Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Excuses, Excuses!

I have neglected my blog this month. I am very sorry. I must apologize from the depths of my heart and soul. I have great excuses though. They really are great. Wanna here? Since it is my blog, I am going to tell them to you anyways. If you don't like it, read another blog. But, I warn you, you won't find someone as ordinary and random as me!

Excuses! Excuses!

1) I am really, really busy. I have a husband, 4 children, and a dog to look after.
2) I am embracing my summer vacation. After completing our first year of home schooling, I am relearning the phrase: summer vacation. I have zero desire to do anything. I want to sit on my couch and eat bon bons. Ok, not bon bons, but Dove chocolates, milk chocolate flavored to be exact.
3) I am doing things that my new found employment (home schooling) has not allowed. I have almost read 6 novels in the past month. Really, I have. It is weird and unnerving to think that I have read 3 times more books this month than I read in high school. Yes, I am sorry to say this is true. I am making up for it though.
4) I am doing some spring/summer cleaning. Since I have limited amounts of time to really deep clean my house throughout the school year, I am taking advantage of the lack of schedule in my house right now. I have washed all bedding in every room. I have washed floor boards, doors, and windows. I hand scrubbed the kitchen floor. I have organized my pantry and hall closet. I have big plans of organizing some closets upstairs, but I am a little petrified of them, and have been pushing them to the end of my list hoping that they will be forgotten until next year.
5) I have found time to do absolutely nothing. I sit on the couch and the kids come and sit with me. I really enjoy this time. I get many "I love you's" and kisses. They come up with the most random questions and explanations. I wonder where they get that from? Once Batman asked if he could have the sky for his birthday? How cute is that?
6) We have been getting outside and playing as often as possible. Due to the amount of stormy days we had, we haven't been outside as much as we would like. They have been enjoying every minute of the sunshine. Dear husband taught our Princess how to ride a 2 wheeler. I am so proud.
7) I spent last week catching up on laundry that piled up on us while we were gone. I am now preparing to pack for our 2 week vacation. Why do I feel like the house has to be spotless in order for us to travel? Maybe the burglars will feel at home when they come?

So there is my list. I promise to be back at it when I get home. We will return the first week of August. Ta Ta for now!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

I brought a gun into Walmart!

Don't you think I would be great at creating headlines for newspapers? I love making up titles to things. I have made up titles to books that I might someday write. I don't really think I have enough material to write them, but I have great titles that would make anyone in Barnes and Noble refrain from there caffeinated beverage and take a look.

You are all probably wondering about my story. Here goes. Dear husband decided that this would be an awesome day to go out for ice cream after dinner. It was a great idea. We all did the dishes and rushed out the door. Let me explain to you now that getting all 4 kids and myself out the door fully clothed, hair some what organized, and shoes on the right feet is quite a challenge. Not to mention, they all need to be securely buckled in their car seats.

So there we were, all 6 of us, standing in line at the ice cream shop. All the kids were yelling their orders to us. When I looked down, I saw my son had his toy gun in hand. We have a no toys allowed rule for our truck, because they always get lost or left in it. I also wasn't pleased with the type of toy he smuggled out of the house. I wasn't trying to hide anything, but I also am not wanting people to think that he can go around shooting whom ever he pleases. I quietly took the gun from him and put it into my motherly sized pocket.

On the way home we had to make a quick stop to Walmart. I ran in to get our items. As I looked down, I noticed that the pirate pistol was half hanging out of my pocket. My first reaction was, of course, to laugh! I love my boys. They are always trying to be heroes. But then my thoughts went to, "What if someone thinks this is a real gun?" All sorts of scenarios went through my mind. I instantly tried to push the gun further into my pocket so it couldn't be seen. It turns out that it was still too big to fit into my motherly abyss of a pocket. Instead of half the gun showing, I now only had the handle and the trigger peaking out.

I did make it out with out anyone knowing. I feel like a dare devil now thanks to my son. Yes, boys will be boys, and may there momma's never cease to enjoy it.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

9 years and counting!

Here I am with my other half, my soul mate, the man of my dreams, and best of all the man God made for me. He and I have been through many mountain top and valley experiences in these last 9 years. We have laughed and cried together. We have fought and played. We have talked and yelled (ok, I am the yeller he is the calm talker.) We have brought 4 beautiful children into this world. Life is good. I can't imagine doing it all without him by my side.

It's funny to think back and remember what it was like before he was there. I feel like he always was there. Yes, we did know each other growing up, but we weren't ever romantically involved then. It wasn't like this movie with 2 kids who saw each other and knew that there was never another human being that we could date. He was the big brother to a friend from school. He, of course, would come flirt with all her friends when they came to play, but they were just that, his sister's friends.

His family later moved away to another state. A few years after that he came back to our church to intern for the summer. It was at that time that I had just ended a bad relationship. I remember walking into church that Sunday morning and swearing off dating. I told God that I had zero interest in dating anyone for a very long time. Oh, how God probably was chuckling at me that morning. I walked into church and into the auditorium. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Service went on as usual, but then he came out and was introduced. I knew who he was, since I remembered him. I also remember looking at him and being reminded how cute he was. Funny how we forget things like that.

The service had ended with prayer that day. Anyone who had wanted it, came up to the front and had someone pray with you. I went up. Some how I was matched up with him! Now you would think that I would have some super spiritual thoughts on my mind at this time. Nope! My thoughts were on my appearance.

I know, I know you don't believe me. Let me fill you in. I am not a morning person. I have never been a morning person. I loved going to church at night. Unfortunately, that didn't fit my mom's ideal time. She woke me up to go with her. I woke up, took a shower, brushed my teeth, grabbed my make-up bag, and ran out the door before she left, which happened in about 15 minutes. I did my make-up while she drove us to church. My hair was sopping wet. I picked it out and threw a head band on. Who was I trying to impress? I told you, I didn't want to date anyone!

So there I was. I was clean. My make-up was done, but my hair! When my hair air dries, it dries into a frizzy mess. I had no frizz eez hair gel on it. My bangs weren't even down. They were pushed back with my head band. For someone who has always had bangs, it is very difficult to go without. All I could feel was the air on my naked forehead. My huge naked forehead. I felt like it was waving and yelling, "I'm free! Look at me! I am deformed and huge! Look! Look!" I felt it waving to whom ever I talked to. Now if you are a male, I apologize. This is what goes through a woman's mind from time to time.

When it became my time to pray, with who I didn't know would be my future husband, I didn't remember what I really wanted to pray about. He asked me, and then I quickly made something up. "Um yeah, I want to become closer to God." I wasn't lying. I really did. I really really did. Thinking back, it probably was close to my original prayer request. I was just taken off guard by those strong manly hands on my shoulders, and those light blue eyes that zapped me of all intelligence.

Who knew? Who knew that a year later, I would be standing up in front of a church again with him? Who knew that we would stand together praying almost exactly 1 year after we met again? That time though, we were praying for God to bless our marriage. And, He has!

I love you dear husband! Happy Anniversary! Love, your random wife!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Oh, just one more post because I like to procrastinate!

I am suppose to be doing the final touches on my novel of instructions that I am typing up for the babysitter. But I have one more blog to write. It has been on my mind for 24 hours now, and it is itching to escape the entrapment of my mind before it jumps into the sea of forgetfulness that seems to be taking up all my brain power lately.

I went out with a friend the other night. She and I have so much in common. We both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, just miles from each other and now live in Indiana together. We had never met before coming here. We think a lot alike. Sometimes we just start to laugh, because we have some many similarities. We even share the same name. Get this, I actually worked for her dad's company and we attended the same Christmas party. Yet, we never met! After moving from NY, I was lacking in the friend area. God brought us together here in Indy and I am so excited!

She started to attend our church. While talking together one time, I had mentioned that I am not a normal pastor's wife. She later told my husband that she thought that to be neat. (It was probably more relieving than anything!) I'm not a normal pastor's wife. After trying to live up to the image in one state, I came here and quickly dropped that ball.

Isn't it funny how we make up things in our mind. We here a title of a job or a life style and we paint a picture of what that person is like. We convince ourselves on how they always dress, always keep their house, always talk, always act, and what they probably do with their free time. We put everyone into these stereotypes that we have seen or heard about.

I once read this blog of a woman who was going to marry a rancher. She was an LA city girl, dressing in the latest trend, wearing heals, going to tanning beds, and drinking lots and lots of Starbucks. Then she dated her dashing man who swept her off her feet. When he asked her to marry him, she tried to picture herself as a ranchers wife. Here is what she pictured: "children, I’ll have ten of them, maybe eleven. I’ll have to squat in the garden and give birth while picking my okra. " She pictured herself wearing dish gloves and cutting her hair short, because married women always had short hair.

She did have all her children in a hospital though, she has awesome hair, and it is long and red! And, she only has 4 kids. That's probably why I like her so much! Anyone who has 4 kids has a lot personality. (Here's her story if you'd like to read it! http://thepioneerwoman.com/category/black_heelstractor_wheels)

All this to say, I am not a normal pastor's wife. I don't wear long dresses. I do wear make up, and not too much that it is running off of my face and eye lashes. I don't bring my bible to Walmart. I have high lights and low lights in my hair, in which I get done every 8 to 10 weeks. I watch rated R movies. I do cuss, only once in while. (Sorry mom it's true! Especially when my dear husband pushes the right buttons! It really gets the point across!) I can be loud and opinionated. I don't keep a perfect house. I don't have my little ducklings follow me in a perfect little line through the parking lot. I don't even clean under their finger nails before church. What's the point? They'll be digging in the dirt right after service ends. I definitely don't wake up before dawn. No, darkness in the morning means I need to be sleeping. I let the sun be my alarm. It must be high in the sky before I acknowledge its existence. Even though I know I have a great marriage, it doesn't mean that I can't really be mean to my husband. Sometimes I feel like picking a fight. We get over it very quickly, but I do get mad at him. He just knows, after 9 years of marriage, how to quickly get me to snap out of it. Oh! And I like to ignore my responsibilities and type pointless essays on a blog of mine for an hour, when I should be finishing up my laundry and packing for my trip. That is procrastination at its best folks!

I have neglected my duty to ya'll!

Did you like that "ya'll"? Some of my dear friends are from down south (say that with a southern tougue). When they type me emails they say ya'll. When they talk to more than one person they say ya'll. We all laugh at them and poke fun. They refuse to give up their southern tongues. It is in their blood. However, I have this little problem that I don't want to tell them.

I began reading these novels that take place in the pioneer days. They are really fun to read, but they are written just like they talked back then. There are words like, "I reckin" or "I'ma fixin' to git to those there thin's". It is interesting to repeat things in my head and figure out what they are saying. I am now on my 4th novel in the series and I am starting to pick up on the language. I had said something to my husband last night and he laughed at me. It seems to me that I am no longer using the "ing" on the end of my words. They all end in 'in' instead. Maybe we are suppose to give up on the midwest and go southwest and build us a ranch? Seeing that I can't ride a horse unless it is guided on a trail and going at a snails pace, I don't think it will happen.

Besides the fact that I try to cram too many hobbies into my jam packed life, I have been really busy getting this here house ready for the sitter. (Translation: I am going out of town with my hubby and I need to put the house back together so the babysitters don't realize the chaos that we really live in.) We are going to a weddin' and my preacher husband (actually in the book they call him a parson) is a goin' to do the hitchin'. And it is goin' to take us 7 hours to git too, but not because we are taking the horse and wagon to the next town over. We are going by car to the next state over.

We will have a child free car ride. We will have a child free trip. We will have a child free hotel room (whoo hooo!). We will sit at the table at the reception and cut our own food and ask for our own drinks. We will dance (ok so I do that dancin' and my hubby does the laughin'! Maybe they'll have a fiddle?). I don't get out much and I don't drink much. So when you put the two together, I am one fun date. Good thing I always go home with the same man.

I promise to get back in the saddle and update ya'll on my life and thinkin's when I git back from that there weddin'. I also promise to talk and write like a normal human being. Ok, me and normal don't go in the same sentence, but you catch my drift. Bye Ya'll!

PS I have never had that many words caught in spell check. It seems that the spell check was made by a northerner!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

This is my numero uno child! (as in birth order!)

I don't know why I haven't written a post about her yet. She is my darling first born. She and I have been through a lot together. Heck, she is lucky to be alive. I mean this because she came upon 2 very young parents who had NO clue on how to raise a baby. When I was in labor with her they told me to push, I yelled, "but I don't know how!" That seems to have been the beginning of many of "I don't know how times!"

She was the perfect first child though. She went with the flow, and usually I was flowin' like like one of those wave pools you see at a water park. You know most of the waves are being pushed to the other end of the pool, but if you are in the deep end they seem to be crashing into each other instead.

She ate well, she started to sleep through the night at 4 weeks old, and she was a very content child. I could put her in her swing and clean or do a load of laundry (this started my journey to mountain making). I would lie her down on the floor and take a shower without worrying if she would get upset. She was always happy. This was the baby that seconds after having the stomach flu, was looking at us smiling. She was that good.

Her one fault though was change. She didn't respond well to us moving out-of-state when she was 4 months of age. She from then on didn't sleep through the night until she was 3 1/2. This was an answer to prayer since I was due with baby number 3 soon after and couldn't deal with waking up with 3 children in one night. (Although, it has happened on numerous occasions.) Her biggest need was me. It turned out that she had major separation anxiety. She wasn't hungry or scared. She needed me. I was "it" in her life.

When we would leave her with a babysitter, she would scream until I would come back. She would do it to her own father too. I worked a few hours a week at a retail store, she would cry the whole time I was gone. The only thing that would make her stop was her favorite Elmo video. My poor husband had watched that 25 minute video about 5 to 6 times in a row to make her happy. He still to this day refuses to stay in the room if it is on for one of little ones.

This kid cracks me up. When she about 2 or 3, I would go through the routine of putting her to bed. She would then, every night start asking, "Mommy, are you leaving?"
"No" I replied as I chuckled. She would ask this every night, as if I leave her when she falls asleep to go bar hopping or out with friends. I hardly ever left her. The only time I was gone at bedtime was when I would go out with my dear husband, and that was only once a month to every other month.

When she was a little bit older she wouldn't scream while I was gone. Part of this is because we had grandma to watch her, and part of this is because she finally understood that I would be back. One night we got home from a date at about 11:30pm. Grandma had put all the kids to bed and was waiting in the rocking chair for us to come home. She went over the night with us, and told how all the kids went down. She mentioned that Princess had a little trouble falling asleep, and kept asking when I would be home. Then my dear mother-in-law said, "I think she is asleep now. I haven't heard her in a while."

Then to my shock, with it being almost 3 hours past her bedtime, I hear, "No, I'm not sleeping! I need a kiss and hug!"

She had waited up for me to get home that night, because she needed me there. Now some parents might say that she needed to be socialized, or she needed to learn that it was ok to be away from me. I am sure that some arguments might sound reasonable on this, but this is a case of a daughter who loves her mommy. I have been given the opportunity to have this little girl look up at me and love me. She has put her full trust in me. Her day is complete because I am there to kiss her good morning and then kiss her good night. I could look at her and say, "Cut the cord kid!" or I could say "I love you too!". With all the unconditional love that this little one gives me, how could I say anything else but I love you!