Yep, you’re in the right place!

With the help of “Judith Shakes,” I’m going with a new look.  I still have things to tweak, but go ahead and take a look around!

Don’t Miss –

• Be sure you check out the “post-it” up top.  You can find me on twitter, facebook, and subscribe to my RSS feed.
• My new advertising page (located on the top bar).
• My version of the “About Me” page – “Not Very Frequently Asked Questions.”
• The search function is B-A-C-K!!

Please, take a look around and find me on Facebook to let me know what you think of the place!  I’m gonna go mess with stuff.  I’ll try not to crash the site. 

Welcome back!

The beach in the evening.

Crazy hair.  She’s getting so big.

This is one of my favorite things about the beach: no skyscrapers.

Just can’t get enough of the sand!

“Princess smiles.”

Touching the water.

So happy!

Swinging and sunsets on the beach!

Love.

The new diet: Sand.

Sunsets and s’mores on the beach.

We miss you, daddy!  (It’d been almost 3 weeks since we’d seen him due to training with the military.)

It all began with a simple Facebook status update:

“Is seriously thinking about packing some bags and running away (kids included) for a couple of weeks.”

Which, suddenly became the beginning of a very impromptu road trip.

To Michigan.

With 5 kids between 2 mothers and all of our stuff crammed into one minivan.

For 12 hours straight.

In ONE day, we decided that not only would we go, but we would leave at 5:30 AM THE. NEXT. MORNING.

For the kids (all 5 and under), we packed toys, books, and snacks.

For us ( mothers)… I packed this:

–A boxed set of cards made specifically for ROAD TRIPS!  In each snazzy box are cards with thought provoking questions, trivia, and games to play while on the road.  So, after a few hours straight of catching up and talking, we were both ready to go through the box for a change of pace.

The Box Girls ingeniously designs this box (and others) to provide hours of fun, no matter where you are – and it definitely gave us a little something to do on our trek TO Michigan.  While our kids didn’t play along this time (because we had a hard enough time explaining that YES, WE ARE STILL GOING TO MICHIGAN BUT WE REALLY DO HAVE TO STOP REAL QUICK TO GET GAS/GO THROUGH TOLL BOOTHS/ETC), it’s a great deck to play with kids approximately ages 8 and up (although I know a few kids that are younger and would get the gist of the games and questions).

If you’d like to check it out for yourself (or are just curious as to what it’s all about and would like to see some sample cards), you can go HERE.
Pictures of trip to come

I could, quite possibly, be a psychologist’s dream study.  My inner thoughts and functions are seemingly SO odd.  Well, they seem odd to me, but maybe everybody is like me and we all pretend not to be.

I’ve decided to stop trying to keep up with everyone else.  I can’t cook constant meals and constantly clean and reorganize, consistently going behind my yogurt and banana baby hands.  I can’t do those things and keep my kids educated so they’re “on top” and enrolled in 5 different weekly activities.

Okay, I could.  But, it’d be a battle.  I’m just not cut out for that.

My brain goes in cycles.  And, while it could very possibly be a vitamin deficiency, I think it’s just me and my shade of crazy.  Whatever that is.

My brain goes in cycles – primarily in these categories:

ART
CRAFTS/SEWING
READING
CREATIVE WRITING
ORGANIZING/CLEANING
EXPERIMENTAL COOKING

These cycles generally last from one week to 3 months.  There’s no order, no rhyme or reason.  And, when I’m in one cycle, it blocks the others out.  I RARELY want to create art AND write.  Except blogging, I almost always want to blog.  Unfortunately, last week I was in the Organize/Cleaning mode.  It lasted one week.  Steven was so excited, and then it was over as quickly as it began.  (Actually, to be fair, it was longer than one week.  It began before vacation for a week, then came back.)

And, as you could quite possibly tell by the scattered books covering almost every surface, I am now in the reading cycle.  I’ve already read a book on investing…and am choosing to look at the other fictional books as “research” for my writing.

In the past few weeks, I’ve read:

Return by Karen Kingsbury
Character Makeover by Katie Brazelton
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews

(And now, Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd)

These reading cycles really feel like I’m getting NOTHING done, at least nothing helpful in a “normal person” sense.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still highly functioning   – I’m just spending all of my free time in imaginary worlds right now.  I guess that’s a good problem to have, right?  Anyhow, if you have a great book to recommend – fiction or not – let me know.  While I’m in this “cycle,” I might as well make good use of it.  Who knows where I’ll land next!

I’ve decided I need a duplicate – or preferably, a better version of me.  If you think you’re qualified, please send me a private email.  Only perfect candidates apply, please.  I’m imperfect enough for the two of us.  :)

JOB TITLE: Mother, Mommy, Mom

JOB DESCRIPTION: Permanent position open for qualified individuals.  Must be a team player.  Candidate must be willing to work over-time and will be on-call with no advanced warning at no additional pay.  Must be organized, possess great organizational skills, and be energetic.  Occasional travel will be required.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Management
  - Candidate must be able to manage multiple schedules, must be able to create a master-list of social events for the entire household.  Should be able to anticipate events regardless of memory lapses in husband and children.  Intense memory and psychic abilities preferred.
  - Manage children’s outward appearance – making sure tags are on the inside and no ketchup stains are visible.
  -Manage food preparation and schedule – including the anticipation of children who’s tastes changes in a matter of seconds with no warning given.  Must be able to provide food instantly or mother/mother-in-law/CPS will descend.

• Support
  - Support husband regardless of whether or not it’s his 5th Mid-Life Crisis this year…or if he’s only 26.

• Training
  - Train children in the rules of society with minimal damage.

• Janitorial Services
  - Clean toilets, bath tubs, sinks and all bathroom surfaces.  Repeatedly.  Possibly, daily.
  - Clean couches and upholstery, scraping off all cheesy or chocolate handprints.
  - Clean any fecal artwork from the crib or nearby walls.
  -Educate self and be able to clean “permanent” inks and paints from a variety of surfaces at a moment’s notice.
  - Clean entire house while entertaining children as they undo everything, keeping house presentable for the most unexpected visitors.
  -Effectively clean any mysterious spills or dumps – including but not limited to vomit, urine, feces and tadpoles in creek water.

• Medical Services
  - Provide magical kisses and instantly produce band-aids out of thin air to heal boo-boos
  - Responsible for knowing the intense medical information and be able to perform such things (CPR, Heimlich Maneuver, etc)
  - Assess accidents and medical emergencies with efficiency and calmness.
  -Evaluate children for possible broken bones or head injuries when they miscalculate their super-being abilities.
  -Evaluate fevers for attention needed and willingness to obtain said body temperatures by any means necessary.
  -Be proficient with obtaining rectal temperatures without help.  While child is screaming.  And biting.
  -Be able to tend to own wounds without crying when you find the missing glass from the back window in your foot.

• Food Services and Prep
  - Plan, buy, and prepare food menus according to the ever-changing tastes of all household subjects.
  - Psychically determine possible up-coming taste changes and efficiently modify menus and recipes.
  - Prepare healthy and delicious foods while entertaining and supervising children.
  - Prepare tasty and healthy foods with a limited budget and possibly, limited cookware or cook-space.
  - Be prepared to magically transform 4 servings into 8 servings at a moment’s notice for unexpected guests.
  - Create gourmet meals out of meager ingredients regardless of whether you need to go to the grocery or not.

• Transportation
  - Chaffeur children around town.
  - Possess ability to be in two or more places at once.

• Negotiations
  - Be skilled at making, manipulating, and avoiding all negotiations – especially from those smaller than you.

• Repairs
  - Plan for and be able to execute all un-forseen repairs – from teddy bear arms to a toilet that just swallowed your bracelet.
  - Be willing to learn to repair almost anything – or be willing to suffer without it while you wait for your husband to either do it or for him to call and hire someone else to do it.
  
  
• Education and Psychology
  - Teach, monitor, and study infants and young children in language development and usage.
  - Mentor teenagers, being someone they can look up to.
  - Counsel troubled teenagers and find triggers for all aggressive behavior:  You, apparently.
  - Erase imaginary monsters from troubled sleepy minds.

QUALIFICATIONS: No qualifications required.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: This is a permanent, life-long position.  May possibly lead to GRANDPARENT.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Payment comes in the form of slobbery kisses, hugs, and a forever-altered body image.  The occasional “thank-you, mom” is possible, but rare.
BENEFITS: Great investment opportunities!  Rather than investing in small stocks or real estate, invest in people*!  Limitless opportunities for self-growth and patience-building exercises.

*Investing in people can be incredibly rewarding and can possibly result in the care of you in your elderly saggier version – choices include personal care by your children and enjoying paying them back for every dirty diaper you had to change or a room at private resort-like accommodations with meals included.

This post is my entry to Lovable Labels’ Contest.

As I was reading through (who am I kidding, I was SKIMMING) a book that was supposed to help me learn contentment with my house, a thought came to me – other than the thought that OH MY GOSH, THIS BOOK DOESN’T APPLY TO RENTERS!   The thought was:  It’s an adventure.

Maybe trying to force myself to love the entire situation I’m in is totally the wrong way to go at this.  Maybe I should just try to be mostly happy DESPITE the things that happen to not be so great.  Maybe I should focus less on what I hate about being here…and just see it as an adventure, something that someday I can look back on and laugh about the loose carpeting and fridge shelves that the landlord “fixed” with some tape and tinfoil.

For now, a list to remind me the GOOD things about being here:

1.  I’m closer to my family.  Having lunch with mom or someone to swing by to watch the kids so I can run to the doctor is great.  So is being able to see my friends whenever.

2.  No baseboards mean I can automatically check off the “dust baseboards” item from Fly Lady checklist.

3.  The carpets were so stained and old before I got here, so when one of the girls spills purple juice, I don’t even flinch.  Is there really a stain if you can’t see it?  (I still clean it up, but no longer worry about the new color of the carpet).

4.  When all of the repairs by the landlord involve duct tape and super glue, it makes for a pretty inexpensive repair.

5.  We don’t have to bother ourselves with mowing because there is no yard.

6.  You never have to worry about sleeping in too late – either a car horn or a random flying ball will wake you up (when the ball hits the side of your house.)

7.  I’m fairly confident that there is nothing in this place that my kids could break that wouldn’t be covered under our deposit.

8.  If the kids ever trapped themselves in their room (any room), just a little nudge and we could break the door down so they won’t starve.

9.  The house is full of little entertainment stations…like the piece of “trim” in the doorway that spins.

10.  Most of the windows here need to be replaced, SO that means I could not clean them and nobody would even be able to tell.  They stay gross, even after a good scrubbing (between the glass).

11.  Our “house” is energy efficient, when you plug in more than 2 things in certain areas, it completely flips a breaker for that side of the house.  We’re reducing our carbon footprint!

12.  It has a porch swing.  I love my porch swing.

1.  I just don’t get seams up the back of panties.  I just don’t.  I don’t understand the panties with the holes for “butt cleavage” either.  Most people need MORE fabric, not less.  And, I don’t need to see your crack…I know you have one, just don’t need to see it!

2.  I like my minivan.  Not because it looks cool and what-not.  Just, because…I don’t care.  And, I want 5 kids.

3.  I enjoy proving you wrong when you try to make me feel stupid…especially when you do it in front of others.

4.  I don’t really chew gum much.

5.  Homeschooling and learning (myself) excites me.  I love it.  I also love teaching but am really glad I didn’t finish my degree in teaching.  Kids with bad attitudes that don’t listen or obey drive me crazy…even mine.  Actually, I stay crazy.

6.  I don’t really care if you homeschool or public school, cloth diaper or disposable diaper, let your child roll in the dirt or bathe them in hand sanitizer, choose to vaccinate or not vaccinate, or how you choose to spend (or not spend) your money.  It may mean we have less in common (or more), but it won’t make me like you less.  –Unless of course, you try to make me feel like crap about MY family’s decisions.

7.  A teacher once told us that once we became published, we could make up our own words and break grammar rules.  I took her seriously.

8.  Misspelled words drive me crazy.  –Less crazy if it’s just one out of 300 words…unless it’s my writing, and then I have to fix it ASAP.  Therefore, I can’t text with people who use the new “txting language” or their own made up words.

9.  Sometimes, I get loud.  But, I don’t get LOUD.  (Look it up on Urban Dictionary.)

10.  I don’t think that threatening your kids that if they don’t stop fighting over the hermit crabs, you’ll feed them to the fish in the pond is bad parenting.  I think it’s creative. 

And…despite what Subway may say, I DON’T believe raw bacon is a healthy snack choice…nor does it belong on my sandwich.

(Yes, both are words.)

Lately, I’ve been praying the same prayer for myself – I’ve been asking for contentment, to be satisfied with what I have.

It’s no secret that I’ve found difficulty in accepting this new “house,” or leaving the things we left behind.  It’s not really a secret that while I don’t have a need to eat off of my floors, I do appreciate a general clean-ness.  It’s also not a secret that I’ve really been struggling with figuring out how to transition from one place to another, especially when it comes to space and storage.

When we moved, it was hasty and we had to choose fast.  We had to find a home, and when we chose this place, we thought we were choosing the best place possible for the money.  We thought we could clean it up, make it great.  Until the electricity was switched on.

Suddenly, we saw walls with spackle covering the cheap wallpapered “walls” (it’s a mobile home).  We saw carpet that had worst spots than we thought, edges coming up, threatening to be pulled up by baby hands or tripped over.  Trim around the doors popping off…trim on the walls…popping off.  Pieces of floor no longer sturdy, that give way to the pressure of your feet in spots due to past water damage.  Oh yes, we found many lovelies.  And, after asking the landlord if WE could fix it and take it off of our rent, we were told not only that no, we could not, but also reminded that we’d already paid the deposit and first month of rent.

After buckets of bleach (which should tell you the original state of this place since I despise bleach), bucket upon bucketful of dirty water pulled from the carpets, and lots of elbow grease, we moved in.  We bought small rugs to cover as much of the floor as possible, trying to pull together the brown window coverings and the circa -1990 ugly blue carpet with almost as ugly throw pillows that contained a similar blue and chocolate browns.  We moved our furniture in, covering as much as we could.  We added little “pieces of home” to make things feel less…traumatic.

It was nothing like the place we moved from.  No brightly painted, cheerful rooms.  No table to sit at for dinner (no room for one).  No yard.  No swingsets for the kids.  No pets.  No kind neighbors, just uncomfortable stares and the feeling of being watched.  Constantly.

So, I’ve been praying.  For contentment.  Because, really…it’s a roof.  And yeh, this whole spring season has been a little rough when the wind starts blowing hard, up and under the “house,” shaking it like a little toy.  Or, when the rain pelts down in a thunderstorm, and you shoot straight out of bed in the middle of the night, looking nervously out of the window.  But, for the most part, it’s not THAT bad.  As in, it could be worse.  It could have had cat pee everywhere.  We could have gangsters as next door neighbors instead of the pot smokers that were there.  There could be “bed bugs” running rampant.  There could be more mold.  It could be in a bad part of town.  It could not have a front porch with a swing (which is the one part I love about it).  It could be infested with rats.  And, I know these things, but being content with the entire situation and this PLACE…it’s still something I’ve been struggling with.

So, it’s been my prayer because I know I should be grateful.

In a way, I guess I feel like I deserve better.  I feel like we’re blowing 550 dollars a month.  From childhood, we’re told that if we work hard and do what’s “right,” we’ll be blessed with good things.  We’re told that if we just work hard enough, we can have whatever we want.  So, after our family has put blood, sweat, and tears into various projects and jobs, just to be knocked down a peg a two way too often…it feels like…well, it feels like we’ve been screwed.  I look around and see people with all of this “good luck” and wonder what we’ve done wrong.  Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t want an expensive car, I don’t need the Viking appliances…I just want a home where I can feel at peace (not a mansion, a home).

But, yesterday, as Steven and I watched a movie called The Shift, something occurred to me.  Something so simple, but so profound.

I don’t deserve ANYTHING.  No, I do deserve things…but if we went by what we “deserved” – by what we’re entitled, we’d all be hanging from trees.  (Thank God for His grace and blood that cleared me.)

I don’t deserve a decent house.  I may mean well and I may love people, but I assure you that if you were tally up my sins, you’d need extra paper.  I’m nowhere near perfect.  So, I’m thankful that we don’t all get what we deserve.

I also don’t NEED a house that’s anything more than this one.  I WANT one (desperately), but God is showing me that what I NEED is something that no man could ever take away from me, something that money doesn’t buy.

Perhaps I should be focusing on just using my talents and energy and time to bless others.  Perhaps I should be thankful that we don’t have  a house tying us down.  –That we don’t have to worry or stress about holding onto things we’ve attained, that we don’t have to spend more time and energy trying to attain more for it, and then to attain those things.  Perhaps.

I’m still struggling.  I don’t have it all figured out.  And, my prayer still remains the same.  Contentment.

I look forward to the day that I can see this period of time as a blessing, that I can look back and see what God was busily working on.

This past Sunday, our preacher asked us to take 2 minutes to write a list of those people who have made an impact on our lives – the people who have helped gotten us where we are today.

Names floated through my brain, as I silently ticked off the ways they’d made a difference.  Then, the next instructions came:  Over the next week, we are to send cards (or phonecalls) to people on our list, letting them know how they’d blessed us.

Oh, wait.  So, what do I do with the people that impacted my life…but not necessarily in a “blessing” sort of a way?  Do I get to send them a card, too?  (<—mischevious grin)

Dear Such-and-such,

Thanks for making my life miserable, and along the way, teaching me some very valid points.  I’ve become such a better person while trying not to be what you are.  Thanks for blessing me.  Hope one day I can bless you back. 

Love,

Me

Or, maybe not.  After a little vigorous erasing of names, my list is still quite long – full of people who have blessed me in big ways and small.  And, this week, I’m going to do my best to thank some of them (although I will never make it through the ENTIRE list of people who have made a positive impact on my life, and I’m sorry for that.  I do still appreciate you.)

And, above all of that, I’m on a mission.  This week, I will be consciously trying to be a blessing to someone else EACH DAY.

I urge you to try it to, because by being a blessing to someone else, we spread love.  We spread hope.  We spread the very message of Jesus Christ.

It feels like we moved from this:

(photo: not by me)

To this:

(photo: also, not by me)

Granted, we have indoor plumbing and a few other modern conveniences that the model above doesn’t – all of which we certainly pay for.  There are some similarities, though…our walls are both made of cardboard (mine just have wallpaper on them), they aren’t exactly “stable” in inclement weather, and…oh, the space issue.

Yesterday, I was thoroughly embarrassed when our neighbor wanted to come in and see my book collection (which included titles that were of interest to her).  Although we’ve been “moved in” for months now, many of the rooms look like a loaded closet just threw up in them.  And, unfortunately, if you weren’t here several months ago, you wouldn’t understand the improvement.

I’ve set up bookcases galore (we can’t hang heavy things, so hanging wall storage isn’t an option here), but despite that, there’s just not enough PLACES for things!  In the living room, we’ve maximized space and literally have no more wall space to add anything unless it was a pair of shoes…or, unless we didn’t want to open the front door.  At all.

I’m aware that there are some great “creative” storage pieces…like pontoon boat style seating (where the seat raises up for storage) and all of that neat stuff.  But, generally a cheap budget won’t really coincide with those things…unless it’s duct taping things under your couches.  (Hmm…the landlord did say no big nails, but he didn’t say anything about duct tape…)

So, I’m feeling discouraged.  After being in my neighbor’s home (who homeschools, has a business, and manages to keep a very tidy home), I’m feeling less than adequate.

My home almost looks like a small tribe of compulsive hoarders live here, but I promise that’s not the case.  We just moved from a bigger home with LOTS of room to a much smaller home that lacks a yard.  I’ve worked through my things and really only have 3 garbage bags worth of things to give away (small bags), and after that?  I use everything else pretty often.

(Shh…did you hear that?  The toddler wants me to come look at something.  Nevermind.  It was a booger.)