Dusting - Amelia Bedelia style

WILL THIS WEEK NEVER END?


I found David 'dusting' the family room this morning.



At least it's not dangerous (see previous 2 posts), AND it smells powder fresh in here!

(Does this bring back any fond memories Kathleen?)

The Very Next Day

As my sister, Lex mentioned, here is the story of what happened with David.

David was having what I call an "angry" morning. He was grunting, squawking, and screaming, pushing, pinching, and kicking. So, after dropping Ben off at my friend's for preschool I decided that I would spend some extra loving time with David. I thought maybe he just needed some one on one time.

I got out the hotwheels cars to play with him, but he just threw them at me or grabbed them out of my hands and hit me with them. So I put away the cars and got out the trains. Same thing. The trains went back into the toy box. Then I got a great idea to get out the little pop-up kids tent and play with him in that. (I am trying soooo hard to be patient and really kind and loving to him, but um, my patience is wearing a bit thin by this time.)

David is having a pretty good time in the tent, but doesn't want me in it or near it. So I figure okay, play by yourself and I'll go do dishes. That works for me. Of course, when I leave the room he gets out of the tent. He goes over to the little window on the tent and puts his head through it and out the top part, so there is a strip of fabric across his neck. Then he starts crying and screaming. So I come and get him out. Then he does it again. And again. And again. . . I really wouldn't mind this "game" so much except for that, remember he's having an angry morning, and everytime I get him out he gets mad at me. So finally I figure go ahead and do it. I'll let you cry for a minute or two and then maybe you'll stop doing this.

I hear him cry and I just keep putting laundry in the washing machine. And then I notice that his cry is now sounding very wheezy and raspy. I run to the family room and realize that David is tangled in the tent window. The fabric has been twisted and poor David can hardly breathe! His face is red/purple and he's just kneeling there. I'm thinking, "I need the scissors to cut this off, but it's also REALLY tight around his neck and the scissors are in the kitchen." So I quickly pick him up and turn his whole body around to untwist the piece that is cinching up next to his neck. Finally after a few more maneuvers I get him out. I was so scared and I just wanted to hold him and love him. Unfortunately, he really didn't want anything to do with that, so I put him in the stroller and we went for a walk. I needed some fresh air!

What would my days be like if I didn't pray every morning? That is a terrifying thought!

What Begins with 1040 and Ends with Black Ash?

Answer: My Day.

Let me explain. We filed for an extension on our taxes back in April, and now I'm in the middle of doing them. So my day began with form 1040, along with schedule C, schedule A, form 4562, and so on. Mind you, I am not a tax accountant, nor did I get my degree in accounting. It takes me FOREVER to figure everything out. In addition to that, they're not exactly kid-friendly. It's not pleasant to be interrupted every 1.3 minutes by young children who need you, while you are in the middle of reading about Schedule C, part 3, line 18.

If you can't imagine, I'll just come straight out and say - my disposition was not what you'd call happy.

Josh and Isabel came home from school and I was in the middle of trying to locate a paper (our kitchen counter and table had been taken over by this tax project). I told them they could have a cookie for a snack. Less than 2 minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I see flames and yep, this is where the Black Ash enters my day.

Isabel had taken her cookie out of the container but left the lid open. You know the hard, clear plastic containers cookies from the store bakery come in - the ones that are a bugger to open and close. Well, unfortunately my candle was also burning on the counter, right underneath the now burning, melting plastic lid.

I ran to the counter, grabbed the container of cookies and threw them into the sink turning water on everything. Only, did you know plastic become gooey and stringy when it melts. Yeah, so I had strings of burning plastic from the counter over to my kitchen sink. My counter had bits of burning plastic on it, my candle had flames much bigger than it should, and my children are all standing in the kitchen, wide-eyed, not saying a thing. I grabbed a cup, filled it with water and dumped it all over the counter and candle. Good the fire is out!
But then I notice little black stringy things floating all over my kitchen. Black Ash is everywhere!
I spent the next hour cleaning the black ash in my kitchen. And then found it had made its way into the family room, bathroom, front room and laundry room. Yay, I had been waiting for an excuse to clean these rooms! A blessing in disguise.
But in all seriousness, it really was a blessing that I was right there when the fire started. I am sure that with all the paper we had on the kitchen counter, if I had been upstairs even for 2 or 3 minutes, the entire kitchen would have been on fire by the time I made it back downstairs.

How about a day that begins with breakfast in bed and ends with a good book instead?

Don't Quit

Just wanted to share a great and inspiring poem I heard tonight while I was at Stake Conference.

Don't Quit

by Edgar A. Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit -
rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow –
you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
it seems to a faint and faltering man;
often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victor's cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit –
it's when things seem worst, you must not quit.

To Do lists

I'm a list maker. I love lists. Each morning I make a To Do list for the day. Here's mine from today:

1.Go grocery shopping
2.Find wedding negatives
3.Finish cleaning dining room
4.Sweep front porch
5.Clean cobwebs in entry
6.Clean corner in family room
7.Go to library
8.Finish creative cooking entries
9.Make phone calls to coordinate meals for Sister ______
10.Load Reader Rabbit for Ben

It's only 10 things. No biggie.
Well, at 10:30 tonight I was frustrated, disappointed, depressed, and exhausted. I looked at my list and realized I had crossed out very few of my To Do items. So I decided to make a new list. This time I wrote down all the things I DID do today.

1.Go walking
2.Pack kids lunches
3.Help get kids ready and off to school
4.Go to bank
5.Go grocery shopping
6.Go on a walk with the boys
7.Oil change at jiffy lube
8.Lunch with Kevin and boys
9.Vacuum front room and family room
10.Storytime with Ben
11.Wash, fold, and put away sheets
12.Put clean sheets on beds
13.Wash and dry load of kids clothes
14.Wash and dry load of gentles
15.Wash towels
16.Water flowers
17.Take care of David’s bee sting
18.Change diapers – ongoing
19.Shower and get ready
20.Make phone calls to coordinate meals for Sister ______
21.Help with kids’ homework
22.Help kids with their jobs
23.Make pizza for dinner
24.Unload and load dishwasher
25.Help coach Ben’s soccer game
26.Bathe kids
27.Read scriptures and have family prayers
28.Help pick out kids clothes for tomorrow

I at least feel justified in feeling exhausted, but it doesn't take away the disappointment in not accomplishing the things I had intended. It would seem as though I enjoy setting myself up for frustration and depression.
You would think that by now I would have gotten used to this scenario and reevaluated my To Do list. Maybe I'll put that on tomorrow's To Do list.

First Day of School

Today Josh and Izzy went back to school. I know they'll have a great day, but I'm not ready for them to go back yet. I'm not ready for summer to end.
I'm not really emotional about it. I didn't cry from missing them. I just really like it when they're home. I like being around them and we have a great time together.

And,
I'm REALLY not looking forward to homework. (I could dedicate a whole post to my opinion on children's homework, but I'll save that for another time.)
One thing that is good about them going back to school, is that I get to spend quite a bit of one-on-one time with Ben. That's something I am looking forward to.

So for now, I'll put on my happy face as they get on the bus, and go back into the house to enjoy the time I have with my little brown boy.

Family Hike

Last Saturday we got up early and went on a hike up to the "Y." All of the kids did really well - I was surprised. David got to ride along in the pack, so you'd think he had less reason to complain and yet, he was the only one I heard whine. No, he wasn't too bad, really. We did have a good time together, and the view of the valley was gorgeous! Especially as the sun was coming up.

Sittin' on the "Y"

After about 100 feet into the hike, Ben said to me,"Mom, can you carry me?" I thought, "Oh, no." I was tempted to turn around and wait at the bottom of the mountain with Ben while the others went on ahead. But, Ben surprised me. He was great the whole way. He would run ahead of us and then run back down - all the way up. I think he covered twice the distance we did!

Just chillin'

Izzy was happy to finally be standing on the "Y"

Going, going. . . GONE!


While we were resting and sitting on the "Y," David decided to play his favorite game - throwing things and waiting for someone to pick it up and give it back, only to have him throw it again, and again, and again. So he decided to throw his sippy cup down. And down it went, bouncing all the way down the "Y" and off into the bushes. Everyone up there just sat and watched in silence. After it disappeared the laughter began.
All David could do was say, "Uh-oh, uh-oh." Uh-oh is right.