The past month or so I have been pondering this idea in one form or another.
"What exactly does a life well lived look like - for me?"
The answers I have been coming up with show how very far I see that I need to grow. However, is not acknowledging the fact that you need to grow the first step?
I need to become more organized: with my time and my space.
I need to become more purposeful. Why am I doing what I am doing? What motivates me to live this crazy, fast-paced life? Am I the kind of wife and mother I want my daughter to one day become?
Is God happy with what I am doing with all of the blessings He has given me?
My next step is to take action on these things.
I have started a few small steps.
I aspire to keep moving forward, sometimes slowly, and perhaps sometimes quickly. But always moving forward. Because there is no standing still in this life.
I am sure that, sooner than I realize, my time here will be over.
When I stand before God, I do so want to be able to say, "You gave me this. And here is what I added to it."
I dread having to say, "You gave me so much. And I wasted it all."
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Making Memories
Last night we sat around the table having a normal dinner. With normal school day conversation.
How was your day? What did you play at recess? What did you do at circle time?
You know, normal.
Near the end of dinner TDaddy pulls out a little voice recorder. He uses it for work to record meetings, etc. that he will need details of later. He had caught almost the entire dinner conversation on tape.
And suddenly, what had just happened and seemed so normal seemed precious and wonderful.
We sat there and listened to the entire thing. Baths were put off, the evening scurry of shutting down one school/work day and getting ready for the next was put on pause and we listened. To ourselves. Laughed at the silly things we had said. Just sat there, the boy cuddling on Daddy's lap and the girl on mine.
I felt a bit teary.
While it was so normal for now, I know that all too soon that recording will sound like the distant past, "'back in the day' when the kids were young."
I spend so much time rushing around and trying to accomplish all that needs doing. It was wonderful to sit and just savor the now.
How was your day? What did you play at recess? What did you do at circle time?
You know, normal.
Near the end of dinner TDaddy pulls out a little voice recorder. He uses it for work to record meetings, etc. that he will need details of later. He had caught almost the entire dinner conversation on tape.
And suddenly, what had just happened and seemed so normal seemed precious and wonderful.
We sat there and listened to the entire thing. Baths were put off, the evening scurry of shutting down one school/work day and getting ready for the next was put on pause and we listened. To ourselves. Laughed at the silly things we had said. Just sat there, the boy cuddling on Daddy's lap and the girl on mine.
I felt a bit teary.
While it was so normal for now, I know that all too soon that recording will sound like the distant past, "'back in the day' when the kids were young."
I spend so much time rushing around and trying to accomplish all that needs doing. It was wonderful to sit and just savor the now.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
When I Grow Up...
Ever since Christmas, when the kids got the game Lego Star Wars for the Wii, we have been into Star Wars around here.
This weekend we decided that Tboy was old enough to watch episode 3 (A New Hope, the first one that was made).
After watching it, Tboy announced that he has decided to be an actor when he grows up.
So he can be in Star Wars.
This weekend we decided that Tboy was old enough to watch episode 3 (A New Hope, the first one that was made).
After watching it, Tboy announced that he has decided to be an actor when he grows up.
So he can be in Star Wars.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Mangled Lyrics
Don't you love how kids hear a song and yet as they don't really understand the words, have a set of bizarre words that they sing instead of what the lyricist wrote?
Tboy's preschool has begun practicing for their Christmas program. The last song they sing is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
In the tub tonight he was singing " I wish you a merry kinsman, I wish you a merry kinsman, I wish you a merry kinsman and a happy and you know it!" On the last line, the tune kind of morphs into the tune for "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands."
"What is a kinsman?" I asked him.
"I don't know. It is just how the song goes!"
Tboy's preschool has begun practicing for their Christmas program. The last song they sing is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
In the tub tonight he was singing " I wish you a merry kinsman, I wish you a merry kinsman, I wish you a merry kinsman and a happy and you know it!" On the last line, the tune kind of morphs into the tune for "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands."
"What is a kinsman?" I asked him.
"I don't know. It is just how the song goes!"
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
2 hours and 45 minutes
2 hours and 45 minutes.
That is how long Tboy, Tgirl and I stood in line to get our flu shots at Kaiser today.
I left work early today, picked up the kids from their respective day cares (Tgirl went to daycare today instead of coming to my classroom as she has been doing everyday the past few weeks - possibly hoping I would forget about flu shots?) and zipped out on the freeway to the Kaiser clinic that we usually go to. Got a great parking spot and got the kids out of the car. Walked around the corner to the front door only to discover.... the line out the door, around the far corner of the building and doubling back toward the door again!
We hurried into line. I mean really, how long can it take the line to move? They only do the flu shots two days a week so surely they know how to move the line along quickly.
After about 10 minutes and only moving a couple of feet, the woman behind me left her husband and kids and went to investigate at the front of the line. She came back announcing that at the front they said they had been waiting for an hour and twenty minutes. She and her husband decided to pull their kids out of school early the next day and go to a different clinic.
It was chaos.
Clearly, no one else expected such a line. There were kids running all over the place, crying, squealing, and literally climbing the walls (one boy was holding on to a sign post and walking his feet up the wall horizontally - apparently his parents didn't care, no one stopped him).
The Kaiser people did try to thin the line out and send any family group with all kids 12 or older, over to the adult flu shot line in the next building. They said it was much shorter. Unfortunately, there weren't many in the line who qualified.
Tboy and Tgirl had each brought a book (though to be honest, Tboy's was a chapter book belonging to his sister with very few pictures that he is just pretending to read). It is amazing how uninterested Tgirl can be in reading when there is literally nothing else to do.
Except whine.
And complain.
And stress out about how much the shot is going to hurt.
While her brother whines.
And begs and pleads to be allowed to run around on the muddy grass with all the other little hoodlums.
Actually, while they each had their moments, they did amazingly well.
We did a lot of people watching. Tgirl ate some tic tacs. Tboy played a couple of rounds of a matching game on my iPhone. Tboy watched a couple of episodes of Sesame Street's "word of the day" podcasts I had on my iPhone. Tgirl discovered that even though I had my old iPod, since I hadn't used it since I got my iPhone a month or so ago, the battery had run out and so it was useless (it is charging right now).
And then for the last 45 minutes, the 11 year old in line behind us entertained Tboy (and Tgirl as well, though she pretended to not be interested) with "random facts."
"Random fact," he would say, "Walt Disney was originally going to call Mickey Mouse Mortimer. But then he changed his mind. Now Mickey's arch nemesis, other than Pete, is named Mortimer. Arch nemesis means his main enemy." Apparently he had just finished reading a biography on Walt Disney.
He drove his mother crazy, his voice was a bit loud. And I can see how hearing these "random facts" all the time would get annoying. But to me, they were wonderful. They helped entertain and pass the time.
When it was finally our turn, the kids freaked out. Thankfully they put us in a little exam room to get our shots instead just behind a screen where most of the inoculations were taking place. They both were crying so loud the nurse shut the door. Then, once they got their shots they both stopped crying and said it wasn't so bad.
And while the line was ridiculous, all of the Kaiser personnel that we came into contact with were friendly, cheerful, and kind. I can't imagine it was easy to stay that way dealing with all of us cranky line waiters.
So, in the end, all three of us got our seasonal flu shots and the kids got their H1N1 in a nasal mist. As a healthy adult with no chronic conditions and who doesn't care for an infant, I didn't qualify for one of those due to shortages.
And in one month.... we get to go back again and stand in line again to get the kids their boosters.
This time, we will be prepared!
That is how long Tboy, Tgirl and I stood in line to get our flu shots at Kaiser today.
I left work early today, picked up the kids from their respective day cares (Tgirl went to daycare today instead of coming to my classroom as she has been doing everyday the past few weeks - possibly hoping I would forget about flu shots?) and zipped out on the freeway to the Kaiser clinic that we usually go to. Got a great parking spot and got the kids out of the car. Walked around the corner to the front door only to discover.... the line out the door, around the far corner of the building and doubling back toward the door again!
We hurried into line. I mean really, how long can it take the line to move? They only do the flu shots two days a week so surely they know how to move the line along quickly.
After about 10 minutes and only moving a couple of feet, the woman behind me left her husband and kids and went to investigate at the front of the line. She came back announcing that at the front they said they had been waiting for an hour and twenty minutes. She and her husband decided to pull their kids out of school early the next day and go to a different clinic.
It was chaos.
Clearly, no one else expected such a line. There were kids running all over the place, crying, squealing, and literally climbing the walls (one boy was holding on to a sign post and walking his feet up the wall horizontally - apparently his parents didn't care, no one stopped him).
The Kaiser people did try to thin the line out and send any family group with all kids 12 or older, over to the adult flu shot line in the next building. They said it was much shorter. Unfortunately, there weren't many in the line who qualified.
Tboy and Tgirl had each brought a book (though to be honest, Tboy's was a chapter book belonging to his sister with very few pictures that he is just pretending to read). It is amazing how uninterested Tgirl can be in reading when there is literally nothing else to do.
Except whine.
And complain.
And stress out about how much the shot is going to hurt.
While her brother whines.
And begs and pleads to be allowed to run around on the muddy grass with all the other little hoodlums.
Actually, while they each had their moments, they did amazingly well.
We did a lot of people watching. Tgirl ate some tic tacs. Tboy played a couple of rounds of a matching game on my iPhone. Tboy watched a couple of episodes of Sesame Street's "word of the day" podcasts I had on my iPhone. Tgirl discovered that even though I had my old iPod, since I hadn't used it since I got my iPhone a month or so ago, the battery had run out and so it was useless (it is charging right now).
And then for the last 45 minutes, the 11 year old in line behind us entertained Tboy (and Tgirl as well, though she pretended to not be interested) with "random facts."
"Random fact," he would say, "Walt Disney was originally going to call Mickey Mouse Mortimer. But then he changed his mind. Now Mickey's arch nemesis, other than Pete, is named Mortimer. Arch nemesis means his main enemy." Apparently he had just finished reading a biography on Walt Disney.
He drove his mother crazy, his voice was a bit loud. And I can see how hearing these "random facts" all the time would get annoying. But to me, they were wonderful. They helped entertain and pass the time.
When it was finally our turn, the kids freaked out. Thankfully they put us in a little exam room to get our shots instead just behind a screen where most of the inoculations were taking place. They both were crying so loud the nurse shut the door. Then, once they got their shots they both stopped crying and said it wasn't so bad.
And while the line was ridiculous, all of the Kaiser personnel that we came into contact with were friendly, cheerful, and kind. I can't imagine it was easy to stay that way dealing with all of us cranky line waiters.
So, in the end, all three of us got our seasonal flu shots and the kids got their H1N1 in a nasal mist. As a healthy adult with no chronic conditions and who doesn't care for an infant, I didn't qualify for one of those due to shortages.
And in one month.... we get to go back again and stand in line again to get the kids their boosters.
This time, we will be prepared!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Vocabulary Day
For some reason it seemed as though we were all about vocabulary yesterday. A few examples:
on our way to pick Tboy up:
Tgirl: I LONG for fast food.
me: You what?
Tgirl: I LONG for fast food.
me (just checking if she knew what she was saying): What exactly does long for mean?
Tgirl: To want something very, very much. I LONG for fast food.
She didn't get any fast food. We went home and had chicken tamales (yum!). So now apparently she has unfulfilled longing in her life.
At dinner time:
Tboy: Mama, why do some people call a church a crackanackle?
me: what?
Tboy: You know, a crackanackle!
pause
me: Do mean a tabernacle?
Tboy: Yeah, that's what I said, a crackanackle!
While doing dishes:
Tboy: Mama, look at me! (with a blanket covering his nose and mouth) I'm a inja!
apparently someone at school was playing ninjas at school.
on our way to pick Tboy up:
Tgirl: I LONG for fast food.
me: You what?
Tgirl: I LONG for fast food.
me (just checking if she knew what she was saying): What exactly does long for mean?
Tgirl: To want something very, very much. I LONG for fast food.
She didn't get any fast food. We went home and had chicken tamales (yum!). So now apparently she has unfulfilled longing in her life.
At dinner time:
Tboy: Mama, why do some people call a church a crackanackle?
me: what?
Tboy: You know, a crackanackle!
pause
me: Do mean a tabernacle?
Tboy: Yeah, that's what I said, a crackanackle!
While doing dishes:
Tboy: Mama, look at me! (with a blanket covering his nose and mouth) I'm a inja!
apparently someone at school was playing ninjas at school.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
My sweet boy
I was heading out tonight and saying goodbye to the kids. Tboy was in the garage watching a movie. I said goodbye and kissed him. He asked where I was going and I told him to see a mama movie.
"Which one?"
"It is called Julie and Julia."
"Oh. I have seen the previews on TV. Why do you call it a mama movie. There are boys in it."
"Just because it is one that mamas like and little boys might not like."
"OK. bye!"
I walked through the house and said goodbye to TDaddy. Just as I was ready to walk out the door, Tboy came running up to hold my face in his hands and give me another goodbye kiss.
"Have fun, Mama. I love you!"
My boy is just too sweet for words!
"Which one?"
"It is called Julie and Julia."
"Oh. I have seen the previews on TV. Why do you call it a mama movie. There are boys in it."
"Just because it is one that mamas like and little boys might not like."
"OK. bye!"
I walked through the house and said goodbye to TDaddy. Just as I was ready to walk out the door, Tboy came running up to hold my face in his hands and give me another goodbye kiss.
"Have fun, Mama. I love you!"
My boy is just too sweet for words!
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