True Appreciation

This small incomplete piece has been  sitting in my drafts since 4/30/2014. I have been meaning to complete and post it. Obviously, that is unlikely to happen so I am posting as is. :) So here you go.....

Stop and smell the roses.

This is such a common saying, but how often do we actually stop and appreciate some of the amazing things that are happening around us? I am just another violator of this somewhat universal offense. More than I'd like to admit I find  myself coasting through life considerably emotionless.

Get up, go to work, come home and cook dinner, put the kids to bed, putts around on the TV or computer, go to bed myself..... and start all over again.

There are also a list of areas that I could go on about that I feel I am lacking in as a good mother but that's beside the point. Tonight, I am going to focus on the positive.

My Amazing Family....

Although I have been surrounded by such an inspirational, goofy, loving group of people, I have felt divided for about the past ten years. This is due to half of my family residing in Illinois and the other half in Oregon. For this reason I've not been completely content living in one place or the other knowing two thousand miles separated me from someone that I love. However, just a few short months ago my mother, step-father and two siblings finally made the move to Oregon. Just this statement alone is a great blessing from the Lord. Since then, my weekends have been packed with gatherings, cookouts, birthday parties, and theater trips, so much that I haven't had much for downtime in a while. None of that matters because at long last, my family is back together. Just knowing that my mother will be here for every birthday, every cookout, and gathering makes my eyes well with joy. I am complete again.

My Children.....

Not a day goes by that my children cease to amaze me. Emma, for her kind and loving heart. Recently, she showed compassion and empathy for a homeless man standing on the side of the road. Emma gave kind words and a smile to this man who generally gets turned heads and glares throughout the day. After we continued on our journey my nine year old with tears in her eyes, vowed that in her years to come she will make a difference for people in need any way that she can. I am awed by her selflessness. Conner, for his joy of knowledge. He has an almost effortless way about himself when it comes to attaining new information. Almost as if he already has the information stored and isn't aware of it's existence (to quote my stepmother). During a casual conversation at the dinner table my father told Baileigh that she needed to take ten times ten times three bites. Conner, who is only 6 mind you, turns to his grandfather and states "Grandpa that's 300 bites".

Lazy Friday

Calm, quiet, serene.... 

 

These are not terms that normally describe the feelings in this house. Filled with parent-teacher conferences, appointments, illness, attempts to build a new bed and just the normal duties, the past couple of weeks have been anything but lazy. So, when opportunity knocks to just relax, wouldn't you take it? Even if dishes in the sink, laundry in the baskets, and toys on the floor made you feel guilty?

 

Today is not the typical day around here. With my oldest off to school, and my son spending time with auntie, it's just me and my little one. I have been able to watch a show or two, write this, and just breathe. Times like this I think the unspeakable question. Would life be easier if I had chosen a different path? The answer, without a doubt. But, then I am reminded actually how much joy those three children have brought to my life. Yes, there is fighting, chaos, and exhaustion. Also, there is love, laughter and fulfillment. Spending time with Bails alone reminds me of how incredibly amazing each of my children are. Watching her sing and dance around the living room in nothing but a diaper brings a smile to my face. It's truly a wonder how individual each child is. If you were an onlooker into the window of my life you WOULD see the dishes, the laundry, the toys... BUT I see the meals we spend together (even if sometimes its just mac-n-cheese and hot dogs). I see the clothes that the kids have had so much enjoyment playing in and getting dirty, or throwing around the bedroom playing dress up games. I see the games of house, and fort that clutter the living room and bedroom. 

Times like this remind me that God has chosen this path for me, I just walk it. I have been absolutely blessed to have my little diva, my superhero, and my dancer. So, I think the unspeakable question again, and again the answer is without a doubt. But without a doubt, I choose to embrace the life that He has chosen. I choose to praise each one of my kids for what makes them special and individual. I choose love, laughter, and fulfillment, along with the fighting chaos and exhaustion. 

A cluttered life

How do you rid the feeling of a cluttered life? Now I'm not just talking about a home filled with stuff,  although STUFF is a plague in our overcrowded home in itself. This type of cluttered is like a feeling of not knowing which way was is up or down, left or right. This picture seems to sum it all up well.

Everything around me seems cluttered and unorganized. I am making my very best effort to not feel inadequate because there are a few dishes in the sink, a load of laundry to do (or four), and a list plastered on the cupboard to know who has the next appointment and when.

Bedtime seems to be the most stressful time in my house. Some of the adventures we have tackled just tonight include; homework, an argument over which blanket to sleep with, searching for a binky for the baby (don't we have 300?), and then struggling with the 7 year old to rest after the news of having to get her first pair of glasses.

So my point is, I don't have it all together as a single mommy.  

Why do we as American women think that we need to live up to the 1960's Brady bunch mother anyways? Not that Mrs Brady was a single mom or worked out of the home. Plus she had a maid/cook... someone remind me what Alice's job was?

Wouldn't it be great if life had a pause button?

 

So when I feel as if I am standing in a blur of time. When anything tangible seems out of reach, or if I just feel overwhelmed or rushed, pause button to the rescue! Everything just stops so I can collect myself, and then continue right where I left off.

WOULDN'T THAT BE GREAT?!?!

So in lieu of someone actually inventing a life pause button like in CLICK......

I am attempting to appreciate instead of sweating the small things that  I can or cannot control. When I feel as if I am in over my head, I am going to smile, laugh and cry a little bit because I do have an amazing family and an amazing life............... and that is that! 



where to start?

So I have been staring at this blank screen for over twenty minutes thinking.. (okay so I've stopped a time or two to clean a spill or stop a fight, but you get the idea). So what is it that I want to write? What do I want to put out into the world that would be meaningful for someone to read? That is where I stop, because what can I say that hasn't been said by a more experienced writer?

Well, here goes..........