I have the blues lately. I'm not really crabby. Just blah. Irritated. Everything bugs me. I wish it would go away. I feel like I can't even control it. I tell myself I will not get irritated, but I do. I know it is a combination of things going on right now, but it is frustrating me. It's supposed to be that time of the month, so that doesn't help matters.
And down here it is Fat Tuesday. Do you know that I called the dentist about a question and it was closed??? It is like a holiday down here- everything is closed. I find it ridiculous, especially when those same places are open on holidays like Presidents and Veterans days. I just don't get it... I'm so sick of this heathen world...
Blahhhhhhhh
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Winter Blues
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Fulfillment in My Home
While many women choose to work outside of the home, I choose to work in my home. I have a 4 year BSW degree that I have never used outside of my home. Will I use it in the future? Probably not. Do I regret getting my degree? No. If I hadn't gone to college I wouldn't have met my dear husband! While I am still in debt over my college degree, I am totally at peace in my home.
I am so thankful that the Lord has put it upon my heart to stay at home with my children. There are many days when I feel I will go crazy over one more question being asked of me, or one more mess or spill I need to clean up. But then I think about how blessed I am for these children of mine, and that I get to stay at home and care for them! I don't have the slightest inkling or desire to leave my home to work. Are we rich? Heavens, no! Zach is in the military and the pay gets us by, but isn't much. But I realize the value of my children. I couldn't imagine putting them in daycare where somebody else raises them, teaches them, sees their first step and hears their first word. I couldn't imagine being separated from them for 8 hours or more a day!
Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a mommy. I would play with my dolls and be their mommy as a little girl. I would play with my Barbies and they always had their babies they took care of! I think even my marbles I would play with had babies! If you observe little girls in a daycare or nursery setting they are so interested in the little babies. Do you think that is just coincidence? I don't. I believe God has put the nurturing, mother-heart in all of us females. At the Above Rubies retreat I went to last month, Nancy Campbell mentioned how even lesbians have this nurturing spirit in them, for if you notice the majority of them have dogs that they treat as children, nurturing them as they would a child.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to waitress or be a real estate agent or some other job or career, but it is just a fleeting thought. I want to raise my children in the Lord. I want to teach them the things the Lord instructs me to teach them. I don't want them to learn some perverted 'truth' out in the world, but I want them to have a Biblical worldview.
While I often struggle with enjoying my children, or being patient with them, I know that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be- in my home, raising my children to be a light for Jesus in this lost world. Please note that I do not intend to offend anybody that chooses to work out of their home. I simply want to share how blessed I feel to make my home, children and husband my 'career'. I feel so blessed to stay at home. Today there are so many people who voice their opinions and who look down upon us homemakers, thinking we're weak or unable to work. So, I simply wanted to take a stand for myself. I am not a 'Desperate Housewife', but a fulfilled woman of God! I will leave you with this:
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Here you go
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Hair Affair
Why is it that the stylist fixes your hair so cute, but you can never get it to look like that? I have no clue how to make my hair do what she did. Neverless, I still like it, its just not styled... But it is refreshing. It is pretty short, not even really touching my shoulders, and layered. It is supposed to look like this, if only I could figure out how to work the brush and hair dryer simultaneously! Ah well, maybe one day I'll get it to look right. In the meantime, it is nice (and weird) to not keep pulling on my hair when I sit or lie down! I'm lovin' it! And I promise to get a picture of myself posted on here soon...
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Quads Anyone?
This Homeschooling Journey
Lately I have really been struggling with my thoughts on homeschooling. While I really like the curriculum I am using (Bob Jones), I guess I am a bit tired of how I don't feel like I have much leeway to teaching. Not like I have to follow it to a tee, but I enjoy it. The Phonics book is broken up into 5 lessons a week. So, this week we're talking about Lakes & Rivers. Last week we talked about the Prairie. So I feel like I need to keep it all in a week, you know? That is the type of person I am (and sometimes I really roll my eyes at myself for it). I mean I don't want to do 3 lessons of something one week, then continue it in the next week and be all thrown off. I'd like it all to flow together. Plus Fridays are book days, where we read a new book, which often pertains to what we've talked about all week. What about those days when I don't want to do school? Like President's Day? Or if we just want to take a day off here or there and go on a field trip or something? So I feel like I have to cram 2 lessons into one day then (being the type of person I am). Sometimes this is ok, because sometimes it seems like we fly through lessons. But other times I don't want to do that! So this is where I am at. As I begin to think about school next year I wonder what to do. I want to be more flexible, but not too flexible because I really need to maintain a schedule. Sometimes I want to throw my own things in there and do this or that. I know there are different ways to homeschool an there are so many curriculum choices. I guess, being that I am new to this journey, I am learning the type of homeschooler I'd like to be. I don't want our home to be just like a public school. I want us to have fun learning. I want to do hands-on things. Learn through counting money or pulling weeds. At the same time I'm not a very adventurous person, so while I think these thoughts I wonder if I would actually do something like this! So, right now I am torn. While H doesn't seem to mind the way we do school, I'm wanting a bit of a change. Nothing drastic, just maybe something different. And once J will start school I don't expect him to sit still for long amounts of time learning like his sister can! Then again, knowing me I'll order Bob Jones again for next year! Who knows! Just some random thoughts I've been having. Any advice would be MUCH appreciated!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
AAACCCCKKKKK!!!!
I am getting my hair cut in one hour and have no idea what to do! It has been long for forever, won't grow anymore and I am ready for a bit of a change. What do I do!?!?! Hoping the stylist has a few ideas for me!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
The Truth Revealed!
The answer is #4! Yeah to those of you who got it right! When I approached my RA about the porn she just suggested we make paper clothes to cover up the parts. I was like, "I don't THINK so!". And of course all the other girls on my floor thought the posters were pretty cool and thought it quite funny (obviously I did not go to a Christian college).
#1 Wasn't totally true, as I wasn't driving quite that fast on the roads. I did spin out of control a couple of times and landed my butt in the ditch. Luckily for that truck behind me to pull me out! The next day as we drove by my parents commented on somebody going in the ditch. It was years before I told them it was me! I didn't want to lose driving privileges! Obviously both the car and I were OK!
#2 A friend and I really did ditch the conference but all we did was drive around Marquette for awhile. We did get into trouble by the youth leaders and our parents. The youth leaders were really concerned on where we were! We were always the ones causing problems in the group! Boy, I feel awful now!
#3 This Native American girl who was a few grades younger than me (and a few pounds heavier) and sometimes rode my bus came up behind me after lunch one day and yanked on my hair. I didn't do a thing about it though, but she had said something about me commenting on her hair. I didn't even know her name, had only seen her a few times and had never commented on her hair! I was a bit unnerved by her for awhile as I wasn't (still ain't) the fighting type! My boyfriend could've kicked her butt though;)
#5 While on our class trip to NYC some guys were throwing things out of the hotels windows and got busted. Not sure if they hit somebody, but I think they came pretty close to! When we ventured to Toronto to finish off our trip the manager of that hotel heard about it and really lectured us, locking us in our rooms at night and putting tape on the doors so nobody snuck out! I think even the chaperones were in shock!
So, that is the truth of the matter! Hope you had fun playing!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
True or False
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!
I was tagged by Bethany for this fun meme! Here's how it works: Write five things about yourself with only ONE of them being true. The other four are fiction, and everyone else gets to guess which one is not fiction. Let me know in the comments which one you think is true!
1. While in high school I was driving 60 mph on snow covered roads in the country, speeding through the many curves in the road. Alas, I started to spin out of control only to end up spinning right into a tree! Luckily, a plow was right behind me and stopped to give me a hand out of my car. I only sustained a sore wrist from hitting it on the steering wheel somehow. I wasn't allowed to drive again until the snow melted!
2. While attending a Billy Graham youth conference with my youth group a friend and I ditched the conference with two boys we knew from another town. We ended up getting lost as we hiked up a mountain, drove along Lake Superior and ended up a bit drunk, plus we were late getting back to the conference. Our leaders were so worried about where we had been and we were 'suspended' from youth group for a time! I was not allowed to associate with friends for a month!
3. In high school I got into a fight with a Native American girl. She came up behind me and yanked my hair, so I turned and punched her in the face. We hit one another a few times before my boyfriend broke up the fight. She ended up with a bloody nose and my left cheek was all bruised and swollen. Turned out she heard I had made fun of her hair so she decided to try to kick my butt. We both got detention for the week.
4. My freshman year of college I had a psycho roommate. At first she seemed normal, but then she began to get a bit weird. She would be gone all hours of the day, avoiding me at all costs. She and I and our suite mates had always gotten along, but now she was nowhere to be found. She would return to our room only when I wasn't there, and wouldn't even sleep or shower there! Nobody really knew where she was and the RA got a bit worried! Then she decided to hang up porn all over our bathroom. When I sat on the toilet there was a naked guy in front of me. When I looked in the mirror behind me was another naked dude. It was disgusting!
5. During my high school senior class trip to New York we decided to throw things out of the 10th story window down below. I took a bottle of hairspray and a pair of cheap sandals and sent them sailing below. The hair spray hit this gangster looking guy on the head and he ended up coming into the hotel to complain at the desk. The cops were called- real NYC cops- and my friends and I were reprimanded and had to stay near a chaperone for the rest of the trip!
Your turn to play along!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Back to Normal
Well, our company has come and gone. We had such a good time visiting, even though Zach ended up working. We still managed to do what we wanted to though, and we had such a nice time seeing the kids play together and just spending some time together! I don't have many pictures of us to post on my camera, but Jamie will be emailing me some and then hopefully I can post a picture. Their last morning here we all went out to breakfast and the waitress spilled water all over my diaper bag, which was on the floor. My camera was on the outer part of the diaper bag and now it doesn't quite work- I can't get it to turn on. I did manage to somehow get it turned on Saturday night, but I am not sure what I will do. I am so disappointed. It's a good little camera and best of all it was free!
Saturday night I got to meet Bethany and her husband, Josh. I am not sure who's blog Bethany found me through, but she commented on mine that we're both from the same area! We finally decided to meet and were planning to go out to dinner, but instead I had marinated these steaks all week and invited them over for them. We had such a good time visiting with them and our children really hit it off also! It is so weird how most of the people I've met down here are through the internet. Sometimes you never know if you are going to encounter some weirdo or psycho, but Bethany and Josh were completely normal people and we had a blessed night of fellowship! Hopefully we can get together again!
Now it is back to life as normal...started school again today, back to the library for books, to the Post Office and all of the other errands we do on a normal basis. Hopefully we will get our taxes done this week also!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Boys, Bellies and Blunders
My son is obsessed with ladies bellies. He thinks every lady with a bigger belly has a baby growing inside. About a month ago when some friends were over for dinner he walked up to my very pregnant friend and was trying to lift up her shirt, saying something about taking her baby out and where is her baby. He really wanted to see that baby that was in her belly and I think he thought by just lifting her shirt up he'd see it!
Last week a friend stopped by and he said, "Look at her big belly!". She doesn't even have a 'big belly'! I felt horrible!
Yesterday at Awana I was talking to H's new Sparks teacher. She is a shorter lady and a bit on the heavier side. Now mind you, my son has seen many 'bigger' people in his days, be it family, in church, at the store or at a restaurant. So I'm talking to this lady and the next thing I know he goes up to her and is trying to lift up her shirt and asking if there is a baby in her belly! I felt horrible once again!
Kids will be kids, but sometimes they sure do embarrass the heck out of us! So, if you are in the neighborhood and my son tries to lift up your shirt, please just know he is searching for your baby!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
A Tribute Of Sorts
It was the summer of 1999. We were newlyweds arriving at our first duty station (Minot, North Dakota), pretty much new to the Air Force. That is where we met the best friends anybody could have, Scott and Jamie. Zach & Scott went to Tech School together and both got orders to Minot. When we arrived in Minot Zach somehow got a hold of Scott and we went to their house. They were just moving in and there were boxes everywhere. I remember thinking how weird they talked! They are from 'Wuhsta', Massachusetts! Jamie and I seemed to hit it off pretty well. She was, after all the first person I met in Minot (and we do have the same name)! The next day as we looked at houses (they gave us 3 choices) on base we picked the one nearest to them (which happened to be the nicest one). We often would get together with Scott and Jamie, eating dinner together and playing games. Jamie and I often talked about getting together when the guys were at work, but time would go by and we still hadn't gotten together without the husbands! I don't know why, we seemed to get along great while the four of us were together. (Seems weird to think back to the days with no kids). Zach was a cop in the missile field, gone for days at a time, and Scott was a cop on the flight line, so they worked different schedules. Finally, Zach got switched to working on the flight line also. Wow! Jamie and I often began doing things together with the guys working the same shift (from like 2 pm to 7 am). Being we were in North Dakota, there wasn't much to do, but we often visited at one another's house or took a walk. We discovered how much we love to play Scrabble! Thus began the road to our friendship...
They were there all through our first years of marriage and parenthood. Jamie came and watched H while I had J. It seemed our holidays were spent together, as well as our off time. And like I said Jamie and I got together far more often while the guys worked. We went through a lot together up in the frigid cold on the prairie, er Air Force base.
Almost six years later...We now live in Mississippi and they are moving from California to Washington D.C. We moved from Minot back in August of 2002, leaving behind the closest friends we've had. That is one thing that I hate about military life- leaving friends behind. It is so hard to come across good friends! And oftentimes you find there are some people that just don't keep in touch as well as others, although maybe you'd like to. I remember saying good-bye to Jamie at TLF, just bawling my eyes out. Now don't get me wrong, I was SO glad to leave North Dakota (and joked not to look back for fear I'd turn into a pillar of salt), but I just wanted to pack Scott and Jamie up in our van and take them along!
I remember one weekend when we were living in North Carolina. Zach insisted I not go anywhere this Saturday morning while he went to work. He said he had a surprise. Now I knew that Jamie was up around Maryland working at that time, as she traveled for work. We were going to arrange to see one another but it didn't work out. So, I just assumed Zach must have been having flowers delivered. I'm going about my day doing something in the kitchen, talking on the phone when the doorbell rings. I look out the window and see a lady standing there and I think (and even comment out loud) how strange it is that she isn't holding flowers. So, I go to the door and open it, puzzled by this lady on my doorstep, when it hits me. It is Jamie! I stood there, my mouth hanging, in utter amazement, speechless. I politely get off the phone and cry and laugh at the same time as I hug Jamie. I could not believe my eyes! Here she drove all the way down to see my for only one night! What a friend! We had a blast!
Now, as they travel from west coast to east they are stopping to see us! They arrive tomorrow! I have been anticipating this day for a LONG time! I cannot contain myself and I know I'm going to have trouble sleeping. You see, Scott and Jamie are no longer just Scott and Jamie. They have a lovely 2 year old son that I get to meet for the first time! They adopted this sweet boy from Russia when he was about 10 months old! I have seen numerous pictures and heard many tales of this budding boy, but to actually see their child! It is hard enough anticipating seeing them...But their son! I know how much they desired a child, prayed for and yearned for a child. Once they moved to Cali adoption fell into place and now they are parents! The amazing thing is to see Jamie's faith in the whole matter, that one day God will allow her to conceive. Oh, I pray so! I know they are awesome parents!
So, as I sit these next 12-24 hours waiting for them to arrive, I will ponder the memories of our times in North Dakota. It is exciting to get company no matter who it is, but when it is somebody this special...And we have never had friends visit us before (from out-of-town), it has always been family (doesn't that sound sad and pitiful)...This will truly be a special time.
*On the flipside, Zach is unable to get leave this week. It will take a miracle. So, please say a prayer that he is able to get time off. Not only does he have to work, but he has to work horrible hours, not allowing him much time with Scott.*
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