First Day of School

Today was the first day of 5th grade for this handsome guy:



What amazes me is that when I look into his face, the snippets of his baby and toddler self are slowly melting away, and I can now see glimpses of the man he will become. It makes me proud and heartbroken all at once. Being a mother is super hard, isn't it?

Evan had a great day at school, despite being a nervous wreck before hand, and his dire prediction that his teacher would surely hate him. They weren't given any homework, so this definitely helped cement it as a good first day, in Evan's opinion.

And here is a picture of me on my first day. Evan was tickled to turn the camera on me, and make me go through the dreaded first day of school ritual. I am wearing my rockin' new skirt I ordered on Etsy the other day.



I love how the bright yellow and orange colors make me feel light and cheery. And two of my new students today told me that they knew when to line up because they saw my yellow skirt. I was like a lighthouse beacon, y'all! But best of all, it was super comfy. When you teach primary students and get in and out of tiny chairs and up and down off the floor all day, comfy is essential.

And now that the first day is over, the worst part is over. Now we now a little of what to expect, and hopefully everyone will sleep a little more soundly tonight!

Nervous Nellie

Guess what I did today?

I did 7 loads of laundry. And I mean washed, dried, folded, and put away.
I helped Evan with his home eye therapy.
I cooked a down home, Sunday dinner with all the fixins. Even gravy!
I cleaned up the kitchen, and scrubbed it down twice. Once after lunch, once after dinner.
I made and frosted cupcakes.
I labeled all of Evan's school supplies and stashed them in his backpack.
I mowed the lawn. After a recent fertilizer application and 20 million inches of rain this weekend, I managed to fill the entire 96 gallon yard waste container.
I gave 4 haircuts-one to each of my handsome guys. One of the best things my mom ever taught me was how to give a boy haircut. I think we save about $50 with each round I do at home.
I made sun tea.
I scrubbed the floors, and I vacuumed.

Don't get the wrong idea-this is WAY more than I accomplish in a regular day. So why in the world did I treat myself like a work horse today? Because...I AM A NERVOUS WRECK! And when I am nervous, I clean and organize to make myself feel better. Lucky for my neuroses, living in a house with four boys provides me with ample cleaning and organizational opportunities.

Why am I nervous? Because school starts on Tuesday. I don't care how many times I go through the first day of school, I am always, always nervous. I wonder if my students are half as nervous as I am. Or if they know I am nervous too, just like they are! It's always fine, but I always worry ahead of time, and I want it to be a great day for all of my kiddos. Worrying is something I am very talented at. I'll probably give myself an ulcer, but at least my house will be clean.

Home Improvement

During late July, my Dad, who is super handy around the house, helped me to stain our deck and fence. I love the way it looks, and it will help the fence/ deck to last longer, but oh my GLORY! It was hard, hot work. Here it is in progress:



I think it would have gone a lot faster if this was a regular fence, but because it is a shadow weave design, it was pretty tricky to get the stain in all the nooks and crannies. And it was HOT!! Did I mention that? Or that I sweat out 20 gallons of yuck?

Here's the finished project:



In one week, my Dad and my father in law are returning to bless us again with their carpentry skills, and help us install a wood floor in our living room. My three boys and our cat have destroyed the carpet. I would show you a picture, but I don't want to make you vomit. I absolutely can't WAIT to have it out of here.

We are so thankful to have awesome Dads in our lives. I really don't know what we would do without them.

School Days

This past Monday marked the end of the summer for us, as I went back to work. No students this week, just meetings and getting my classroom ready to roll for another year. Evan just went to after school care, as his first day of 5TH GRADE!!! won't be until Tuesday. It amazes me that he is just weeks away from 11, and now in the upper grades at school. Just yesterday I was walking the floor with him in the middle of the night, singing lullabies, and trying to croon my colicky baby back to sleep.

It was the first day of preschool for these two cuties though.



Charlie has moved up to the pre-k group, aka "the Busy Bees". Sammy had his first day with the big kids, as he moved out of the toddler room, and into the 3 year old preschool group, aka "the Lucky Ladybugs". Both were excited about their new and improved status at school. When Jeff asked Charlie how his first day of school went, Charlie replied, "It was so super! I was the busiest bee in the WHOLE WORLD Daddy!" It doesn't get much better than that.

It was hard to get back in the swing of things for me, much more so than the kids. I have always been a person who needs a LOT of sleep. In the summer I get a good 9 hours a night, plus a 2 hour nap every day. Not getting more than 7 hours anyday this week made for a lot of headaches. Today I got out at noon, and Sammy and I crashed together, and we all had a loooong 2 1/2 hour nap. I felt SOOOO much better! Maybe I can convince my first graders to nap with me every day.

I've been missing my kids like crazy all day every day this week, but I've also been reflecting on how much good that comes out of the kids going to preschool. We are very blessed that my school has an on site daycare for the children of staff members. The teachers there are outstanding, there is very little turn over in staffing, and it is a small environment for the kids at the daycare. There are under 30 kids in the entire center this year, which is birth to 5 years. The boys learn so much while they are there, they love interacting with the other kids, and seeing their friends. They get to visit the residents of a nursing home across the street once a week (they affectionately call them "the Grandmas") and they have various special events every single month. So while I ache sometimes to not be the one to tuck them in for nap or fix their lunch, I have to admit that they are gaining a lot, and it is a good experience for them.

The real deal starts Tuesday, and I get to meet my 29 new first graders. I am excited to get to know the people who will be my family for the next 17o school days. It's always an adventure, and I am antsy to get started.

Independence

Two weeks ago, Jeff and I took a quick trip down to the KC area to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. It was just three nights, but it was the first time we have taken a trip together, with or without kids, since our honeymoon. Which should explain right there why it was a wonderful get away.

We stayed in a bed and breakfast called the Hawthorn, which is located in Independence. It is a mansion built in 1900, which has been converted to a GORGEOUS B & B. I've never stayed in one before, but oh my goodness! HEAVEN! Here is a picture of the room where we stayed, which was a hundred times cleaner, more comfortable, and nicer than any hotel I have ever stayed in:





Right outside our room was a gourmet coffee station (and for the girl who drinks at LEAST one pot a day, this was a huge plus!) and a snack bar. Every morning, we were served an out of this world three course, fresh, homemade breakfast. In fact, on Thursday night we were the only guests, so we got first dibs on the table in the sun porch at Friday morning's breakfast. Every day started with a fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait. Next came a variety of fresh out of the oven muffins, and then pancakes, hash browns, breakfast meat and eggs. We were so stuffed after all this indulgence we never had lunch one day the entire trip. Breakfast was probably my favorite part of every day. Not having to prepare food, feed three kids, and clean up afterwards was the biggest luxury. I felt completely pampered.

Although the mansion is beautiful, it turns out Independence isn't. It's a pretty scary town, actually. The whole thing is like one huge bad neighborhood, with sex shops, cruddy convenience stores with shady people lurking in the parking lot, and lots of crime. Sprinkled here and there throughout the town are some pretty cool historical sites, but don't wander too far off the beaten path!

A big highlight of the trip for me was our visit to the Truman Presidential Library. Beforehand, the only thing I really knew for sure about Harry Truman was that he dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. I really enjoyed learning about his life. He is one of Jeff's favorite historical figures. Jeff loves anyone who "pulls himself up by his bootstraps", and Harry Truman was certainly a bootstrap man.

This is a photo of a letter written by a father to Mr. Truman after his son was killed in the Korean War:



He sent along with the letter his son's Purple Heart. Harry kept this letter in his desk at the Oval Office for the rest of his term. It made my heart hurt to see it-a little for the parents of this young soldier, and a little for Harry Truman, who seemed to carry the loss of each soldier's life on his shoulders.

In one room they had a display of articles that appeared in Life Magazine in 1952. One of them showed this:



It's a little hard to see, but the article told of a young mother with three small children who had been stricken with polio. Having a husband who also had the disease as a child, I think all polio stories grab my attention, but I will admit I stood at looked at this picture for a good 10 minutes. The photos in the article show the mom in an iron lung, where she lay paralyzed. Hanging above her head you can see the pictures of her three children. I cried right there, thinking about how heartbroken I would be to have to lie there, unable to move, seeing my children's faces, and knowing other people were taking care of them. I wish I knew what happened to her and her family.

We also took a tour of Harry Truman's home, which actually belonged to his wife. Poor Harry had to live with his mother in law most of his adult life, who wouldn't let him sit at the head of the table, stay in the master bedroom, or display any of his treasures from the White House, even after he had been President of the United States. That's one difficult MIL.


My favorite part was the kitchen where Harry decided to put wallpaper on the ceiling, as well as the walls, because he liked the pattern so much!

Afterwards, we stopped for an ice cream at Clinton's Soda Shop where Harry Truman had his first job. Here's Jeff, making his "if you're going to take a picture of me I am going to try and look as dumb as possible so you quit trying to photograph me" face. I hate it when he does this:



Seriously. He looks like the grumpiest man in the world. But I love him anyway.

It was so nice to be away, just the two of us. I am always nervous to leave the kids, but I am always a better mom for it when I return. I wish we could get away, if only for a quick weekend, more often. But alas! The joys of having three kids, a job, and a husband with a REALLY busy work schedule make that impossible. We appreciate it all the more though when it happens. It was a great way to wrap up the summer.

New Moon micro widget

Back to Reality

I can't wait to tell you all about our perfect weekend away in KC, and show you pictures, but unfortunately, I won't get it done as soon as I want to because I was so rudely thrown back into reality upon our return. We started off the day yesterday with a trip to the ENT, where we discovered that the tube in Evan's left ear (which has been there for over 9 years and just won't fall out) needs to be removed surgically because it has caused a tear in the ear drum, and because it is collecting what the doctor referred to as debris, it is causing a dangerous infection. So, on top of the three doctor appointments we already had scheduled for the week, we added a pre-surgery physical by his pediatrician, and surgery this Thursday morning. At least they could get us in quickly so I don't have to take time off of work.

It was a lot easier to do this with Evan back when he was 18 months old, as he was during his last surgery, when he had no concept of what was coming. Now, he wants to know the specifics of IV usage, and how anesthesia works, and if there will be any side effects, and he is a nervous wreck.

And did I mention that my MIL is coming to stay at my house only a few short hours after the surgery? Fab!

We also got school supply shopping out of the way yesterday. Is there anything worse? Mothers and children pushing each other out of the way in the aisles, crowds, long lists, and huge amounts of money to spend. Blah.

Anywho, I hope to get the pictures of our getaway downloaded soon, and maybe between trips to the doctor (we have 2 just today!!) I will get it posted here.

We're Off!

Jeff and I are off to a short weekend getaway to a bed and breakfast in Independence, Missouri. It's our first trip alone together since our honeymoon 4 years ago. Not sure what we will do with ourselves without 3 boys to run after, but the quiet will be nice.

See you soon!

Happy Anniversary!

4 years ago today, just about now, I looked something like this:



I am on the left, no make up. My hair was just beginning it's transformation for my wedding that evening. On the right, is one of my favorite people, my friend Katy. Isn't her hair a lovely shade of red? I've always wanted to have it as my own.



And here are my two best girls, Katy and Christi, doing each other's nails at the salon that same morning.



After getting beautified, we went out to lunch at Valentinos. Every bride should go out in public with her hair and veil before the wedding. It's delicious to feel so special. And next to me, is my 5 year old Evan, on the last day it was just the two of us, before we became a new family with Jeff. Isn't his smile the greatest?!



This is my flower girl Nora. She became a student in my classroom only four weeks later! Also, Evan has loved her since birth, and someday she will be my daughter-in-law. I love her to bits.



And here I am with my sister Sarah, who was my matron of honor. She is precious to me, and I am so glad she was there to stand next to me that day. You can't tell, but she is the smidgiest bit preggers in the picture!



And this my friends? THIS is my kick ass, cathedral length train on my dress. It was the one thing I knew I needed to have when I was dress shopping.



My bouquet was a replica of the bouquet my Grandma Sophie Micek carried in her 1934 wedding, 71 years before.



And most importantly, here I am 4 years ago today, vowing to love and treasure the love of my life, for the rest of my life. And while I wouldn't have believed it possible on that day, I love him a million times more today than I did when I pledged my life to him. I have learned that marriage takes a lot of work, and I have certainly had to grow into my role as a wife, but I am so incredibly thankful every single day that I have been blessed with Jeff as my husband. He is the greatest of friends, fathers, and providers. He rocks my world, every day.

Thanks for the best 4 years of my life, Jeff. I pray we have so many more together!

Dental Woes

So! Remember that cavity I told you about the other day? The one I had to have filled yesterday? My appointment was supposed to be at 1:00, but that morning, the receptionist called and asked me if I could move my appointment to 4:00 because "Dr. F feels like he will need more time to work on your cavity than we originally scheduled". For all of you out there who are aspiring to become dental office receptionists, here is a tip. DO NOT tell the patient the reason for moving the appointment. Especially if it involves more time to drill.

By the time 4:00 rolled around, I was a nervous wreck. It only got better when I sat down in the chair and the doctor told me, "I didn't want to mention it ahead of time, but this is a pretty serious cavity. We are going to need to give you four shots of Novocaine, as opposed to the usual three." And then? He made me wear safety goggles! Not a good sign.

After much drilling and deep breathing on my part, I was left with a sagging left side of my face, oceans of drool, an aching jaw, and this warning from the dentist: "If this doesn't work, and you feel pain or sensitivity in the tooth, we will need to do a root canal." Fab! 'Cause I SOOOO love the dentist!

Getting Motivated

When I was 5, and three months into my stint in Kindergarten, I was so filled with my love for Mrs. Fee (my teacher), the smell of school, new crayons, and learning how to read, that I decided I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. The next year, instead of changing my mind as many children do, my love for my teachers and school only intensified, and my desire to become a teacher someday grew. All through elementary school I studied my teachers closely, observed how they set up their classrooms, and watched how they treated me and my classmates.

I set up a school room in a corner of my parent's garage, complete with old textbooks I had begged my teachers for at the end of each school year. I subjected my siblings and friends to hours and hours of being my first students. I gleefully created lesson plans, and pretend grade books. I was obsessed.

When I entered college, there was no doubt as to my major. Everyone within a 10 mile radius knew I wanted to teach. When I finally became a student teacher, my instructors commented on how natural it seemed for me to be in front of a group of students, and how well I managed "tough" students. I knew it was because this was the mission and talent God had gifted me, but also because I had been practicing my whole life.

In January 2001, as I stood in front of my first group of 17 3rd graders in a classroom I could finally call my own, I was filled with a fire that was my love for teaching. Everything sparkled with awesomeness for me, from the little things like organizing learning activities to the big things like teaching someone to read.

Now, in 2009, I am preparing for my 10th class of students. It is my 7th year of teaching 1st grade. I am not sure why, but much of that fire has settled into a dull warm feeling. I am feeling pretty unmotivated. Maybe it is because I am in my 10 year slump, or maybe because I have been teaching the same grade level for too long. Maybe it is because my focus has changed to my own children, family, and husband. Or it might be that the demands of these things have made it harder for me to focus as much as I used to on teaching and my classroom. Maybe it is because in my effort to be supportive of my husband and his career (and lets face it, he is bringing home the big bucks, not me so I feel this is pretty important) and I am for the most part solely responsible for the kids during the week, I just don't have the time or the energy to focus on teaching. And a funny thing has happened as I got more disconnected from my desire to teach this past year and over the summer. I have a strange feeling of emptiness, and that I don't really recognize myself too much anymore. My spirit has been defined for so long by my teaching that to have it go missing makes me feel like I am missing a limb. And when I am very honest with myself, I know that a big reason God put me on this Earth is to work with kids. (Did you notice the teacher just started that sentence with the word "and"?!)

So I am on a mission to find my inspiration again. I called up my oldest friend Katy who ironically also teaches 1st grade and asked her to tell me about her favorite things she does in her classroom. (We have a phone date tomorrow to strategize!) I have been poring over 1st grade teachers websites looking for some new ideas I can use to revamp things with this year, to put some pizazz into my room. I ordered two new books from B & N to help me rethink my classroom layout and how I teach reading groups. This morning I woke up thinking about how to reorganize my classroom, and I felt a zing of excitement in my stomach. I can't wait to get started, and I think I may have found a way to light the fire again.

Watch out kids, Mrs. Kleffman is on her way BACK!

Brag

I had to stop a minute and brag here for a second. My cousin John started a rockin' new website for college football fans. So if you are like my husband, and are crazy with excitement that it is almost August (which only means ONE thing-FOOTBALL SEASON!) check out this site:

www.collegefootballtimes.com

It's worth the trip!

The Big D

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow to have a cavity filled, and I am an absolute nervous wreck about it. I hate having this done, but not because of the drilling. It's because of the novacaine. I don't know if I am allergic to the drug or just highly sensitive, but it makes me feel woozy and faint. And the worst part? It lasts about 3 times as long as it should, making mothering so much fun. It's lovely when your kids realize you can't talk, and that the drool coming out of your mouth because you can't feel a thing is a sign to them that they can get away with whatever their creative minds can think of.

On the upside, my anxiety on this upcoming event has kicked my need to organize into high gear. I have filled out and completed the 8 gazillion forms needed for Evan to go to school and be a 5th grader, and sent them back into school. I've ordered my new planner for the upcoming school year, the supplies I need for my classroom, and Evan's school uniforms for the year.

Maybe cavities aren't such a bad thing.

A Post Full of Pictures

I finally got around to uploading all of the pictures I've been wanting to share.


My cutie patutie Evan at his last swim meet of the season. You can't see it, but his swim cap matches the team swim suit. I had no idea swim teams had uniforms before this summer!


Evan is the one in the middle of the picture, standing up, getting ready for the 25 meter freestyle.


My cute boys on the 4th of July. We celebrated at my sister's house. This is when we were watching the fireworks. Notice the sweatshirts and jeans! It was COLD and rainy the whole day-low 60s and a mist the whole time. Crazy weather for July in Omaha.


Charlie enjoying the privilege of being allowed a can of pop.


My birthday cake I treated myself to on my birthday Tuesday.


At the beginning of July, The Sweet Tooth Fairy bakery in Provo, Utah held a fundraiser for Nie Nie over at The NieNie Dialogues in honor of her birthday. I was super excited that I was able to participate long distance, as the bakery was willing to ship me an order of VaNIElla cupcakes. TO.DIE.FOR. Seriously. I could have ate all 15. But I didn't, just for the record. I had to fight my family for them. Don't they look yummy?


The pretty box the cupcakes arrived in.


An impressive lego city built by my aspiring young architects.


And finally, a precious shot of Sammy enjoying a cup of coffee and the morning paper. He loves to do everything just like his Mommy and Daddy. Adorable, no?!

Hope you are having an enjoyable summer too!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today at 4:48 PM I turned 32. That feels really old. 30 was bad enough. 32? That's approaching mid thirties. The kicker? My brain stopped aging at 18. I don't feel any different mentally than I did then.

At any rate, it was a lovely day, filled with the birthday wishes of friends and family, which made me feel warm, happy, and loved. Jeff took the day off from work to watch Charlie and Sammy so that Evan and I could spend the day at the pool. It was heaven. We spent from 10-3:15 lounging by the water. All I need to be happy in the summer time is sun, water, and warm temps. I know without a doubt that I was a fish or a mermaid in another life. I read, soaked in the sun, soaked in the water, drank diet Coke, and swam. I talked with my first born without being interrupted, and got to hear his thoughts on the upcoming school year. We ordered lunch from the pool's Bistro, and ate grilled hamburgers with salty fries. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I picked up a birthday cake on the way home from the pool, since for Charlie and Sammy the best part of a birthday is cake and singing. We sang and ate cake together as a family after dinner, and then-my husband did the dishes for me! I wish it could be my birthday every day.

I'm not ready to be 32, or even 30, but I loved my day.

Short and Sweet

Here is the tweet I just posted over on Twitter.

July makes me anxious. It is too close to August. And let me be clear: I DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. The end.

I was going to do a whole lengthy post on this, but that just about sums it up.

I love being home with my kids, I love being in the sunshine every day at the pool. I love being the one to take care of what my kids need during the day.

Ugh.

4 Swim Meets Down, 1 to Go

Evan had another meet tonight, and he won another 2nd place finish (in the 25m freestyle). It was at our home club too, which meant that the toddlers could go to the daycare center, and I could watch/cheer in peace from my chair poolside. It really was a nice night. Not too hot, and 2 hours to myself in a beach chair. The whole thing is soooooo much less stressful when I don't have to entertain the little guys for three hours.

The best part? (Besides my kid being a rockin' good swimmer of course!) was that it was the fastest meet in our short swim team history. Even though it started about 8 minutes late due to technical problems with the sound system, we were done at 7:20. AWESOME.

I do like that the little ones are getting to experience watching Evan practice and compete. They are already getting excited for their turn and asking when they can take lessons and swim in a race. Who knows? Maybe we'll become a swim team family!

Thank Goodness

I am so glad it is the weekend. This has been one of the busiest weeks EVER.

I am ready for some down time with my kids, and my husband. I have so much to do around the house that I didn't get done during the week it isn't even funny. Laundry is once again taking over my hallway. Costco is calling my name, and reminding me that if I don't get there soon Sammy won't have any diapers left, the cat will run out of food, and I won't be able to run the dishwasher. All of which would just add to the general mess of my house.

I did realize late last night that I had gotten engaged to my super duper awesome Jeff 5 years ago on Friday. Which makes for almost 6 years total together. Doesn't time fly? In some ways it feels like we just met, but then I look around and see the house, the minivan, the children, and realize that is has been awhile. I love him dearly and I am thankful for every minute we've had together!

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

Random Updates

I haven't been around this here blog for a few days, and it makes me sad. As I sat waiting for Evan to be done at eye therapy this afternoon, I thought about why. And the biggest thing I can come up with is that Evan's schedule is ruling our lives this summer, God bless him. I love the effect that his activities are having on him, but between swimming practice four days a week, a three hour swim meet every Wednesday night, once a week eye therapy at the doctor's office and daily home therapy sessions, Vacation Bible School, and Hummel Day camp-we hardly ever have a day to just putz around. And putzing? It's my favorite summer time activity. And you know what's scary? What will this be like when Charlie and Sammy have things to do too? Will I ever leave the car?!!!

At any rate, here are some random life updates, and I promise to try really hard to be here more often.

After the debacle last week of not finding the pool, Evan attended his second swim meet tonight. He placed second in the 25 meter butterfly, did pretty well with his first attempt at diving off the blocks, and helped his relay team to come in third by catching them up from last place as the final swimmer. Swim meets are something else. The pre-meet practice is from 5:15 to 6:00, with the actual meet taking place from 6:00-8:00 PM. Which makes for almost three hours of sitting in the blistering heat (and here in Omaha it has been close to 100 for the last three days) for the toddlers and I. Today, after only sitting about 15 minutes, Charlie and Sam were completely drenched in sweat and red faced. I starting getting worried about the safety of having two small children in severe heat for 3 hours, so I stripped them down to their shorts minus the undies and put them in the baby pool which was next to the main pool. Other parents soon followed suit with their small fries, and the mothers all stood with their feet immersed in the water as we cheered on our swimmers. I have seriously never sweated so much in my life. It was torturous. I love the boost to Evan's self confidence, the vastly improved swimming skills he is achieving, and watching my kid be a star, but let me be honest. I hate swim meets. Period.

I tried putting Sammy in undies the last three days. He just pees and poops whever he is, and happily goes on about his business with completely disgusting pants. I am giving up for now. He could care less. Yet again, I am stuck in a situation where this is fine with me, and daycare is going to throw a fit when school starts again. Yet another reason I would love to be a SAHM.

Charlie has been throwing huge temper tantrums again the last three weeks. I am at my wits end. I have talked with his pediatrician, and I am following his advice, but I may need an IV of valium to get through this stage. Maybe Super Nanny would take pity on me.

Jeff is back this week after a week long trip last week to Sacramento. Nothing shows just how much I love and appreciate my hubby as a week without him. MAN, I love that guy. SOOOO glad he is back!!

And also? I woke up this morning with a HUGE spider bite-on my rear end! First of all, YUCK to spiders in bed with me! I am completely disgusted by these horrid things. Second, it itches like the dickens, and you know, that's just not a good place to have to scratch. And lastly, it is swollen up to the size of a golf ball. Which makes sitting oh so fun!

And finally, here is a completely random thought. I wish that the micro scrubbing beads that they put in facial cleansers were colored instead of transparent. That way, when it gets in your eye and you are exfoliating your cornea instead of your pores, you could actually see it to remove it. Let's just say my left eye looks like hamburger meat after a bad experience this morning.

I promise to try and be back here more often so I don't have to do any more of these crazy random posts.

Lost

Have I ever told you about how stinkin' awful my sense of direction is? If not, let me sum it up in a nutshell. CLUELESS. Even though I have lived in Omaha all my life, it is still hard for me to find new things on my own the first time. I have to drive somewhere about 10 times before it really sticks in my brain and I can find it again without looking at the directions, especially if it is in an unfamiliar part of the city.

In fact, when I was minoring in Special Education in college, I took some type of a brain typing test, and I came up as learning impaired in the area of spatial sense. I was the special ed kid in special ed.

Thank goodness for me that I live in the age of the computer, internet, and Mapquest. Thank God I can put in an address and have my computer print out driving directions for me. Thanks to this not so little invention, we get most places we need to go without a hitch.

Every once in awhile though-it doesn't work. Unfortunately, tonight that collided with Evan's swim meet. It was located at a country club deep in the heart of old Millard, a place where they laid out the streets in the 1800s while walking behind a wandering cow. Streets disappear, end abruptly into alleyways, and turn suddenly into other roads. We drove and drove and drove for 45 minutes, trying to find a section of the street that was supposed to turn into Harry Anderson Drive, but sadly, old Harry never appeared.

Evan has learned over the past 10 1/2 years to be patient with this, so when I apologized over and over again he just said, "No problem Mom. You tried your best, and nobody's perfect." Gosh he's a great kid.

There's nothing so humbling as looking like a moron in front of your kids. What a gift to be forgiven by your child. I just hope he keeps this trend of forgiveness up as we move into the teen years.

First Movie

We got back a bit ago from taking Charlie and Sammy to their very first movie. Evan earned being able to see a movie for one of his rewards in eye therapy, and I had promised to be the one to take him. I feel badly always asking my mom to babysit, so we bravely set out for the theatre this afternoon with two toddlers in tow.

I took Evan to see his first movie (Monsters Inc) in the theatre when he was Charlie's age (3 1/2) so I felt pretty good about Charlie, but Sammy is such a wild card. At home, he is my patient, loving, and agreeable guy, but get that kid into a public place and you just never know what he is going to come up with. And the hard thing about Charlie and Sammy together lately is that they are TOTALLY at this awful preschool humor stage. Anything from poop to eyeballs can be funny, and they can get each other completely out of control in 3 seconds. Once that happens, they want to wrestle, and then the testosterone starts flowing. Raising one boy is SOOOO much easier than three. Sometimes Evan and I both miss the good old days of just us.

Anywho, we went to see UP! I love Disney/Pixar movies, and this one was great as always. The story line wasn't what I expected, and a little sad in spots, but the humor was great. We laughed all the way through. Luckily, there were only three families in the theatre, including us, which took a lot of the pressure off. We found a row with exactly four seats next to a railing which helped to pen the little guys in place. Charlie and Sammy ended up spending most of the movie in the same seat though, since neither were heavy enough on their own to keep the seat down. I got a jumbo bucket of popcorn for everyone to share, which helped to hold their attention as much as anything. My kids think popcorn is the best treat ever for some reason.

The best part for me, aside from seeing the amazement on their faces when the movie started rolling on the huge screen, was the feeling that just maybe this is starting to get a bit easier. It's so nice to think that maybe the little ones are finally big enough to do some things, and give us an opportunity to relax in public.

Sick at Heart

I began teaching in the year 2000, with a class of 17 3rd graders in an inner city school. Most of my students spoke English as a second language. They came from good homes, albeit poor homes. Many of "my" kids had parents that had come as immigrants from Mexico, and while they didn't have many physical goods in their homes, they did have a lot of love and parents who supported education. All of my students that I have taught will always hold a special place in my heart, but especially those students in my first class.

Which is why my stomach dropped like a rock this morning when I opened the front page of the Saturday morning paper. Pictured on the front page was a picture of one "my" boys. The students in my first class are all now 17 and 18, about to enter their senior year of high school in the fall. This student probably won't be joining his classmates, as he was arrested and charged with robbery, murder, and attempted murder. He is a gang member.

When I knew him at 8, he was sweet, loving, and always smiling. He had a lot of trouble learning the language and learning to read English, but he had such determination. He always had a hug for me when he walked in the door. I can still hear him saying "Hola, Miss Micek! How you today?" with a huge grin plastered over his face, his brown eyes dancing.

What in the world happened between now and then? The pull that gangs have over young people in poor areas makes me sick. This boy had such potential, could have done so much. Instead, he will be spending his time in jail. He won't have the chance to share that beautiful smile.

I wish I could go back to his time in my classroom, and protect him somehow. I wish there was more I could have done to cement his path in life. My prayers are with the victims affected by his actions, but I will also be praying for the 8 year old little boy that must surely be locked away somewhere in his heart. I will be praying that even if he is in prison, that he will be able to turn his life in the direction it should have gone.

A Proud Momma

For many years, when we didn't know that Evan was seeing double all the time, he struggled with sports. He badly wanted to be able to participate, and we kept thinking sports would be good for him, so we signed him up for various sessions of soccer. Each time was a disaster, but it got worse when the other kids started getting better, and Evan could still hardly run. Looking back, it all makes sense now, knowing what we know about his vision. At the time, it was really hard for Evan and his self esteem.

About 2 years ago we signed him up for swimming lessons. He has always loved the water, and I thought it was a good survival skill to have, plus it was a sport activity where no team was involved. He really progressed quickly, which is how we ended up on the swim team this summer. I also believe it is due in no small part to the eye therapy he has been receiving since January. Suddenly he has balance and coordination!

Yesterday was the first swim meet of the season, and let me tell you, Evan and I were both nervous wrecks. He because he didn't know what to expect and because of his previous negative sports experiences, and me because I was so nervous that I had put him into this too early and set him up for more failure.

His first event was the 25 meter backstroke, one of Evan's favorite swimming events. As they lined up at the wall, ready to spring into motion with the blow of the whistle, I was praying like a madwoman. "Please God," I thought, "Just don't let him be last. Fill him arms with speed!" As the whistle sounded, my heart was beating like a steam engine, first with nerves, and then with amazement. Evan flew away from the wall of the pool and started pulling back with long, strong strokes. I looked into my baby's face as he grunted with effort-I could tell he was giving it his all. And I screamed his name as he made it to the end WAY before any of the other kids in his heat. The look of surprise on his face as the judge told him he had won was priceless. From across the pool I saw him point to himself and his lips formed the word "ME?!"

And then I cried. I was proud of him for just trying his best, and getting in that pool when he was scared. I would have been extremely proud of him for just finishing the race. But to win? Awesomeness. His self confidence this morning at swim practice was beautiful to see. It meant so much to him to know it is possible. And I can do this-my hard work WILL pay off. And I am just so thankful. Thankful for this chance for my kiddo to bask in the limelight, if only for a brief moment, for the first time.

He also swam the 25 meter freestyle, where he came in third (we need to work on diving into the water from the starting blocks) and he swam a relay where his team came in second.

My kid can SWIM!!!

You Capture-Nature

Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry offers a weekly photo challenge called You Capture. Each week she suggests a photography "assignment" for photographers to post on their blogs.

I love looking at all of the entries each week, as I love to look at photography, but I've never entered because I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to taking pictures. I also just have a plain old digital camera, and not a fancy one like a lot of the other bloggers do.

Last week the assignment was NATURE. And I just happened to have a flower bed of beautiful flowers in my front yard that I wanted to capture and remember. So I thought, what the heck? I'll give it a try. Here are my results:


This one is straight out of camera, as Beth would say, with no editing. Here is the same photo after I tried fiddling with it on Picnik, a photo editing site. Let me remind you that I have NO IDEA what I am doing!



Here are a few more of my favorites, which are also just out of my camera, and which I didn't do any changes to editing wise.








I am pleased with the results, although they are not as nice as the AWESOME pictures Beth takes, and which I have paid for and now proudly display in my living room. I may even blow one up and hang it somewhere. Thanks for encouraging me to take a step outside my comfort zone Beth!!

Fun With Papa John

We had the best time on Saturday. We piled the kids in the car and went over to Harlan to visit my A#1 father in-law. I sooooo lucked out in the in law department. I love Jeff's dad, and his family. They have welcomed both Evan and I into their family with open arms, and this is no small gift. Evan feels that he is just as much a grandchild as Charlie and Sammy.

John fixed us all a delicious lunch (sadly, Jeff did not pick up on his Dad's awesome cooking skills) and then we headed out to play.



John has a wide variety of outdoor riding toys, and he will chase those kids forever as they zoom up and down the street.





It has been such a blessing to me that my in laws have turned out to be as close to my heart as my own family. What more could you ask for?

Bliss

I had the pleasure of babysitting my adorable Godson Joel Friday night. I love that kid to pieces. It was pure bliss for me, because I got to have HOURS of uninterrupted snuggle time. Seriously. This kid is the easiest guy to spend time with. He is so cheerful, loving, and happy to go/do whatever you want him to. And he will cuddle with me. Is there anything more blissful than spending some cuddle time with an adorable toddler? No. There isn't.



I love it that he is friends with my kids. Here is Joel and Sammy eating dinner together, and having a lengthy discussion about red cars.

And, just because I love him-here is a picture of my adorable husband.



It's lovely to be surrounded by so many adorable boys!!

So Annoyed

I am a HUGE fan of Mabel's Labels. I use them in all of my kids clothing that will be coming and going from daycare, on school supplies, and in all of their shoes.

When we set off for Lifetime Fitness this morning, Sammy's tennis shoes, which he has owned for a total of maybe a month, were labeled with large yellow stickers inside the soles that said his name in big letters.

When we arrived in the play area, I helped him to take off his shoes and stow them in the shoe cubbies. But when I returned to pick him up? No shoes. They were AWOL.

Several teachers and I scoured the center, but we couldn't find them anywhere. We did find a pair of shoes that looked remarkably similar to his. Our only thought was that someone grabbed Sammy's instead and put them on their kid without looking very closely. Which totally annoys me. Can't you see the huge yellow sticker inside with someone else's name?

I guess it really just annoys me because I don't want to have to buy him new shoes-AGAIN-when I just forked out money to do so a little over a month ago.

My only hope is that the labels make it apparent to whoever has them that they HAVE THE WRONG SHOES! And that they are nice enough to bring them back to the gym.

Argh!!

A Funeral

It's been a tiring two days for me.

Last night was the wake (why do they call it that anyway?) for my Grandpa. I found out about three hours before hand that I had been elected to read the eulogy. I really wanted it to be nice for Papa Dave, and have it be a way for people to remember the important events of his life, but I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to make it through without becoming emotional. I said lots of prayers before hand, and thankfully it turned out okay. I was honored to be able to give him that last gift.

I was so touched that the two women I teach 1st grade with both came to the wake service. I am not even sure how they found out about it, since school isn't in session, but it meant so much to me that they took the time to show they care. All of Charlie and Sammy's daycare teachers from school also came, and one of them came up to me and said, "So what time should I come to your house tomorrow to babysit?" What a gift! We had thought we would have to take Charlie and Sam with us to the funeral service. (Have I mentioned lately how naughty Sammy is at church?) It was so very nice to be able to sit quietly and listen to the Mass without having to chase toddlers. I am so glad I had the peace to take it all in and pay attention. It was such a considerate thing for her to do. I am so thankful for the people I am blessed to work with.

The funeral itself was beautiful. The priest gave a very nice homily, and he weaved personal facts about my grandpa throughout the service. At the graveside, there was a 21 gun salute, a bugle player who played "Taps", and a military honor guard. 65 years ago today my Papa Dave was on a boat headed for D-Day and Omaha Beach as a part of the first wave of soldiers to hit the beach in the invasion. He would have been so proud to see all of the military honors at the service. His service during WWII was the defining event of his life.

Even though the occasion was sad, it was really nice to see out of town family. We usually only get to all be together at Christmas, so we took advantage of the unexpected time to be together.

It is sad for us, his family, to say good-bye to him today, but I am so filled with joy in the knowledge that he is with Jesus in heaven, and that he is finally free of the prison Alzheimers had made of his mind and body. I can't imagine how wonderful it must have felt to have control of his thoughts again, and I know he is having a delightful time telling stories to all of his friends and family, just like he used to. We will miss his presence here on Earth, but I am so thankful that his struggles here are over.

God Bless you Papa Dave. We love you.

Grandpa Dave

I found out this morning that my Grandpa Dave passed away early this morning, around 1:00 AM. He has had advanced Alzheimers for the past six years, so while we knew it was coming, it was still a bit of a shock. Apparently he had developed bronchitis last Tuesday, and even though he appeared to be getting better on a round of antibiotics, last night his breathing just got farther and farther apart until he died. I am so glad that he wasn't in a lot of pain. It seems to be a peaceful way to go.

The Alzheimers disease was anything but peaceful. In the last 6 years we have watched him forget our names, his past, his wife, how to talk, and how to eat. It is no small blessing that he has been released from the prison of his body, and is in a better place.

My heart goes out to my Grandma Rose. I can't imagine loosing your spouse.

We are gearing up for a busy week of saying good-bye, and remembering him in happier days.

Social Buterflies

We have done more in the last two days than we have in forever. It's been a fun start to the weekend! Getting out of the house was just what the doctor ordered as a Mommy pick me up.

Yesterday we met our friend Christi and her children Alyssa and Joel (who is also my ADORABLE Godson) at the park for a picnic. After some fun in the sun, we went home for a quick nap, and then went out again for my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary party. Don't they clean up well?



It was a beautiful party for so many reasons. It is an amazing thing to see a couple who have dedicated their lives to each other, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, glowing with love for each other and their family. My grandpa used to say, "It's amazing how much trouble two people can cause!!" And it's true.

This morning we packed the kids into the van and headed down for a day at the zoo. This was no small thing for me. Don't throw tomatoes at me for saying this, but I really do HATE the zoo. Looking at animals has never been too exciting for me. And the Omaha zoo? It has so many hills in it, it feels like they built it into the side of a mountain. When you have to climb up and down those things while either pushing 80 pounds of kid in a double stroller or with older children hanging on you saying "It's hooooot. I'm thiiiiiirsty. Can I geeeeet something?" it ends up being a workout for your muscles and your patience. But the kids love it, so I sucked it up and we went. And it was fun to watch the delight on their faces. So I watched my kids instead of the animals. That's what made it fun for me.

We grabbed lunch at BK on the way home (big treat for the kiddos!), took another quick nap, and then we headed over to my sister's house. My brother in law just got his masters degree, so they were having a shindig. I am in awe of him for accomplishing such a feat with two small children.

And here's a picture just because it's cute. Charlie and Sammy love to listen to tunes with Daddy. They especially love Johnny Cash and the Beatles.



*sigh* I love my boys! Aren't they all just deliciously adorable?!

Motherhood is Tough

Do you ever feel that being a Mom is isolating? I sure do lately.

It means that it is hard to go anywhere. This can mean the grocery store or the doctor's office, but it can also mean a friend's house. When you are the primary caretaker for your kids, it is really hard to get out of the house. Which makes it hard to talk to other adults. Which in turn makes it hard to have friends.

A lot of moms I know begin to make friends through their kids when the kids go off to school. An unfortunate side effect of your kids going to school where you teach is that the other parents always see you as the teacher, and there is a distance between you. One that has to be there, I suppose. But the reality of it means that I haven't gotten to become friends with the other moms in Evan's class. And the moms of Charlie and Sammy's daycare cronies are my teaching buddies. Which leaves me with a very small circle of people to interact with.

I am invited to a jewelry party tonight at the home of one of my teaching friends that I was really looking forward to. Jeff worked late last night in an effort to get home tonight in time for me to attend, but it still is going to be a tight squeeze. Jeff works so hard to be a good provider for our family, which I am so thankful for. The long hours his job requires of him are hard for me though, as it means more time when I am left feeling isolated here at home.

My goal for the week is to give myself a kick in the pants when I start feeling lonely like this. I am going to remember back to the time when it was just Evan and I, and I was yearning to give him siblings, to have a father figure in his life. There was nothing I wanted more than to be a wife and to have more children.

Now that I have that, I need to continue to be thankful for the blessings I have received. I am going to remind myself to take joy in the little things, and remember that my job here at home as a wife and a mom is the best way I can serve my family, and the Lord. This is where I need to be. And it won't be forever. As Jeff and I were telling Evan yesterday in a talk about why we are expecting more out of him lately, Evan only has 8 more years and then he will be an adult. As soon as the words left Jeff's mouth they knocked me on my rear. 8 YEARS?! How did that happen? It's not nearly long enough for me. I am going to try and change my perspective this week and remember that our time with our kids is all to short, and there will be time for me later.

Memorial Day: Bah Humbug

Do you know for the last three years I have gotten a bladder infection on Memorial Day? It's becoming an annual tradition that has quickly worn out it's welcome. I can't figure out what I do every year on this day that brings it on, but it's becoming ridiculous.

I have been seeing a urologist for the past year and a half, and I don't think it's really done any good at all. I keep getting these infections over and over and over again (and is there ANYTHING more annoying and painful than a bladder infection?!) I am so frustrated. I guess when you go to the doctor you expect them to have the answers. Sometimes that just isn't true I suppose.

At any rate, it made for a depressing holiday weekend. I was tethered to the bathroom for most of Sunday night and Monday. Thank God I have the best husband ever. He entertained the children without complaint, and ran to the store late Sunday for medicine and a bucket of cranberry juice. Have I mentioned lately how madly in love I am with him?!

I am hoping the rest of the week is better. I am ready for some fun to ring in our first week of summer vacation!

Biting the Bullet to Avoid Being a Selfish Mom

Evan's swim instructor suggested to us in December that he join a swim team this summer. Initially, I thought "Awesome! I am so proud of him for working this hard to get there. It will be great for him!"

Not being someone with any type of experience with a swim team, I decided to do a little research. I went to the club the teacher suggested to inquire about price, schedules, etc. And that's when my jaw fell to the ground.

Swim team? It's serious business. They practice four days a week, and there is a meet every Wednesday evening on top of that. The practices will be at least an hour long.

If Evan were still my only child? No problem. If Charlie and Sammy were just a bit older and out of that it is such a pain to take them ANYWHERE stage? No problem. Unfortunately I am the mother of three, two of the them being toddlers who ARE A PAIN TO TAKE ANYWHERE.

So, being the selfish mom I can be at times, I put all thoughts of swim team out of my head, and thought "I'll think about it later." Later is now here. His teacher has been badgering (I mean encouraging) me for three weeks now to sign him up. I am scared spitless of the commitment this will mean for me, the time spent in the car with the toddlers, and the schedule it will make us stick to in my sacred summer time. The time I like to do a whole lot of nothing.

But, I am giving myself a big kick in the pants and telling myself to get over it. I am going to sign him up today, and we're just going to do it. And if I'm not alive to tell about it in August, well, then his swim teacher will be REALLY sorry won't she?!

Why Teachers are Exhausted at the End of the Day

This happens all the time. The following example happened yesterday afternoon in my classroom.

(Teacher makes a statement to the class) Teacher: Tomorrow is field day. Please put on sunscreen before you come to school in the morning.

Immediately, at least 14 hands will shoot into the air.
Student 1: Should we wear sunscreen tomorrow?
Student 2: What kind of sunscreen? Cause we have purple and green bottles at home, and I really like the way the purple one smells.
Student 3: This one time? We went to Florida? And I put on sunscreen there too!
Student 4: I have a dog! He's brown!
Student 5: Mrs. Kleffman? I was thinking about wearing sunscreen tomorrow. Do you think I should?
Student 6: Sunscreen? What's sunscreen?
Student 7: My mom hates sunscreen. Do I still have to wear it?

Multiply this by 45 for additional statement made during the day like "Please get your coat on" and "Where is your homework?", and you will know what a 1st grade classroom sounds like during the day.

This is why I have no patience left when I get home.

Young Man

Evan came out of his room on Friday morning after his shower with agitation rolling off of him in waves. "Look at me Mom!" he said. "I LOOK RIDICULOUS." And after examining him carefully, I had to agree.

It's been getting warmer around here, so Evan had dug through his drawers trying to find some warm weather clothes. His toes were curling over the edges of his sandals, which had grown way too small for him over the winter months. His shirt looked like a belly shirt a girl might wear it was so short. And his shorts were WAAAAAAY too small. My baby is shooting up like a string bean.

So Saturday morning we went shopping, as we had discovered after going through all of his clothes that he needed an entire new wardrobe. Growing boys are impossible to keep up with.

Once at the store, I discovered-much to my horror-that we needed to shop in the men's department. For my baby! It seems in so many ways I had him yesterday, and yet there we were in the middle of the men's clothing, trying to figure out sizes that make no sense to me.

We picked up some size 8 men's tennis shoes and sandals, lots of shorts and shirts, and some clothes for church. And since we were throwing out so much money anyway, we got new tennis shoes for Charlie and Sam, who had destroyed their old ones in their insistence in using them as brakes for their scooters.

Some days I am so tired, I can't wait for everyone to be in bed so I can sit down. But days like these remind me that I need to cherish every blessed second of time with my kids, because before you know it they are turning into young men.

My Thursday

Want to know what I did today? Sure you do! Thanks for humoring me.

Woke up at 5:30, got myself and three boys to school and/or daycare by 7:00. Worked a full day until 4:00. Went home, did eye therapy with Evan, made dinner, cleaned up after dinner, mowed the yard, gave the toddlers a bath, pretended I am a nurse while treating the case of hives Charlie broke out with after playing in the backyard, did 2 loads of laundry, and put the boys to bed. I did all that by myself. Jeff, God bless him, is having a busy end to the fiscal year at work, and didn't get home until 8:00.

I'm tired.

I just read a book by James Patterson called Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. (Soooo good, but soooooo sad. If you read it, get a large box of Kleenex ready). In it, he compares life to juggling 5 balls which represent health, family, work, and 2 other things I can't even remember. All the balls are made of rubber except for family and health. Those two balls are made of glass. If you drop the work ball, it will eventually bounce back. But you can't drop family or health, because it might be damaged, and it might shatter, and it's almost impossible to fix after that.

As a working mom, I am having a hard time balancing things. I so want to get the most out of our time together in the evenings, but it seems to go by in a blur of things that need to be done- like eating, dishes, homework, and bathing. Even so, there is so much I am not getting done around the house, that weekends end up being marathon sessions of a mile long to do list to keep the family moving smoothly.

Once the boys are in bed and I exercise for the day, I am left with about 45 minutes of down time for myself for the day, if I am lucky enough to not have school work to do.

I feel like I am dropping all five balls a lot of the time, doing a halfway job with everything. I am hoping I am not cracking the glass balls as I do.

I am craving more time with my kids lately. I have been praying a lot about being a stay at home Mom. Jeff works so hard to make our family stable financially, and he does a great job. I trust his leadership completely in finances, as he can turn $5 into $500, whereas I would use that same amount to put us into debt by $5000. Jeff thinks it would be best for me to continue working at this point, so I am praying to have a gentle spirit on this front, and follow his lead. I am also praying that God will lead me into whatever role he wants me to be.

If I am meant to be a Mom and a teacher, I'm okay with that. But I wish I had a clone. Or an instruction manual. Or maybe a maid? Right now, I am stretched way too thin. And I love my babies, all three of them, to the moon and back. I just want to do the very best I can for them. I just need to figure out how to accomplish that.

Sammy the Linguist

Sammy tickles my funny bone with the way he gets words totally mixed up. He has added a couple of funny ones this week I want to write down here so I remember.

Last weekend we brought the fans back up from the storage room for the warm nights ahead. As soon as we put Charlie and Sam's in their bedroom, Sammy immediately started calling it his "shadow". He has stubbornly stuck with the name ever since. He asked my mom to turn on his shadow while she was here for dinner on Sunday. Needless to say, she was baffled.

One of Sam's favorite candies is Starbursts. He will only call them Star Wars.

Pretty soon we are going to need a dictionary to translate.

Missing Blogger

This is the longest I have gone without posting in FOREVER! And it is mainly because of things like this...the following is a snipet of the conversations I have had in the last half an hour...

Me: Sam! Don't lick the cat!! (Spent 5 minutes wiping hairball out of two year old's mouth. Apparently one lick can get you quite a bit of hair).

Charlie: Moooooom! Sammy put a car down my pants!

Sammy: Outside! Kitty went out the door!!! Ray kitty is GONE! (Spend 5 minutes in the backyard coaxing the cat to come down from the eaves of the deck).

Charlie: MooooooM!! Wipe my bottom! Me: You are a big boy now, you can do it yourself. Charlie: NOOOOOOOOO! I HATE POOP!!!!! (Repeat this about 10 times).

Evan: I HATE DECIMALS! WHO THOUGHT OF THIS! I am NOT going to do my homework!! I wish school was over RIGHT NOW!!

Sammy: Mommy!!! Charlie poke Sammy's eye out!!!! (Scream and wail).

And they wonder why we had chips and leftovers for dinner!

Hopefully the natives will settle down enough for me to post a bit more regularly around here...

Pleased and Yet Baffled

Today is Weigh in Wednesday again. I am really pleased with this week's results, but I have no idea why they happened.

I lost 2.5 pounds, and I am now down to 174.3.

Here's why I'm baffled. Remember when I told how absolutely exhausted I am? It's been so bad a lot of days that I have been going to bed at 8:00 and sleeping through until the next morning. I didn't exercise those days at all. A lot of the days when I managed to stay awake after 8:00, I have been way too tired physically to exercise. I think I probably squeezed in three to four exercise sessions last week. The only thing I have been consistent about is my Monday night water pilates class.

Maybe pilates is better than I thought?

But, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'll take 2.5 pounds and run! Which reminds me, I have lost over 5 pounds total for the challenge, so I think I get one of those nifty sidebar buttons from the Sisterhood saying I've lost five! Woohoo!!!

Something is not quite right...

I have a nagging feeling that something is just not right with me health wise. If I didn't know better, I would think I am pregnant. I have been nauseous off and on for the last two months. I have been having a myriad of other odd symptoms, but the worst has been complete and total exhaustion. When I get home at the end of the day, I need a nap. A 2-3 hour nap. It is getting to the point that I can't get through the evening with the kids. I can't even put into words how bad the exhaustion is.

I made an appointment with my OB for when school is out. I am hoping to get some answers, because with three kids around, I can't spend the day sleeping.

Hands

Jeff and I attended our annual marriage retreat, Table for Two yesterday at church. It was just awesome. The food was outstanding, the speaker was great, and who can beat an uninterrupted 3 hours with your spouse?

During one of the mini talks that came between each course of the meal, the speaker did a mini-meditation on hands. Part of the exercise was to picture the hands of those who had influenced us, who had taken care of us during our lives. The hands of both of my grandmothers immediately came into my mind.

By the time I was introduced to these two pairs of hands, they were lined with age, love, and hard work. Even though I have not seen the hands of my grandmother Sophie in 16 years, I can picture them perfectly in my mind. Her voice has gone a bit fuzzy for me, but her hands I can still hold in my mind's eye. She had lovely, long fingers. I don't remember ever seeing her with painted nails, probably because she was often using them to clean her house. She was the best housekeeper I have ever known. Her house was spotless. How she managed this with 10 children is beyond me, but this is one of my dad's biggest memories of his childhood. It was a comfortable clean-not one where you couldn't run in and out and play.

Sophie was a very faith filled woman, and I can see her hands around mine, showing me how to pray, and say the sign of the cross. I can vividly see her fingers caressing the beads of a rosary, her eyes closed in prayer.

My Grandma Rose's fingers are also long and tapered, and she has large, rounded nails. Two of my children inherited her fingers and nails. After my babies were first handed to me, fresh from the womb and wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, the first thing I always did was to unearth one of their hands to inspect their fingers, and watch their brand new hands wrap around mine. When I looked at Charlie's for the first time, I laughed at their well loved familiarity. It was my Grandma's fingers in miniature, right down to the shape of her nails. So comforting to know they will always be with me.

When I think of Rose, I see her fingers running up and down my back in a relaxing tickle. She is the best of back rubbers. I see her dealing out cards for hands of Kings in the Corner. Her hands are the ones who taught me a myriad of card games. I see her hands in front of my own, wrapped in yarn, teaching me to crochet.

Last night I thought about how hard their hands had worked as young girls, one farming, one taking care of cows, both raising younger brothers and sisters. I thought of them raising their own children (sixteen between them!), keeping a house, making meal after meal, combing little girls' hair, loving their husbands, and then their grandchildren.

Isn't it amazing how much your hands do in a lifetime? How much care. love, teaching, and praying they do? I've never thought about it much before last night, but I can picture the hands of many of the people I love best, and my best memories of many of them revolve around their hands. My prayer last night was that I will use my hands for kindness, and that those I love will be able to think of my hands with fondness.

Fabulous Friday

The weekend is off to such an awesome start.

I am sitting on my front stoop, watching my children zoom by in the sunshine on scooters. My adorable husband is sitting next to me. It's so nice to have him home in the evening. Did I mention he's adorable?

I grabbed pizza on the way home from school for dinner, so now I don't have to cook. We ate on paper plates so I don't have to clean up.

I just get to enjoy. Adorable kids with full tummies, adorable husband, two days of freedom in front of me.

Three weeks until school is out, and tomorrow Jeff and I are going to our annual Table for Two marriage retreat at church.

Heaven!!