I am so excited for summer break! School is finally out! I know there will be hardships with whiny, bored children occasionally, but that seems like a good trade for making 4 trips back and forth everyday. I am so excited to be able to be at home!
Not only am I looking forward to that, but I feel like I can really spend some quality time with my kids now. We don't get a lot of that when schedules get in the way. I love my children, but I often feel that I don't appreciate them enough. I don't always get to recognize the small and simple things that are so special because we are too busy, so I tend to rush through those small and simple and precious moments. For the next 3 months I won't have to do that! I can fully enjoy them! We can play together, laugh together, enjoy the sunshine (when it shows up), tell each other stories, sing songs, read books, be completely carefree and happy....the list goes on and on!
I am stoked for summer break! Bring it on!
Saturday, May 28
Monday, May 16
Are Weekends Supposed To Be Fun?
I've been feeling pretty run down lately. Last week just really made me exhausted.So I was looking forward to the weekend. Jarom actually had a Saturday off so we could go to his cousin's wedding luncheon. I was really looking forward to visiting with the family and catching up with everybody.
But from the very beginning, Saturday was not the relaxing, fun day I had planned. Getting 5 girls dressed and ready is always a challenge. We added baths into it, and the adventure began. While in the bathtub, Molly decided her bath would be much more fun if the water were outside the tub rather than in it. She used a cup to scoop up the water and dump it out onto the bathroom floor. Our bathroom is quite small, so in no time there was an inch of water on the floor and it was leaking out onto the carpet in the hallway. This put my husband in a very bad mood, very quickly. Orneriness ensued.
After baths were done and Emma & Bridget's hair had been done, it was Molly's turn for her hair to be done. I started brushing and realized that there was a large piece of gum stuck in her beautiful, long hair! This left me no choice, thirty minutes before we had to leave, than to give an impromptu haircut. I had to cut off at least 6 inches of her gorgeous hair, and I had never cut a girl's hair before. Luckily, I did not butcher it too bad. In fact, it looks kind of cute. But frustration was beginning to settle in.
Then came the car ride. From Tooele to Provo it took us almost an hour and a half. That's not usually a big deal, but my kids have been in some sort of phase lately where EVERYTHING starts an argument. It was nothing but screaming, crying, and whining for 90 minutes! We finally made it to the luncheon and everything was so beautiful. I sent Jarom and the kids for food while I sat with Charlie. They got back pretty quickly because they were pretty close to the front of the line. But in the time it took for them to come sit down and for me to get in line, a hundred other people had already gotten there. I had to stand in line for almost 30 minutes to get food so by the time I got back to the table my whole family had finished eating. But of course, the second I sat down I was bombarded. They all started taking my food right off my plate because they were still hungry! Including my adorable husband!( Trust me, I wasn't thinking he was adorable right then.)
If there's one way to get me irritated...just mess with my food when I'm hungry...I know, its sad, but that's just how it is. Food and I have a love-hate relationship like that.
So, by this time I was in a pretty bad mood. All of my intentions to be social and chatty had flown out the window. I went down to the kids' room and watched Toy Story while the party ensued. I apologize to everyone who was there who thought I was being crabby and unfriendly... I was.
Then came the 90 minute ride home. Even worse than the ride there had been. Charlie cried non-stop for the last half of it. My brain couldn't handle any more.
Sunday wasn't much better. Imagine that car ride, but put it in sacrament meeting. I hope my kids get out of this phase soon! I was so exhausted yesterday I could barely move. Days like that just have a way of wearing you down. But of course, when it was finally time to go to bed I couldn't sleep. My brain wouldn't shut off.
So, here I am on Monday. I should be well rested and ready for a new week, but I think I need this week to recover from my weekend instead.
Aren't weekends supposed to be fun? ....And relaxing?
*By the way, I really do love and appreciate my kids. I hope my venting doesn't make anyone think otherwise. My children are amazing, and I'm lucky to have them! They just make me tired...
But from the very beginning, Saturday was not the relaxing, fun day I had planned. Getting 5 girls dressed and ready is always a challenge. We added baths into it, and the adventure began. While in the bathtub, Molly decided her bath would be much more fun if the water were outside the tub rather than in it. She used a cup to scoop up the water and dump it out onto the bathroom floor. Our bathroom is quite small, so in no time there was an inch of water on the floor and it was leaking out onto the carpet in the hallway. This put my husband in a very bad mood, very quickly. Orneriness ensued.
After baths were done and Emma & Bridget's hair had been done, it was Molly's turn for her hair to be done. I started brushing and realized that there was a large piece of gum stuck in her beautiful, long hair! This left me no choice, thirty minutes before we had to leave, than to give an impromptu haircut. I had to cut off at least 6 inches of her gorgeous hair, and I had never cut a girl's hair before. Luckily, I did not butcher it too bad. In fact, it looks kind of cute. But frustration was beginning to settle in.
Then came the car ride. From Tooele to Provo it took us almost an hour and a half. That's not usually a big deal, but my kids have been in some sort of phase lately where EVERYTHING starts an argument. It was nothing but screaming, crying, and whining for 90 minutes! We finally made it to the luncheon and everything was so beautiful. I sent Jarom and the kids for food while I sat with Charlie. They got back pretty quickly because they were pretty close to the front of the line. But in the time it took for them to come sit down and for me to get in line, a hundred other people had already gotten there. I had to stand in line for almost 30 minutes to get food so by the time I got back to the table my whole family had finished eating. But of course, the second I sat down I was bombarded. They all started taking my food right off my plate because they were still hungry! Including my adorable husband!( Trust me, I wasn't thinking he was adorable right then.)
If there's one way to get me irritated...just mess with my food when I'm hungry...I know, its sad, but that's just how it is. Food and I have a love-hate relationship like that.
So, by this time I was in a pretty bad mood. All of my intentions to be social and chatty had flown out the window. I went down to the kids' room and watched Toy Story while the party ensued. I apologize to everyone who was there who thought I was being crabby and unfriendly... I was.
Then came the 90 minute ride home. Even worse than the ride there had been. Charlie cried non-stop for the last half of it. My brain couldn't handle any more.
Sunday wasn't much better. Imagine that car ride, but put it in sacrament meeting. I hope my kids get out of this phase soon! I was so exhausted yesterday I could barely move. Days like that just have a way of wearing you down. But of course, when it was finally time to go to bed I couldn't sleep. My brain wouldn't shut off.
So, here I am on Monday. I should be well rested and ready for a new week, but I think I need this week to recover from my weekend instead.
Aren't weekends supposed to be fun? ....And relaxing?
*By the way, I really do love and appreciate my kids. I hope my venting doesn't make anyone think otherwise. My children are amazing, and I'm lucky to have them! They just make me tired...
Wednesday, May 11
Sound Off
Okay, so something was really annoying me and I just want to spout off about it for a minute. Sometimes this gets me into trouble, but what-the-hey?!
I was recently directed to a website that was a forum for birth-mothers, or first-mothers (I guess is what they prefer to be called). I didn't really understand what people were saying most of the time. ??They gave their children up for adoption at some point and now they're all bent out of shape saying that they and their children were 'victims' of adoption, and that their children were 'taken' from them by the adoptive parents.??
I don't get it.
It was hard for me to read, and even harder for me to understand. There are so many things that didn't sit well with me. But there was one thing in particular that bothered me the most. They kept talking about their poor children being raised by 'genetic strangers', and how damaging that would be for them.
Let me tell you something folks. I have witnessed the adoption process from both sides. I've witnessed people going through the process of adopting a child. I've witnessed someone making the decision to give up a child. All of these people make fantastic parents, and it has nothing to do with genetics. You do not need to be genetically related to a child to love them, cherish them, teach them, nurture them, and to be an amazing parent. Likewise, being a 'genetic' parent does not make it a slam dunk. There are plenty of 'genetic' parents out there who do none of those things for their children. They may abuse them physically, mentally, or both. They may neglect them and care nothing for their joys or sorrows. Are those children better off simply because they are with their 'genetic' parents? Are they happier, more well-adjusted children under those circumstances? I should say not!
Genetics have absolutely nothing to do with it!
That's all I wanted to say :)
I was recently directed to a website that was a forum for birth-mothers, or first-mothers (I guess is what they prefer to be called). I didn't really understand what people were saying most of the time. ??They gave their children up for adoption at some point and now they're all bent out of shape saying that they and their children were 'victims' of adoption, and that their children were 'taken' from them by the adoptive parents.??
I don't get it.
It was hard for me to read, and even harder for me to understand. There are so many things that didn't sit well with me. But there was one thing in particular that bothered me the most. They kept talking about their poor children being raised by 'genetic strangers', and how damaging that would be for them.
Let me tell you something folks. I have witnessed the adoption process from both sides. I've witnessed people going through the process of adopting a child. I've witnessed someone making the decision to give up a child. All of these people make fantastic parents, and it has nothing to do with genetics. You do not need to be genetically related to a child to love them, cherish them, teach them, nurture them, and to be an amazing parent. Likewise, being a 'genetic' parent does not make it a slam dunk. There are plenty of 'genetic' parents out there who do none of those things for their children. They may abuse them physically, mentally, or both. They may neglect them and care nothing for their joys or sorrows. Are those children better off simply because they are with their 'genetic' parents? Are they happier, more well-adjusted children under those circumstances? I should say not!
Genetics have absolutely nothing to do with it!
That's all I wanted to say :)
Monday, May 9
The Fray
Sometimes I hear a song that explains what is in my heart so well, I think the writer must have borrowed my soul for a time.
"Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life."
-The Fray
"Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life."
-The Fray
Monday, May 2
Where Is The Line?
We've all heard the phrase "Life is a great balancing act". This is true in many different instances. One of the things that I think can be hard to balance is when to speak and what to say when you speak.
Sometimes I say things and I later wish that I hadn't. Sometimes I don't say anything and I later wish that I had. There is a fine line there that is hard to see. Unfortunately, I think one of the only ways we are able to see where that fine line is, is by crossing it. Only then do you know that you have tripped the wire and caused an explosion. Also unfortunately, the only way to try to go back is to re-cross the very line that caused the problem in the first place.
This is one of the many things we learn through experience. Over time the line may become more and more clear to us. Or maybe it doesn't, but we just stay out of the area so as not to cross it by mistake (which happens all the time). Either way, we learn from it, and hopefully we become better because of it. That's all we can ask for when we make mistakes, right?
So, we do our best. And if it really is our best then it will all work out in the end. At least that's what I believe.
Sometimes I say things and I later wish that I hadn't. Sometimes I don't say anything and I later wish that I had. There is a fine line there that is hard to see. Unfortunately, I think one of the only ways we are able to see where that fine line is, is by crossing it. Only then do you know that you have tripped the wire and caused an explosion. Also unfortunately, the only way to try to go back is to re-cross the very line that caused the problem in the first place.
This is one of the many things we learn through experience. Over time the line may become more and more clear to us. Or maybe it doesn't, but we just stay out of the area so as not to cross it by mistake (which happens all the time). Either way, we learn from it, and hopefully we become better because of it. That's all we can ask for when we make mistakes, right?
So, we do our best. And if it really is our best then it will all work out in the end. At least that's what I believe.
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