Baseball Crazy

We are officially baseball crazy here. What we lack in equipment we make up for in enthusiasm. Don't laugh. Currently we have one ball, one mitt, and one bat - one little league sized bat I might add. (E's mitt got lost somewhere in the move and I believe Jack got ahold of a ball or two thinking they were his chew-toys. We have never had a good bat and I have never owned a mitt of mine own.) Just means we get a little more exercise chasing that fabulous lonely ball across the field.
I decided if I was going to remain sane through the summer it meant getting out and doing things with the kids. Just a few blocks from the house there is a park that is big enough to hit the ball around. There are two fields, one (below) with little grass and the other (above) lush and green. We've been trying to spend some time everyday at the field playing ball and as the weather has been wonderfully cool, turns out we've been spending a lot of time at the field.
E's got a great arm on him. How did I not know this before now? Seriously, the kid can throw. Sis' face lights up everytime she gets a hit or makes a great throw. And I LOVE to hit the ball. I love to throw, catch, hit and run deep when one of the kids gets a piece of it. I love baseball. How did I forget this?

The $500 Accident

Funny how things can change in such a short time; how one can go from feeling so happy and so blessed to feelings of anger and frustration, irritation and contention. Pretty much I've figured out today it comes from a lack of gratitude on my part and losing the Spirit in some measure.

To preface things, I'll share our Saturday with you.  MICA had an open studio weekend where anyone could come into the studios of the students and look at their art and purchase it if they desired. I had prayed all week that Jon would be successful in this and that he would be able to sell a painting or two. He had also been working on these lovely notebooks/ journals (I'll post a pic when I get one) that I hoped would sell too. Well, Saturday came and to sum up, Jon was able to sell two paintings and a journal. What a fantastic success! (As students we are on a very small and sometimes non-existent budget. And regardless of Jon's efforts, he has not been able to secure summer employment which made selling some art even more important.) Another little bonus was still to come. As it is the end of the semester, the undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students clear out their spaces and there is treasure to be found. We went from floor to floor finding whatever there was that was worth keeping. The goods were random, some paints for the kids, materials for Jon, gift wrapping boxes but it was great fun. We finished the day feeling very blessed and happy with life.

Now onto the second act. Here's the story and I'll be brief. On Sunday, Jon spoke in sacrament mtg. (and did a great job BTW). We parked in the parking lot and went straight into the chapel. During the next meeting, SSchool, we discovered the key fob was missing. Not to worry. Jon hadn't been anywhere other than the chapel and the overflow, where SS is taught so we were certain we would find it quickly. As it turns out, things didn't go quite like we had hoped. After looking the building over we were unable to find it. Nothing we did turned up the key. The day finished with the car being left in the lot. On Monday little could be done as it was a holiday, so we spent our time figuring out what it would cost to replace the fob and it wasn't pretty. In addition to this little irritation, we were told about our friends' sadness with losing their baby. It wasn't a great day as these things go. 

Today... We decided to call a locksmith to open the car today. I was sure the key had to be in the car. Their was no other explanation as to how it could disappear so completely. $50 later, the car is opened, no key. The church building searched again, no key. Only choice - tow the car, $120 later, to the dealer and have a new key ordered, to the tune of roughly $350. All said, the paintings that sold Saturday made it possible to order the key and pay cash, but that's about it. So today I have been impossible. I have red puffy eyes from crying with frustration and my poor kids have been yelled at for basically nothing. After a chat with my sister and a nap, I felt much more centered. The thing that really put things in perspective was the blessing over our dinner that E gave. He thanked the Lord for all the goodness he has blessed us with, namely a home to keep us safe and food on our table. He went on to say thank you for clearing away any obstacles to our getting our key made. He thanked God for helping us to get the car open and for discovering the key not to be there and for us being able to get it towed and the order processed. All the things I had been cursing God for all day, he was giving thanks for. He opened my eyes and filled them with tears to a better perspective. So in the end, I am grateful, not for the key having been lost, but for a son who has a much greater understanding of how God works in our life and how blessed we truly are in our small adversities. I am happy to finish the day in a positive light with hope that things will work out in the end.  

Heartache

Today Jon and I got some tragic news. Some dear friends of ours were expecting their first child and this afternoon they called to tell us they had lost him. She was just a few weeks from her due date. My heart aches for them and their loss. I tried to explain in to Sis, but she didn't understand. She just kept asking when she would get to see the baby and what his name was. I felt so helpless at the news. 

After pondering it this evening I have found a measure of peace. Our friends have hope and will try again to have a child after some time has passed. I don't know why things like this happen, but I do know that the Lord is near in situations like these. I honestly don't know the faith of my friends but I hope they can feel the peace of the Lord through this sad time.

Favorite Friday... School's Finally Done and the Zoo

*Caution - This post may contain material that is not appropriate for those who have not had some version of 'The Birds & the Bees'  talk already. ;-)

We are done!! We are finally finished! I can hardly believe we made it a year together. Homeschooling has been such a challenge for me. I don't mean that in a negative way. Rather, I feel like I was really stretched out of my comfort zone and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. I feel so blessed to have spent so much time with my kids this year. And let me say what how grateful I am to see that both E and Sis are happy and have accomplished so much. We did our "end-of-year" testing this week and both kids did amazingly well. (To be honest, I was more than a little worried that I had failed to teach them enough or that they had not retained anything.) The two things I was most worried about ended up being just fine. Esther came through her L. Arts with a +95% average. Et got in the high 80's in science and 90's in Math. Why do I worry so much?!? Worrying is such a monumental waste of time and energy.

This has been such a great week. It has still had its share of bumps and stresses, but they are so small in comparison to all the goodness we've had. Our goals for the summer are simple. We want to have fun exploring and imagining and learn something in the process.  Moving on...

*Being Friday, today was zoo day. It was hot, hitting 90 by noon. It was crowded. It seems every school, daycare and youth group schedules their zoo trip for the last three weeks in May. No worries. It was still great. The animals don't to anything terribly exciting in this kind of heat, but there is still so much to see and learn. So the one exception to the animals not doing anything was at the Polar Bear Watch. LOL! 

All spring they have kept Magnet, the male, and Anoki, the female separated. We have spent so many Fridays watching Magnet moan and cry and pace and pace until he is frothing at the mouth and the ground is worn away because he could see and smell Anoki but he could not get to her. (She was on the other side of the enclosure, separated by a fence while she healed from a leg wound.) Today when we got there we discovered they had drained the tank, visible to the public, on one side and put the two back together. And finally Magnet got his girl. It was too funny. We were there for AWHILE and they looked pretty much the same the whole time. Sis had so many questions. I had to try so hard to keep a straight face. She was mortified. I wish I could have gotten a picture. E wasn't too interested in watching and the other kids around him were terrible. It was one of those times that I appreciated not having him hang around so many other 11-yr. old boys. We finally left because of the things they were saying and the language they were using. Anyway, it was interesting to say the least. 

I am certain the zoo keepers were thrilled with their behavior as they have been trying to breed Magnet with either of the females at the zoo. Magnet is the second most "eligible" bachelor in the country for his genes and Anoki the female is the most sought after female, so successful breeding with them would be amazing. (E tells me I have it backward, that Magnet is the top dog and Anoki is #2, but who knows. It really doesn't matter much.)

This was the highlight of E's day. Right off the trail near the elephant enclosure we spotted a Black Rat Snake. This just happens to be E's favorite snake in the reptiles area. It was nearly as long as E is tall and very nervous. All said, a great - albeit hot and crowded - day at the zoo.

The Window's of Heaven...

Today we were surprised with a great blessing. It was nothing we were looking for, but it was so welcome. Our neighbors (three single girls) are moving out this month. They have been unloading their apartment all week. Mostly they put stuff out in the alley and people come by and pick it up. (We live near MICA campus and therefore, many poor students.) Today they had a pile of stretcher bars and an easel sitting outside and I promptly called my sweetie to see if he was interested. When of course he was, I tracked down the girls and asked if everything was for the taking. Which, of course, it was. Score!! We hiked ten canvases worth of stretcher bars and a couple of stretched canvases up the back stairs. There were bags of goodies sitting out - which of course were all free too. I scored another yoga mat, hot pink towels for Sis, rubbermaid containers, dishes and bedding from IKEA, a 20" TV/DVD w/stand and more. The mom of one of the girls came out and asked if I was looking for any furniture and when I asked "like what?" she had me follow her inside. Apparently its cheaper for her to buy ALL new furniture in NY and leave everything behind because she wasn't taking anything with her. She gave us all the furniture that is pictured above plus another wardrobe, a huge bookcase, a lamp and the mattress for the bed. We already have the matching dresser for the one she gave us and the bookcase is the same type we bought at IKEA last year. Everything matches what we already have!! It couldn't have been more perfect if I had planned it myself. I don't know why God blesses us in the ways He does, but I am grateful for His goodness and His generosity.  Some of my favorite blessings are the ones I don't necessarily need, they are just a little (or a lot of) something that puts a smile on my face and lets me know God loves me and is aware of me and wants me to be happy. I couldn't ask for more than that.

Coming to UT

Hey, hey, hey! We are on the countdown to our UT trip. We arrive in SLC on the 30th of May, only 11 more days! Jon actually gets to come with us for a small part of the time. It's the first time we've flown as a family since Italy, almost two years ago. Its a shorter trip than before, so we don't have as much time to visit everyone individually, but we still want to see as many friends as possible. One of the things we're looking forward to the most, besides chillin' with the fam, is a BBQ we have planned. I FB'ed it already, but for those of you not on FB here are the details:  On the 31st, Sunday, we're going to be at my parents' house in Orem (478 East 400 North). All you need to do is bring something for yourself for the grill and something to share with everyone else. We are going to supply drinks and paper goods. My parents' yard is beautiful and there is much to do . Bring the fam. There are three treehouses and a trampoline to play on. Hope you can make it as we will not be in UT again until the holidays and we want very much to see you all. Spread the word!

Favorite Friday... Deals, deals, deals

(Phone pics don't always turn out as well as one would hope.)

I am all about the hunt lately. Money is tight and that makes it even more important for me to be on the lookout for a deal. I have been finding the best deals as of late. Coupons are the only way I grocery shop anymore. Its a pain in the neck sometimes and it tries my kids' patience as I go from store to store, but it is all worth it. My food storage is filling up again and I am staying within my budget. I love getting a receipt three feet long with my savings detailed at the bottom. I feel robbed when I don't have a savings of over 50% and I am usually shooting for much higher than that. In fact, I am all about the free thing. Yesterday I got 7 bottles of hot sauce and six jars of meat marinades for free. I paid .04 for 100 cal snack paks and actually made .18 back on deodorants. I am headed to Target today to get Bliss candy bars and Crystal Light on the free. Its the little things in life that bring me joy. Dark chocolate for free is definitely bliss.
Its not just about groceries either. We have been shopping thrift stores lately for summer items. I am currently on the hunt for used sports equipment. Craigslist has a lot of things for sale, but often the items are too far away to make it a great deal. When I go into a clothing store I find myself going to the clearance rack now. For summer, I love - LOVE- skirts. They are my absolute fav! I got a couple of summer skirts at a store I have never been to before (and won't frequent) but they were a great deal. Saturdays at the thrift store are the best. Everything in the store is 1/2 price. It takes a bit of hunting sometimes, but its worth the time. Books ending up being nearly free. We have added scads of Newberry's to our library this way. Books and chocolate are tops on my list for creating true joy.
Since writing the above, I made a trip to Shoppers for triple cpn weekend. (I have to do trips like this alone as they can be painfully tedious.) I spent $77 oop, but my savings were over $180. The cashier was fabulous and the fellow behind me actually called his wife to tell her about my transaction. He was awesome, cheering me on and being so patient. My receipt was hilariously long, over eight feet in length(see pic above). By the time I was finished, I had the guy behind me telling his wife they had to start using coupons and even the cashier was asking where to find the coupons I used. 
*I recognize that this post is embarrassingly mundane in nature. However, it's my life and my blog. ;-) I feel blessed to have had such great success in this aspect of my life. I'm doing all I can to stretch the small budget we have and I am so grateful it works as well as it does. 

They Teach Us

Last Sunday after church, I was talking to Sis about what she had learned in Primary. She mentioned that a boy in her class had not been coming for a long while now. (Like many kids in our area, his mother is a single mom and she has a heavy work schedule that often prevents her from coming on Sundays.) I suggested that she pray for this boy during the week that he might come next Sunday. All week long she remembered to include him in her prayers without any reminding from me. It was such a simple and sweet gesture. To be honest, I had forgotten about it this morning until we got to church and Sis recognized his mother in the chapel. She searched the room to find J and when her eyes fixed upon him, she was so happy. He had made it! He came to church. She turned to me with the brightest eyes. I whispered to her that her prayers had been answered. My heart was filled as I recognized the truth in that. God hears our prayers. We have such power within us to harness the forces of heaven for such miracles as these. 

As I entered VT reports later in the day, I felt impressed to write some things down as I saw them. There were sisters who were struggling financially, emotionally, or spiritually or who's work schedules, health or other circumstances were preventing them from attending. As I read their names, I knew that even if I could do nothing to relieve their immediate hardship, I could pray for them. That is something we all can do. 

Listening to my daughters' prayers all week reminded me of that. By exercising our faith and asking God for strength, wisdom, patience, relief or whatever we or others around us stand in need of, we all can lift each others burdens and help to make our lives and the lives of those we know better.

Crunch, crunch, crunch...

I finished the twohundredsitups challenge tonight. I was all too happy to finish that one up as I don't love crunches on the flat ol' floor. I would much rather be on my ball. I did the final test after I finished my round of pushups (which I had put off from yesterday) so I wasn't hoping for a single one passed 200 but I had the right tunes going and I just kept on crunching. I am happy to say I did 275 total! Yippee! I am going to keep at my routine on the ball which I find to be more effective and challenging anyway.

The pushups thing is killing me. I know I keep saying this, but it is entirely true. I have got to add more intense weight training to my arms on my days off if I am going to get any stronger. I have to say, I am able to crank out the number on each set but just barely and with shaking arms. Still, I am making progress. Tonights' set called for 113 total pushups and did exactly that. Some days, I do more than the required, but lately I am doing just what it says and then setting myself down gently so as not to collapse on my face. On the bright side, I still have two weeks to go and even then I have given myself a deadline of Friday May 29th (the day before we come to UT) as my true final. I want to be able to do more than the 100 at my final test. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to do a pullup at that point. Night all!

Days Like Today...

It's days like today that I am grateful for my life, my routine or lack thereof, my situation, etc. 

7:30 - This morning I woke up to my alarm playing For Good from Wicked. Mingled with that was the sound of the rain coming through my open bedroom window. It was glorious. I laid there for almost an hour listening to both and feeling perfectly content with my sweetheart sleeping beside me. Those random moments in the morning are when I feel most centered. I can talk with my Maker and gain strength for the day. My mind swims between conscious and unconscious thought. Often Esther will crawl into bed with me and we'll talk about our dreams and just be silly. And I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the love affair I have with my sheets...

8:30 - After stepping out of my warm covers into the cool room, I feel ready to tackle the day. I realize the kind of life I have now will not always be, but I love that Jon doesn't have to race off every morning. Some days, like this morning, he didn't have to be on campus until after lunch. To be able to spend time all together in the morning is rare and precious. We can read our scriptures as a family and eat breakfast together.

9:00 - After doing sit-ups and push-ups (getting stronger every time) I showered and actually did my hair - guaranteeing two good hair days. School day begins for the kids. Jon works on projects for school. 

12:00 - We went to a thrift store down the road and found some great deals. I got a denim jacket for three bucks! The kids added more than a dozen books to their library. Two shirts and two pair of jeans for Jon bringing the total to $15! I love 1/2 price days.

1:00 - Next, Jon to school and then home for lunch. A promised trip to the library was preceded by a wonderful email from an old friend. With only a hour on the meter, we raced through the library picking up our reserved books and did a spot of VT to a great lady who, as luck would have it, lives across the street from the library. 

4:00 - Home again, dishwasher loaded, W/D both going, finishing up schoolwork with the kids, I sit down to do agendas for pres. mtg, plan out tomorrow's shopping trip and write this post.

The rest of the day will go something like this:

5:30 - Make dinner. Feed the kids; kids feed the pets. Walk the dog. Then tidy up the house.

6:45 - Pres. mtg and Scouts for E.

8:45 - Mtgs. finished, home again. Kids bedtime routine and in bed by 9:00.

9:00-10:30 - My time! Jon is at school until late most nights which leaves me a spot of time at night to unwind, plan school for the next day, watch a movie, read one of the many books I am trying to finish, or chat with a friend. I love this time of day. It is my time.  

10:30 - Jon is home. We are all safe and sound under the same roof. We talk, watch Seinfeld, eat the goodies the kids never know exist, fool-around :). What?! Just being together is the best way to finish my day. Some days I am so tired I fall into bed. Others nights I putter through my night-time ritual (as Jon calls it) and read in bed until I can't keep my eyes open. 

This is my life. It is a full, sometimes crazy life. Today my perspective is good. I feel blessed for the things I get to do each day. I feel blessed to be able to spend so much time with my kids. I complain sometimes about this life of mine, but I love it. I love that it is mine. (Remind me of that the next time you hear me complain about it).

Finding Balance

I am happy to be alive. I am happy to be where I am in my life. My family is my greatest blessing. As you might guess, they are often my greatest source of stress as well. I am trying to be a better mom, wife, teacher, friend, example, sister, daughter, and really just a better me. I feel like I am falling flat on my face some days, but no matter that's just the way it is sometimes. I get to wake up every morning and give it another shot.

I think the thing that has been on my mind lately is finding balance and recognizing what I expect from myself and then determining if that is realistic. It usually isn't and that's why I am searching for that elusive balance I'm talking about. :) That's me though. I expect more out of myself than is usually possible and I think I do that to the people around me too. I need to take it easy on all of us. 

I had a couple of wonderful conversations with two dear friends yesterday. These are great women trying to do it all in life and still have time for themselves. They are women who love life and love being moms. Talking with them gave me strength to finish out a tough day. They helped me to see that I am doing a good job with my kids and that some things can wait. The greatest thing they did most for me was to help me feel normal; to know that feeling a tad bit crazy was okay. I & R, I love you both. You are great women - kindred spirits. 

I am really looking for things that have helped any of you to find a better balance in life. I love sharing ideas and hearing about things that have been successful for others. So please share with the rest of us crazies out there. What do you do that keeps you a little crazy but not yet certifiable?

Not Earthy, but Inspiring all the Same

A friend posted this on FB and I stole it to share on my profile too. I wanted to get it out there to people who aren't on FB, namely my sis L in OH. I thought of her immediately. I think its beautiful and I love the passion and excitement the musicians exude while they are playing. Take a look... Makes me smile everytime!

Earth Week Kick-off

Saturday the 25th is Earth Day and we are getting involved this year. For our school week I decided to add a bunch of eco-conscious projects to the kids' routine. We are going to be sewing, crafting and recycling old into new. I'll be sure to post all week to show you our progress. There are a few I am really excited about.

I am loving that tomorrow is a rain-day - 100% forecast. My first hurdle of the day will be to get out of jammies before lunch. (I always struggle with that on days when I have no intention of leaving the house. I'll let you know how it goes.)

First Sunburn of the Season and Hopefully the Last

Oh what a beautiful morning!... Oh what a beautiful day! And it was has been exactly that.

It is currently 76 outside and I have been loving it. This morning as I was dressing to run, Sis decided she wanted to come along. How do I tell an excited little person she can't come? I don't. We went up to the reservoir to exercise. (The Druid Hill Reservoir is a favorite place for people to bike, run or walk around. They have stations around the reservoir with exercise equipment like rowing machines, ellipticals, leg presses, pull-up bars, sit-up inclines, and more - permanently installed there. It is on the edge of Druid Hill Park which has trails and baseball diamonds and playgrounds scattered throughout. The Baltimore Zoo is in the middle of the park as is the Rawlings Botanical Gardens and the Conservatory. It is one of my favorite places to run, in large part because it is safe and close to home.) Much to our surprise, Eco Fair 2009 was setting up for the day so we had a small change of plans. They had these beautiful beach cruisers that you could "borrow" if you left some collateral. Esther got on a smaller bike and I got a gorgeous little blue number to zoom around on. We were out for an hour zipping through the adjacent park and along the trails. I haven't been on a bike since we moved and I forgot how free I feel on a comfy two-wheeler. Sis was fabulous. She didn't complain a bit and wanted to "race" every minute possible. I was in a long-sleeve tee at the beginning but it got deliciously warm so I shed it for the tank underneath. No sunscreen. None. Not a drop. What can I say, I didn't intend to find a shiny beach cruiser with my name on it for an hour. To make a long story a bit longer, I got cooked. Or as Kramer would say it... "Put a fork in me. I'm done".