Random Life Reminders

Yesterday I was reminded about various life truths.

1) There is absolutely no need to challenge or confront a person for being slow or tardy when he is about to drill your teeth. Diplomacy, flattery and kindness will always benefit you in that situation. (Thanks sis for walking me through that.)

2) (On the same topic, also from sis) Going to the dentist is almost always better than going to the gynecologist.

3) It is okay to be disturbed when the driver in front of you blatantly discards his/her candy wrapper out the window in rush hour (or any) traffic.

4) When a friend is observing something in your life and has some insight or input, it is always worth listening to, even if at first you don't agree. If it's a good friend, there is probably some valuable truth to consider.

5) Having people in your life available to help you navigate through tough moments is invaluable.

Peace.

My Version of Lent

I am not a religious person. I am most definitely driven by faith, but not ritual. My parents were both raised Catholic, but I was not. My faith has been experienced in non-denominational church families, thus, I am not accustomed to practicing lent.

I planned to prepare for this Easter, by watching a movie of the Gospel of John with hubby and boys. We still will. But, I have been a little distracted by life lately and not keyed into any real preparation.

However, just recently, I stumbled into my version of lent through necessity. I had been letting life steal little bits of me here and there while I turned to TV, food and my son's hand-held solitare game (and other such things) for reprieve. Recently, it seems, I have been blind to the damage my vices were slowly causing.

I was getting achy muscles. I couldn't fall asleep at night and couldn't wake up in the morning. I was exhausted all the time, as if a flu virus was looming. Alas, no flu ever came. My body was calling out to me to pay attention.

Finally, I was becoming constantly irritable and my S.O.D. (Sensory Overload Disorder) was in full gear. I've been hear before! Why did I let this creep up again? Where is my focus?

So yesterday, before I reached a break point, I started my own personal lent. (Though it is less about Easter and more about my life focus.) I had taken my eyes off of God. I had let my soul wander to empty distractions and let it spiral out of control. No more! Even if only for a day or two, I'm taking a break from TV. I've nixed coffee and sweets. I've denied myself mindless web-browsing and solitaire games. Each time I want to escape, as I had been, I turn right to God. Some Bible verses here and there, but mostly, in each moment I want to reach for a vice, I talk to God.

This has to do with self-denial only in the manner that it is what drives me to turn to God, giving me more and more cherished moments with him to address worry and hurt and fear, or just a moment to love him, acknowledge him.

The winter doldrums are over and it's time to get healthy again. I'm not just referring to physical health. I am talking about my mind, heart and soul. In all my life, I've never been able to achieve that alone; but when my God is at the center, it is oh, so real.

Fungus, Not My Friend

Well, the antibiotics didn't kill my baby, they only caused a fungal diaper rash that itches and drives her nuts. It took me two weeks to figure it out. Or, should I say, two weeks to finally take her to the doctor so she could tell me what it was. Maybe if I had regularly given my boys antibiotics, I'd have been familiar with this. But... not.

I had tried every treatment that worked before with my boys. Baking soda baths, airing out the derriere, super-thick butt ointment. Nada was a-working.

I supposed it is not that bad. Really, I didn't want her to suffer out the ear infection any longer. What choice did I have? I had to help her, heal her ear, with antibiotics. But, now I know not to wait 2 weeks when I see this classic post-antibiotic fungal diaper rash.

So, I've got the correct remedy now. Hopefully my baby is on the speedy road to recovery and happier days.

Spring...

My mind is racing with all the things I want to accomplish. Spring invigorates me and motivates me.

Yesterday I took down our Christmas lights that I couldn't get to until the massive snow drift melted. My husband swears it will snow again. I say, "Blasphemy!"

I cleaned up some remaining fall leaves and found all my tulips are poking through the dirt. Flowers are coming!!!!! Actually I already have some snowdrop bulbs in full bloom. They started in February. Thank you God for the hearty flowers that push through the snow to blaze the trail for Spring!

My kids were outside for hours with no jackets. My baby went swinging for the first time this year. I even was daydreaming about running through the yard with our dog. Uh... we don't have a dog, but in this weather is seems like a great idea! (I'm sure I'll come to my senses right quick though.)

Spring, spring, spring! Newness, freshness, renewing of life. It's so wonderful!

A Baby and Her Turtle

I don't know why I don't blog about my baby every day. I am amazed by her every day.

My baby is 13 months old. She is walking everywhere now. Well, almost. When she is in a hurry, she drops on all fours and does her super-stealth crawl.

She talks a lot. Much of her communication is in her most adorable own language that amuses everyone who hears it. She also says many actual words which is also entertaining to everyone. I especially love it when she says "turtle."She has this ragged little stuffed turtle that one of her big brothers bought for her at a rummage sale. She has slept with it every night since she was 6 months old. She will not go to bed without it. At bedtime you will often see the whole family roaming the house calling, "Turtle... Turtle... Where are you?" with our baby leading the call.

She thinks going bye-bye is fantastic and is just as enthusiastic to return home. She is addicted to Dora The Explorer and Little People videos. She goes nuts for playing in the water, in any capacity.... the tub, the sink, a pool... whatever. Water is the bomb!

She sings with the music at church, she sings with the family, with the CD player... she's a singer. It's in her own words, and it's gentle and soft and precious. It would make your heart melt. It does mine.

I'm certain this is the most amazing baby ever. It's true.

Above All Else... Love

At home, my boys have wonderful moments when they are well behaved and other moments, when... not so much. We work hard to establish expectations of respect and integrity. Sometimes I think I'm thinking too much about some of the not-so-good moments as failures instead of learning moments in the big picture. I do treat the moments as teachable opportunities, but sometimes fail to see things from a broader perspective.

Yesterday, my husband and I took the kids out to a brunch at a nice restaurant with my Dad and his girlfriend. I think I was taking their good behavior for granted until Dad's girlfriend pointed out how delightful our boys are. I suppose there are kids who would be loud, disrespectful, obscene, irritating... But, our boys were polite, funny, calm and charming.

In response to Dad's girlfriend, I shared how my mom always tells me that I will make a lot of mistakes as a parent, but I will be a successful parent if my kids feel loved. That's the most important thing. Dad's girlfriend went on to say that they seem confident and secure and they are all quite individual.

(I later got a text message from my sister that my Dad was bragging about their behavior as well.)

What we're doing is working, and I don't want to forget it. Our love and consistency is affecting they're behavior, confidence and respect for others. I am so proud. I feel like my children will be happy and successful in life if they never forget they are loved, they are special, no matter what.

Boys... "I always love you., no matter what."

No Rest for the Weary

I should be sleeping now, but I haven't been good at that for the past few days. There's a lot going on this week; things that have been keeping my mind from resting.

I've been running a business, with my husband, out of our home office for that past 15 years. Each year the business has done better than the previous year, until the economy crashed in 2008. I would have gotten a job outside the home a year ago, to supplement us during this rough patch, but we had a big surprise that postponed that. A baby.

So this week I stumbled upon a highly desireable part-time position with the local city beautification committee. What?! I've been interested in this non-profit organization for years. I don't have a current resume. Get to work!

With the help of my little sister's resources, wit and fabulous writing/editing skills, the resume is ready to be sent out first thing in morning.

Perhaps more responsible for my sleep malady is my mother-in-law. But it's not what you think. Her husband died three years ago. She did alright on her own for a while, but over the last year, her memory has been suffering. It had been slowly declining, but this week, paranoia and confusion took center stage.

These first hand experiences with her are hard to process. They are not peaceful. They are ridden with anxiety for her and me, and her sons. I'm upset and I can't sleep.

I know there comes a time when we all have to take care of our parents, but it's coming early for me and my hubby. We are in our late thirties, but his mom is in her mid-eighties. Our kids are in elementary school and we have a baby. And, I may be starting a part time job. How will we manage this? We don't feel ready for this, but there is no choice.

I will be praying for wisdom and patience for all of us. It's a season of life that we'll have to navigate one step at a time. And the next step for me is sleep. Lights out... I'm hoping for the best.