work. He understood and told me that while he was concerned, he would allow me to go home on oral antibiotics and pain medication. He also told me that all of the antibiotics I required were not safe for my nursing baby. I was to pump and dump or quit nursing altogether. If my pain and fever weren't totally gone by Monday, I was to return to the hospital to be admitted.
The weekend was hard. I was so delusional from the pain, high from the pain meds, and sick that I did little more than sleep. Church on Sunday was a chore. Friends mentioned that I looked like death. My color was gone. My brow was clammy. Fellow church members placed their hands on me to pray to God to heal me. I believed his will would be done.
Monday was the first day I traveled for this big trial. It is a hard trial which we are still working through. And, I have to admit, I was not completely there. The pain was still intense and I was avoiding taking too many of the pain killers in case I needed to use my brain. At one point in the day, I sent a text to Erick indicating that the pain was still serious. He responded that I needed to let my boss know that I was going to be out for a while because the doctors would want to admit me. Of course, my stubbornness got the best of me and I continued to work. My fever was gone, but the pain remained. By Wednesday, I was finally feeling better. I was feeling clear headed and finally felt like I was myself again. Even today, I still occasionally have a pang or two of pain, but it is nearly gone and I still have four days remaining on this regiment of antibiotics.
So by last Thursday, I'd had as much as I could handle. The symptoms of the bladder infection had all but subsided, but I was facing excruciating pain in my side and back. Having been there before, I immediately knew that I had a kidney infection. I continued through the day, hoping I was just imagining things. When I woke at 3:00 in the morning with the baby, I knew that I'd let it go too far. I went to work in the morning, because lately I've missed a little bit of work.
One of the reasons I self treated is because of the local clinic. First, it is short staffed and over worked. Second, it took 8 weeks to get my children in to update their immunizations with the additional shots that Nevada requires (a whole different conversation). So, I figured that it was going to take some time to get me in.
Suffering from a considerable amount pain after getting to work, I called the doctor. I explained to the scheduler that I was certain that I had a kidney infection. She asked if I wanted to be seen right away. I indicated that I would prefer to be seen that day, but if they couldn't accommodate me, I understood. She took my number and told me she'd call me back after she'd had a chance to speak with the doctor working that day to see if they could squeeze me in. She returned my call about an hour later and I scheduled an appointment to be seen in the clinic at 3:30 that day.
I continued to work, sit through court and go through the ordinary motions of my day. However, everyone around me could tell that I was just not myself. The pain I was suffering was extraordinary. My face was pale. I was clammy and disheveled. By lunch, I'd had as much as I could handle. Erick came and took me to the emergency room. By the time I arrived, my fever had reached 102 degrees. I was in so much pain that I could not think straight and was terribly disoriented.
The staff at the hospital admonished me for having allowed the infection to proceed so far, but were kind and understanding otherwise. They immediately put me in a room, took blood and did other tests and started me on intravenous antibiotics. They did a CT scan to rule out kidney stones and additional infection. They gave me demoral to ease the pain. When the tests and the blood work came back, the doctor was quite concerned. He indicated that it looked like the infection was starting to spread and that my WBC count was pretty darn high. He indicated that he thought it would be best if I remained in the hospital until they got the infection under control. Of course, I had no desire to remain in the hospital, acquiring additional debt and leaving the chaos to my husband. He saw the reservation on my face and asked about what our family life was like.
I explained to him that I am the provider for our household at the moment. I explained to him that I have five children. I explained that I had a nursing child. I explained that I had to travel for the next two weeks for work. He understood and told me that while he was concerned, he would allow me to go home on oral antibiotics and pain medication. He also told me that all of the antibiotics I required were not safe for my nursing baby. I was to pump and dump or quit nursing altogether. If my pain and fever weren't totally gone by Monday, I was to return to the hospital to be admitted.
The weekend was hard. I was so delusional from the pain, high from the pain meds, and sick that I did little more than sleep. Church on Sunday was a chore. Friends mentioned that I looked like death. My color was gone. My brow was clammy. Fellow church members placed their hands on me to pray to God to heal me. I believed his will would be done.
Sunday
Monday was the first day I traveled for this big trial. It is a hard trial which we are still working through. And, I have to admit, I was not completely there. The pain was still intense and I was avoiding taking too many of the pain killers in case I needed to use my brain. At one point in the day, I sent a text to Erick indicating that the pain was still serious. He responded that I needed to let my boss know that I was going to be out for a while because the doctors would want to admit me. Of course, my stubbornness got the best of me and I continued to work. My fever was gone, but the pain remained. By Wednesday, I was finally feeling better. I was feeling clear headed and finally felt like I was myself again. Even today, I still occasionally have a pang or two of pain, but it is nearly gone and I still have four days remaining on this regiment of antibiotics.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Introducing Whisper!!
Ah.... What a lovely Sunday! We decided to travel to Elko today. It was a beautiful day for a drive! We got up around eight this morning and were on the road by nine-thirty. The drive was uneventful, even boring. Except that the kids got car sick. They always get car sick. I used to always keep chewable Dramamine in the car, but didn't have any today. Poor Preston was so green that he could have hidden in a pine tree undetected.
When we got there, we met a really nice couple with a newborn baby. They also had several other 9 week old babies. I held them and loved on them and decided to take one home. I named her Whisper!!
She fits into the palm of my hand and weighs 1.8 pounds right now. We went to lunch at a sports bar and grill called Mattie's in Elko after we picked her up. The food was good and the service was great! I even got to watch part of the Redskins game!! The staff fawned over Whisper and Tyler, both.
Then we went to Wal-Mart. Can I just say that I HATE that store? It's awful! And braving Wal-Mart on a Sunday in a town you're not familiar with, with five children is just an anxiety attack waiting to happen. It did.
So, we pick up puppy food, a collar, some chew toys and some de-wormer. And then Erick decides he wants a fish tank. Oh, really. A fish tank.
It's not enough that we have five children, a seven year old boxer and a nine week old puppy. We also need a fish tank to maintain. But, hey, I just got a puppy... You think I'm going to tell him no right now? So, I start by telling him that we can't afford an expensive tank. He knows. And he's found a small three gallon aquarium package. So, we migrate to the fish tanks and there are something like a dozen kids hanging around the tanks. Then, add my five. Chaos and then some. Plus, the kids are asking for this and that, everyone has an opinion about what we should buy, everyone wants to hold Whisper, and then Erick wants me too. I only felt like I was being pulled in a hundred directions. My nerves were on fire. Real tears flowed effortlessly down my cheeks. And Erick knew that I was having an anxiety attack. So he kept the kids, picked the fish, and let me go my own way.
I picked up a few small things and nine new pillows. I buy new pillows for everyone at least once per year. I find that keeping them any longer contributes to worsening allergies, illnesses, stiff necks, etc. Even when I wash the pillows one or two times each month, I find that they need to be replaced after about a year.
When we got home, I removed all of the old pillows from the beds and replaced them with the new pillows. But first, I labeled them with the kiddos' names. I find that labeling them helps to minimize fighting over whose pillow is whose when someone misplaces theirs!
I'll be hanging on to the old pillows this time, though. Lily already has a nice bed, but I'm going to upcycle these and make them into a bigger and softer bed for her and I'll also make a cute little bed for Whisper.
So, Erick set up the tank. He treated the water. He is so in love with fish. I don't necessarily share his passion. His fascination mirrors that of a young boy poking a snake with a stick. It's funny to watch.
He bought a couple of puffer fish, the plecostumus, a couple of terras, 5 shrimp and 3 crabs. The crabs have already eaten two of the shrimp. I told him they would, but he was too excited to hear me.
As he set up the tank, I picked up the house. I put Whisper in Tyler's room with food and water and put the baby gate up so that she could eat in peace. The big kids love her. Lily is interested and she's just so small. And Tyler will NOT leave her alone. Even when he's dirty dirty and when she wants to lick the food off of his face!
I went in to get her just before the kids went to bed and found her under one of Ty's toys. She fit so perfectly.
Unfortunately, when I was moving the toy to get her, I found this.
Spider!!! Uh oh.... Oh, and it gets worse. Not only is this an icky, yucky awful looking spider - it's a BLACK WIDOW!!!! Yes. She is a widow. She's an immature one who has not mated yet. Turns out that they look like this until the first time they mate... And then they turn black and their hour glass becomes red. Who knew??
See the hourglass on the bottom side of her abdomen? It's what let me know that she was a widow. I figured maybe she was a he because I'd never identified a male widow before... But when I Googled it, I found this. Those venom sacks are what concern me the most!! That thing died a million deaths when I was done photographing her! She was in Tyler's room!! Ugh. So far, the scorpions have not bothered me, the potato bugs have not bothered me, the barn spiders have not bothered me... But this one bothered me!! Not in my house...
When we got there, we met a really nice couple with a newborn baby. They also had several other 9 week old babies. I held them and loved on them and decided to take one home. I named her Whisper!!
She fits into the palm of my hand and weighs 1.8 pounds right now. We went to lunch at a sports bar and grill called Mattie's in Elko after we picked her up. The food was good and the service was great! I even got to watch part of the Redskins game!! The staff fawned over Whisper and Tyler, both.
Then we went to Wal-Mart. Can I just say that I HATE that store? It's awful! And braving Wal-Mart on a Sunday in a town you're not familiar with, with five children is just an anxiety attack waiting to happen. It did.
So, we pick up puppy food, a collar, some chew toys and some de-wormer. And then Erick decides he wants a fish tank. Oh, really. A fish tank.
It's not enough that we have five children, a seven year old boxer and a nine week old puppy. We also need a fish tank to maintain. But, hey, I just got a puppy... You think I'm going to tell him no right now? So, I start by telling him that we can't afford an expensive tank. He knows. And he's found a small three gallon aquarium package. So, we migrate to the fish tanks and there are something like a dozen kids hanging around the tanks. Then, add my five. Chaos and then some. Plus, the kids are asking for this and that, everyone has an opinion about what we should buy, everyone wants to hold Whisper, and then Erick wants me too. I only felt like I was being pulled in a hundred directions. My nerves were on fire. Real tears flowed effortlessly down my cheeks. And Erick knew that I was having an anxiety attack. So he kept the kids, picked the fish, and let me go my own way.
I picked up a few small things and nine new pillows. I buy new pillows for everyone at least once per year. I find that keeping them any longer contributes to worsening allergies, illnesses, stiff necks, etc. Even when I wash the pillows one or two times each month, I find that they need to be replaced after about a year.
When we got home, I removed all of the old pillows from the beds and replaced them with the new pillows. But first, I labeled them with the kiddos' names. I find that labeling them helps to minimize fighting over whose pillow is whose when someone misplaces theirs!
I'll be hanging on to the old pillows this time, though. Lily already has a nice bed, but I'm going to upcycle these and make them into a bigger and softer bed for her and I'll also make a cute little bed for Whisper.
So, Erick set up the tank. He treated the water. He is so in love with fish. I don't necessarily share his passion. His fascination mirrors that of a young boy poking a snake with a stick. It's funny to watch.
As he set up the tank, I picked up the house. I put Whisper in Tyler's room with food and water and put the baby gate up so that she could eat in peace. The big kids love her. Lily is interested and she's just so small. And Tyler will NOT leave her alone. Even when he's dirty dirty and when she wants to lick the food off of his face!
I went in to get her just before the kids went to bed and found her under one of Ty's toys. She fit so perfectly.
Unfortunately, when I was moving the toy to get her, I found this.
Spider!!! Uh oh.... Oh, and it gets worse. Not only is this an icky, yucky awful looking spider - it's a BLACK WIDOW!!!! Yes. She is a widow. She's an immature one who has not mated yet. Turns out that they look like this until the first time they mate... And then they turn black and their hour glass becomes red. Who knew??
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Our life is a work in progress
I live so far away from home. In fact, I live so far away from everything. In May 2012, I uprooted my family and moved six hundred miles away from the home I've known for most of my life. I graduated law school and landed a job as a law clerk in a small mining community.
I mean small. Not only is this town small, but it is remote. The nearest Wal-Mart is nearly two hundred miles away. There's not even a Taco Bell within 200 miles. Sigh. Yet, I get this beauty. What a trade off!
The transition was smooth. Special thanks to my mom and and my mother-in-law. They kept my children while I moved our belongings, found a home and got settled into the new job. This might sound menial, or easy - but I assure you - it was far from. My children are a full time job. There are five of them.
The oldest, Gwen, is thirteen. She loves horses and swimming and is definitely going through all of the typical adolescent girl growing pains. Not that she gets into "trouble," per se, but she is experiencing trouble with every aspect of life. Oh, middle school.
My oldest son, Preston, is ten. He's a tender kiddo. But wow, he's so much help. He'll do nearly anything that one asks of him. It's truly a blessing, having such an agreeable child among all of the chaos.
My middle child, Gabriel, is eight. Gabriel is a prankster, a clown, a joker, an energizer bunny. He has two speeds: on and off. Beyond all of that energy is a brilliant mind. This child was doing multiplication in first grade! I worry about him so much though -- boredom is so dangerous.
My youngest daughter, Koryn (pronounced Cor - in), is a Daisy Duke incarnate. She is a princess with beauty and accessories throughout, but has no fear of dirt, work and slime. She has started to test boundaries in our home.
My youngest child, Tyler, is truly a blessing. He has the privilege of being the youngest, the last and the rainbow. He snuggles, laughs, plays and amazes me every single day.
Only the youngest, Tyler, traveled with my husband and me to our new home. The others stayed back with their grandmas and finished the school year. At the close of the school year, grandmas convinced me to let them do summer camp, and then they wanted a few more weeks and a couple more weeks... They finally all came home in early August.
Because we live in such a small town, so far from everything, we try to keep our children engaged in fun and healthy activities. All four of the older children play soccer in a local intramural league. Their skills and hard work amaze me on a regular basis.
And while the children and the husband and the job keep me busy, I still find that I need to have my time. Time where I can have quiet. Time where I can be intellectual. Time where I can be creative. Time where I can feel like I'm making a difference. Time where I can be myself. Time where I can find myself.
Yet, with all of those different ways of having "me" time, I find that I have never really focused on one, regular hobby. And then I realize that my hobby is being a mom, and a wife and a good, gentle person. This blog will cover a variety of topics - ranging from hobbies, to home decor, to parenting, to puppy potty training!! Check in often - and I'll keep you up to date on what works in our world! And remember, life is a work in progress!
I mean small. Not only is this town small, but it is remote. The nearest Wal-Mart is nearly two hundred miles away. There's not even a Taco Bell within 200 miles. Sigh. Yet, I get this beauty. What a trade off!
The transition was smooth. Special thanks to my mom and and my mother-in-law. They kept my children while I moved our belongings, found a home and got settled into the new job. This might sound menial, or easy - but I assure you - it was far from. My children are a full time job. There are five of them.
The oldest, Gwen, is thirteen. She loves horses and swimming and is definitely going through all of the typical adolescent girl growing pains. Not that she gets into "trouble," per se, but she is experiencing trouble with every aspect of life. Oh, middle school.
My oldest son, Preston, is ten. He's a tender kiddo. But wow, he's so much help. He'll do nearly anything that one asks of him. It's truly a blessing, having such an agreeable child among all of the chaos.
My middle child, Gabriel, is eight. Gabriel is a prankster, a clown, a joker, an energizer bunny. He has two speeds: on and off. Beyond all of that energy is a brilliant mind. This child was doing multiplication in first grade! I worry about him so much though -- boredom is so dangerous.
My youngest daughter, Koryn (pronounced Cor - in), is a Daisy Duke incarnate. She is a princess with beauty and accessories throughout, but has no fear of dirt, work and slime. She has started to test boundaries in our home.
My youngest child, Tyler, is truly a blessing. He has the privilege of being the youngest, the last and the rainbow. He snuggles, laughs, plays and amazes me every single day.
Only the youngest, Tyler, traveled with my husband and me to our new home. The others stayed back with their grandmas and finished the school year. At the close of the school year, grandmas convinced me to let them do summer camp, and then they wanted a few more weeks and a couple more weeks... They finally all came home in early August.
Because we live in such a small town, so far from everything, we try to keep our children engaged in fun and healthy activities. All four of the older children play soccer in a local intramural league. Their skills and hard work amaze me on a regular basis.
And while the children and the husband and the job keep me busy, I still find that I need to have my time. Time where I can have quiet. Time where I can be intellectual. Time where I can be creative. Time where I can feel like I'm making a difference. Time where I can be myself. Time where I can find myself.
Yet, with all of those different ways of having "me" time, I find that I have never really focused on one, regular hobby. And then I realize that my hobby is being a mom, and a wife and a good, gentle person. This blog will cover a variety of topics - ranging from hobbies, to home decor, to parenting, to puppy potty training!! Check in often - and I'll keep you up to date on what works in our world! And remember, life is a work in progress!
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