Notes from Home

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  • Sometimes it is the little things that make your day. This soap, they had me with the word "chai"
  • those anemia headaches (iron-deficiency) headaches I mention now and again? ...turns out they were migraines.  Turning the page on a new chapter, it seems.  At least there is medicine that works (hopefully) for this.
  • Pinterest continues to be a greatest love=time-suck.  Have you ever actually done anything you've pinned?  I am a step closer, I went out and bought an apple corer and gluten-free pancake mix to make these neat apple rings I have pinned...but, haven't actually made them yet. I'll keep you posted.
  • the reality of homeschooling 5 kids, two of them being highschoolers, the normal busyness of family life and my migraines have really kicked my rear lately...feeling a bit overwhelmed.
  • it rained today here in the OC!  Yay!  It seems like most of our rare rain happens at night. I got to wear my snow boots today (:  I bought them last year in Washington, they make good rain boots, too.
  • currently I have chickent tortilla soup in the crock-pot, and I am about to go mix up some blueberry corn muffins right this minute.
  • Hope your week is off to a happy start! <3

rejecting Martha Stewart's fate ~ beware, blogger-dearest

Martha Stewart's daughter,  Alexis is all over internet news with tidbits from her upcoming book; Whateverland: Learning to Live Here

It's the stuff news gossip is made for- kind of sad, kind of titillating.

After wincing over it (as a mother, how could I not wince?) I was struck with the warning buried within for mommy bloggers.

Alexis writes about growing up in a home where she was left to fend for herself while her mother tended her crafting empire, about a house filled with culinary cooking ingredients, but rarely actually prepared food for eating.  A lack of themed parties and celebrations in her real life.

I'm struck by the possibilities of awful parallels in our own mommy- blogger lives.  Beware of a life lived largely online...of beautiful crafts and art projects done only for the post, of perfectly cleaned home -beauty- spots while the rest of the house {off camera} -is deep in mess.

{Beware of living for the photo opp and missing the glorious boring everyday}

The sad headlines warn me to make sure to enjoy the moment, and celebrate my family- not my social networking opportunities. 

I don't know the truth behind the tantalizing book excerpt (and I highly suspect the book of being more parody than hurtful truth-she dedicated the book to her mom and is still part of Martha Stewart's media empire, it seems...)             however,

I still think a reminder to be real -offline as well as online-

{is a good thing}

for all of us.

{Inspiration} sometimes you need it

Sometimes you know what you should do, or you know- intellectually, what a good course of action would be- but you just cannot do it.  Or maybe it's more hit-and-miss, but you'd like to be more consistent.  Sometimes you need some inspiration.  Sometimes you need a good nudge.  Sometimes you need some encouragement.

  • I stumbled onto this e-book called Maximize your mornings, and this little movement called "Hello, Mornings"  This movement is about reading the free e-book, and then joining up with groups of women to work through the book and encourage and keep each other accountable with our morning goals.  The biggest one being, get up on time.

The newest round has just started, but you can read the book anytime.  I'd love to hear what you think of it and if you will be joining up with the next round.

 

Leading Little Hearts Home  Rebecca has this to say: "I think many people pick up on the importance of keeping our children's hearts. I think we have seen a huge shift in direction as parents have been inspired to turn their hearts home and have even been willing to shelter their children from negative influences.

But what of this purpose and direction? Do we have goals that drive us? And are those goals from our Master?".... (click over to read the whole post, it is worth your time)

 

  • This is an inspiring gymnastic routine, just beautiful.

  • it reminds me of this old cartoon, of the line and the ball from my childhood:

what thoughts, ideas are inspiring you today?

the cat: totally deserved it

I struggle with myself sometimes about how much to share on the ole' blawg.  Some stories involve other people.  

I am unsure of how much to reveal, how would they feel if I expose their weaknesses? Would they laugh along with us- as I poke fun at them..or would they feel laughed at? is it fair?

My nemesis: the cat:  Totally open season, I've decided.

You can read about our dance of anger here* Dear Family
(I'll wait till you click back..) 

 In a nutshell, if you resisted clicking-we have this routine, the cat & I- of his relentless begging for food all evening>me intending to throw him out when I finally go to bed, and then> I go to turn out the lights and get detoured from putting the cat out, because he will certainly be found curled up in angelic, cozy pose.  I relent, and do not toss him out.

exactly 40 minutes after my head hits my pillow, the cat will begin meowing for me to either let him out or to -yes...feed him [again].

Monday morning- at about 4 a.m. all of Orange County was awakened by crazy/heavy rain and thunder.  Now, we don't get much weather here, so a thunder storm- beside being a novelty, is also a treat.

Sky and I, the dog, and 1 or 2 children rushed to our huge front living room window (I love this window, my favorite thing about my house)  We opened the blinds to watch the huge storm,

and saw this: 

There stood our cat, Oliver- pressed against the glass, trying not to get wet..with a terrified look on his face that seemed to say:  "Let me in!!!!!"

Totally deserved it.

He had done his meowing thing again, after I had gone to bed- and I escorted him out and then locked the dog door.  Sky came up with that- it's very logical.  And linear.

I let him in.  After we all laughed at him.

 Here is Oliver, on his cat tree, in front of the same big picture window.

Wet cats shouldn't meow loudly. er, he who meows last will weep wetly...

something like that.

Mom wins
The End.

Everyday is an adventure- over at M.O.B. Society today

 I held my son and was instantly smitten.  He was different from the start.  I watched a show once about boys and girls, I remember the point being made that if you dressed a baby in different clothes, you would not be able to tell which gender.  True, maybe if you do not have a baby, or it’s been years since you’ve held one; but my boy was instantly different.  I could see the difference in his hands, his forearms, his little sweet baby-boy head.  He was special, our bond was special, and I knew I was set on a road of new things...

I am writing today over at The Mothers of Boys Society, click over to read about how

Everyday is an adventure

days like that

You know when you have a day when everything seems to come together, everything seems to run smoothly, you get where you need to be with no rush?  Today was like that.

I've not had many days like that in several months.  It felt really good.  The key, I have to admit, was getting up really early and getting ready to hit the day at a good clip.  Sky is a firm believer in this, but me- non morning person that I am- find it hard to believe.

Meg had her outside science and composition/Lit class...Teddy's tutor came for an hour and a half...Did some descent homeschooling before/during and after the tutor's session... picked up Meg, did the lunch thing, broke out HP 7 to re-read before the movie opens...took the kids to the library, violin shop and then to the yogurt shop for a treat...checked out a martial arts place nearby.  It was a really, good-productive and yet mellow day.

Oh, how I need more of these!

I hope you had a good day, too, internet-friends!

The Mess you don't see

Sifted and weighed...I have too many days of feeling like that...

 Wednesdays are my 'light' days, because Teddy is not at my house...I don't want to do anything big that he would get behind on, so I usually do some basic schooling such as Math, handwriting, reading- but stuff like History, Science, Vocabulary, read alouds get put off till another day.  Because Wednesdays are my light days, I like to think of them as 'catch up' days or errand days- but lately, it seems like my Wednesdays have come out all wonky.

Today I had big plans of cleaning, catch up, laundry and some homeschool planning.  Our learning record meeting is coming up next week- I need to sit down and make sure we've finished everything, all areas of learning have been covered, etc.

Well, first off- I am chronically anemic..and I'm also forgetful and a bit stubborn, so I don't take my iron pills until I'm feeling really bad.  This past week or two, I've fallen asleep while waiting in my car at various lessons- a sign that I am pretty anemic.  The anemia headaches kicked in on Monday.  Wednesday I woke up to a pounding headache, took tylenol and then a sudafed in case it was my sinuses, not anemia.  Went for my walk, felt dizzy and nauseous, so cut the walk short and went home. -crawled into bed. Slept it off, got up, did the breakfast/shower thing...

Had this realization: it is now 11 o'clock.  Half my day is wasted.

Did some laundry, some Math with the kids, tried to straighten the house a bit.
Tried.
Around 4 pm I had to lay down again.  It was lay down or eat large amounts of chocolate and diet coke to wake me up.  I picked the nap.  Woke up, success! -headache was finally gone!  Now it was dinner time.

sigh.

I don't often share days like this here, because frankly, I figure no one wants to read whining day after day on a blog...and also because I dread the possibility of being linked to some message board where people are bashing homeschoolers and my horrible day(s) being held up as an example of bad parenting.  But, I do have days like this, more than I care to display...I thought I'd share the ugly, in case there is another mom feeling as much of a failure as I often do.  I know, and believe with my whole heart that the Lord's burden is indeed light...and that he will guide us to the heights, valleys and even pit-stops we need to travel, if only we will open our hearts to his leading.

I will close my eyes tonight on a day that was failed, offering up my weak, temperamental heart.

Today, I remained.  Sometimes that is all I can do.

Tomorrow I will open my eyes, and look to My Father's eye- to see that which I ought to do.
My heart knows it is enough. 

Amen.

demoted

I wonder nightly why- in Sam's Hill- can I not get more then 3 hours straight sleep? My kids were all Ezzo-routine babies -I so did not point that out to start a debate, just a fact...- they all slept through the night before or around 10 weeks. My first actually started at one month. And yet, I sleep not... If you want to see a grown woman cry, just dish out nights like I've had routinely... It comes down really to asthma; 3 of my 4 have it (I'm still waiting for my prize for that,...) and lately the cat is a problem. The cat has it in for me. The cat is slowly trying to make me crazy.

Two nights ago, my oldest woke me at 2 a.m to tell me she was itchy. (great...) My head had hit the pillow at 12:30 after doing one last(oh dear God let it be so!) nebulizer treatment with Demi. Up at 2 with Meg's problem, then up at 3 a.m again with Demi's asthma treatment. Then at 5 a.m Demi was asthma coughing, so I got up to do the nebulizer thing yet again-which you have to sit in bed with them for, because they fall asleep..after all, it is the middle of the night -and who wouldn't fall asleep?? Then he started crying because he had an earache. I got him some pain medicine and some cold medicine and advised him to not cry, it'll only make things worse. He was still fussing as I shuffled/sleep-walked/dragged myself back to bed. I entertained high hopes of 2 hours, pray- maybe 3?? hours of sleep before the next round, or getting up for church- since I had tossed the cat out at the 2 a.m. thing...the cat is my biggest nemesis in the sleep deprivation game.

6 a.m. and Meg came in to tell me that Demi was crying. I guess I slept thru it out of sheer exhaustion... I did the comforting thing, warmed up some ear-oil to help with the pain. All of this is hard on me, because I have bad circulation and it is freezing in our 1950's home... He's still crying, so now out of patience I tell him to stop. Several times. I am frustrated and so tired. I think to myself, "God must hate me..." and right away I know this is a wrong thought, and I feel bad because I know many parents have much worse situations to work through. And yet, I think it again. Demi hits for the heart and says "I want Daddy!" "Ha! I laugh back, do you think you'll get any sympathy from Dad?!" In our house, mom is the coddler, Dad is no nonsense/tough-love.

Demi is looking as put out with me as I must look to him... My mind goes back to a childhood memory of a stepdad dragging my little stepbrother into the bathroom and making him sleep in the tub because he was throwing up, and yelling at him. The tub idea suddenly seems kind of reasonable... appalled at myself, I go get Demi a hot rag to put on his ear. This works and he goes back to sleep. For 30 or 40 minutes... I wake up to realize that Demi is in our bed, in the unheard-of-side, next to Dad (mom's the cuddly one...usually) it must have been his final jab at me, mom-the-traitor...after 15 minutes of sniffling and crying, Dad says roughly and commandingly..."stop crying".

Ha.

Dad finally has pity and gets Demi up for a bath -which is his solution for most problems, that and ice cream...which surprisingly works most of the time. I get up and get Demi a hot rag to put on his ear.
Because I'm the sympathetic one. Usually.

Nobody made it to church, and the happy ending part is that Sky let me sleep in past 9.

Asthma, -the gift that keeps on giving.

The really sad part of my night-time asthma/cat woes...even on good nights now, I can't fall asleep, or I wake up every 3 hours or so- which is about the time frame between treatments.

I think I'm back to exalted-mom position, but it may be pending....