FacebookXInstagramPinterestTiktok

Tomorrow I Am Going To Stop Procrastinating

My friend used to have this sign in her room.

When I was looking for the above image online I found this next one, which says it all.
The reason I am talking about procrastination is because I am starting Fly Lady again. I have been putting it off, but now I am ready. If you aren’t familiar with Fly Lady think of it as Weight Watchers, but for house keeping. I have done it some in the past, but this time there is a chance that maybe I just might be really serious about it, I think. 

The apartment we are in is about 800 square feet. That’s half the size of our old house, so that means half the cleaning. This should be easy right? Well, there are advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that there aren’t as many places to keep things, which makes organization more challenging. That is why I am super committed to getting on a schedule and being more structured than ever, because there isn’t much wiggle room around here. Being a little laid back about cleaning could turn into a big head ache fast. So I am turning to Fly Lady to keep me straight. I hope it works. So far (as in yesterday) it’s going well.

I was vacuuming one night and SJ went and got the dust buster out. She followed me around everywhere (and it’s a real vacuum so she was actually being productive). It was adorable and J took a couple snapshots on his phone. 

The program has come a long way since I first read the book Side Track Home Executives back in the dark ages. Now you can sync all of the Fly Lady routines with your iCal and Cozi app ( I am an avid Cozi user thanks to a comment left by one of my readers.) So I’ve got an online system that is compatible with all of my other digital calendars, which makes me very happy, and nerdy, but it doesn’t matter. Anyway, here is what Fly Lady had to say about this week’s zone which is the master bedroom 
“Your bedroom should be the cleanest room in your home. Many of you still use yours as a garbage/clutter disposal for the rest of the house. If your bedroom is clean and clutter free, then it becomes an inviting haven for building your relationship with your spouse…”
When I read that it was like I had just realized my shirt had been on backwards for the past 13 years. I know my bedroom should be clean, but the truth is, my last house was a long ranch style home with the master in the back. My mindset was to clean front to back. If we ever had company obviously the most important areas to have clean were the places people would see. Reading this made me think about things differently. Even on a deeper level. We all air out our dirty laundry with the people we love the most and I think it’s good that we can be real. I also think sometimes when we put our best foot forward for our “guests” we put our family at the bottom of the priority list and they get our exhausted ugly left overs. That’s a shame. So I am committing to making the master bedroom the cleanest room in the home.  I want this to be a reflection to my husband of just how much of a priority our relationship is to me. 
Time to get back to my routine. 
By |2015-05-14T23:15:34+00:00July 24, 2013|Uncategorized|6 Comments
Read More

Cows and Fish

We’re still getting settled into our apartment. It’s been a bigger project than I anticipated. MUCH bigger. But I know it is all coming together. I probably wont be posting many pictures until it’s complete, and when that happens get ready for a thorough, over the top tour, with more details than you ever cared to see. I just have a feeling with all the time and energy we are putting into customizing our tiny space I will be able to write a book about it. I just might.

It’s not all about moving though and I’ve got lots of photos to prove it. There is a summer to be had and little ones to enjoy it. First off let’s hear it for the red white and blue.

Here is SJ, Z, and one of their cousins at our church’s annual celebration.

Then I had to take a couple pics of Z with his twin friend. 
They get along so well, and while there are obvious differences when you know them, a quick glance could make you think that you’re seeing double. 

Next up we have our 4th year to dress up for Chic Fil A’s cow appreciate day.

For 3 of these calves it was their first year to participate.

My mom made these adorable costumes for all of her grandchildren.

Oh and this shot shows off Z’s absent front tooth.

Next up, it’s time for swim lessons!
Z insisted that he would not ever need to know how to swim and he would just use a noodle to float on for the rest of his life, but we told him he had to and he has been coming along. SJ on the other hand LOVES to swim.
They have lessons twice a week and on the days they don’t have lessons SJ puts on her suit and goggles and signs “SWIM”. Sometimes I just put her in the tub to get her water fix. 

 Maybe it’s just a phase, or maybe she will be a swimmer. She has a long way to go before she can actually swim on her own, but every one comments (her instructor included) on how fearless she is. It scares me a little, but it does not surprise me one bit. She is my little adventurer. I’m anxious to see where this trait takes her in life.

I can’t believe July is almost over, but there is still plenty of summer left and since this will be our first year to be in school FULL time I plan to make the most of our break. 

By |2015-05-14T23:15:34+00:00July 19, 2013|Uncategorized|6 Comments
Read More

Here’s What Happened at 8 Months

Ezie is 9 1/2 months now, but I never did an update about his 8 months milestones (I see a trend here). Let’s forgo the excuses about why and get right to the baby talk. 
At 8 months Ezie started holding his own with table food. Here he is eating right alongside his brother and sister.
He likes chicken, fruit, bread, and mashed potatoes. Unlike my other two he never did warm up to baby food, so we just skipped the jar stuff altogether. He still nurses a lot though.
He babbles all the live long day. He can mimic some words too. He has said words that sound like hey, yeah, bye, and mama (although this one is rare). His favorite words are da da and Ezra (his name). He still hasn’t said what I would consider his first real word. 

At 8 months he also started clapping and he was trying to get around a bit more, although not full blown crawling.

He still has a very sweet, laid back temperament, but he is DEFINITELY shifting into the separation anxiety stage. Here is having a blast with the family at the creation museum.

 Lastly, he still has those baby blues. When Ezie was 2 months old I blogged about how his eyes seemed strikingly blue, more than just the blue all babies are born with. I waited to see if they would change, but as each month passed it looked more like the color was here to stay. Sure enough he has blue eyes just like his name sake. I guess they could still change, but it is highly unlikely. I am going to officially announce that we have a blue eyed baby boy.

By |2015-05-14T23:15:34+00:00July 16, 2013|Uncategorized|1 Comment
Read More

Why My Ohio Drivers License Looks Like A Mug Shot

I have been employed by major international corporations. I have a legal marriage. I’ve flown overseas.  I have owned a home. But of all of these things, I think that maybe the most scrupulous screening process I’ve gone through was for my Ohio drivers license. Before I begin my rant, let me just start by saying I think it’s great that the government is doing what they can to ensure our safety and catch criminals and terrorists, yada yada yada. God bless the USA. Seriously. I mean it. But now that I’ve gotten that out of the way let’s start with the eye exam. 

We did our research (or so we thought) and found out where we needed to go and what we needed to do to change our Kentucky license to an Ohio drivers license. So the five of us (kids included) went to the DMV where they sent us to another office, which is also run by the state, where they conduct the eye exam. We decided this would be easier to do without the kids so we went in one at a time while the other parent stayed in the car with the kids. We took turns getting the eye exam, filling out some papers and after that was all done we drove over to the place where we actually get our ID. 

I can see J from the window, waiting in line with his big manilla envelopes. Once it was his turn he started unloading all of the paperwork that he was asked to present and after looking it over they were ready to give him a drivers License. He comes out tags me and gives me a blank check, because they don’t take debit and he can’t remember the exact amount that I’lI owe. When I get to the counter I begin to pull out all of my papers. They needed to see
My old drivers license- check 

My Social Security card- check 
My birth certificate- check
My marriage license (because my name on my drivers license is not the same as my birth certificate)- check
Then they want an energy bill, which is no problem. Even though we just moved in we made sure we had something like that. The problem was that it was addressed to J and the lady tells me 
“I’m sorry this won’t work for you because I need a piece of mail with your name on it”
 I tried to be really calm, because I know that they’re just doing their job, but I said 
“I have my marriage license and I live with my husband.”
 The problem is it’s not good enough. They needed to see mail with my name on. She asks me 
“you don’t have anything that you’ve received in the mail?”
We JUST moved here and I don’t know about other house wives, but I don’t get a ton of mail. I’m not exactly the paperless queen, but it is 2013. Come on.

 So I leave the office defeated. However, there was a glimmer of hope as J looked through the stack of documents we wrangled up he found renters insurance that had my name on it! At this point I scoop up all the papers which are no longer neatly in the envelope  and head back into the DMV. Just then a gust of wind comes through. So right there in the parking lot a blank check, my social security card, and birth certificate just go swirling through the air away from me faster than I can catch it. People started helping me gather all the flying paperwork, but I kid you not when I say I would catch up with one thing and another thing would fly out of my hands. Imagine trying to catch a flock of Geese. Or imagine gathering the 5 most valuable pieces of information that you have on paper and then throwing them over a bridge. Eventually I had it all gathered and as I clutched it to my chest I marched back into the DMV. After waiting in line I slam my papers down onto the counter and show them that I really do live where I really do live! Needless to say I wasn’t feeling all that chipper when they counted to three and snapped the picture. 

Ahhhhh! A day in the life

. 

By |2015-05-14T23:15:34+00:00July 11, 2013|Uncategorized|3 Comments
Read More

A Spoken Blog? This is experimental.

You’ll never guess where I am right now. Really. Right now I’m driving. I know, texting and driving is bad. but blogging and driving is REALLY bad! Don’t worry though, because I’m not typing. It’s been a week since my last blog post and I have really wanted to update, but just as I had predicted I haven’t had the time. So since I have a new phone upgrade I thought I would put one of my favorite new features to good use and write this post with the voice to text option. So here I am just blabbing away as usual only this time I am multi tasking. I feel very Jane Jetson here talking to myself while the phone transcribes. Hopefully I’ll have time to actually sit down and type again. For that matter hopefully I’ll have time take shower because it’s been a while now and I keep on thinking I will have a chance to get to it later. But the good news is I can slick my hair back and my bangs will stay back without a headband. Yuckers. Not quite that bad, but yes it’s bad. 

We have officially moved to Ohio, but we are up to our eyeballs in boxes. I have not had a single moment to myself. So, so busy with all the packing, and unpacking, and sorting, and setting up. Anyway I’m at Target now. I am about to go in and pick up some shelf liner, so I’m going to sign off and maybe add some pictures to this blog and that’ll be that. Well…this has been… fun.

My new phone and otter box. I went from an iPhone 3 to a 5 so it’s been a major upgrade. I am not one to care about having the latest and greatest, but I have been LOVING this phone! 
 Back at my brother’s house packing up. SJ thinks this calls for tea time. 
Also back at my brother’s house J spends the last two weeks there working on furniture for the apartment. I say I want cubbies like at Chic Fil A for the kids to put their shoes in, and J delivers! 
The night we moved in SJ escaped from her fully tightened car seat and got into the pantry supplies. As you can see by the trail of tears running down her baking powder laden face, she was upset. What you can’t see is that so was I! I went to a car wash to use a commercial vacuum and wet wipes, but I still have a huge mess in my backseat. 
And here we are in Ohio. Yes we did get an apartment without hardwood floors, but you can’t keep a good man down. I’ll explain later.

***Full disclosure here, I had fun with this experiment, but for the record I did do some editing at home before I posted it. The phones accuracy was actually, not bad, but I ramble a lot so I cut out some and added just a couple sentences. I never actually said the word “yuckers”either, but I liked it, so I kept it that way. ***

By |2015-05-14T23:15:34+00:00July 10, 2013|Uncategorized|3 Comments
Read More

Confessions of a Summer School Mom on the Move

“I am so sorry I am late. Please tell her teacher that I will not be late like this during the school year. It’s not something I am in the habit of I promise you. It’s just, we are in the middle of moving, and you know it’s been so difficult. Thank you for understanding.

Oh, and one more thing, SJ is wearing boy underwear and baby pants. I’ve got to run, see you at noon.”

These were the words I had for the advisor of SJ’s summer school program this morning. The good news is they are so cool and understanding. Every time I think I am just over the top, out of my mind crazy, they tell me a story about another crazy mom some time before me and I feel much better. Today’s story was about a mom that brought her naked toddler into the deaf school wrapped up in his dad’s sweatshirt. She set him down in his class along with a pile of his clothes because he had been taking his clothes off and she didn’t know what else to do. I get that.

To give a little background, last night we stayed in our apartment which is still pretty much empty. The air mattress wouldn’t blow up and I had forgotten to bring pillows so we slept on the floor with sleeping bags, that’s it. To say I have a lot on my plate right now would be an understatement. Last week I had my birthday, the kids were all sick including SJ having pneumonia, and we’ve been trying to gradually move into the apartment. The day we plan on moving all of our stuff is currently predicting 100% chance of thunderstorms. So, I don’t know what we are going to do, but if the blog seems quiet lately that is why. I’ve got a lot on my mind. I have been writing though. I have a few blog posts ready to crank out whenever I have the time to edit, tweak, or finish them. In fact I would love to show you what J has been working on to make our little apartment cute and functional all at the same time. You will be amazed. Be on the look out for all that, but if you don’t hear from me soon I am probably just off searching for my head so that I can screw it back on.

By |2015-05-14T23:15:34+00:00July 3, 2013|Uncategorized|5 Comments
Read More

My Thoughts On Being 30

I’ve been in my thirties for a year now. Tomorrow is my birthday. I know so many women in their thirties that make it look so easy, so appealing, but I don’t feel like I am one of those women. I feel very youthful and energetic, but I feel like I am aging. I know 30 is not middle aged, but my theory is when you are a child and a teenager your body is maturing and developing to it’s fullest potential! Then you coast along through your twenties. Then you turn thirty and your body begins to slowly decay. You find your first wrinkle or grey hair and your mortality becomes a reality, even though it’s been there all along. 

Okay, I am sounding really dramatic. Let me explain. I don’t feel senile by any means. In fact I think I am more comfortable in my skin than I have ever been. I am just saying that I am aware that I have come into a new season of life and it’s a little weird. 
It’s weird that I can remember what my mom was like at my age. 
And to know that I am almost older than Jesus ever was (on earth). Scary.
It’s strange that in 5 years I will have been married half my life! 
I also realized the other day that I’ve been a mother longer than I was in High School. High School felt really long and the past five years have just flown by. 
I’ll say it again, I don’t mind being in my thirties. I look forward to the days ahead. I don’t feel like I have to try and fit into any mold other than my own. It’s liberating. I will leave you with this quote, which to me says it all…

Here’s to 30!
By |2015-05-14T23:15:36+00:00June 26, 2013|Uncategorized|4 Comments
Read More

Summer School Is Paying Off

Not to sound like such a martyer, but summer school is a sacrifice for all of us. We wake up early, we spend a lot of time in the car commuting. We go to the bed when it is still SO STINKIN’ BRIGHT outside. The tuition we raised was costly, gas is costly, and wah wah wah you get the idea. However, everyone is working together and thank God we are seeing results!

SJ’s hearing age is now 7 months and she knows almost 20 words. Some of them she can pronounce better than others, but she understands quite a bit and is rapidly broadening her vocabulary. Her teacher always has encouraging and funny stories to share about what SJ is up to in class. One of my favorite stories was during vocabulary practice she is given a set of items and she has to grab the word that she hears. Here is an example

One day the objects were shoes, tree, and juice. The teacher said “JUICE” and she put one hand on the shoes and one hand on the juice and just shrugged her shoulders implying she knew it was one or the other. Those words sound a lot a like and she’s a clever cookie for trying to choose multiple answers. Here is another therapy video of her with the same teacher.

It’s exciting to watch her make such great strides. I remember the first few months after she got her implants I was always calling her name as a practice to see if she would respond and when she did I would sign and say “good listening”. Now I call her name in the same way I would with any child, just expecting that she can hear me and sometimes she is far away, or outside, or in another room and she can hear me! That doesn’t mean that I can always get her attention or that she is always wearing her implants, but she is doing well and I am so grateful.

By |2015-05-14T23:15:36+00:00June 25, 2013|Uncategorized|2 Comments
Read More

Apartment Courtship

If you haven’t read about our search for an apartment you can check it out here. 

I wanted apartment #1. It was attractive and inviting. I really thought we had made a connection, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be. It felt like a failed courtship. The truth is after submitting an application along with multiple phone calls and emails we were rarely able to get through to anybody. It felt like J and I were doing more on our end than they were. It was the “it’s not you it’s me” treatment. I got all the lines like “sorry this just happened to be really poor timing. Can you call me back at lunch” (and then getting his voicemail at lunch). And after a week of not getting a straight answer we decided it was time to move on. So we went with our second choice. In going with my boyfriend break up analogy think of apartment #1 as the popular guy and apartment # 2 as the reliable friend. 

Basically like all good chick flicks it boiled down to the one that was there for us and actually returned our phone calls. So this week we signed for apartment #2 and we get the keys on Monday. So we are moving to Milford Ohio. The apartment is on the third floor and it will be 5 of us in what is barely a 3 bedroom 1 bath. It’s going to be a lot of stairs and a tight squeeze. Go ahead, you can pity us, but on the bright side we are going to be so close to both of the kid’s schools and it’s a really nice area. Every single staff member from the apartment and the schools have made a deposit into my I Love Milford Account. 

Of course J and I want to be home owners again (more than anything), but for the next year we will at least have a home of our own, and that’s a good start.  

By |2015-05-14T23:15:36+00:00June 20, 2013|Uncategorized|4 Comments
Read More

When Your Child Is Rejected

A couple months ago my friend posted this status update on Facebook

*Madison didn’t get invited to a classmates sleep over tonight. The ones who did all left after school so it was a big deal. She’s in tears. Trying to explain to her that it has nothing to do with her.

I felt for Madison and I really felt for her mother because I imagined myself in that position. Droves of comments came in with concerns about Madison and theories about how to handle it. Everything from pay back (throwing a party and not inviting the perpetrator), to bowling, to buying a pony was suggested. In the end Madison got to take a trip to the city to spend the night with her really cool aunt and all was well again. 
I think it’s often harder on the mother than it is for the child. Z is only 5 years old, but the reality of my child facing rejection in life is starting to present itself. Z is all about relationship. 
When SJ is at school I take the boys to a park or play place to pass the time. Because this happens weekday mornings there aren’t always a lot of playmates available. 
Z doesn’t even want to play if no one else is there to play with him. He is energized by company and when he’s alone he feels depleted. Then there are occasions when there are kids, but they are shy, or have their own group they are with, or some are just flat out annoyed by the eagerness of my son.
When this happens my protective instincts going into overdrive and I have to resist the urge to step in and take over. I want to referee! I want to tell him he doesn’t need them. I want to give him a play by play on how to approach friendship and be cool about it. I want to tell off mean 8 year olds. One time I did follow through with that last one, and I use pregnancy hormones as my excuse. We were at a Chic Fil A. One minute Z was running around pretending to be Buzz Lightyear and the next minute I found him sitting on the floor like a kite with no wind. I went over to check on him and a little girl came over (a bit defensive) explaining to me that she didn’t want to play with him because he was acting ridiculous. I had already assessed the situation, and a bit defensive myself, I calmly replied “Oh Really?” She spoke as though she was trying to sound like a teenager “Yeah, and I bet if he were in school no one there would want to play with him either”. I asked her how old she was and she said 8. I cut back at her inappropriately mocking her tone of voice “Well, I bet at 8 years old you must not remember what it’s like to be 4, or to have any kind imagination.” She caught on and looked at the floor with remorse. Then I fairly corrected Z, telling him that he didn’t need to pout and that if she didn’t want to play he just needed to play by himself. 
OH the heartbreak! For the record Z plays so well with all the kids at church and SJ’s school.
This isn’t an ongoing problem, but when occurs it hurts. The other day it happened with some brothers at the playground. They were a tad bit older and looked pretty tough. I thought “God, why did you give me such an outgoing child? I can’t handle it. If he keeps putting his heart on the line he’s going to get crushed.
He’s such a little guy. He likes to button his top button, and he’s got glasses. He doesn’t stand a chance.
 
Why can’t he be quiet and just keep to himself? Oh if only he were shy I could watch him play alone and be content. If only he wasn’t so bossy, he could let the other children lead and balance would reside!” As soon as the silent prayer popped into my heart I felt gentle loving conviction. I thanked God for Z’s outgoing personality and leadership qualities. IF ONLY I could see what a crucial role these attributes would play in the successful, passionate, man of God that he is going to become!
 I repented for my own fear of rejection which I pray never gets projected on to him. Sure, Z has a lot to learn about taking turns and giving people space, but we are working on it. And I’ll admit that at 30 years old I still have a lot to learn about play time too. 
*I should mention that Madison is not her real name*
By |2015-05-14T23:15:36+00:00June 13, 2013|Uncategorized|6 Comments
Read More
Go to Top