The Simple Woman's Daybook: August 31st

For Today... August 31, 2009

Outside my window... an overcast day, one that isn't dreary enough to warrant staying indoors but one that makes me want to curl up with a book in a silent house nonetheless.

I am thinking... about my possible trip to California to see my Baby Sister. At first, the idea of visiting without taking my kids (or at least Big Sister) to see their aunt was a little depressing. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about not taking Big Sister to see Hollywood and Hannah Montana's house. I finally decided that the possibility of finding a time to take her (and affording the ticket) was a slim possibility. Now, the research phase...

From the kitchen... Donuts and grapes for breakfast, Salad with turkey, cheese, and German dressing paired with oranges for lunch, and antelope and sides in the works for dinner. Yes, that's right. Antelope. Wish me luck because I have no idea what I'm doing!

I am wearing... Brown athletic pants, a black tank top, and a green athletic jacket. It was 57 degrees in the house this morning and has finally warmed to 65 here at 1:30. Time to wire the central air, I'd say!

From the Learning Rooms... I'm gearing up to begin Little Mister's homeschooling next week! It's only preschool, I realize, but I'm determined to progress in leaps and bounds with him this year! This week is all about organizing supplies for September's lessons.

I am creating... way too many things at once. I've decided I need to focus on one room at a time. This week it's the downstairs bathroom. My dad installed the new countertop and the painting in complete. Now I need to clean up the old medicine cabinet that my grandparents had in there originally, install it and the sconce lights, and scrub and polyurethane the cabinet fronts. It may be more than I can manage in one week!

I am praying... A prayer of thanks for a smooth weekend. With hubby at a conference, it was just the kids and I until yesterday. I survived the normal mothering and housekeeping, a play date for my 9-year-old (complete with a run-in with seed ticks to be dealt with), and dinner at Pizza Hut alone with the 4 kids. Thank you, Lord for the extra energy I had left to edit pictures post-bedtime!

Around the house... 3 loads of laundry through already today, 2 rounds of toy pick-up, 1 sink full of dishes, 1 swept kitchen floor. Still to do- 3 more loads, mopping the kitchen, and cleaning the bathrooms.

One of my favorite things... clear and clean countertops

A few plans for the rest of the week... A play date to make scarecrows, 2 more sessions to edit, lots of errands to run!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

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Appreciation

I was researching for an upcoming maternity session this afternoon and ran across THIS PAGE.

As a military spouse myself, these pictures tore at my heart. I cannot imagine raising my children without their daddy, but never sharing a day of parenting with my husband would be excruciating. I'm thankful for every day that I have my husband beside me. I appreciate each wrestling match he shares with Little Mister, each "Daddy!" that comes from Little Miss' lips when he comes home, and every request from Big Sister to call Daddy (our go-to science guy) with a science question that I don't know how to answer.

Seeds

My husband walked into the renovation after his military drill today. I hadn't had a chance to shower, had paint smeared across my jeans and white ribbed tank, and had been painting for eight hours. He was sitting in the floor catching up with Big Sister and said, "Isn't Mommy cute in her paint clothes?" She looked at me, then back at him with an eyebrow raised. She did NOT see the cute!

I hope that, someday, she remembers that conversation and waits for someone who thinks she's beautiful even when she's sweaty and covered in paint...

My Lucky Day

"You're a lucky woman," says Hubby tonight, serious as can be. "I got up this morning and went all day without a shower. I even have the same clothes on as yesterday!"

How many women are considered lucky to have a husband who has been sweating over a remodel all day, having not showered in 36 hours, and smelling like it??  

Yes, that's me.  My husband is obsessive about his morning shower. One morning when I was in the middle of pancakes and needed him to run to the store, he refused to go until he'd spent his 45 minutes in the bathroom.  Really?

Last night, the kids had gone to sleep at my parents' house before we got back from our day trip, and we crashed there as well.  He got up this morning and went straight to the new house to get some outside tasks completed before the predicted storm came through.  Apparently he never found time to wash the stink off!  

If only more days were like today... 

Spontaneity + Kids = Daddy's Home

On the spur of the moment, I packed up all three kids and headed to the airport to surprise Daddy at the gate.  I wasn't sure how smart it was to keep our welcome a secret.  I hoped his flight wouldn't be so early that he'd already be on his way back to the base when we arrived!  It'd been a long time since I'd done something spontaneous and sweet for him, so we took our chances.  Everything went so smoothly!  The flight arrived 20 minutes late but at the correct gate.  The kids and I watched hawaiian print shirts and leis passing by and finally saw him walking with a few other airmen.  My 8-year-old was the first to break away from me and tackle him.  His face was priceless- a mix of confusion and surprise, then recognition as our son ran up behind his sister, then simple happy relief to be home.  We traveled 4 hours for that moment, but making sure my husband knew he was missed has made for many more priceless moments in the last day that he's been home!    

I used to think that my children hindered my ability to be romantic and sweet with my husband, and in some ways they do.  But I'm learning that they only require me to be more creative in my efforts, and that a moment with kids in tow can be just as sweet and intimate as one with just the two of us!

Company Meeting

My husband cracks me up.  He is, as I type, watching the new Star Trek trailer in preparation for his company meeting Friday.  Yep, that's right.  The company has booked the theatre, employees that arrive early get $15 cash for concessions, and after their meeting, they will watch the premiere of the flick.  Does that say enough for the techie-nerd environment that my hubby fits into?  I truly love his nerdiness! 

On the other hand, I am so very thankful that God placed him in a company he meshes with and one that makes the work environment fun and engaging.  He's always ready to come home to his family, but I rarely see him dreading the 2 hour commute to his job.  I'm a lucky girl.

Leap of Faith

When it comes to deciding to have babies, I am in awe of those parents who planned to have their first.  So far, my kids have all been happy accidents which comes mostly from trying to get natural family planning right! Now, we've successfully avoided pregnancy for over a year- Hooray!- and we're seriously looking at the option of one more child.  We're looking at timing because I've had two winter babies and was semi-miserable because of the weather, germs, and lack of sunny hours.  But more than that, I'm praying and trying to discern God's will in this.  I asked my husband last night, "If we could skip the baby stages and just have another 3 year old, how would you feel about another child in our family?"  It turns out, he and I are on the same page.  The only reservation we have about having another is the newborn stages.  I'm sure he remembers an irritable pregnant wife, hauling his butt upstairs in the middle of the night to stick a pacifier in a fussing mouth, and trying to figure out what the little squirmy bundle was screaming about.  I remember having to be available every 3 hours to nurse that little bundle causing mommy time to be put on hold until we introduced solid foods.  Oh, yes.  We remember!  We know all to well the cons of what we're considering.  We also know the rewards- the unconditional love that we get to share amongst our family, the enjoyment of watching our kids grow up to play together, the excitement of the holidays, and the comfort of knowing that we're creating a safety net for our children to rely on throughout their lives.  

The point to all this is that I have SUCH admiration for all you moms out that who were brave enough to decide to take the plunge into mommyhood!   I'm only now realizing what a commitment and leap of faith it is!

Mystery Solved

My son loves his Daddy, and he's always asking me where Daddy is, when he'll come home from work, and so on. This morning, the little guy got to find out what Daddy's work was all about. I really think that all kids should visit their daddies at work. My children see that Mommy is around all the time, and Daddy works very hard so that Mommy can stay home to take care of them. Daddy's life outside the house is a big mystery to the kids, and I think it's important for them to have a clear idea of where Daddy is when he's not with them.