Double Duty

I have had the hardest time getting time to blog!  Summer is definitely to blame.  I also have a hard time justifying long amounts at the computer.  Most of my visits lately have been short stops to sit for a minute, catching up on any recent updates in the world (or Facebook) and then up again to do something that seems more pressing.

That is all compounded by the fact that I am now pulling double duty.  Chad has accepted a new job and doesn't always come home at night.  He has to drive over 2 hours to get to the office, so it's not only cheaper for him to stay with his parents (they live another 30 minutes away from where is he is working), but he can't survive that many early mornings and long hours on the road.

He started his job less than three weeks ago and we are still making the adjustments.  I was really feeling a little overwhelmed one afternoon and confided some tears to a friend.  That night I was reading in Ether 6 with the kids.  It's about the Jaredites in their barges, traveling for 344 days with their animals and provisions, separated from other friends and family and even bearing children.  Ha!  At least I am not stuck in my house with poopy animals and being tossed upon the waves.  I have a new outlook! :)

It's all been a warm up for this week because Chad's church calling as scoutmaster has taken him away for the entire week to scout camp.  He took Daniel.  So it has been quieter, but it's a lot of responsibility.

Meanwhile, we had a cow go down.  His legs just seemed to lose strength.  Since a week ago Saturday, he's only been on his feet a handful of times.  We don't even know what happened.  But it's been hot and today was at least 95 degrees.  The cow was failing and I finally had to call some friends for help.  The cow was shot between the eyes, loaded into a dump truck and hauled away.  Then I read scriptures with the kids and put them to bed.  Just a normal day for the family! 

As far as family health goes, Chad was reminded that he has high blood pressure.  He was told that there wasn't really anything he could do about it now because he isn't overweight.  Huh.  Is that all it takes?  Daniel has still been struggling with his jaw.  (Come to think of it, I'm not sure he took any medicine with him to camp.)  He has seen a physical therapist multiple times.  It helps.  Nathan has been diagnosed with spastic hamstrings and is often crying about his sore legs.  He's just supposed to keep stretching the hamstrings and taking ibuprofen for the inflammation.  He's taking medicine daily for the pain.

Leah is sleep walking regularly and is the most likely to have a nightmare.  I had my first experience with vertigo two days before Chad was supposed to start his new job.  On the 2nd day I was able to find help that was helpful.  The first P.A. I saw (it's so hard to see a real doctor these days) gave me a medicine that made me very, very tired and still didn't stop the room from spinning.  I was supposed to add Valium to that if it wasn't working.  Yeah, right!  How the heck was I going to care for my family on my own if I couldn't even function!?  The 3rd P.A. I saw was able to preform an Epley Maneuver.  It worked wonders on my vertigo.  That was 4 weeks ago today.  I still feel dizzy if I tilt my head the wrong way or spin around too quickly.   But I don't need any medication, so I'm happy.

As for my relationship with my family?  I rarely hear much from them.  I am still OK with that.  They don't know very much about what is happening my life or the lives of my children, but they don't seem bothered by that.  So they shouldn't be surprised when they eventually hear about some major change...long afterward.    Right?  I am more bothered by my local friends who didn't make attempts to contact me when I stopped initiating contacts with them.  That hurts more because they were the family I chose and they still decided I wasn't very important to them.  I think of the therapist who told me I am hyper sensitive.  How sensitive am I allowed to be before it's too much?  I don't know.  I'm not a brick, after all!

So, there's a really long excuse as to why I have not been blogging.  I have been preparing some pictures to get myself caught up.  Hopefully, I can get them posted before I forget the stories that go with them!

Chore Charts

It's finally happened...Joseph has been added to the chore chart. 

Sarah will be jealous, but it will be hard enough helping Joseph and the whole point of having the kids do it is so that I don't have to!  And of course, to teach them responsibility.  *wink*

I think Joseph must be advanced because we didn't add Rebekah to the job corps when she was 4.  Or maybe we just need him to be busy with something productive.  I have a feeling he'll be honored to see his name up there, regardless.  :)

You can see the old chart was getting a little worn out and beaten down.  When Daniel squirted it with cherry juice today, I took it as a sign.  Let the fun begin!

Flower Trough

We finally put this old water trough to good use (we've also used it to drown skunks in).  The house looks a little cheerier.  Now if I could just get the kids to keep those curtain sheers looking nice...we'd be respectable!

Un-Mechanic

Nathan has been learning today.  Better his cars than mine!

Wait For Me

I'm feeling a little philosophical today.  Maybe it's because I am sitting in a quiet car, waiting for Daniel.

Anyway, I just witnessed a mother and 3 or 4 children walk into the high school, a boy about 4 trailing behind a few steps.  As his mother and sisters opened the door and started going in, he picked up his pace while repeating, "Wait for me.  Wait for me, Mom!"

The mother didn't look at all like she was going to leave him behind and I suspect he didn't really believe that she would either.  But it didn't stop him from pleading for her to wait.

I wondered how often my own kids feel like I'm not waiting for them.  (Sometimes I'm seriously tempted not to!) 

And I thought of the times I've felt the same way.  Sometimes the world around us and even those who love us seem unable to slow down and wait for us.  At times like these we find our steps quicken in an effort to not be left behind.

Slow down world!  We are all headed for the same place.  Let's go together.  And maybe we can hold onto those little ones to keep them from getting too distracted and noticing too late that they've fallen behind.

The End.  ;) 

Work

Here is what faces me today.  Housework.  Blech.  I think I should move to a cleaner house.

I can do it by myself!

Sarah thinks she can wash her hair by herself.  Her exact words were, "I can do it.  I don't need help.  I can do this by myself."

Of course, she never got the front part of her hair wet and never used shampoo.  So when she asked me if she looked clean, I had to say no.

But she remained certain she'd done the job to completion.  :)

All of this followed the show of slapping soaking wet undies on the bathroom floor because she got in before remembering to take them off!