Zazzles meow. Meow.

nick oh, yeah. It’s Captain America.

Zazzles meow, meow, meow.

nick what?

Zazzles meow, meow.

nick oh. Right. It’s Darth Maul. (excuse if I mis spelled his name)

Zazzles meeeooooww.

nick I’m hungary too.

Zazzles meow. Meow. (exits room)

Nick

This little guy started his second school this week. Because of schedules and travel time, he will be going to two child cares. I know. I fought it for a wile, we knew it would have to happen and tried all sorts of things to make it work some other way, but it is what it is. Amazingly, he did fantastic. He doesn’t seem confused about where he’s going or who he will be with. And he loves both places so I feel a little better. It’s only for a short time, so we’re pluggin’ through. He’s a special one, so easy going!

Isaac

This guy right here has had some growing pains. They’ve been rough. Despite all that, we part with a hug and a kiss and a smile each and every morning. And bonus, he is especially loving school now that he is reading “real chapter books” and learning multiplication!

Tyler

Oh this guy…He is so big. And so smart. And wants to spout his knowledge all over the place, wherever it may fit and tell us all about the things he knows. Which is a lot. And sometimes exhausting. He over thinks things or gets in a hurry. But his heart is pure gold. This week was another basketball game and he worked hard to be out there pushing himself to be better. He knows he’s not the best on the team and gets discouraged because he feels like he’s letting his team down with his inabilities. But he’s putting his heart in it and that’s all we ask.

Check out M.O.B. Society for more stories on the joy of having boys! And have a great weekend!

Now when I snowball, I don’t want anyone to help me out. I’m covered in guilt. I signed up for all this, assured other people I could do it, and now I’m going to back down? No! I’m not a quitter! So I continue snowballing until I have sufficiently dug my way out of my own mess with hours and hours of work and a few hearty tears.

Last night, I heard the music. This semester is full. Full. I felt the little worries start, I voiced them ( such a bad idea,then they think they are real), then I heard the clock. So I decided it would be better if I came up with a solution to the problem, instead of contributing to it. I had about seven hours in front of me when the house would be completely silent. No one would bother me, not even the cat. I told Dan, he looked a little confused, shrugged his shoulders and went on his merry way. This is his usual response to me when I voice something he thinks is irrational.

I gave my idea a little more thought. You know, I could really use seven more uninterrupted hours in my day.

But I suppose my irrational thoughts would just run more rampant than usual if I didn’t sleep.

It was worth a shot.

Happy Friday!! Check out Jen’s place for more Quick Takes. (and an update on her book, which I will be buying!)

1.

With the start of the new semester and the crazy that goes with it, four of us managed to get the stomach bug. I was thinking we should name this bug. It seems everyone gets it about this time of year, but it remains nameless. Maybe if it had a name it would think we came up with a vaccine and be scared and not bother anyone any more. I’m thinking it has something to do with the shock our bodies go through after two full months of non stop eating and merry-having. What do you think about Gastroshock? Or maybe gastro shock virus?

2.

Tyler’s new obsession is presidents. His favorite is Grover Cleveland. We’re not sure why, but I think it’s because he likes to say his name. I made Tyler watch the State of the Union address with me so he could see a president speak and it would give us a good opportunity to talk about the other political figures that were there. Instead, he promptly decided he was going to run for president. He decided he would petition the government to let him run even though he was too young because “I can do lots of things Obama can’t.” Yep, that ‘s true. I don’t know anyone who can defeat Tyler at Kinect Baseball. Sorry, Mr.Obama, he’s got you there.

3.

Tyler went ahead and made his list of cabinet candidates. Isaac will be serving as the head of the Legislative Branch. I’ll let you mull that one over for a minute.

4.

The other candidates are several of his 3rd grade friends. And one fourth grade friend. I wanted to suggest the fourth grade friend be his press secretary (he could go toe to toe with anyone I know!) but we were keeping things simple.

5.

I’ll let you all know when the fundraising starts.

6.

After we survived gastroshock (already using it!) I ended up with this weird sinus allergy thing. I recognize that you don’t want to read about all my physical ailments, but this one has a twist. My mom has it too. And we don’t live close to each other. Strange, huh?

7.

To end the week, I give you Pinterest in action.

]]> http://thedailywade.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/7-quick-takes-3/feed/ 2 ewade03 http://thedailywade.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/stuck/ http://thedailywade.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/stuck/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:05:02 +0000 ewade03 https://thedailywade.wordpress.com/?p=1128 ]]> I was irritated. Dan was sitting at the kitchen table, scanning his iPad and chatting me up about something from the day before. The clocked ticked away on the stove, every change in number was one more chance to be late. A sudden realization while tossing sandwiches in lunch boxes sent me reeling.

“Nick! Are your clothes on?”

“No! My hungary!”

A deep breath and a final zip of the last lunch made. Another number changed. Dan jumped, “I didn’t even realize he wasn’t dressed!”

A rush to find toddler sized clothes, socks, and shoes. Another number changed.

Our arms loaded and full of our usual Springfield day things, we made our way out the door. Two more trips back inside for forgotten things and the car finally starts. Even Tyler recognizes the many changes in numbers. Regardless, the day must go on.

We’re stuck in this place, Dan and I, this place of children and chores and to do lists and late nights and piles of laundry and trash and schedules. Not stuck in the negative way, like stuck on the side of an icy road. Stuck in the other way, a good way. Sometimes we wish for time to pass more quickly, sometimes we want it slower. But for at least a while, we’re going to be stuck in this place full of everything else but us. This place where we let a few extra numbers change on the stove clock because it means a few extra minutes of each other, minutes that are hard to come by right now. I’m so glad I was there to hear what he had to say this morning and those numbers, they were well spent.

I’m taking part in Bigger Picture Blogs today. This is my Bigger Picture moment. Check out Sarah’s place for more!

‘A healthy home is a happy home!’ or something like that, right? I remember as a little girl hearing Mary Poppins voice in my head anytime I heard a catchy phrase about homes. Or being healthy. Still today, as I typed out that little catch phrase, I heard it in my head straight from Mary’s lips.

Even though I am no Mary Poppins (or Nanny McPhee for you younger ones) I still equate a happy home with a healthy one. A clean one. An organized one. So I turned to my old friend, Pinterest, for some inspiration. I found tons and tons and tons of fabulous, creative, wonderful, and awe-inspiring ideas. But not within the budget or time constraints I wanted. Then out of the deep dark blue sea, a ghostly white hand appeared, coming straight for me! I was so frightened, I couldn’t move. The hand swept by me, as if it were just the wind, and there at my feet lay…A 2012 organization calendar!

This was so simple. I printed it off, because the author was kind enough to make it free, and re-purposed my Holiday organizer. And done. Every day I open it, do what it says, mark off the date, and I’m done. There are some really simple things, like tossing expired skin care or go through one shelf in the bathroom or take a nap. Your not required to de-clutter one room, or even one entire cabinet, every day. I like this because the thought of de-cluttering my house makes me melt in an anxiety attack. I don’t even know where to start.

So the first step to achieving my goal of being healthy, is well underway. And in case your wondering, today’s de-cluttering is “get rid of expired medication”. Check!

It’s Friday! Head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes! Thanks Jen for hosting!

1.

I saw this video on Elizabeth Esther’s site and was intrigued. Apparently it’s been circling the web and has over 5 million hits, so it’s definitely stirring up something.

I watched it twice. I agree with what I believe his overall message is…that the church can sometimes be a more harmful place than helpful and we, as Christians, should be aware of that. I’m not sure I agree with the presentation. It seemed he was using the word ‘Christian’ to mean one who is in a relationship with Jesus and has given his life over to Jesus. But he was using Bible references about the church to discuss Religion. Those are two different things. If I believe that Superman created the universe because he can fly, my religion is Superman. Religion can encompass any belief of how or why the universe is the way it is, although it’s most commonly used in connection with major groups such as Christians or Muslim or Jewish and so on. Perhaps if he was referring to the Christian church’s role, then I wish he would have been more specific. He also mentioned Jesus calling Religion fools when I think he was calling the Pharisee’s fools. Jesus was referring to a person’s actions and not denouncing the entire church. He also mentions that the church is suppose to be a hospital and not a museum. I believe the church’s job is to act as both. It’s a unique calling that only a place with Jesus in it can actually achieve, and probably not all the time since it contains humans and we will inevitably fail at some point. It seems he was very hurt by a church (or churches) that didn’t love him the way he felt he needed loved or helped and it sounds like he found Jesus despite all that. What did you think of the video?

2.

Next week it’s back to school routine. Someone asked me this week if I was enjoying all my time off with just my youngest at home. Yes, I replied, if you would have asked me last week that would be my answer but this week I am ready to get back in a routine and have some deadlines to get my motivation moving! And this will be my last semester to drive to campus!!

3.

Remember last week when I wrote about my lofty goals for this break? I completed most of our long to-do-list and Nick and I spent some good quality time together. A good break with just enough of everything. Except for laundry, that is one thing I will never get done!

4.

Remember back in the day when grocery stores would have items you could get for free if you collected so many stamps? Our local grocery store started that a couple months back. At first I was really surprised, I had only heard about this phenomenon in books or tales from my parents/grandparents. The first few times the cashier would ask me if I was saving stamps I politely said no, I didn’t even know what they were giving away. Then one day I walked by the display and this little beauty caught my eye.

It’s a mini loaf pan! I didn’t have one of those! Visions of perfectly made little loaves of bread clouded my judgement and I knew I had to have it. I could buy it outright and it wouldn’t cost that much, but then again, the promotion had just started so why not collect the stamps? We don’t buy all of our groceries at this store, but it’s our go-to for things we forget and a lot of our meat. So I told Dan about it and we started collecting. It took us over a month to get enough stamps, but we finally filled all but one card needed for this baby. So in the end I paid $2.15 for my awesome new mini loaf pan. Now I know what all the rage was about! I found myself buying just one more thing to get one more stamp. In reality, between all the unnecessary grocery items I bought, I probably paid way more than $2.15 for this. That’s ok, when the bread comes out of the oven in adorable little loaves, it won’t matter how much I paid for it.

5.

Tonight, on ABC, Extreme Home Makeover will air it’s 200th episode about the town I grew up in. I’m sure I will be in tears before it even starts.

6.

My 7 yr. old came to us the other night with pen marks on his arm. He said he was sorry and he just couldn’t control himself. Good to know. It was even more strange because we hadn’t even noticed the marks, he just wanted to tell us. Maybe we should consider giving him more attention.

7.

And now I’m off to the kitchen where I will create beautiful miniature loaves of bread! Have a great weekend!

I could feel the excitement in Isaac’s voice when he first opened the door, despite being on the other side of the house. Pure excitement, the kind that makes your voice hit a few octaves higher than you ever realized you could.

That excitement, that joy, it won’t happen again, at least not until next year. This first of the season. It’s the same with the first ball game of the season, the first swim of the summer, the first pumpkin patch visit of fall. These firsts of the season, so exciting and breathtaking and joyful and new.

When we found out we were pregnant with Tyler, those emotions wouldn’t ever be repeated. And when we heard his heartbeat for the very first time, or saw his tiny, blurry outline on the monitor, or watched as the sonogram tech typed boy next to the little white arrow between his stubby legs. Those emotions are forever ingrained in my heart. They can’t ever be repeated. 

And then it’s spring, summer, and fall.

And we’re having another baby. New emotions, different yet similar, surface. A second baby’s heartbeat, a second baby’s tiny, slightly blurry outline, a second little white arrow between two stubby legs with the letters b-o-y appear on the screen. Nervousness over how we will handle two little boys, giggles over thoughts of starting savings accounts now for the grocery bill when they are teenagers, and apprehension of the change that’s in store for our little toddler at home. 

And then it’s spring, summer, and fall.

And we’re having another baby. A surprise baby. More new emotions combined with some sense of knowledge. We’ve done this before, we can do it again. A third baby’s heartbeat, a 3D image with another little white arrow (we didn’t even need the letters by this point, we got it.) and stubby legs with teeny tiny toes. Nervousness and fear, we’re outnumbered now. Serious discussion ensues about that savings account. Apprehension, out first little baby is going to Kindergarten, will he still feel special, will he still feel loved when our attention is split three ways? Will we ever sleep again?

There’s nothing like the first snow, the first something of every season. Sure, the snowflakes look a lot like the ones from last season. Up close, they are so different, unique and perfect all on their own. They don’t worry about being compared to the snowflakes from last season, those are melted, moving through the Earth’s ground and giving life to plants and animals. A new season for them.

Those tiny baby’s with teeny tiny toes are big now. Their toes are running and playing. It’s a new excitement, a new nervousness, the first of a new season. 

I’m happily taking part in Bigger Picture Blogs Simple Moments held today at Lenae’s. Link up!

After almost every argument I have with the boys I think about why I made the stance I did and if the stance would benefit them in some way as they grow and learn. This helps me to hone my parenting skills and really pick the battles I think are worth the fight. This is a recurring battle, so I’ve done a lot of thinking on the subject.

Why is it so important that they play outside??

Well obviously we all feel better and more centered about life when we have breathed in some fresh tree-given oxygen. And there are tons of scientific (and some not so scientific) articles circling our culture that suggest that there are huge benefits to reap from outside time. While I agree with most of those articles and love a deep breath of tree-given oxygen, I also have memories of childhood that I treasure deep in my heart. Treasures that made me who I am today, treasures that taught me how to reason, and gave me the freedom to ask questions about myself and my world. I don’t believe any computer program can compete with free will and free thinking.

If I’m on a computer, my brain isn’t given the opportunity to wander. I’m not free to explore depths of myself that can only be found in a place void of all stimulants. The outdoors does have plenty of stimulants, but I’m referring to the ones that demand your attention and the outdoors doesn’t demand it, it calls to us when we’re ready and waits patiently and quietly until we are.

After some more thinking and a little more tree-given oxygen, I compiled a list of ten things my children will never know. These are things I learned without computers. And just like my generation had to learn how and when to step away from cable tv, my children will have to learn how and when to step away from the computer and their handheld devices. And I plan to “help” them the same way my parents and my friends parents helped us, by force. They’ll thank me later, right??

Ten Things My Children Will Never Know

1. What it is like to only have one phone number in your house.

2. Or a phone that doesn’t leave the house.

3. Or a sibling that listens on the line to your phone conversation.

4. They will never know what “playing outside all day” really means.

5. They will never know that movies used to be rented from a store and not just a click away on Netflix.

6. Or that they were played on rectangular black boxes and not disks.

7. Toys that don’t make noise are better than toys that make noise.

8. How to entertain yourself in the car without 1) getting thrown out the window for incessant talking or 2) egging your sibling on until they blow like a little bomb.

9. How long it takes for a letter to go from our house to another country via the post office.

10. Friends are people you know in your hometown.

Every week, one of the great big bloggers of the country hosts this get together. Check out Jen for more Quick Takes and all her other fabulous hermit loving writing!

1.

Well, it was back to the grind for everyone this week. Everyone but me and Nick. The next two weeks will be spent at home, recovering from our busier-than-busy Christmas break. The calendar is fairly empty and we hope to keep it that way!

2.

Knowing this is probably my last break before I re-join the workforce in a career type job (all prayers on that front appreciated!) I’m attempting to pull double duty. While completing our very long around-the-house-to-do-list, I am focusing on spending lots of quality time with my baby before he jumps ship and heads to preschool in the fall. I know, he’s 3 1/2 so not technically a baby, but he’s my last, so that label will probably always stick. (My apologies now to the grown up Nick who will vow to never stick a label on his kids because of the damage I caused him in always calling him my baby. And it’s really confusing at potty training time.) I don’t know that I will succeed in this attempt, and frankly don’t care. But I like to have goals, so there you go.

3.

The weather here is amazing. From Dan, “It feels like Spring in the house today.” Why yes, the sixty-something degree weather and abundant sunshine in place of the gray filled snow inducing state we are usually in this time of year is quite nice. Hope it doesn’t back fire next month.

4.

On this break I have been catching up on some “fun” reading and have completed two book reviews. I use the term book reviews lightly, because they are really an expression of my opinion with a sparse amount of the actual book information thrown in.

5.

I’m not completing either goal from Take 2 sitting in this dark room while Nick ingests a large amount of Bubble Guppies. Better work on that.

6.

Tyler starts basketball this weekend. Just last year he commented on how he didn’t really like Basketball. But around here, it’s ingrained in the curriculum at school so he’s probably just brainwashed. Maybe it will wear off. I think he can be anything he wants to be, but Dan nor I gave him any genes that would indicate basketball ability, so I’m not sure we will encourage drafting straight from elementary. Despite what Tyler thinks. (good to have a boy with such high self esteem!)

7.

Finally, I’m off to achieve one goal for today. Feeding my toddler lunch.