Yearly Archives: 2008

Musings

Lost that Bloggin’ Feeling

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This has been a great day!

Why, then, do I feel sort of depressed and vaguely discouraged? How can I be downcast? I didn’t blog last night and I nearly skipped it again today.

Gasp! What is wrong?

I got a decent night’s sleep, woke up fairly refreshed and started right in on my day. I used my wonderful white board and made a HUGE Mama’s To Do’s. It was rather impressive and grouped into three categories:

Priority
Maybe
and
Yeah, Right, I’m dreaming!

I had 12 things on my Priority list.

I completed every single one of them. The last one I did at 11 pm. I was bound and determined to cross it off. So it was to put away the children’s Christmas ornaments, don’t judge me! I’m doing the best I can.

The Maybe list had 7 items on it. Two of which technically should have been moved over to priority.

I did NONE of them.

Nothing, zip, zero.

Don’t even get me started on the last category.

Maybe that’s why I’m feeling a bit blue. It seems like there is so much to do but not quite enough time. As I was working in one of the children’s bedrooms, I happened to see a nice mess in two other rooms (one of which was mine). I am out of some key grocery items. I am tired and need sleep. I have two big organizational projects that need my attention but didn’t make it to the Priority list. I have some major planning I need to begin for our spring Women’s Retreat.

STOP!!!!

This is NOT helping. I need to focus on the positives and stop dwelling on the negatives. Okay, here’s just a few of the wonderful things I managed to squeeze into my day:

- I did my Bible study lesson
- I fixed a delicious French toast breakfast for my family
- I took Joshua to the Y to to see a gymnastics tournament
- I met a friend and got in an HOUR work out on the elliptical machines
- I made good choices with my eating all day
- I made Tim a healthy lunch
- I worked for over an hour in Rachel/Sarah’s room, organizing and sorting their mess
- I sent a card to a friend who had her baby yesterday
- I watched a comedy show with my family and laughed and laughed
- I hugged my kids
- I made the younger children laugh uproariously by chasing Joshua around the house (we mothers will do anything for a kiss)
- I cut Daniel’s hair
- I washed clothes, fixed meals, and swept floor
- I read my book
- I worked on finances and the budget
- I hugged my husband (twice)

Now, in a move that shows I am wise even if I am a bit melancholy, I will end this blog and get to bed before too late. I will NOT list all of the things I failed to accomplish today. I will NOT spend another hour trying to find the perfect pictures to accompany this post or 20 minutes editing. I will NOT spend another 30 minutes reading some of my favorite blogs and catching up on email.

I WILL rejoice because this is the day the Lord has made. I will be glad in it and eager to enjoy tomorrow.

I WILL feel loved and cared for by friends who are praying for me.

Because, really, blogging is a CHOICE and not a FEELING. :)

Kathy

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Musings, Project 366

Where Angels Fear to Jog

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In the late Summer of 2004, we moved to the suburbs; immediately Kathy signed us all up with a family membership to the local YMCA. I knew right away that we should have stayed in the country.

“It’ll be great,” Kathy enthused. “We’ll meet you at the Y on your way home from work, and we can all exercise as a family. What a good example to the children, to see us both taking our physical fitness so seriously.”

Trekking the Track
Who wouldn’t want to run, with such good company?

She painted a rosy picture. Healthy, smiling children and their thin (but muscular) parents, running effortlessly in single-file around the brightly-lit indoor track, or smoothly operating the gleaming exercise machines, to the envy and admiration of dozens of onlookers. Tired but laughing, we would drive home together, united as a family in this common goal.

After stalling for some months, I finally agreed to actually go to the YMCA and get my membership card. Inside, the rank smell of sweating bodies and the sensation of universal despair struck me like a blow to the face. Nervously, I let them take my picture, and immediately fled, before I was inadvertently sucked into this gloomy vortex of fitness. My worst fears were confirmed: joining the Y was like joining the Army, or at least it included many of the same odors.

Each week, my children go to the YMCA for Homeschool Physical Education, a program offered free to members, and the major reason we joined. They have taken classes in gymnastics, swimming, and a variety of sports and physical activities. Most of the time they really enjoy it, although they tend to dread the annual focus on Presidential Fitness testing. Cleverly remembering lessons from my Army days, I held aloof from such things, although I did unbend enough to drop the kids off at the Y when Kathy was at Bible Study Fellowship.

After more than eighteen months, Kathy convinced me to play Wally-Ball with the family after work, and I actually darkened the door of the YMCA for several weeks, trying to teach my children (and a few passing urchins) how to play this interesting game. It didn’t take, though, and I soon happily returned to my sedentary ways.

Today was a big day. After more than three long years of YMCA membership and not-so-subtle hints on the part of my wife, I finally went to the Y and actually used an exercise machine. Sadly, the paparazzi were not permitted inside, and there were no pictures taken of this momentous event. You’ll have to take my word for the fact that I logged a good 35 minutes in on a fiendish device my wife calls an ‘elliptical’.

Junior Joggers
We did, however, capture David and Sarah’s running-while-holding-hands act.

A man of my years and girth tends to take a philosophical view of life; hopefully this will prove to have been a passing phase, like many before it. As Mr. Bennett said in Pride and Prejudice, “Don’t worry, it will pass more quickly than it ought.”

Tim
Project 366, Day 31

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Not How I Want to Spend My Evening

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On the way home from church this evening, I was in a car accident.

Miraculously, this is the extent of the damage to our car.

that's it?

We lost our hub cap (it was subsequently run over and destroyed) and have a small gash in the side.

I was passing through an intersection near home when the driver, waiting in the left turn lane, decided (misguidedly) that she had the right of way and turned directly into the back corner of my van. It was rather traumatic in a slow-motion sort of way. I was not speeding or rushing through the light. I could see the other car was making the turn and I swerved as far away from her, over to the right as I could.

Poor Daniel, who was with me in the van. He thought we were going to “… hit the lamp post, explode, and that would be the end of us.” A car accident lawyer can assist people in filing complaints against insurance companies for car accidents. They also represent people in car, as well as other vehicle, accident claims. It is very essential for an individual who becomes the victim of a car accident that they contact a skilled accident lawyer as early as they can after the accident happens. It is important to get the highest recompense that the victims deserve for their injury and harm due to the accident.

When a victim of any car accident is going to search for a lawyer, they should take into consideration certain points about the lawyer. For instance, the lawyer should be knowledgeable as well as experienced in car accident and relevant cases. The key issue is the lawyer must be endowed with a thorough knowledge about injury law. They should know the rights of any victim, the severity of the accident, as well as, achievable recompense for that and also other necessary relevant factors. Besides, the car injury lawyer should be experienced in dealing with car accident cases and related cases. Experienced car injury lawyers know best how to defend victims against insurance companies – they can ensure the victim gets the best possible recompense. So, if the lawyer has a good record of defending and winning related cases, it will be beneficial for the victim. You can also visit https://www.norrisinjurylawyers.com/auto-accident/ for more information.

A good and experienced car injury lawyer usually provides some idea to the client about how to claim and take further legal steps against the insurance company in order to protect the victim’s rights properly. The car injury lawyers aid the victims in doing all the necessary things – they help the clients to arrange medical assistance, to contact the insurance companies, along with other important steps. They are generally experienced in evaluating necessary things like medical or police reports; they also conduct interviews of the witnesses. After gathering all the necessary information related to the accident, they try to find out how and why the accident actually happened and who was responsible for it. The lawyers know best how to construct cases according to what really happened – they will obviously do their best so that the victim can receive a just settlement.

A knowledgeable and experienced lawyer may become very useful in related cases wherever discussions may be necessary to make sure that the injured victim gets the best settlement for the pain they have encountered. A superior car accident lawyer always considers the legal rights of the victim and takes steps in such a way so that the injured victim gets the best result.

Explode? Makes you wonder just what kind of movies he has been watching.

Unfortunately, the other driver received a harsher blow.

ouch!

I can easily think of over 100 things I would rather be doing on a Wednesday evening than stand in a parking lot, surveying damage to vehicles that have collided on the road.

Praise God we were safe and no one was hurt!!

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 30

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Musings

Snow is Gone

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Here today, gone tomorrow, that’s pretty much what we say about snow in these parts. Last year we had a lovely snow fall. I rushed out and bought boots for David and Sarah.

It didn’t snow again the entire winter. I don’t think they EVER even wore the darn boots.

So, there is no need to feel jealous of our abundant snow fall. True, it covered the streets (briefly) and was perfect (dense and solid, just right for snowballs, men and forts), but it’s melted now.

All that remains is the odd clump of snow here or there around town.

one last snowball

Yesterday Daniel gathered enough snow to make one last snowball before the rain settled in.

The Last of the Snowballs – the children long to see more of your kind around these parts. Me – I’d go for a week in Hawaii.

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 29

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Daily Life, Parenting, Works for Me Wednesday

WFMW – Computer Game Chips

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wfmwWe’ve written about how our family handles computer game privileges before, here and here, but I thought I would share the concept in a bare bones, easy to read post.

Works for Me Wednesday – Computer Game Chips

Every Wednesday the children (and Tim) receive poker chips equivalent to 3 and 1/2 hours of computer game playing time.

White Chips = 30 minutes
Blue Chips = 1 hour
Green Chips = 2 hours

computer chips

Throughout the week the children (and Tim) are free to ‘spend’ their computer chips as they wish, so long as permission is granted (Tim, obviously, doesn’t need permission) and a computer is available. When the chips are gone, the children (and Tim) are able to earn additional chips through service projects around the house (laundry, cleaning, extra chores).

Timers

Computer time is carefully monitored by the use of timers (see our Tuesday Parenting Tip for more on our love of timers). We have several kitchen timers and a stop watch that we employ to keep track of game time.

One of the saddest sounds in our house for the children (and Tim) is that little beeper, signifying 30 minutes has ended. Oh, the moans and groans you will hear from the children (and Tim). On the other hand, this crew can hear the clink of a chip as it hits the floor or counter from any room in the house. It’s a tragic thing to lose a chip to the washing machine where it is claimed by the laundress.

Benefits of this Discipline

  1. We become better stewards of our time – no more hours slipping away unnoticed in front of a computer game
  2. There is a cap to how much time, overall, one can spend on the computer – chips gone/computer game over
  3. Mom gets extra chores completed by eager computer gamers who are out of chips
  4. Mom doesn’t have to worry about her computer being used for long periods of time – 30 minutes is actually a very short period of time
  5. The family is encouraged to find other forms of entertainment – outside play, board games, reading
  6. Dad provides an awesome example of how to put limits on extracurricular activities
  7. Less fussing and nagging from Mom

I’m sure Tim (and the children) can share further blessings from this practice, if we ask them.

gather around, ye computer players

All five children gather to watch an intense moment on Daniel’s Star Wars Lego game. See the family unity and love.

Stop by Rocks in My Dryer for other blogs with great tips. You’re welcome to leave a comment on our Duckabush Giveaway post and enter a chance to win some Starbucks and chocolate.

Kathy

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