Life in the fast lane

I hate to admit it, but I like to be in the driver's seat. Especially when we're running late for church & Phil is driving 5 miles under the speed limit & taking the longest route to church. I find myself physically pushing my right foot down on my imaginary gas pedal. A few times I thought it would be nice to have one of those cars they use for driver's ed - the kind that gives the driver the illusion of being in control. When we were first married, we bought a little Honda with manual transmission. I loved that car. Something about changing gears & being in a smaller car, made me feel like I was going really fast. I like to go fast. I don't like to putter along slowly. It feels like a waste of time. I want to get there. Get things going. Get to the point.

The point. The point is, these days, I'm longing for the scenic route. I think the Amish have something here. It's hard to hurry much when you're driving a buggy around. You have to plan ahead & be prepared to take it slow. As much as I love things about my life right now, I'm not really loving life in the fast lane. I want to be able to slow down a little and smell those roses. It's hard to find time to enjoy the moment when you're rushing from one thing to the next. I feel like a honeybee during the peak of honey-making season. They go, go, go for 3 weeks and then they die. Work themselves to death. I really don't want to be a honeybee.

Well, I can't end this post here. That would be too depressing. And I'm not depressed. Overwhelmed. Over tired. Over extended. Yes. But not depressed.

I keep reminding myself that God led me to this place - to the fast lane. So I'm depending on him to carry me through. And even though it's stinkin' hard, I am thankful for all that he is teaching me. In the meantime, I'm trying to plan ahead so I have moments of "taking it slow" - talking with my daughter, reading to my son, playing with my kids, laughing with my husband, cherishing my friendships, resting in my Lord...

First day

Well...sort of. My "official" first day of teaching was on Friday, but that was only half a day & it was mostly "fun", so I'm not sure that it counts. :) Today was our first full day, and to say that I'm tired would be an understatement. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I just got the kids in bed & now it's "okay, what do I HAVE to do before I go to sleep?". Not what do I want to do, or what needs to be done, but was has to be done in order to make it through tomorrow. That makes it sound like I'm barely surviving, which isn't true.

I felt like today went really well. I'm learning how to adjust, that I need more comfortable shoes, that Kindergartners need a lot of movement, that I can let go of some things, and that despite the work, I'm going to love this job.

I was a little nervous about rest time. I decided that instead of showing a movie (which honestly, would have been a wonderful break!), I would read a Thomas Burgess book. They are older books, and I needed to modify some of the wording, but I was amazed at how it captured the kids' attention. We read the first 3 chapters of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. They seemed to enjoy it & I was glad I had some beanie babies for visuals. I ran into one Mom just as I was leaving & she told me her son said his favorite part of the day was "story time". That the skunk story was so funny & he wanted to hear what happens tomorrow. That made my day.

I'm also learning that it pays to be organized. I'm okay at doing things impromptu, but not great. I need a plan. I'm anal that way. Now I just need to learn how to be flexible when what I've planned doesn't turn out exactly as I expected...

All right. Enough about school. If I'm going to survive my second day...I'd better get to bed, and soon!!

Catching up

I have wanted to post some recent pictures from our last trip, but I left my camera in Kentucky. It arrived in the mail this week, carefully padded with ghost shaped Halloween marshmallows. I laughed when I opened the box. Thank goodness for God's Pantry, free products, & a creative sister-in-law! :)

We were all running different directions during our week in KY. Philip was busy installing windows, I had fun helping in the kitchen, Abbie was a camper, and this posse roamed the camp.
They sure are a cute bunch, aren't they? :) Thanks to Ryan & Kris for supervising them at mealtime. They were very brave & gracious to put up with a table full of loud & rowdy kids 3 times a day!

I had fun getting to know Kris. It was one of those "I know we've never met, but I feel like I know you" kind of instant-friendships. I have no idea when we'll see each other again. Maybe at camp. Sometimes in bloggerville. For sure in heaven. But it was definitely fun to hang out & talk with someone I could relate to.We enjoy traveling as a family, and this trip we expanded our "family" to include Abbie's best friend, Jordyn. It was her first time away from home and her first time at camp. Her mom was very brave to send her off with us for the week, but we had fun with her along & hope she did too. At least she doesn't cringe as much when I hug her now. :)

It was a fun week away from the everyday. Now that I'm back in the thick of "reality" I wish I could go back. Maybe next year...

Why am I still up?

Too much Diet Pepsi. Too much thinking. Too much to do.

It's almost midnight & Phil is gigging for frogs with his buddy Jim. Basically it's a way to explain the need grown men have to get in touch with their inner "boy" and have a blast chasing frogs & getting muddy! If I had my camera I would take a picture of the gig he constructed. It's quite the weapon. And I would have loved to take a picture of my boys sharpening their own "gigs" (sticks). Noah stood in the driveway with no shirt on, and informed me he was gonna gig the van. It was a "Lord of the Flies" moment. If only I had my camera...but I left it in Kentucky, and that's a story for another day. I am glad my husband is having fun, but he'd better not bring any frog legs home. I've put up with a deer head for the past several months. I draw the line @ frog legs. A woman can only take so much.

Goodnight. I'm going to bed. I better not have nightmares.

My boys have been getting along really well, for the most part. But this morning an argument quickly escalated to yelling & then throwing things. I decided it was time for a break & a snack. They were sitting at the table munching, when Daniel turned to Noah with big eyes & said, "Noah? Will you forgive me for everything?"

All is right with the world.

Confession:

I have been totally and completely lazy the past couple of days in preparation for next week and the craziness that is VBS. Any woman with kids who volunteers in any way during VBS knows what I'm taking about. Yesterday I took two naps. Two. Who does that? I finally broke down & loaded the dishwasher last night @ 10pm. I was worried we might not have any clean dishes today. I did consider using paper, but it's hard to eat cereal off a plate. I have low aspirations for today - a trip to the thrift store, a stop at the bank, a doctor's appointment, and maybe swimming. It's too hot for anything else.

This summer I have enjoyed having older children. They dress themselves, help around the house, pick up, play on their own, are fairly independent and very resourceful. I like this new phase. There are still arguments to resolve and activities to create, but overall it's been an easy job. I has allowed me to be lazy...now & then...

Travels...and changes....

When we were in Colorado for my brother's wedding, my uncle graciously invited us to come back for a week so my husband could do some repairs in/on their home. We thought about the near-100 degree temperatures here in Oklahoma, and then about the cool mountain air...and couldn't resist the offer. Not to mention, it was a "working vacation" and a chance to spend time with my aunt & uncle. Our air-conditioner broke down the night before we left. I was very glad to leave home. The kids loved hanging out on the deck & we got to roast s'mores a few nights. It seemed a little strange to be building a fire & curling up with a blanket in the middle of summer, but I didn't complain...

On Saturday, we took the kids to the zoo. The highlight was being there to see them feed the mountain lions. Afterwards, we headed over to the kids area, where my boys got in touch with their "inner" lions & had fun roaring & growling the rest of the day.

I love how quickly children build friendships. We met another family from my aunt's church @ the park & my kids had fun playing with her kids. By Sunday, they were looking forward to seeing their friends again, and Daniel confided in me, "Maximus is going to be my next cousin!" Apparently that's a step up from "friend".

This week it has been about getting "back into the groove" and catching up. I'm not sure how well I'm doing at either one, but I'm working on it. I think I finally finished unpacking from our trip. Just in time for laundry day! We're looking at some big changes for next year as I accepted a position to teach Kindergarten for 3 months (I'm sort of "filling in", while the teacher they've hired finishes her student teaching.) But I'm excited about the challenge & am also glad it is just for 3 months. I have pursued avenues to complete my teaching degree & kept running into what seemed like dead ends. But I have finally found a place that will accept most of my college credits & I can take online courses! So that is a huge answer to prayer. My goal is to finish my degree, get ACSI certification, and go on to get my state license. After 4 babies, I'm fairly convinced my brain has shrunk, so we'll see if I'm smart enough to do it! :) But I'm gonna try...