Well, it's hard to follow a post like the last one. It was kind of a bummer. Anyway, the fog is clearing, and my bloggy friend Michelle tagged me for a meme because she thought I could use the distraction. Um, thanks?
1. What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago, I was adjusting to life with a three-year old boy and a newborn baby girl. Going from one to two kids was not as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, looking back at the "then" and in stark contrast to my "now", I could have handled just two with a blindfold and one arm tied behind my back. Anyway, we had just moved back into our newly remodeled home after it was damaged by a tornado. Life was good, but there were some twists and turns we could not have seen coming. Such is life. We moved for the first time from my home state one year later.
2. Five things on my "to do" list for today: (tomorrow, today is over)
1) Register Ryan at NARS so he gets a jump-start on high school credits for the courses he is taking this year in 8th grade.
2) Catch up the laundry.
3) Get ahead on lesson plans since we will be taking a week off soon to go to the beach.
4) Try to finish the John Irving novel that is taking me for.ev.er.
5) Catch up on my Bible study homework before we meet tomorrow night.
3. What is your favorite snack?
I'm not sure it's my favorite, but it's probably my most frequent... a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and good crackers.
4. If I were a millionaire, I would:
1. Pre-pay my kids' college funds, assuming of course they don't end up spending it on therapy.
2. Buy a big-enough house with lots of windows and an actual lawn.
3. Tithe big to help our new church building along.
4. Farm the kids out to willing family members and take a vacation with Jay. Hopefully Scotland and Ireland. Realistically, probably somewhere this side of the Atlantic.
5. ???
5. Places I have lived:
1) Nashville, TN
2) Smithdale, MS
3) Slidell, LA
4) Mt. Juliet, TN
5) Picayune, MS
6. Five people I'm tagging:
Take the plunge if you want. Just leave me a comment saying you joined in so we can all share in the fun!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
is it foggy or is it just me?
It's the middle of September and cooler than normal for this time of year. At least this week. Usually, it is hot enough to feel as if it's still summer, but yesterday felt different.
I took Wyatt outside to play, not because I was being "nice Mommy" but because he had been asking me ever since we returned home from the park, where we were, you know, outside. The big kids are participating in Presidential Fitness with a bunch of other homeschoolers, but I guess he just didn't get it out of his system while we were there.
I put Elijah down for a nap, and even though I should have been making something for dinner, I decided to just take him out. It seemed easier, and frankly, I wasn't up for a fight.
Wyatt was happy to be out, and I tried to get through a few more pages of a John Irving novel that I had to renew at the library on my way home. Between evacuating, being sick, and starting school, I just haven't been able to sit down with a book, at least one without pictures, for any length of time. And stay awake, that is.
Anyway, as I sat outside, the air cool and the sky cloudy, this feeling of anxiety washed over me. I don't really even know how to explain it. The cool air and the not-so-sunny sky brought about a feeling of dread? I'm not sure that's right.
We used to live in a state with actual seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter, not just "hurricane season" and "not hurricane season." And while spring is probably my favorite because of the newness of it all, I love autumn. I really do. The crisp air and the changing of the leaves... it's beautiful. And sweaters, jeans and boots? Yeah, I like that too. But I think this feeling in me that I can't quite put my finger on may have more to do with the fact that soon it will be getting dark very early. I don't like it at all. I don't like that it's dark before dinner even hits the table and that the evenings and nights seem unending. I don't like the chill in the house. I don't like how it makes me feel.
It's not like I don't have enough to keep me busy. I mean, really, I have four kids, a husband, a household to run; I'm homeschooling, chauffeuring kids to and from activities, singing in the band at church, doing the women's bible study... I have stuff to do. But I find myself having to dig in my heels to try and shake away this fog that seems to want to swallow me whole. And it's all because of a slight "chill" in the air?
Call me crazy. You won't be the first.
I came back inside and made dinner, and the evening went on pretty much as usual for our house, but the fog? I woke up with it again this morning. We didn't have anywhere to be today, but I have found myself more than once standing outside, just to feel the end of summer sun on my untanned skin and the breeze on my face. I feel antsy and distracted. I have papers to grade and lesson plans to write, yet my inability to focus keeps me from doing the very things that I am certain would be a distraction from this "cloud" that I feel is hovering over me. It's a vicious cycle, no?
Yes, I have tried praying, and it reminds me of a song that a friend wrote that says something like this:
I think I'm losing my mind, 'cause every time that I pray, my mind wanders away, and I'm starting over and over again...
Maybe I need a good night's sleep and another Sudafed. Something's gotta give. I feel yucky.
I took Wyatt outside to play, not because I was being "nice Mommy" but because he had been asking me ever since we returned home from the park, where we were, you know, outside. The big kids are participating in Presidential Fitness with a bunch of other homeschoolers, but I guess he just didn't get it out of his system while we were there.
I put Elijah down for a nap, and even though I should have been making something for dinner, I decided to just take him out. It seemed easier, and frankly, I wasn't up for a fight.
Wyatt was happy to be out, and I tried to get through a few more pages of a John Irving novel that I had to renew at the library on my way home. Between evacuating, being sick, and starting school, I just haven't been able to sit down with a book, at least one without pictures, for any length of time. And stay awake, that is.
Anyway, as I sat outside, the air cool and the sky cloudy, this feeling of anxiety washed over me. I don't really even know how to explain it. The cool air and the not-so-sunny sky brought about a feeling of dread? I'm not sure that's right.
We used to live in a state with actual seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter, not just "hurricane season" and "not hurricane season." And while spring is probably my favorite because of the newness of it all, I love autumn. I really do. The crisp air and the changing of the leaves... it's beautiful. And sweaters, jeans and boots? Yeah, I like that too. But I think this feeling in me that I can't quite put my finger on may have more to do with the fact that soon it will be getting dark very early. I don't like it at all. I don't like that it's dark before dinner even hits the table and that the evenings and nights seem unending. I don't like the chill in the house. I don't like how it makes me feel.
It's not like I don't have enough to keep me busy. I mean, really, I have four kids, a husband, a household to run; I'm homeschooling, chauffeuring kids to and from activities, singing in the band at church, doing the women's bible study... I have stuff to do. But I find myself having to dig in my heels to try and shake away this fog that seems to want to swallow me whole. And it's all because of a slight "chill" in the air?
Call me crazy. You won't be the first.
I came back inside and made dinner, and the evening went on pretty much as usual for our house, but the fog? I woke up with it again this morning. We didn't have anywhere to be today, but I have found myself more than once standing outside, just to feel the end of summer sun on my untanned skin and the breeze on my face. I feel antsy and distracted. I have papers to grade and lesson plans to write, yet my inability to focus keeps me from doing the very things that I am certain would be a distraction from this "cloud" that I feel is hovering over me. It's a vicious cycle, no?
Yes, I have tried praying, and it reminds me of a song that a friend wrote that says something like this:
I think I'm losing my mind, 'cause every time that I pray, my mind wanders away, and I'm starting over and over again...
Maybe I need a good night's sleep and another Sudafed. Something's gotta give. I feel yucky.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
hurricane season and hoovers
... things that, you know, suck.
Many of you have wondered and inquired about our whereabouts and well-being. We are home now. For a week. Trying to catch up and get crack-a-lackin' on school. We evacuated for Gustav. Well, not exactly. We were already out of town, so we stayed that way. Except Jay, who sporting the y-chromosome and all, felt the need to come home and board up windows and tether things that might otherwise blow away.
We just passed the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which made people once again wonder why in the world we moved back down here. Out of the flood zone, mind you, but still close enough to the coast to share in the insanity that is hurricane season. And well, I can only tell you that the safest place we could possibly be is the center of God's will, which is where we try to reside.
That being said, we all really have to take some responsibility for where we live, don't we? I mean, if you live on (or near) a fault line, you can probably expect at some point for the earth to move under your feet. And if you live in a low-lying area, you can probably expect flash-flooding during heavy rains. If you live in the midwest (in one of those flat states) you can most likely count on channeling Dorothy and running for cover with Toto under your arm. And like us, if you live near the coast, you must realize that a hurricane (or three) might set its sights on you, and you will probably at some point have to evacuate or board up and ride it out if it is not a major storm. I am a member of the "board up and get the heck out" club because even though we have moved away from the possibility of a major storm surge, we are surrounded by ginormous trees, and I am not a fan of tropical storm force winds or rain-wrapped tornadoes dropping randomly from the sky. Just sayin'.
Gustav only blew down a few limbs in the yard and killed the power for a couple of days. We're praying our friends in Texas fare well during Ike.
We're fine, just busy. I'll leave you with a conversation from W because that little guy, I'm telling you, is giving us a run for our money. Oh, wait, I have to brag for a second. He's been playing (and winning) a game on-line since the spring that I read tonight is for ages 4-6. Who knew? I personally think he's too smart for our own good.
Anyway, back to the conversation.
shoving her brother out of the way
E: MOOOOOVE Wyatt!!!!!
Me: Emily, you should say "excuse me."
W: Yeah, Emmawee, you should use your good mannuhs. You say "skewz me" and "yes ma'am" and "no thank you" and...
very sarcastically interrupting the manners for midgets... complete with eye roll
E: Excuse me, Wyatt.
W: You needa say your good mannuhs. Not stupid stuff.
'Nuff said.
Many of you have wondered and inquired about our whereabouts and well-being. We are home now. For a week. Trying to catch up and get crack-a-lackin' on school. We evacuated for Gustav. Well, not exactly. We were already out of town, so we stayed that way. Except Jay, who sporting the y-chromosome and all, felt the need to come home and board up windows and tether things that might otherwise blow away.
We just passed the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which made people once again wonder why in the world we moved back down here. Out of the flood zone, mind you, but still close enough to the coast to share in the insanity that is hurricane season. And well, I can only tell you that the safest place we could possibly be is the center of God's will, which is where we try to reside.
That being said, we all really have to take some responsibility for where we live, don't we? I mean, if you live on (or near) a fault line, you can probably expect at some point for the earth to move under your feet. And if you live in a low-lying area, you can probably expect flash-flooding during heavy rains. If you live in the midwest (in one of those flat states) you can most likely count on channeling Dorothy and running for cover with Toto under your arm. And like us, if you live near the coast, you must realize that a hurricane (or three) might set its sights on you, and you will probably at some point have to evacuate or board up and ride it out if it is not a major storm. I am a member of the "board up and get the heck out" club because even though we have moved away from the possibility of a major storm surge, we are surrounded by ginormous trees, and I am not a fan of tropical storm force winds or rain-wrapped tornadoes dropping randomly from the sky. Just sayin'.
Gustav only blew down a few limbs in the yard and killed the power for a couple of days. We're praying our friends in Texas fare well during Ike.
We're fine, just busy. I'll leave you with a conversation from W because that little guy, I'm telling you, is giving us a run for our money. Oh, wait, I have to brag for a second. He's been playing (and winning) a game on-line since the spring that I read tonight is for ages 4-6. Who knew? I personally think he's too smart for our own good.
Anyway, back to the conversation.
shoving her brother out of the way
E: MOOOOOVE Wyatt!!!!!
Me: Emily, you should say "excuse me."
W: Yeah, Emmawee, you should use your good mannuhs. You say "skewz me" and "yes ma'am" and "no thank you" and...
very sarcastically interrupting the manners for midgets... complete with eye roll
E: Excuse me, Wyatt.
W: You needa say your good mannuhs. Not stupid stuff.
'Nuff said.
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