'Tis the season for:
green wreaths with red bows
choral performances of Handel's Messiah
baking cookies for our local soldiers
marching down the street dressed as a Christmas tree
road trips to snow country
family get-togethers
catching up with old friends
...and, one hopes fervently, NOT this year's influenza virus!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Take time to smell the roses...
...or in this case, grass & freshly pruned trees. Today's itinerary with my visiting aunt & uncle included a trip to the topiary garden of Mr. Pearl Fryar about 25 miles from home. You may have seen him on some of the gardening shows on BHG or other cable channels; he's quite popular the world over. We learned about him when he took time to work with the REACH program the first year our 13 year old was in it & he taught the children the basics of creating topiaries from boxwoods. (Sadly that was a bad year drought-wise, so her plant died!)
Mr. Fryar is quite clever & creative, crafting artworks out of junk parts which he displays amongst his topiaries. My daughter's favorite is one called "pot head," a wind chime "person" with an upside down flower pot for a head & clanging bits of metal for a body. Mr. Fryar's description is that it makes lots of noise while the wind is blowing, but it's not encouraging anyone to follow their dreams. (In other words, it's selfish & totally self-absorbed.) He's also a great advocate of kids who may not be as academically talented as others, giving scholarships out to students with C averages to encourage their endeavors. He is the subject of the movie, "A Man Named Pearl," which has just this week come out on DVD.
Check out the gardens on line at www.fryarstopiaries.com.
Mr. Fryar is quite clever & creative, crafting artworks out of junk parts which he displays amongst his topiaries. My daughter's favorite is one called "pot head," a wind chime "person" with an upside down flower pot for a head & clanging bits of metal for a body. Mr. Fryar's description is that it makes lots of noise while the wind is blowing, but it's not encouraging anyone to follow their dreams. (In other words, it's selfish & totally self-absorbed.) He's also a great advocate of kids who may not be as academically talented as others, giving scholarships out to students with C averages to encourage their endeavors. He is the subject of the movie, "A Man Named Pearl," which has just this week come out on DVD.
Check out the gardens on line at www.fryarstopiaries.com.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
The tryptophan is kicking in hard...along with all the wine & cordials I drank over the course of the afternoon (we ate around 2:00 p.m.). After dessert we took a stroll around the block with our guests & two dogs before I cleared the wreckage of pies, dirty dishes, & crumb-covered tablecloth from the dining room. It was fun to sit back & relax over multiple glasses of wine imbibed with both sons, my aunt, & my husband--it happens all too infrequently!
In the course of the day, the 13 year old had to be reminded she's grounded until at least Monday, which ruined her mood for dessert. (She wants to attend a local high school football playoff game tomorrow & we denied her this privilege--imagine that!) Yes, we're cruel, unusual jerks--and next time maybe she'll think twice before she shoots her mouth off at school, which is what got her grounded in the first place.
Meanwhile our cat is happier than he's been in months, all because I cooked up the giblets just for him. Me-yum!
More tomorrow when my tryptophan coma lifts. ;)
In the course of the day, the 13 year old had to be reminded she's grounded until at least Monday, which ruined her mood for dessert. (She wants to attend a local high school football playoff game tomorrow & we denied her this privilege--imagine that!) Yes, we're cruel, unusual jerks--and next time maybe she'll think twice before she shoots her mouth off at school, which is what got her grounded in the first place.
Meanwhile our cat is happier than he's been in months, all because I cooked up the giblets just for him. Me-yum!
More tomorrow when my tryptophan coma lifts. ;)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Paging Emily Post (Cell Phone Division)
Periodically when I'm driving with my daughters & my cellular phone rings, I'll make some lame, dated joke about Maxwell Smart's shoe (or, more correctly, my pocket) going off. Anyone born before 1974 has presumably seen enough reruns of the old Mel Brooks-Buck Henry TV series to remember Don Adams & his annoying voice pausing to take a call from the Chief on his shoe phone. Both daughters, however, were born during the Clinton administration & have NO idea about this except when we laugh at Inspector Gadget cartoons that lampoon same--and even then, they're confused.
Since the advent of the cell phone has rendered the whole ringing shoe thing obsolete and totally irrelevant, I'd like to address something extremely relevant to the world of 2008: cell phone etiquette. I concur with the smarter of our 50 states enacting the "don't gab while driving" laws that require headsets; that only legislates the common sense so many people seem to lack. When I'm driving & have passengers with me, the response to the ringer comes from one of them.
However, contrary to popular opinion, mandated common sense doesn't automatically bestow intelligence. Case in point: people wandering through Home Depot, Aldi, Macy's, or some other store blabbing away on the infernal earpiece known as a "Bluetooth," making those around them think these folks are yammering to themselves like blithering idiots. (Not long ago I worked with someone who habitually did this IN THE OFFICE, which got old any time you'd speak to her & get a response that didn't even remotely match up with what you'd said!)
A Sunday shopping excursion at our local hardware warehouse store with my husband & our 9 year old was icing on the proverbial cake. While hubby was perusing garage door pulleys and trash can liners, we ladies headed for, well, "the ladies'" as the restroom is politely called in Britain. The entire time we were in said public restroom, there was a third female present. She was unseen by us, but we heard her the entire time we attended to our private needs...gabbing loudly on her cell phone! :P It's pretty bad when my 9 year old has a better clue than a fool who doesn't care a whit that toilets are flushing & sinks are running (to say nothing of other noises one needn't broadcast!) in the background on her telephone calls! (I hasten to add that I'm SO proud she's smart enough to realize this!)
I recommend a fate worse than death for someone like this: flush her cell phone! Or toss it under the wheels of a forklift at Home Depot. That'll teach her! Or it SHOULD, one would hope...
Since the advent of the cell phone has rendered the whole ringing shoe thing obsolete and totally irrelevant, I'd like to address something extremely relevant to the world of 2008: cell phone etiquette. I concur with the smarter of our 50 states enacting the "don't gab while driving" laws that require headsets; that only legislates the common sense so many people seem to lack. When I'm driving & have passengers with me, the response to the ringer comes from one of them.
However, contrary to popular opinion, mandated common sense doesn't automatically bestow intelligence. Case in point: people wandering through Home Depot, Aldi, Macy's, or some other store blabbing away on the infernal earpiece known as a "Bluetooth," making those around them think these folks are yammering to themselves like blithering idiots. (Not long ago I worked with someone who habitually did this IN THE OFFICE, which got old any time you'd speak to her & get a response that didn't even remotely match up with what you'd said!)
A Sunday shopping excursion at our local hardware warehouse store with my husband & our 9 year old was icing on the proverbial cake. While hubby was perusing garage door pulleys and trash can liners, we ladies headed for, well, "the ladies'" as the restroom is politely called in Britain. The entire time we were in said public restroom, there was a third female present. She was unseen by us, but we heard her the entire time we attended to our private needs...gabbing loudly on her cell phone! :P It's pretty bad when my 9 year old has a better clue than a fool who doesn't care a whit that toilets are flushing & sinks are running (to say nothing of other noises one needn't broadcast!) in the background on her telephone calls! (I hasten to add that I'm SO proud she's smart enough to realize this!)
I recommend a fate worse than death for someone like this: flush her cell phone! Or toss it under the wheels of a forklift at Home Depot. That'll teach her! Or it SHOULD, one would hope...
Necessities & recycling
Joy of joys--the one task every homeowner despises with a passion is being dealt with by my hubby right now. (If you own a house, you can guess this one!) I'm just glad it's being taken care of BEFORE we have guests for the holiday! He's also exploring leeching fields with the guy before he leaves, so we can redirect gray water to a more appropriate place in the very near future & tax the system far less than we have been.
One of the less embarrassing but no less time-consuming chores in the dining room was completed by my still-grounded 13 year old yesterday. She only had to dust the interior of the china cabinet, which of course is a bother because all the china & crystal had to be removed first, then replaced after the job was done. The rest of the room will probably get done tomorrow evening after work (I offered to help my 9 year old's Girl Scout troop leader & the girls make Christmas tree costumes for the 12/7 Christmas parade.) Tonight we'll be affixing styrofoam stars to birthday party hats, plus adding pinned-on tree ornaments including tinsel to green sweatshirts they can un-decorate & wear again after the parade. I love having a recycling nut in charge of the troop; the idea to NOT glue the decorations on was hers.
Meanwhile...back to work, where I have to finish writing a legal brief!
One of the less embarrassing but no less time-consuming chores in the dining room was completed by my still-grounded 13 year old yesterday. She only had to dust the interior of the china cabinet, which of course is a bother because all the china & crystal had to be removed first, then replaced after the job was done. The rest of the room will probably get done tomorrow evening after work (I offered to help my 9 year old's Girl Scout troop leader & the girls make Christmas tree costumes for the 12/7 Christmas parade.) Tonight we'll be affixing styrofoam stars to birthday party hats, plus adding pinned-on tree ornaments including tinsel to green sweatshirts they can un-decorate & wear again after the parade. I love having a recycling nut in charge of the troop; the idea to NOT glue the decorations on was hers.
Meanwhile...back to work, where I have to finish writing a legal brief!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
South Carolina late fall
I'm aware that most of my readers have never been south of the Mason Dixon line; I never was before I was 21. Our normal temperatures this time of year are fairly decent: daytime highs in the 60s or slightly above 70, overnight lows in the 30s or low 40s. It's usually "sweater weather," as opposed to what NY, NJ, & CT get right about this time each year (e.g. flurries, frosty breezes, overnight lows in the teens).
Surprise, surprise--this year, much to my delight, this month has included several weeks of very chilly days & frigid nights to rival my native turf in the Connecticut suburbs of NYC. Normally we don't have colorful leaves here, either, but happily this year our local trees have also rivaled some of the better falls I remember from my younger days. (No, we're NOT as warm as Florida here--a fact for which I'm personally very glad, as I've visited FL & have NO desire whatever to live there!)
We're running our wood stove every night to save electricity, stay toasty, & appreciate our overnight lows. (Yesterday at 6:30 a.m. when we headed to the swim it was 19 degrees outside!) I'm now hoping my girls can find some autumnal leavings around a local park (the "world famous" Swan Lake iris gardens, filled with bald cypress, sweetgum, & various southern varieties of oak & maple trees, are about two miles from our house) where the Christmas lights will soon overtake the place every evening. I may need to spend a lunch hour on Tuesday or Wednesday out there myself plucking up fall's detritus for decorating the table on Thursday.
Surprise, surprise--this year, much to my delight, this month has included several weeks of very chilly days & frigid nights to rival my native turf in the Connecticut suburbs of NYC. Normally we don't have colorful leaves here, either, but happily this year our local trees have also rivaled some of the better falls I remember from my younger days. (No, we're NOT as warm as Florida here--a fact for which I'm personally very glad, as I've visited FL & have NO desire whatever to live there!)
We're running our wood stove every night to save electricity, stay toasty, & appreciate our overnight lows. (Yesterday at 6:30 a.m. when we headed to the swim it was 19 degrees outside!) I'm now hoping my girls can find some autumnal leavings around a local park (the "world famous" Swan Lake iris gardens, filled with bald cypress, sweetgum, & various southern varieties of oak & maple trees, are about two miles from our house) where the Christmas lights will soon overtake the place every evening. I may need to spend a lunch hour on Tuesday or Wednesday out there myself plucking up fall's detritus for decorating the table on Thursday.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Proving a theory I've heard
On this, my spouse's birthday, I've resolved to make every effort to maintain the sense of calm that's pervaded my very busy month--even with work tossing monkey wrenches into the schedule, the holidays drawing nigh, & a long trip anticipated in about four weeks. The main thing I plan to focus on is my own well-being as all about me is going haywire. Making my own self-care a high priority seems to help a lot with this, though I've heard it before & not quite believed it.
For example: Today I rose just before 5:30 a.m. & traveled with my two youngest children & one of their friends to a swim meet about forty-five miles from home. I brought Christmas cards & the address book with me to address envelopes & sign cards between the kids' heats. But... :( ouch! As soon as I'd finished the envelopes, my back ached sufficiently from sitting on backless aluminum bleachers (even on the top row, leaning my back against the wall!) that I decided a short but immediate workout was in order. Thankfully, as a member of your local YMCA, you're welcome to use any YMCA's facilities, so I was able to duck out of the pool area & into the weight room for a quick 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer. Thus was relieved the ache in my lower back. While that simple act didn't make the event end any sooner (it still ran until 1:00 p.m. after our 8:30 a.m. arrival), it did render it less of a literal pain in the rear end ;) & boost my mood! (P.S. The Christmas cards are nearly complete for mailing next weekend thanks to my multitasking!)
Tonight I plan to savor my family--it is hubby's birthday & three of the four children are here for dinner, which our oldest is cooking. Then comes more family time I plan to relish later in the week, after the close of business on Wednesday. I sincerely hope you do the same with your own loved ones.
For example: Today I rose just before 5:30 a.m. & traveled with my two youngest children & one of their friends to a swim meet about forty-five miles from home. I brought Christmas cards & the address book with me to address envelopes & sign cards between the kids' heats. But... :( ouch! As soon as I'd finished the envelopes, my back ached sufficiently from sitting on backless aluminum bleachers (even on the top row, leaning my back against the wall!) that I decided a short but immediate workout was in order. Thankfully, as a member of your local YMCA, you're welcome to use any YMCA's facilities, so I was able to duck out of the pool area & into the weight room for a quick 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer. Thus was relieved the ache in my lower back. While that simple act didn't make the event end any sooner (it still ran until 1:00 p.m. after our 8:30 a.m. arrival), it did render it less of a literal pain in the rear end ;) & boost my mood! (P.S. The Christmas cards are nearly complete for mailing next weekend thanks to my multitasking!)
Tonight I plan to savor my family--it is hubby's birthday & three of the four children are here for dinner, which our oldest is cooking. Then comes more family time I plan to relish later in the week, after the close of business on Wednesday. I sincerely hope you do the same with your own loved ones.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Listen and Learn
Listening is a fine skill that anyone can learn with a bit of patience. The trick is to try and understand what's NOT being said while the words are being spoken. Sounds crazy, I know. Yet in my experience it's the truth!
Today my job entailed traveling with a teenager. While riding the roads, she said she's weary of telling therapists, care providers, & psychiatrists what's really wrong with her because they DO NOT listen to her and enact any changes to her treatment (her opinion). As she detailed a few things & answered some questions for me, it rapidly became mine as well. However, I also made clear to her that if the adults working directly with her in the treatment setting aren't satisfying her needs, she needs to TELL me so I can intervene on her behalf. Hopefully that message got through, because upon arrival at our destination I proceeded to share her concerns (in her presence) with the new folks she'll be working with, who agreed with me that further investigation into her issues is most definitely warranted.
Sadly, this discussion also served to remind me how jaded the providers in my field tend to be after a certain number of years. :( I just hope I'm not as jaded as they are!
Today my job entailed traveling with a teenager. While riding the roads, she said she's weary of telling therapists, care providers, & psychiatrists what's really wrong with her because they DO NOT listen to her and enact any changes to her treatment (her opinion). As she detailed a few things & answered some questions for me, it rapidly became mine as well. However, I also made clear to her that if the adults working directly with her in the treatment setting aren't satisfying her needs, she needs to TELL me so I can intervene on her behalf. Hopefully that message got through, because upon arrival at our destination I proceeded to share her concerns (in her presence) with the new folks she'll be working with, who agreed with me that further investigation into her issues is most definitely warranted.
Sadly, this discussion also served to remind me how jaded the providers in my field tend to be after a certain number of years. :( I just hope I'm not as jaded as they are!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Peace, Smoke, and Turkeys
Sunday morning. So far today I've eaten breakfast, unloaded/reloaded the dishwasher, & read the New York Times on line. I'll be addressing A's failure to feed our dogs & cat momentarily, but for now the house is peaceful.
I'm (wisely!) letting my youngest sleep in; she was quite cranky when we left the campfire that included no s'mores (nor even a toasted marshmallow!) because it was being run by the BOY Scouts, not the GIRL Scouts. I can't say I blame her; we'd expected to do this fire thing with hubby's troop of a dozen or so teenaged boys. Instead, we ended up sitting in front of a miniscule fire that generated insufficient heat to warm us in the below 50 degree breezes, enduring skits performed by several Boy Scout troops not from our local area--all stage-managed by an elderly Scouter who insisted we first sing--AND had the audacity to single T out for sitting on my lap!--around the smoking mass of wood that did nothing to warm us!
Last night's repast was sloppy joes & carrots with the troop boys. A savors being around them because one apparently has a bit of a crush on her & she loves to torment him (cruel, heartless girl!). With two college-aged brothers, she's not one to brook foolishness from males of any age, & so she held her own rather well with the guys who range in age from 12 to 18. T just thinks they're all sillier than her brothers.
I've already promised T that if it doesn't happen sooner, we'll do a fire in our own backyard some time over the Thanksgiving weekend while my aunt is visiting & do the s'mores then. Sounds like a great dessert on top of pumpkin pie, doesn't it? At least I'm not serving Thanksgiving dinner for the Fourth of July as happened to a friend in London during college, whose British hosts had managed to goof up their American holiday menus out of sincere kindness. :)
I'm (wisely!) letting my youngest sleep in; she was quite cranky when we left the campfire that included no s'mores (nor even a toasted marshmallow!) because it was being run by the BOY Scouts, not the GIRL Scouts. I can't say I blame her; we'd expected to do this fire thing with hubby's troop of a dozen or so teenaged boys. Instead, we ended up sitting in front of a miniscule fire that generated insufficient heat to warm us in the below 50 degree breezes, enduring skits performed by several Boy Scout troops not from our local area--all stage-managed by an elderly Scouter who insisted we first sing--AND had the audacity to single T out for sitting on my lap!--around the smoking mass of wood that did nothing to warm us!
Last night's repast was sloppy joes & carrots with the troop boys. A savors being around them because one apparently has a bit of a crush on her & she loves to torment him (cruel, heartless girl!). With two college-aged brothers, she's not one to brook foolishness from males of any age, & so she held her own rather well with the guys who range in age from 12 to 18. T just thinks they're all sillier than her brothers.
I've already promised T that if it doesn't happen sooner, we'll do a fire in our own backyard some time over the Thanksgiving weekend while my aunt is visiting & do the s'mores then. Sounds like a great dessert on top of pumpkin pie, doesn't it? At least I'm not serving Thanksgiving dinner for the Fourth of July as happened to a friend in London during college, whose British hosts had managed to goof up their American holiday menus out of sincere kindness. :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Camping and Rain
Heaven bless him, my husband was scheduled to go camping last night in what turned out to be the worst weather night of the entire month. We had wind, we had thunder & lightning, we had a tornado watch that became a tornado warning around 10:30 p.m...did I mention the torrential RAIN that went with all that? It was an unusual enough night in that we had the entire house to ourselves (daughter #1 was at a HS football game & slept over at a friend's house; daughter #2 was at a Girl Scout sleepover event), but the weather only added to it!
So, now that the rain has more or less concluded, we are off to the woods to have supper and s'mores with hubby and his Boy Scout troop--and hopefully not to freeze as the temperature dips below 32 degrees. :)
So, now that the rain has more or less concluded, we are off to the woods to have supper and s'mores with hubby and his Boy Scout troop--and hopefully not to freeze as the temperature dips below 32 degrees. :)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Mercy in Life
This week has included a Federal holiday, so I only went to work Monday & Wednesday. The workload decreased a bit Monday when a child I'd worked with for five (5) years became an adult (numerically) & left our agency's purview. Today I helped a co-worker move two youngsters (one I work with, the other her client) to a new placement which we feel is a very positive step for both. :) I'll have a new client child to succeed the one who went home; no doubt there'll be interesting times to follow while I become familiar with him & his family. Such is the nature of working with human beings under the age of 18!
Happily, I also spent a good bit of Q-time (Q for "quality," of course!) with my daughters yesterday. We came up with some clever, appropriate gifts for family members with only a few suggestions from a co-worker who's doing like most of us & tearing her hair out trying to create rather than spend a fortune this holiday season. She graciously loaned us a special cookbook for the purpose, which has solved four Christmas gift quandries thus far & may yet solve quite a few more. :D
There's no feeling quite like having most of your Christmas shopping done before turkey day & sending out Christmas cards!
Happily, I also spent a good bit of Q-time (Q for "quality," of course!) with my daughters yesterday. We came up with some clever, appropriate gifts for family members with only a few suggestions from a co-worker who's doing like most of us & tearing her hair out trying to create rather than spend a fortune this holiday season. She graciously loaned us a special cookbook for the purpose, which has solved four Christmas gift quandries thus far & may yet solve quite a few more. :D
There's no feeling quite like having most of your Christmas shopping done before turkey day & sending out Christmas cards!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Highly Improbable, but...
My youngest, as I've alluded in an earlier entry, is a fiercely competitive child--who also happens to be a competitive swimmer. With that and the Olympian achievement of Michael Phelps in Beijing in mind, I share the following:
Last night my elder daughter returned home from the church youth group dinner to share how the older sister of another girl (as it happens, the young lady my younger son took to his senior prom) was at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC attending the USC-Arkansas football game on Saturday as a member of the USC band. While she was under the bleachers with the rest of her group before the half time performance, someone bumped into her. She turned to apologize to the person and...WHOA!!! It was MICHAEL PHELPS!!!
After the younger one returned her chin to its proper position on her face (it had dropped to the kitchen floor in shock, naturally!), I was immediately harangued for not having taken HER to the USC game on Saturday. Now, mind you, I've never been a football fan (let alone a "chokin' chicken" fan!), so this wouldn't have occurred to me as a possible Saturday activity. Trying to convince the child that WB Stadium is so large, the odds of HER having had the same fortunate accident were less than zero at best got me nowhere. Her older brother, the swim coach in training, didn't believe the story at all when she told it to him.
Determined & somewhat stubborn kid that she is, she immediately put pencil to paper & wrote to the esteemed Mr. Phelps--literally "opened a vein," as writing instructors often tell their pupils to do (yes, this apple's tangled up in the family tree's roots!), pouring out her heart about how he bumped into her friend, why didn't he come to see her since he was only 45 minutes away, I want to be your pen pal, & by the way please send me a letter & an autographed photo!
What are the odds this kid's EVER going to hear from the best damn swimmer since Spitz?
Last night my elder daughter returned home from the church youth group dinner to share how the older sister of another girl (as it happens, the young lady my younger son took to his senior prom) was at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC attending the USC-Arkansas football game on Saturday as a member of the USC band. While she was under the bleachers with the rest of her group before the half time performance, someone bumped into her. She turned to apologize to the person and...WHOA!!! It was MICHAEL PHELPS!!!
After the younger one returned her chin to its proper position on her face (it had dropped to the kitchen floor in shock, naturally!), I was immediately harangued for not having taken HER to the USC game on Saturday. Now, mind you, I've never been a football fan (let alone a "chokin' chicken" fan!), so this wouldn't have occurred to me as a possible Saturday activity. Trying to convince the child that WB Stadium is so large, the odds of HER having had the same fortunate accident were less than zero at best got me nowhere. Her older brother, the swim coach in training, didn't believe the story at all when she told it to him.
Determined & somewhat stubborn kid that she is, she immediately put pencil to paper & wrote to the esteemed Mr. Phelps--literally "opened a vein," as writing instructors often tell their pupils to do (yes, this apple's tangled up in the family tree's roots!), pouring out her heart about how he bumped into her friend, why didn't he come to see her since he was only 45 minutes away, I want to be your pen pal, & by the way please send me a letter & an autographed photo!
What are the odds this kid's EVER going to hear from the best damn swimmer since Spitz?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Resume Addition: "Juggler"?
Or perhaps "Jongleur," which was a minstrel/storyteller in medieval France? Probably the more accurate for me; either way, it requires some skill!
The juggling of course is part of life. Anyone who is employed, in a relationship, and has children becomes a master juggler by the time the children start grade school. In my case I juggle my job, my husband, my four children (two university students, a middle schooler & a fourth grader), working out, managing a household, being a swim mom (for TWO teams part of the year!), singing in the church choir, serving on the altar guild, attending school board functions or events at the boarding school where hubby teaches, AND somehow squeezing in time to see extended family & friends in between all that. Fifteen separate tasks I have to keep aloft, some with supplemental smaller "balls" orbiting them like moons. Then I wonder why I'm so tired every night?!
Fortunately some of the stress seems to be lessening of the stresses as my daughters mature. At this point, the older one is responsible enough to TRY to help with household chores--sometimes, when the mood strikes her! (If you're not a parent, remember yourself in junior high school. You know what I mean.) My biggest effort right now (after forcing myself into sweats, Nikes, & the Y's front door!) is convincing my youngest it's only fair for ME to spend half an hour sweating, while "Miss I Want To Beat Michael Phelps' Record" has already finished her mile and a half of swimming in 90 minutes.
I know--I'll hit the elliptical & juggle while sweating, trying not to let the balls hit my daughter while she's reading on the floor beside me! That'll give me something else to write about--her reaction when the balls all clobbered her. ;)
The juggling of course is part of life. Anyone who is employed, in a relationship, and has children becomes a master juggler by the time the children start grade school. In my case I juggle my job, my husband, my four children (two university students, a middle schooler & a fourth grader), working out, managing a household, being a swim mom (for TWO teams part of the year!), singing in the church choir, serving on the altar guild, attending school board functions or events at the boarding school where hubby teaches, AND somehow squeezing in time to see extended family & friends in between all that. Fifteen separate tasks I have to keep aloft, some with supplemental smaller "balls" orbiting them like moons. Then I wonder why I'm so tired every night?!
Fortunately some of the stress seems to be lessening of the stresses as my daughters mature. At this point, the older one is responsible enough to TRY to help with household chores--sometimes, when the mood strikes her! (If you're not a parent, remember yourself in junior high school. You know what I mean.) My biggest effort right now (after forcing myself into sweats, Nikes, & the Y's front door!) is convincing my youngest it's only fair for ME to spend half an hour sweating, while "Miss I Want To Beat Michael Phelps' Record" has already finished her mile and a half of swimming in 90 minutes.
I know--I'll hit the elliptical & juggle while sweating, trying not to let the balls hit my daughter while she's reading on the floor beside me! That'll give me something else to write about--her reaction when the balls all clobbered her. ;)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Starting Over
I've always been rather fond of this font named in honor of the medieval siege engine on the order of the catapult. How is came to be so dubbed, though, I've nary a clue. The title of my blog, on the other hand, got its title from my recent participation in a so-called Spiritual Gifts workshop--where I only confirmed what I've known since grammar school (how much I thrive on the written word, of course!) & hardly needed reminders of. So it is that I hope to blend the knowledge I've gleaned from daily life & my varied interests over the course of my four decades plus on this planet into something fascinating for the reader.
Autumn is a time of year when I seem to find my energy coming back after the long, miserably hot & humid summer has finally receded into memory. I think it's the need to finally wear socks, shoes, & jackets returning that makes me feel more "normal," having been raised in a far cooler climate than the one where I've lived for two decades. Instead of thinking of the colorful leaves as a signal that the world is dying for the winter, I prefer to treat the season as a chance to come out of estivation (as opposed to hibernation) & enjoy the lack of humidity, the cool breezes, and yes, even the need to fire up the wood stove at night.
Until tomorrow...
Autumn is a time of year when I seem to find my energy coming back after the long, miserably hot & humid summer has finally receded into memory. I think it's the need to finally wear socks, shoes, & jackets returning that makes me feel more "normal," having been raised in a far cooler climate than the one where I've lived for two decades. Instead of thinking of the colorful leaves as a signal that the world is dying for the winter, I prefer to treat the season as a chance to come out of estivation (as opposed to hibernation) & enjoy the lack of humidity, the cool breezes, and yes, even the need to fire up the wood stove at night.
Until tomorrow...
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