Hiatus

Pneumonia. Car Wrecks. Exhaustion.

The 3 things that have kept me away from the blogging world.

Let’s just tackle these one-by-one, shall we?

Pneumonia.

Last week, our whole family ended up feeling sickly at the same time. No fun, of course, but we figured it was a temporary set-back. The problem? My hubby didn’t get better. In fact, he continued to get worse while the rest of us recovered. For those who don’t know him, here’s a little secret about my husband (who I adore): He doesn’t like to go to the doctor. Like, at all. Ever. Unless he’s on his death-bed. So, I knew it was bad when he finally consented to going to the doctor. (Another hint was his fever getting up over 104!)

The bottom line: He had pneumonia.

(Gotta throw in an education photo now and again, right?)

So after a couple more doctor visits, some antibiotics and an inhaler (along with many fever-reducing meds) my hubby is finally on the mend. But it’s a slow process, and it’s been a lesson is patience and trust for both of us. But I’d also like you to know that what the enemy meant for evil – God meant for good. As it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God used this difficult time in a big way for me and Josh – and brought us even closer as husband and wife. It’s been an awesome and humbling experience.

Car Wrecks.

Does it count as a wreck if you weren’t in your car? Either way, our car was more than a little scuffed last week. Right in the middle of our sickness situation (we’re talking the day Josh finally started thinking about going to the doc) our neighbor comes to the door and says, “I just hit your car.” Bad timing, to be sure, but I thought it couldn’t be THAT bad because she was just backing out of her driveway. Right? Wrong. Apparently she likes to get out of her driveway with gusto (or something) because she did quite the number to our driver-side doors.

Thankfully, she has insurance and it paid for all our repairs. The insurance company was good to work with, the repair shop was polite and efficient, and the rental car place was passable. It was an smooth as it could have been, really. But it was another thing on top of a thing, on top of something else, and it was all wearing us down very quickly.

Exhaustion.

With all of the sickness and car damage, it wasn’t a big surprise to find exhaustion waiting outside our door. Josh was so sick that it was difficult for him to sleep. And because he was up, I wanted to be up helping him as much as I could. But then of course, little boys don’t sleep in on a good day, much less when you desperately need them to. So we’ve been lacking in the ‘rest’ department, but we’re trying to remedy that. (though now Josh is coughing a lot, and that makes it tough for him to sleep, as well)

But, as I said before, God has used this whole situation to bring us closer to Himself and to each other. You hear all the time (and we know it to be true from past experience, as well) that you grow and learn more through the valley than you ever do on the mountain tops. (In fact, our pastor spoke on a similar topic not too long ago)

It’s in our struggles that we see our weakness, and His strength, most clearly. So… I praise the Lord for the trials.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’”

(Psalm 91:1-2)

And in the Other Corner…

…we have Austin. A 21-month-old who has seemingly no fear and will attempt death-defying feats without blinking an eye.

It’s funny just how incredibly different your kids can be. Zack has always had a certain sense of caution. Zack’s also been verbal since about 9 months old (seriously, he never stopped talking…I’m pretty sure he’s figured out some way to breathe and talk at the same time).

Austin on the other hand is much more laid back verbally than his brother. (We figure it’s probably because he doesn’t have room to get in a word, anyway.) And that sense of caution? I’m pretty sure Austin’s missing that gene. He’s a daredevil, for sure, and is probably going to give me a heart attack at some point. The boy had stitches before he turned a year old. (yes, really)
These days, Austin seems to have suddenly discovered his voice. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. He’s been “talking” to some degree for a long time, but just didn’t seem to have an interest in expanding his vocabulary. Now? I swear he says a new word every day. (and his baby book may as well be blank for how much I update it)

His other big interest now – Copying everything his big brother does. Sometimes, it’s adorable. Other times? Scary. And while I’m pretty sure he’d follow Zack wherever… it would only be if he were in the mood to do it. This boy has a mind of his own.
Zack’s biggest concern now? “When Austin talks more, he’ll be able to tell about the things I do!” Oh boy…

And in This Corner…

...we have Zack. Our first born. A 4 year old who is not afraid to say exactly what pops into his head at any moment.


On the right, you'll see I update a little section called "From the mouth of Zack" with some of his frequent one-liners. But sometimes, there are just some that are too long for that... and deserve a post all their own. Here are some of the latest.
A conversation between Zack and his mommy (after talking about where Mommy “works”):

Zack: “Playing is my work.”

Mommy: “Oh it is, huh?”

Zack: “Yes. And going on pbskids.org is my work on the computer. It’s like I’m doing big guy stuff, but really I’m just doing kid stuff.”

A conversation between Zack and his daddy:

Zack: "Why is there hair on your feet? There's no hair on my feet."
Daddy: "There will be."
Zack: "But I don't want hair on my feet! That's not exciting! I think I better wear socks."

And one of my current favorites…

Driving home from an outing, we passed a man on a riding mower, with no shirt on. This was Zack's reaction: "What is that guy doing on his tractor naked?! He took off all his clothes and now he's naked! I should not be seeing naked men! Oh no! I forgot to cover my eyes!"
(it should be noted that, yes, I did start laughing hysterical at Zack's rant, and he was mortified that I didn't see the urgency of this obviously horrific situation)

Fuzzy Math

Running 3 miles = Getting to eat a candy bar without (very much) guilt

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Washing pots & pans after a meal = Not having to wash pots & pans after meal for at least 3 days (especially when they stack quite nicely)

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Baby wipes = quickie bathtime

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Dogs = Living vacuum cleaners

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One piece of something 'bite-sized' = Zero calories

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Drinking diet pop = Getting to eat more

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Here's the deal. I'm thinking I need to "refresh" this little blog o' mine. Meaning perhaps a new "theme" and maybe a new look, to boot. Mostly, I think more structure is in order. I want this to be a blog that's not just my personal "dumping grounds", but also a blog that is helpful to others.

If you have ideas, feel free to share!

Blessings to you all :)

Just Say No

I used to see myself as the master multi-tasker. I could have three to four things going at once (if not more) and not even blink an eye. No big deal.


Now, that I’ve decided to do life sans-meds, things are a little different. Ok, a lot different. A WHOLE lot different.



These days, I can’t quite cut the mustard when it comes to multi-tasking. Again with the understatements… Fact is, I can’t multi-task worth anything lately. It’s been a bit of a blow to my ego.

I took pride in being able to multi-task. (I’d even been known to gloat about it – not that I should be gloating about anything). And now? Now, I feel like a massive failure when I can’t pull it off. But I’ve had to come face-to-face with the facts: I. Can’t. Multi-Task. Anymore. I can’t do it. (at least not right now) And if I’m being honest, I don’t like that I can’t do it.

When I try to do it anyway, I get overwhelmed, stressed (beyond what would be considered “normal”) and end up not really doing either or any of the tasks I was trying to do in the first place. It’s just a big, sad mess is what it is.

I know (in my head) that I need to do one task at a time, and focus on just that task. I know that. But I still can’t seem to quite DO that. Is that odd? I’m thinking it probably is. I just can’t seem to get past feeling like I COULD be getting more done if I would just TRY harder. But the harder I try, the worse it gets.

I also know that sometimes you just need to slow down. Take a break. Do essentially nothing. But (of course) I have a hard time doing that, too. I always have that nagging feeling that I’m “wasting” time and could be getting something done (of the many things that always seem to need to be done).

So, I’m having to re-wire my thinking on how to get things done around here. And being in the middle of that process is no fun. I should see it as a good thing – to learn to focus on one thing at a time, to slow down – but I’m not quite there yet. I’m trying, though. (even though I admit I started writing this blog while making dinner and feeding the dogs…)

And now I’m back on the wagon. Really. I promise. Except what if I need to get a seating chart made for the wagon and then find a driver of said wagon and…

(I’ll get back to you on how this wagon ride goes…)