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Showing posts from February, 2009

Life in the Slow Lane

Around here, we try not to be a member of the How Much We Get Done in a Day Club or the I am My Children's Personal Scheduler/Driver/Short-Order-Cook Group . So, our lives take a more leisurely path through the day, week, month, year. Here's what that looks like.... We take the time to walk the dog on demand (which means he demands, and we obey!). We snack when the mood strikes us (hmm, feeling a bit hungry... apples and peanut butter, anyone?). We cater not to a strict curriculum schedule but to a "Hey, Now's a Good Time For School!" mentality (not for everyone, but it is working for us - mostly). We handle conflict as it arises, which builds social skills (most public schools don't bother with this). We cook most of our meals from scratch, with a little help from the kids fairly often (they have to learn to cook sometime, right?). We send Daddy off to work with a full, hot breakfast, a cup of coffee, and a kiss. I like life in the slow lane. I'll pro...

What is a Friend?

You know you are a friend when... ...you answer the phone even when you are busy because you know the person calling needs to talk (like, almost every day!). ...you speak from your heart, even when your words may not be easy to hear, so that your friend may know a more fulfilled life. ...you are there through the crises in life and still around to cruise through the smoother times. ...you not only benefit from someone's presence in your life but also return the favor. ...you listen when that is all that is needed, and offer advice when it is requested (which is often!). ...you offer what might be a little thing to you but a big deal to someone else (like a planner!) And the easiest way to know that you are a friend is to read about yourself in someone's blog. :-) Have a Blessed Day!

When in Rome....

Okay, so taking the concepts of our political leaders to heart, I am going to totally revamp my household! Oh, am I ever excited!!! First, and most importantly, I am putting a bill in the mailbox of everyone in my neighborhood. They live in the same neighborhood as we do, so they should have to help with my expenses! Oh, and since I will be getting some help with my bills, I need satellite television, too! Do you happen to have the number for DirectTV?? And the money paid will be directed however I choose, but the people who pay it will get incentives and reductions in their financial debt to me if they honor my rules for life: no political opinions allowed other than mine; no religious beliefs may be expressed unless they are in opposition to the majority religion; and minorities will be given extra incentives, just because. Next, I am going to increase spending around here! I need to do my part to stimulate the economy, and really, that is what credit is for, right? Yay, a ...

The Joys of Daily Life!

Oh, the joys of my daily schedule! Do you ever wonder, like I do, what life would be full of if it were empty of your "usual" daily tasks? For example, what would I do without doggy poo to scoop, food to cook, dishes to wash, laundry to fold, floors to mop, lessons to teach, errands to run, papers to file, and bills to pay? What would I do with all that time? If there were no other mouths to feed in my house, would I have a manicure and pedicure, or have my hair done? What if the dishes just washed themselves? Could I have a hobby, like sewing or scrap-booking or learning to build a deck? What in the world would I find to do if the mountainous heaps of clothes, both dirty and clean, were not clamoring for my attention? Maybe I would write that children's book I have started over and over! How would I spend my afternoon if there was not a dog to train or a toddler to tend? Would I sit with a friend in a coffee shop for an hour chatting about the deeper issues in life...

Casualty of Oliver

Yes, folks, it was bound to happen: Oliver ate a shoe. I knew he was going to chew stuff, I even expected the trouble of teaching him not to. But knowing it and experiencing it are entirely different, I am finding. I am the one person in the house who has a tremendous amount of trouble finding shoes that fit right ( thanks, Nana, for the bunions! ). So, naturally, Oliver chewed up my shoe. And it wasn't even like it was just any shoe, it was my newest pair of summer sandals. For those of you who may not know this, sandals and I do not get along (again, thanks, Nana, for the bunions! ). So finding a pair that worked and were attractive (yes, I could probably find some ugly ones if I wanted, but I refuse to wear orthopedic shoes in my 30s!) was not easy, and YET! I found some at the end of last summer - on sale, no less! Well, no more! They have succumbed to the new puppy's desire to chew everything in sight. I suppose lamenting that particular pair will not bring them...

Denial

I am going to be the Queen of Denial .... I am going to pretend that the dog isn't trying to eat me. I am going to imagine that my children are joyfully completing their schoolwork. I am going to pretend that my toddler is an obedient angel who would never tease the dog until it bites her. I am going to imagine that dinner will be a five-course meal which every diner will consume happily and praise profusely. I will pretend that the house is immaculate, the laundry is all done and put away, and the bills are all paid. It will be no trouble to put any of the offspring to bed, and there will be peace to read my Bible. Really, is it all just too much to ask? Well, at least there's nothing wrong with my imagination....

Target, Facebook, and Television

I have noticed over the years that my husband is much like my children in ways relating to the television. They want to watch it, no matter what is on. If the television is on, there is no "together time." If the television is on, but nothing good is playing, they will just watch something boring. If the television is available, but not on, they must turn it on to "see what is on." This boggles my mind! If you don't know what is on television, you can't know what you are missing, so you must, therefore, NOT be missing anything! Right?!? And we do not even have cable or satellite, by the way. Just an antenna. So, all in all, I have determined that the television is a time-sucker.... It just sucks them in until an entire evening has come and gone, and there are the missing members of my family... on their butts... on the couch... where I left them hours ago. ...Where's my book? ... When I enter the Super Target, I feel as if time both stands s...