I have thoughts! On things!

Sorry, I'm pretty excited.  I've been traveling in a bit of a fog this month, with some depression, some doubts about my faith (I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to write a post about that), and of course, a lot of change within our family routine. That's been reflected in my blog by the lack of posting. I've pondered and pondered what I could write, and come up with... nothing. But in the last week or so, suddenly, ideas are coming to me, thank God. My thoughts are clearer, less cluttered. Less negative.

And here, I'm going to go straight into a totally taboo social topic.  Money. I might overshare, and if I do, I'm sorry. You all know I operate like an open book, and if you really wanted to know my husband's net worth, I would probably tell you! 

(Don't worry, I don't plan to thwart the taboo that much!)

(At the moment.)

I didn't tell a lot of people; I felt very self conscious sharing it, but in December, I had Lasik. Or, some Lasik, since there were problems that will hopefully be completely remedied this week.  We also got a dog. A designer dog. She was expensive; more than I ever thought I would pay for a pet.

Both of these choices were thoughtful; we didn't rush into them. But I am frugal. And they are luxuries.  And when I pause for even a moment, I feel so self-conscious.

And rich.

When I look at our life, it sort of scares me.  What does one do when one has extra money?

If we invest it, are we selfish?

If we give it away, are we foolish?

(I know there's a middle ground here.  But I'm not sure exactly where it is)

So this is what I'm thinking about.  A proper attitude towards wealth and possessions.

What do you think? Do you feel self-conscious about your financial status, whatever it may be, or do you find it comfortable where you are?

(Please note, I'm not asking what your status is!)

A nice, relaxing Saturday morning

Isaac must be having a growth spurt because he's been sleeping in 'til 7:30 for a couple weeks now.  And the big kids are feeling particularly self reliant, so they don't wake me up.  So I've been sleeping in 'til 7:30.  SEVEN THIRTY, y'all!  So if you don't count that someone wakes up with a hacking cough every night (usually the girl child), I'm getting like nine hours of sleep.  Don't worry, I'm not getting attached to it. I figure I have about one more week like this. But you would think I'd feel rested, wouldn't you?  Well, I sort of do, but the advent of a puppy joining are life has made our little family busy again. 

For the first time ever, I have to get my shoes on the moment I'm dressed because when I get downstairs, we're off and running.  The pup has to go out, Isaac needs milk, anyone who did not take care of their own breakfast has to be fed, anyone who DID take care of their own breakfast has to be directed to clean up the huge mess they made, and why can't the coffee just make itself?

Brian has pointed out on a couple of occasions that the signs all say I didn't brush my teeth this morning.  Well, DUH. Once I'm downstairs, I don't go back up until bedtime.  At least give me credit for showering!

So anyway, the combination of sleeping in and not ever leaving the puppy unsupervised have caused a reboot of our daily patterns. Like laundry. This is the first Saturday since we got her that hasn't started with load after load of laundry, and that is because NATHAN IS AWESOME!

This whole six years old thing is interesting.  Nathan is spaz-tacular in a whole new way. From what I can see, he's not alone; it's the way of the six year old boy population.  They are slightly insane. However, yesterday, when I came down after my shower, Nathan had run a load of laundry (unloading the dryer, switching the wash to the dryer, then a new load in the wash) AND run a load of dishes.  Then, when the dishes were done, OF HIS OWN ACCORD, he unloaded the dishwasher, refilled it, and ran it AGAIN! 

(At this point I should probably point out the obvious: we were way behind on dishes, too)

For the first time this month, I don't feel buried under housework that needs to be done.  I can officially turn my husband's attention to the other things that need to be done around here, like sorting out all of the outgrown clothing that gets crammed into whatever empty space is readily available, and figuring out where the long-term home of the dog crate will be.  Lodged between my sewing table and hope chest, it doesn't really add the the simple, clean look I'm ultimately shooting for (how come the pottery barn dogs always lay nicely on a beautiful pillow?).

Also on our to-do list today is to plant the early spring vegetables. Because it looks like we can count on still being here in the early spring. Beyond that is anyone's guess. I can't decide if planting food is optimistic or pessimistic, but it is super relaxing for me and a joy for the kids. So we'll go with that.

Life is sweet, if unpredictable!



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Lots of Random

I shared this on facebook, but I thought I'd share it here too:

Today Nathan and I were talking about (of all things) the gender roles of women in other cultures (have I mentioned that this kid asks a lot of questions?).  He asked me for a specific example, and I, as usual, couldn't come up with something when put on the spot.  I told him, "I can't think of anything off the top of my head."

"Do you have anything at the bottom of your head?"

Hmmm....

*****

Paisley loves Brian's shoes.  She loves all of the shoes she finds, but she curls up and sleeps on top of Brian's with her mouth open, so that her tongue is against the inside.  Yum.


*****

I was totally craving mashed potatoes earlier this week, during my monthly bout of insanity.  So I made A TON.  And they're now sitting in the fridge, because my kids won't eat them unless under duress.  I think we'll be eating Shepherd's Pie tonight.

*****

I've ordered our literature supplies for the rest of the school year, and little by little, they're arriving.  New books!  And the one day that I didn't put the RING THE DOORBELL AND DIE!!! sticker out, the guy rang the doorbell.  I would get a plaque if it weren't that the schedule is not consistent throughout babyhood.

*****

Isaac and Paisley are sort of hysterical together.  Isaac is so strong willed, I haven't figured out how to enforce appropriate behavior with the pup.  Consequently, our day goes like this:

Isaac attacks Paisley.

Paisley attacks Isaac.

Isaac cries. 

I come to the rescue, separate the offending parties, calm everyone down.

Isaac attacks Paisley.

*****

Speaking of Isaac, he's calming down!!  Sort of.  This week, he discovered that the tops come off of the six inch gutter drain thingies.  Our toy car bucket has been reduced by about half.

I feel the need to note, though, that we cleaned out toys in a massive way last weekend.   So the toys now floating somewhere underground?  Those were the few we wanted to KEEP.

While I was on the phone lamenting the situation to a friend's voice mail (so that I would not lament the situation to my toddler at top volume), Isaac was pulling the keys off my computer keyboard.  So if you notice anyplace that an "r" is missing, it's because that one is broken and wobbly now. 

Also, I got the requisite Toddler With Lipstick All Over His Face Picture yesterday.  He was cute, I have one of each of the kids, and he didn't ruin the lipstick, though (like Brenna did for her picture), so I'm not holding that one against him.

*****

I think there's a huge benefit to having a puppy while having a toddler.  Bodily fluids are such a part of my daily existence, that another creature having accidents on the floor doesn't even phase me.

*****

So things are kind of busy around here, what with the new puppy and all, however, our floor has never been cleaner!  Since Paisley thinks anything left on the floor is hers by default, it all get picked up.  And put on a counter or table.  So if you come to my house, just stare at the floor, and you'll think I have this thing figured out!  But you might run screaming from the house if you happen to glance at any other surfaces.

Happy New Year, Y'all!

Introducing....

 Paisley!

This was the only picture I could get of her sitting still.

Letting Isaac get in here was a HUGE mistake.  Huge.  But cute.

She found the tiniest spot she could get into and fell asleep.

Just Exploring...

He Can Read!

Last week as we were driving, Nathan piped up, 

"Guess what!?  I just read the name of that place!  HOO-TERS!"

Then, in a sing-songy voice, 

"HOOters, HOOters, HOOters, HOOters!

Is that a restaurant?  Can we go there sometime?"

Ummm, no.

Two!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

My  head is just swimming with all the randomness.

I love this time of year, it's my favorite.  The music, lights, celebration, holiness.  I have things I want to share about that, and about Thanksgiving, about my kids, what I'm reading, what I'm trying to figure out right now.

The blogs I read are churning out beautiful, articulate posts; I feel like at best I might be able to come up with a bullet point list.

So I guess I'll start with Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful.  Absolutely better than I could have wished for.  We were guests in the home of some childhood friends, Rachel and Brandon.  We watched our children become reaquainted with one another at lightning speed while we brought one another up to date at a very slightly slower pace.

It was interesting, back then, when one of my very oldest friends married a friend from high school, and is even more interesting now, as adults, to have so. much. history.  It's sort of fascinating to me the turn that conversations take when a person knows who you were.  When very few explanations are needed because they were there.

It was a precious time for me, of remembering why history is so special.  Why being known is important.

Thanksgiving dinner was eaten at the home of Rachel's parents, Lester and Mary.  I've known them as long as I can remember.  In fact, I have no memory of before the LaBour's.  Brandon's parents came as well, and there we were, feeling like family with those who aren't ours, and yet are part of our history.

We had a good laugh when after being sent outside to play, the boys asked for a rope and ladder (the girls were upstairs playing with dolls).  Since none was available, Mary told them to play with the hammock.  The could take it down, do whatever they wished with it.

A while later, Rachel went out to check on them, and came back laughing because Nathan had told her, in all seriousness, "I just don't know how we're going to use a hammock to get on the roof."

It seems they felt the need to check on the girls and were trying to find an alternate route since they were told not to go up the stairs.

Isn't it hysterical how literal children are?  When you're thinking you just communicated that they need to stay downstairs, their understanding is they may not use the stairs.

It was a wonderful time.  And to cap off the weekend perfectly, we made it all the way home on Friday, so we still had a weekend to unwind from the traveling. 

The one thing I wish was different?  I miss the leftovers!

Thank you, Brandon and Rachel, and Lester and Mary, 

for a beautiful holiday.  

We felt loved, and are so grateful.