Life has been really full lately, so as I've thought how to update the blog the only reasonable way I could come up with was a bulleted list of random happenings in our home. Things that are "on my mind" so to speak. And here we go!
- Today is Friday and I'm at home. That's because this morning when I dropped the twins off at Shari's, Elsie and I were going up the stairs and she fell on the stairs. After hours of watching the lump on her head, and having her extremely loose teeth checked and x-rayed by our wonderful pediatric dentist, she and Eli are now napping upstairs. This leaves me with a very hectic morning behind me, a current headache, and an unexpected peaceful afternoon. Glad the morning part was over. It was scary to say the lease.
-We have a new addition to the family. Emily Grace is the proud owner of Lucy Anna, a ten week old kitten. The kitten showed up one day, and never left. We've looked for owners, had her microchip-scanned, but nobody ever claimed her. Three weeks, and a $100 vet bill later, we've officially claimed her as our own. She's super sweet, let's the kids hold her, and has a motor on her that you can hear ten feet away. She lives outside, mostly on the side of the front porch. Emily plays with her every day. They have quickly become best friends.
- School. School is going very well. Besides my nervousness about the first time leaving them with a sub, with less than stellar sub plans today, I'm loving the group of lovelies that I spend my days with. There is so much personality, and as I get to know each of them, I just love them so much more. All groups I've had love me to read with them. But there's something different about this group. They don't just love me reading to them, they CRAVE it. We're reading a chapter book right now called Crash, and they BEG for me to read more throughout the day. So its becomes this transitional thing where I will give some instructions on what to do to prepare for whatever we're doing next, and they BEG me to read a chapter while they're doing it. Then they silently attend to whatever they need to do, and listen so intently, just pleased to hear one more chapter. Its awesome. And I love it.
- The House. With the start of school the housekeeping, laundry, cooking, and shopping are once again struggling. I love to be the domestic diva of my house. I love running a household that's spick and span, neat and orderly, cute and inviting. But this is hard for a working mom of three precious kids and one lovely husband. And somewhere I've come to this awful belief that if a house is clean, tidy, and inviting, then the lady who runs it is successful. And my definition of my success sometimes solely rides on whether or not my house is perfect. Ridiculous? Absolutely. I'm learning to working to remind myself that what really matters is the love that goes on in the house....not the dust bunnies that may or may not exist. This is a work in progress.
** It does help, however, that there was a groupon the other day for a cleaning service to come for five hours and clean your house (up to 2500 sq. ft.) for half price. I bought one, and I can't wait to use it!
- Scott and I are starting a small group in our home. A group from church will meet in our home after the second service for lunch and our Bible study time. With everything Scott has going on with his dissertation, I will be the one mainly facilitating the group, but he will co-lead it with me. We're really excited about it.
- Scott and I have been running. This week was sort of a bust with only a couple runs that got in, but for the most part we're keeping it up. We both run about three miles 3-4 times a week. Its like therapy for me. I've forgotten how much I believe in physical and mental health going hand in hand.
- And its beautiful too. My three mile run takes me to one stretch with no houses for about 1.5 miles. Its mostly woods on both sides of the road, but at the end of the road there is a corn field. One night last week, I was out for a run and seven deer darted out not ten feet in front of me. They'd come out of the corn field and I just about peed my pants I was so startled. Once I got over my initial surprise, I was just taken aback at the beauty of this great place we live. I continued on my run, and since it was about dusk, the fireflies were out. Just me running, in the woods, with God's beauty surrounding everything I could see. How awesome it is!
Well, I'm off to spend my relaxing time at home making dinner for my family. The temp has dropped almost 25 degrees over night, making our high just above seventy. I've decided to celebrate the coming of fall by opening every window in the house, and making a big beef stew loaded with fresh veggies. Dinner with the fam tonight should be a good one!
