thursday thoughts.

i'm afraid summer and moving is taking all my time and this poor blog is getting put on the back burner.
today, i'm just going to jot down some of my thoughts-- i only have a few minutes while my kids are finishing up their dish jobs and then we are heading to the library.

1- We are moving and I have a little bit of regret.  I regret not being more open.  I regret not inviting people over more often.  I regret not doing more play dates.  I'd  give myself a 7 out of 10 for friendshipping.  This week TWICE I invited over friends of mine even when my house wasn't perfect and I didn't have a special "company" meal.  I love the good people that surround me.  I am going to do better at being more humble and inviting.  If I wait until I can "entertain", I don't reach out enough.  I still love planning fun, fancy get togethers.  But, I need to do more casual entertaining.  More hanging out.  There is nothing more rewarding than relationships.  I really want to get better at this.

2- Sometimes I'm Switzerland.  I become a very neutral entity in our home.  I'm married to Russia.  He has no problem taking charge and going forward, especially when I'm neutral.  My world doesn't function as well when I'm not an active leader.  I get resentful when I have no control over family life and then I have an afternoon where I'm Hitler.  That's why I've trained myself to go neutral.  This is especially hard on weekends, days when the professor is not working and vacation times.  But, this summer we are changing things.  I'm really trying to figure out a way to maintain our family routine and structure even when life is not structured.  I'll let you know how that goes.  (I'm not sure this makes any sense to anybody... but such it is.)

3- I really, really love having my kids home this summer.  My life is actually easier with them here.  I'm afraid they are growing up.

4- Family devotional in the morning is the BEST thing we do in our family.  When we have morning devotional we are all on the same page all day long...  Our morning devotionals are kind of long... we read a chapter of scripture (2 verses each out loud) and we discuss as we read.  We sing 50 Nifty United States.  We sing an opening and closing hymn, so my kids can practice playing them on the piano.  (I told the kids I'd pay them $5 for each hymn from they hymn book they could play on the piano while we are singing.)  We talk about the order for our day.  Their regular jobs and the extra jobs we need to do before we can play.  I take time to teach things that I think they need to learn.  (Like how to brush their teeth, or why they need to clean up after themselves in the kitchen, or how we can be more kind to each other, or how to pack a box.)
I love morning devotional!

5- In the summer I buy lots of SNACKS and Popsicles.  Things like Smores Ritz Bitz, Teddy Grahms, Peanut Butter crackers, Capri Suns, etc.  When I have those things in my pantry it is easy to grab something and head to the park or the pool.  I am ALWAYS grateful that I have a quick snack as we are heading out the the door.  Popsicles are also the BEST when it's hot and the kids are playing outside.  I often feed the whole neighborhood Popsicles-- and I love that I have a freezer stocked.  My kids know that I will almost always say yes to a Popsicle as long as they eat it outside and gather all the trash. 

6- I LOVE packing my house.  I'm doing small sections at a time, and I love it.  I sort as I pack and almost always have 1/3 packed, 1/3 trash and 1/3 goodwill.  The hard part is finding chunks of time-- but the actual sorting and packing is very rewarding.  I have 2 boxes so far (one from the craft room and one from the boys room) that are full of random stuff.  And, I hate that.  I lay in bed at night thinking of a strategy to deal with these boxes.  1-I might open and sort them sometime before we more.  Or, 2- I might label them with a big yellow sticker to be sure I remember to sort them while I unload them.  I guess I'm finally admitting to myself that I'm super organized and most of my frustration over the years has been caused by my perfectionist expectations.  I really like things super organized. 

7- Because I have been super organized during other summers, my kids really expect that.  They keep saying things like, "Mom, can you do a chart to show us what we're going to do fun this week?"  And today, when we are heading to the library, they came up with a list of books they want to check out.  They keep saying things like, "Remember those clay sculptures we made?" or "I"m going to get one fiction and one non-fiction."  It's really fun hearing myself come out of their mouths.  Once again, I think this is a testimony to effort.  You really don't have to be perfect in teaching your children-- but they do remember the things you TRY to teach them. 

8- Please pray that our house will sell.  We need all the prayers we can get!

9- My pediatrician told me to stop drinking milk.  She thought eve's colic could be due to a sensitivity to milk protein.  She said it takes 3 weeks for the milk to get out of your system.  It is 3 weeks later and I can tell you, my baby is a different child.  She is happy and smiley.  She sits in her swing for 20 minute increments and she is sleeping some in her bassinet.  She is still an opinionated, expressive baby who loves to be held.  But, she's not SAD all the time.  I am so grateful.  And, I was really nervous about this summer with this baby.  But, she does so much better when we are running around with lots of kids to give her attention.  For sure this kid was born to be the youngest of seven.  She is happier at the pool and park than she is at home with me rocking her in a quiet house.  Thank goodness!

10-  Did I tell you that my husband is DONE with his dissertation?  Yup.  He finished writing and just needs to do his actual defense on June 8th.  I can't believe it, I am so excited!!!!  He has worked so hard!!  For sure I am the pioneer woman who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and then pushed her handcart over a cliff saying "I never want to see the damn thing again."  But, don't tell my husband.  I'm sure I will tolerate having a published copy sitting on my bookshelf.  The professor keeps telling me that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm old and cynical enough to think that life changes, but NEVER gets easier.  We'll see what the future holds...

And now, I'm on my way to the library and grocery store... 
Hope your summer is great!!