Tolerating...managing...choking it down...

These are not the words a mom likes to hear in reference to the dinner she has so lovingly prepared for her family. But they are the only words to describe our dinner last night. I had some sea scallops I had picked up at the Albertson's closing. I sauted them in butter and olive oil, added lemon juice, and when it was cooked, I removed the scallops. Then I added cornstarch to thicken into a sauce and poured it over the scallops.

Let me just say...don't!

These were the nastiest things I had cooked in, maybe forever. We all choked down at least one and filled up on the pasta and vegetables I had made as a side dish. Then we had ice cream as a reward for choking them down. I ceremoniously dumped the remainder in the trash. They weren't even worth trying to salvage and recycle into something better. Even the frugal mom deep inside me had no problem with this action. I even had to take the trash out right away since it filled the kitchen with noxious sea fumes.

The whole family had lots of giggles about this and we parents reminisced about unforgettable yucky meals of our childhood. J shared the liver loaf his mom had made. My own mother made a casserole once out of ground beef, tomato sauce, cottage cheese, and APPLESAUCE. Doesn't that just make your mouth water?

Did it hurt my feelings that this meal was such a flop? No, not at all. THere are lots of meals the kids don't especially like but this was a unanimous Y-U-C-K. I did redeem myself tonight when I served chicken taco salad with extra chips and dressing :) filed in cooking

Job and Jairus

How often have you sat in church and wondered if the pastor was a fly on your wall all week because the sermon spoke directly to you? I had that experience this morning. The scripture being preached on was the story of Jesus and Jairus's daughter. The message was to rely on God during this time, keep the faith. It was pointed out that Jesus' first words to Jairus were "do not be afraid". God knows that our first reaction to a crisis is fear. What if...? Even when the news came that his daughter was dead, Jairus believed that Jesus could help him.

So, the takeaway lesson for me was two-fold; first-don't let fear run away with you. and second- in the words of a favorite old hymn "Trust and Obey"-for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.

A Sewing Project

This week in sewing, the girls completed a really fun and very easy project. They were making aprons out of dish towels. As you can see, they are very proud of their new aprons. All you need is a new towel and some extra wide double fold bias tape. Cut off the top hem or fringe. Cut out two curved sections for the arm holes. Apply bias tape across the top edge. Use the rest of the tape to make the neck and ties, encasing the cut curved edges in the process. The length of tape in the neck part is 20". This was a bit long for R and she tied a knot in hers until she grows some. I was surprised that this even fit B who is big enough for adult sizes. We may be making some of these up for Christmas gifts and birthday party gifts. I can just see them with some cookie cutters and a small rolling pin in a mixing bowl.

Pantry stash reduction

Remember when I defrosted the freezer and I said I needed to work on the pantry next? Oh, dear, I'm going the wrong direction. Our local Albertson's is closing ten area stores, two of which are right near us. I have been in there numerous times over the last month as they liquidate. This weekend is the last one and the discounts are steep. Non-food items are 70-80% off, food is 50% off. Now I have a truly overflowing pantry and bags of canned and boxed goods all over the kitchen floor. I am so BAD! I should be able to feed and snack these guys for a year on what I have bought in the past month. Cookies, vegetable, pasta, cereal, juices...you name it, it's in my pantry. Oh, and I promptly refilled the freezer with ice cream, egg rolls, and bread dough. Most of the meat was gone :( The only things I should have to buy are milk and fresh produce. I just have to plan meals around what is already all over the place. I'll start with the bag on the utility room floor. Looks like we're having pasta with peas for dinner :)

Disney MGM Studios

This was our second day in Disney. I had been amazed to learn on Day 1 that H really loved the scary rides. Now, granted, by amusement park standards, Disney rides are tame, but even so, she wanted to do everything. I had studied my guidebooks and knew that if you wanted to ride the big rides, you needed a plan. You need to do it first thing when the park opens. And there are also things called fastpasses which allow you to get a ticket now with a return time that allows you to go right onto the ride with very little waiting. So as soon as the gates opened, we walked to the back of MGM where H and J rode the Rockin' Roller Coaster. The younger two and I went to get fastpasses for the Tower of Terror (for H and J) and then explored some of the shops, finding a penny machine and little wallet/books to keep all of their pennies in. Then we headed over to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Overall, this was the least interesting park for the children. They had lots of shows, but not too many rides or other interactive attractions. One interesting part for the children was a oversize set like that in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" where they could run amongst GIANT grasses, insects, and cheerios. We were ready to leave by about 2 but then we decided to just see how long the wait would be for the Beauty and the Beast show, a live performance. We got lucky and it was time to start seating for the 2:45 show. I am so glad we stayed since I think that was the highlight for all of us. There happened to be a deaf man in front of us and so they had interpreters available to him. They were so expressive and their work was just beautiful. I know I enjoyed watching them as much as the performers on stage.

Family Reunion-on a small scale

Wednesday night of our trip, we got to see some family, which was a real treat. This is my mother's brother. My uncle has lived in Orlando all of my life so I remember trips as a child to see them and go to Disney. The last time we went was 25 years ago but I have vivid memories of those times. This night, he and my cousin came over and took us to Downtown Disney, which I think is mostly shops and restaurants. We didn't see much of it but had a wonderful conversation at the side of a pretty lake. It had been over 2 years since I had seen my uncle and hadn't seen my cousin since my wedding 16 years ago. She has grown into a beautiful young woman. That's her on the far right with R in her lap. The girls latched onto her right away as a young, hip, fun lady. She bought the kids all ice cream, which further elevated her in their estimation. She is dating a very nice man who came with them; I thought he was pretty brave to come along to meet this crew.

Just for fun, I thought I'd show you a picture from our last trip in 1982. This is me with my brother and sister (we're the blondes on the edges) and our cousins in the center. These are from my uncle's collection. And even for more fun, at least for me, the last is a picture of my grandmother with her two small children. The boy is the same one you see in the pic at the top of the page! And the baby is my mother. I just explored at his photo album, so you're likely to be seeing more of these treasures in the future.

Deep in Thought Today...

I am taking a break from processing the 150 remaining pictures because my heart just isn't in it. We are dealing with some health issues here and I am a bit distracted and worried. I have never been given to anxiety and panic but I am finding my heart racing several times a day. So I turned this morning to Jeremiah 29:11, my favorite comfort verse. It was spoken by Jeremiah to the Israelites who were in exile to Babylon. This was a horrible time in their history but Jeremiah tried to reassure them that it would all be okay in the end. Here is that verse along with the next couple of verses:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.

It was the next two verses that really spoke to me this morning. It tells us that we will call upon God, come and pray to him. It also tells us that God will listen to us. It's not that I ever doubted that He would, but being told again is reassuring. I need to call upon Him for comfort, for strength, and for reassurance. Whatever will happen is in His hands. He is bigger than anything that could be happening to us. In the beginning of any health crisis, there is that time of uncertainty where our mind wanders to the worst possible scenario. I need to ask God to stop my mind, keep me in the here and now. I need to take those thoughts captive and just release the whole situation to Him. Only then can I find true peace, come what may.

Epcot

Thursday was the day scheduled for Epcot. This was our third day in Disney and day 6 of the trip. The kids were suffering from severe lack of sleep and too much excitement so we decided to let them sleep in and go in late. They slept until almost 10, unheard of at home. We also chose that day to come back to the room to eat and rest. J had left his cell phone charging and my camera batteries were dead. We had pizza left from the night before so we had a free lunch if we just went back to the hotel.

I wish we had not shorted the day at Epcot in this way. I could have spent much more time in the World Showcase at the back of the park. As it was, we got to explore Mexico and Norway in the morning while J and H rode the TestTrack and then we ate in China and raced to France in the evening while we had the older two with us. For most of the tour, they stayed in their own groups with other teens since we knew they didn't want to do the same things the younger children did but I wanted us to have at least one evening together as a family. So this was the night. The picture you see is the only one we have of the whole family together but it is a lovely one, don't you think? That is the entrance to China with the gorgeous sunset in the background.

The Illuminations light and fireworks show was the best I had seen. I am so glad we stayed for it. I loved Epcot and would definitely do it again if given half a chance.

Pensacola, FL

After Disney, we left Orlando and drove to Pensacola to stay the night. We were supposed to do a concert but that fell through. The choir did sing at a nursing home and then we stayed on a gym floor at a church. I can tell I'm getting older by how stiff I was in the morning. The host church was huge, apparently 13,000 members. They have an onsite fitness center, even. We looked at their sanctuary and it is very nice but far too contemporary for me. On the first Sunday morning of the tour, we sang in Shreveport in a downtown church. It was beautiful with all of its stained glass, huge pipe organ, and balcony. That's my kind of church.

New Orleans

I am posting the trip in reverse because of how they show up on
Blogger. I want it to read in order when I am all done so I will start
with our last night which was spent in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Although the FQ was left with not too much damage from Katrina, it is a more
dangerous place to be and we explored until dark and then headed back to our
hotel room. Due to the increased crime, many of the spots close very early
(around 5-6) so we didn't get to see a few things we otherwise would have liked
to see. We did see many lovely homes and gardens.

We explored an art
gallery and watched the calliope play on the top of a paddleboat while a wedding
was happening inside the boat. We found a tiny restaurant where we enjoyed
po'boys, gumbo, and red beans and rice. We finished the evening off with
beignets at Cafe Du Monde before running through the French Quarter in the rain
to get to our hotel, which was at the edge of the FQ. One more thing...during the Disney part of our trip, the childrne started collecting those pressed pennies. They are cheap, small, and everywhere so they make nice souvenirs. I got them little books made to hold them and htye can use those books for years. We got lucky and found a penny machine in the Cafe Du Monde. Even better, we had found three pennies on the streets of the French Quarter, so those are the ones we pressed. I love it. The only thing that would have been better is finding a quarter in the Fench Quarter!

Home Again, Home Again...Jiggety-Jig

We got in late last night after a grueling bus ride and a final homecoming concert. I spent today running around to the grocery, post office, library, and the mall to get two pairs of teen glasses fixed. We started on the laundry and hope to finish sometime this century. I calculated we wore at least 63 outfits on this trip. And we got rained on twice so some of it came home wet.

All in all, it was a good trip and we made lots of memories. Over the next few days I hope to get the pictures organized and post some of them. I took over 180 pictures. I wanted the younger children to have visible reminders of all they did and saw. Hopefully, the many pictures will trigger those memories.
A few highlights for those too impatient to wait:
--kids passing out every time we had a concert. Part dehydration, part heat, part power of suggestion.
--getting to meet one of my friends from the Titus Two mom's board
--three very expensive but fabulous days in the Magical World of Disney, including Epcot and MGM in addition to the Magic Kingdom.
--a visit with my Uncle R ( hi! R) and my cousin and her boyfriend in Downtown Disney
--a night spent on a hard gym floor in Pensacola, Florida.
--a night in the French Quarter in New Orleans
--more fast food than I usually eat in a year
---more pizza than I eat in a two month period
--enough waiting in lines to last lifetime
--coming home to my nice cozy bed in my not HUMID house

So that's it in a nutshell. I'll see you tomorrow with details and pics.

Harmony in our Home

As I am finishing up my business this morning before heading to the park for our homeschool play group (I'll be having playgroup until I'm at least 50), I am listening to my oldest two kids singing "Praise His Holy Name" in teen harmony in the kitchen. B sings soprano and dsB sings tenor. You would never know these two were just fighting 30 minutes ago about having to do chores together. Nor would you know that dsB sang the title role (a child soprano part) in the opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" just 18 months ago. His voice is richer and lower now and they sound pretty good together.

Snips and Snails and Puppydog Tails...

I remember when I was expecting my first baby, I was scared to death that it might be a boy! I knew all about girls but I didn't have the first clue what I would do with a boy. I love baby boys, and then cute little 3 year old boys. But an 8 year old boy is enough to put fear and trepidation in my heart. And heaven forbid I should have to figure out how to parent a TEEN boy. Well, that time has come and I find myself very thoughtful about just how to parent this teen full of testosterone living in my home. This is the child who gave me fits about the "truth" when he was 4. He could refuse to swallow a bit of peas for 30 minutes. You try to keep a bite of sweet peas in your mouth for half an hour! At times he has been charming, defiant, helpful, lazy, and loud.

We are in a new season with him, one where I am much less an influence on him than his father. I believe this is how it should be. I am his primary teacher during the day but when J gets home, I really want him to spend as much time with him as possible. They do all the Scout activity together unless J is out of town. They worked together on staff at Kerrville. When J has a household project to work on, he tries to include dsB and teach him new skills.

This summer he has been teaching him how to care for the lawn and last night dsB mowed the back yard all alone for the first time. He was so proud of himself. J was out running last week when he saw a lawnmower at the street for trash pickup. He knocked on the door and asked the guy if he could take it and try to fix it. He ordered one small part and they fixed it last night together. This is a self-propelled one which will be much easier to use than our old one which was very hard to push (or so I hear...that's one thing I never even attempted to do in our marriage. I mowed the yard for my Dad as a teen for many years, allergies and all. I resolved to never try once I was married for fear I might get stuck with a new "expectation" I mean look what happened when I learned to use the gas grill!)

This morning while we had our sewing lesson, one of the brothers came over to hang out with dsB. These boys both love ballistics. Their favorite shared book is Backyard Ballistics. L came prepared with Pringles cans and they built tennis ball mortars. They came to me and wanted to shoot them in the front. This is an activity that involves lighter fluid and matches. Everything in me wanted to say, "absolutely not!" "What if you burn yourself?", "What if you put out someone's eye with a tennis ball?" "What if...?"

But I kept thinking about the responsible young man who just spent a week at camp in Colorado doing way more dangerous things. He has done this at least twice before with his father. He is well trained in fire safety from Boy Scouts. Boys his age throughout history were shooting real guns. I have to loosen those apron strings and this is a perfect opportunity for me to let him know that I trust him. So, I said yes. Just do it in the street. What kind of mother sends her kid out to play in the street?

After about 10 minutes of helping the girls sew, I decided to check on the action out front. The younger siblings had been lined up on the porch watching, well away from the action. As I opened the door, one of the little girls ran to it yelling"FIRE". Sure enough there was a tennis ball in flames out in the street. The boys were watching it. I had him get a bucket of water just in case but it burned itself out. I hear they finally got it to work, shooting the balls as far as 10 feet.

I want my son to know that I will always try to trust him, allowing him to grow into the man God intends him to be. As long as I see each step being handled in a Godly and responsible manner, I will keep taking baby steps towards releasing my control over him. That is the goal, right? Roots and Wings? I have worked for so long on giving my children the roots they will need in the world. Now we are finally getting to the wings part.

I was a lot more comfortable giving him water wings!!!

LaZy DaYs?

9AM Trip to the library, return all books due before return form DW

10AM Stop by Albertson's to check on progress of clearance sales (all non food items are 50% off)

11 AMSonic for ice cream cones earned in the library reading program.

12 AM Home for quick pickup and lunch.

1 PM Chess

3 PM home for one hour of rest

4:30 PM Headed to the pool, packing dinner so the guys can eat there before coming home to mow the lawn.

Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer???

A day in the life...

Okay, this is just too funny. This is how I'm feeling this week. Watch this video:

http://pollys-peak.blogspot.com/2006/07/life-in-large-family.html

So little done, so much to do.

I just typed up this quite lengthy post about how I'm trying to make progress with the house, school planning, and my business. Somehow, I lost the whole thing!!! Then I looked at the quote for the day and laughed out loud. So you'll just have to trust that I am busy and still have lots to do. The gist of that post was that I am learning that Done is better than Perfect. So, in my planning as well as my housekeeping, this summer the motto is "Done is Better than Perfect" if I had the time, I'd make a cute little sign on the computer and put it on my bathroom mirror. But that would be perfect. Done is washing the mirror.

Creating your Own First Aid Kit

I was at Target this morning buying a new duffle for H to use for Disney; hers is shot and the zipper is broken. We always stop in the $1 spot and sometimes I get lucky. Today was one of those days. The Dollar spot always follows a theme, usually seasonal. This time it was summer/vacation/camping. I found ponchos and glow sticks for DW, some travel games and activities for the bus rides, and lots of first aid stuff meant for camping. I keep a well stocked first aid kit in my car and I saw a few things that would enhance it. I thought I'd share how to build your own first aid kit. Whenever we travel, I keep it at the campsite, or take it in the hotel, etc.

I started by purchasing a medium-sized inexpensive tool box. I think I paid about $5 for this one and it is 12.5" long. It fits perfectly under my driver's seat in the van. The top has these two little compartments in which I store Advil samples (like from the Sunday paper) and alcohol wipes.
It has a removable top tray, where I can keep small flat things. Here you see the Q-tips for applying ointments, hydrocortisone cream for itching, triple antibiotic cream, burn cream, an Emergency blanket (reflective for warmth or sun protection-from Target $1), and a medicine spoon for the ibuprofen in the bottom layer.

Removing the black tray exposes the bottom layer. This is how it looks displayed but all of this tucks neatly under the black tray. Here you see an instant cold compress (the kind you pop and is disposable), ibuprofen (sometimes I use chewable, just happened to have this for now.) Bandaids-various sizes, Bactine wipes, an ace bandage, larger gauze pads in the bottom, and a red washcloth. Why the red washcloth, you ask? Well, if a child is bleeding, profusely, or even a little bit, I can clean it up and they are not scared by the blood on the red cloth. I keep two or three of these in my household first aid supplies too and cannot tell you how they save my sanity when a child comes in bleeding. One of the best parenting tips I ever read!

The little green box in the upper left corner is from this morning's finds at Target. They had little kits that were specific uses (burn, insects, splinters, skin care) I got all four and picked them apart. Then I recombined them and put one in here and one in my fanny pack for DW. So this one has tweezers, various single use creams, tiny bandaids, etc.

I can't tell you how many times I have used this kit whether we are camping for 16 days, running errands around town, or spending a morning at the park. I also keep sunscreen, bug repellant and trial sized baby powder in the van, but they are too big for my kit. The baby powder is for cleaning up a sandy child who has been playing at the park's volleyball area. The baby powder loosens the sand and you can brush it right off. This is a "MUST-HAVE" for when we go to the beach also. Filed in homekeeping

Preparing for Mickey

I'm starting to get pretty excited about going to Disney World. Last night we went to Goodwill because we had seen some fanny packs there with double water bottles (new, of course). They have a nice wide back strap and a small compartment for storing a disposable camera, autograph book, pen, money, snacks, etc. I bought 4 of them at $5 each. They are a bit large for the younger two so we need smaller ones for them. We also found two DW guidebooks in the travel book section for $3 each. This is such a one-time purchase, I hadn't wanted to buy one new but these are a great resource. I'm not sure of our intinerary since we are with the youth group and haven't gotten any details yet (frustrating for this "planner mom"). I think we'll have one day each at The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM Universal Studios.

So, I've read all the tips about scheduling your day to minimize the crowds in lines, keeping kids safe, and hitting the highlights. Hopefully, we can make some wonderful memories for all ages. You can bet you'll be hearing all about it.

From Chaos to Contentment

I've shared my struggles as a home-keeper before. I do fine with the homemaking; it's the homekeeping I have trouble with. The only surefire way to keep on top of the house is for me to invite people over on a very regular basis. Today was week two of our sewing lessons and I can safely say the downstairs (at least discounting the closets) is neat, tidy, clean, and decluttered. Weeded through dozens of old videos. ( I think it's safe to say Bear in the Big Blue House and Blues Clues can go now that W is 5 and much more into Hard Hat Harry) We moved a stereo cabinet and speakers out of the living room into our bedroom. I dusted everything, including pictures. I filed, sorted, and tossed lots of junk. I wish I could say that about the upstairs but ...all in good time. If we can just keep up the daily pickup, we'll be doing well.

On the school planning front, I spent about two hours yesterday and determined our starting date (August 14) and got the whole first semester of Geometry planned for B. I need to schedule math for all of the children so they can do independent work on Monday and Tuesday while I teach. That means for the little ones, no new concepts, and for the older ones, no tests. It worked out perfectly to schedule B's lessons one per day, two days for each chapter review, one day to test, and oen day at the end of each chapter for Algebra Review. That's one cool thing I discovered about this text. He keeps them reviewing their Algebra all through that Geometry year. It should ease the transition back to Algebra II next year.

So, the goal today is to finish the Geometry and start looking at the younger students' math. Swim lessons in the evening again... R was diving yesterday!

God's Fireworks

Wow! We had the best show last night. First let me say that yesterday was an almost perfect day all the way around. We started by sleeping late, then exercising. J ran and I walked with most of the kids. After that I made waffles for breakfast with the strawberry, blueberry, and whipped cream to make it patriotic. Delicious!

On a full tummy, J took the 3 younger children to the local pond to fish while I did my strength training routine and cleaned up around here a bit. I showered, checked email, and vacuumed. When the kids got home, they were famished but we were still stuffed from waffles so I just made them sandwiches. While they rested up for the evening, J and I watched the Patriot, with Mel Gibson. This has become our own July 4th tradition. That is a terrific movie and I cry during at least 4 parts of it every time we watch it.

Just as the movie was ending about 4:30, the sky opened up and we got 2.5" inches of rain over the next hour or two. The kids put on their swimsuits and played out in it for a very long time. Our back yard turns into a lake when it rains fast and furious. They splashed and poured and ran in the mud. That meant a shower for all of them and we were ready to go to our party. Our host had hired caterers and a live band so she was having a party whether anyone showed up or not. Luckily it was raining more here than at her house on the lake. We arrived at 7:30, enjoyed fajitas and the band. It did begin to sprinkle but she had enough patio to hide under for those who cared. Two jets did a flyover (don't know where they come from but they do this every year.) There was the most beautiful complete double rainbow for about 20 minutes. I mean you could see two distinct rainbows from end to end. I have never seen one so bright or so full for so long. It was astonishing. We stayed through the beautiful fireworks display on the lake and then as we drove home, God decided to add his fireworks to the picture. The lightning was as beautiful as the fireworks had been. Overall, I cannot imagine a better end to a more perfect day. It is now 9 AM and my kids are just heading out of their rooms. We are not generally late sleepers, but they were worn out...

This morning I'll make a blueberry pie I never got to yesterday and clean up the girls' room. We have chess in the afternoon and swimming lessons in the evening. The first lesson on Monday went very well. Only R (8) and W (5) are taking lessons. They are both "swimming" but need to learn strokes, etc. Neither of them has had lessons before. They jumped in and did whatever they were told and both had a great time. There were only 3 in each class. Almost private lessons. Not bad for a city pool price.

While I am waiting for the chess players this afternoon, I plan to take my curriculum and lesson planner for the new school year and get a start on that. I have been in denial most of the summer about having to plan for this and I am now realizing we have a very short time and I have a very LARGE amount of planning to do, both for my own 5 students, as well as my Science students (which is up to 66 as of today...my goal is 100, which is very doable since many , MANY parents wait until the last minute to make these arrangements). I guess I'll start planning from the top down with the older two children's math. B is supposed to start Geometry but we switched her Algebra curriculum last January so she needs to finish that up since it left her playing catchup. And dsB is on a plan to do the Algebra in 3 semesters since he is really only in 8th grade. Then I'll have him do Geometry in 3 semesters and he'll be ready to move on. He may not need the full 3 semesters but I'd rather he really understand these two before moving into the higher maths. And he gets easily frustrated when he has to work at math since it usually comes very easy to him. He tends to be a lazy learner. filed in homeschooling.

Not so Bad

Well, we got the freezer defrosted this evening and it wasn't so bad. We moved the food to the spare freezer, just filling it. I set the turkey and a frozen gallon of milk (surprise!) in the fridge to thaw. We pounded with a rubber mallet to loosen all the ice on the walls and scopped it up while it was solid. We even made homemade ice cream with the ice; Yum! We usually make it for the 4th, as I mentioned before, but we'll be at this party and might not have time. So we enjoyed it tonight and we'll still have some on the 4th too. We were watching the Prairie Home Companion special on PBS with the kids while doing all of this so it was a nice family evening. Now, I need to use up the meat I found in the freezer and start working on the pantry.

Tonight we used the electric freezer with the old fashioned dasher and outer compartment that you fill with ice and salt. It was a wedding gift and has served us well, but it's still a mess and more hassle than I would use daily or even weekly. Last summer at a garage sale I found one of those with the cartridge you freeze and then just plug it in. No salt or ice is needed. I need to find some smaller recipes to use with that one so we can have it more often. It's so easy; I just haven't thought to play with it much.

Project for the week

This week's project focus is getting the deep freeze emptied and defrosted. I hate doing this since I usually have a very full freezer and like the feeling of being fully stocked. But for the last month or so, I have not bought any new meat. I have been trying to eat up what is in there already. I know I have a huge turkey we will thaw and cook early in the week. Mostly it is all fruits and vegetables, with several choices of ice cream as well. I need to transfer the remaining frozen foods to the backup fridge in the garage. I only use it for times like this, or when we were preparing for camping, or when I am doing a major Once A Month Cooking session, etc. Once the freezer is empty it will take a day or two to completely thaw and clean. Then I can restock it. Our local Albertsons are closing 10 of their stores in early August so when we return from our Disney World trip, I plan to hit the two closest ones and see what I can stash/stock. My pantry is full to overflowing so that will be the next project. Pantry meals. I like the challenge.

Meal planning will be a simple affair this next two weeks since we have swim lessons from 6-7 PM every night. We usually go to the pool with our friends at 4 anyway but this will mean either packing dinner or using the crockpot. The kids will be famished when they walk in the door at 7. dsb is gone to camp all week and Tuesday is the 4th. We have an invitation to a party with a catered dinner so I won't have to cook that night. Our July 4th tradition includes waffles for breakfast and homemade ice cream, though and I'd better plan for that. Filed in homekeeping.

Cycles of a Marriage

Last night we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary by going out to a very nice dinner and then seeing the Prairie Home Companion movie. We are faithful listeners on Saturday nights so watching it was like a visit with old friends. Then we came home to a quiet house, where our children had prepared their own dinner and gotten themselves all tucked in for the night. We talked a bit quietly and then snuggled off to sleep.

It hasn't always been this way. I was reflecting on our marriage yesterday as I drove kids around. It has taken me many years to come to the realization that marriages and the "feelings" they invoke are cyclical in nature. We have great up times, where I can't imagine life being any better. Then there are those times where things are down and I can't imagine why I ever married this man! I'm sure he feels the same way. Fortunately, as the years go by, the ratio of up:down times is increasing.

So here's a break-neck trip through our marriage anniversary by anniversary. We were expecting our first child on our first anniversary. I choked down a delicious steak dinner, only to have it revisit me in the midst of morning sickness (such a misnomer if ever there was one)later that night. By our 3rd anniversary, we had two tiny children and lived 300 miles from family. On our 10th anniversary, I was expecting my 5th baby in 9 years. Those years didn't afford many opportunities for growth and nurturing of a marriage. Add to that the fact that once J got home in the evening, he only wanted to spend quiet time with the children and me all together, we had very few dates and no extended time to devote to each other. I was overwhelmed with motherhood, he struggled with unemployment some years. Life gets in the way.

But the commitment never wavered. That nasty "D" word was never spoken or even considered on my part and I'm pretty sure his as well. I learned first that sometimes my attitude was cyclical within the month and how I viewed my dear mate had very little to do with any behavior on his part. Then I had enough perspective to see that we have been through the toughest time of a young marriage. We worked on communication, expectations, division of labor, his needs for space and respect, my need for reassurance and affection. I grew up and matured, he mellowed. Our children are much less needy now and we can leave them for an evening without any hesitation. We average one or two dates per month now, compared to one or two per YEAR 5-10 years ago. We have long serious conversations about things like philosophy, society, politics, etc. We never could have done that without being interrupted by crying in the evening 10 yrs ago. We haven't yet taken a vacation without chilren but we are starting to think about it. This is a season. Some moms tell me it may be the best one. Next thing I know our children will begin leaving home one by one and we will be in yet another season. I look forward to that time of enjoying even more togetherness with J, but I am savoring this time. It is a precious reward for the hard work and perseverance we invested in the early years.

Happy Anniversary J! You still make my heart go pitter-patter when I look at you.