Heading home today

I had toyed with the idea of staying for another weekend, but I'm going home. Well, and the Bahamas sounded good, too, but I don't suppose that would work too well. Imagine the look of horror on other people's faces when I would board the plane with 5 tiny children. LOL!!

As far as the sickies, someone has been sick all week. I just checked Shortcake a bit ago, the child this all started with, and she has a fever again! Ugh. Hopefully going home will allow her to rest better.

(Oh, and hello, Tami! It's nice to "meet" you! Thanks for the comments you've been leaving! You've made me smile. )

I despise this guilt I seem to fight!

I am so tired of the Guilty Monster whispering in my ear!

I am referring to the stuff we wives and mothers carry around when we aren't doing anything wrong. While we are here with my parents, I had decided to allow myself to do a few things just for *me*. But spending the money is plaguing me - before I actually spend it, while I am spending it, and after I'm spending it!!

And in case you were going to ask - yep, hubby is totally fine with me spending it. He even said, "Do not feel guilty!" to me. But it's there anyway.

I feel the same way about asking my parents to watch the kids while I go get out alone. Mom told me not to feel bad, especially since they adore the kids and look forward to taking care of the kids. Yet, there it is again.

Argh. Am I not allowed to do anything to recharge or give myself a treat? Where does this come from? Who started this nasty cycle? Is it part of being used to putting the kids and husband first, so to do otherwise is hard for me/us?

Saying hello from my parents' house

We took a break and drove to my parents' home on Wednesday. The kids did great for the drive, including Squeaker, who slept the entire way! We plan to be here for a full week.

Now, this trip was to serve a few purposes: to let friends and family see the new baby, to attend a cousin's graduation (he was my ringbearer when I got married), to finally end our sort of quarantine while baby was so new, and to give me a chance to grab a break here and there.

The funny part about it all is that we aren't getting a chance to see several of those friends and family and right now, plus two of my kids have gotten pretty sick since we arrived. So I guess it is just as well that those folks are not available.

Shortcake starting running a vicious fever yesterday before dinner (it is being managed, but it goes sky-high quickly), and she has diarrhea. Sunshine started vomitting early this morning. So I guess you can say our quarantine from germs is definitely over!

Hopefully, Squeaker will be spared this nastiness and everyone will be well by the time we head back home next week.

Follow the sound of my voice...

You're getting closer...

...closer...

... I'm over here! *one arm is sticking up out of a pile of clothes, waving madly* Can you help me out of this pile?

You see, I'm in the middle of a major reorganization of clothes. I have clothes I never put away properly because our stuff was in storage the entire time we lived with my parents, so organization was next to nil then. And then we moved here and had all that comes with moving got in the way of that...

And now we have a big change in seasons, so I need to get the clothes put away properly.

And I'm drowning. Ever have water up your nose? Well it's like that, only it's a blend of cotton and various other materials. And I'm not making very fast headway. Partially because I'm trying to do it around the schedule of a newborn. And partially because I keep finding clothes that the cat found a way to get into the box and pee on the clothes, so now I'm doing major laundry on top of that.

Someone throw me a life preserver. Made from brownies. Thanks, doll.

Do you ever just get overwhelmed with the mothering thing?

And I don't mean the upteenth try at finding the perfect schedule or routine. I mean, seeing all the things you want your children to know or to be when they leave your home?

I want my girls to be better seamstresses than I am by the time they leave the house. I want them to know more about cooking and meal planning than I did. (And how to pick out good meats, which I still don't know too well.) I want them to have a fire in their heart for God and a true desire to know Him and serve Him, not just be obsessed with the latest celebrity or boys. I want them to realize that while being God's child carries many blessings with it, the greatest blessing is that you have the enormous priviledge of getting to know God in an intimate way. I also have so many things to list for my boys, not the least of which is how on earth do I teach them to be men of God who guard their eyes and thoughts, when I do not truly understand their struggles or how they think? And those are only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many things practical, spiritual, and otherwise, that I want them to learn.

I just sit down sometimes and think, "Oh, today I wanted to do x,y, and z, and I didn't even get close! How will I fit all these life lessons in?"

It all comes to living life with a purpose each day, living life intentionally. Would it be crazy to list those goals and post it somewhere in my house? My first thought is, what if company sees that list? And my hubby would most surely mock the list. (He is just a teaser that way - nothing is sacred. *wink*) But if I don't post it, I won't see it. And if I don't see it regularly, I will get caught up in the day-to-day of laundry, dishes, and diapers.

Thoughts?

Goings on

Squeaker (who lately has earned the name of "Screamer" instead) had a wonderful night of sleep last night, and consequently, so did I. The first stretch was almost 6.5 hours!!!!! So far this morning, he seems to think he can only nap in my arms. Silly boy. Yet, I love it!

I'm in the midst of the reorganizing of the kids' clothes. Not my favorite chore, but it sure does feel good to see it all slowly come together. Once that undertaking is finished, we'll get back into the swing of things, meaning we'll get into a routine again that includes school.

Hubby is gone for a good stretch. He wants to take some time off in July so we can all just enjoy each other again. Poor Shortcake asks every morning, "Daddy home?"

I still have a few thank you notes to finish. Oh, and must have the children write a couple - they've been given presents lately by friends and family. One of which was a child's Schwinn bicycle! We certainly are blessed over here!

Also, planning to go visit some online friends in the southern part of the state this weekend. Hopefully the price of gas will not cancel the trip for us. I'm super excited, and the children don't know yet. They will be giddy when they do know. It's to be a picnic in a park with other families, some of whom I know already and some of whom I do not.

Well, that is us for now. Hope you are doing well!

Can you believe it?

I've done the usual precautions with bringing germs into the house, what with the new baby and all. We been around no one who is sick to our knowledge, and yet...

I have a sore throat, I'm sneezing, and I just feel all over yucky. Nice, eh?

Go figure...? The blessing in this right now is that tomorrow we are having a meal brought to us for dinner, so I can just relax tomorrow. I'm going to rest, rest, rest on the couch, and I'm not going to fret over the sty my house will quickly become while I do nothing to keep up with the kids and their messes. *smile*

Oh, and can you please pray that our little Squeaker does not get what I'm coming down with? Thank you!