First Day of School Jitters

Okay, so I'm not so jittery, but it dawned on me that my kids won't know that "first day of school" anticipation thing. I realized that I've been trained to have that little flutter of excitement about the first day of school, but they don't get it. Maybe I can make some traditions to help them look forward to it.

Today is that day. I'm going to be waking them up in just a few minutes, and my time will be over. I came to the realization this year that I am a full time teacher when we are in school. That was a shift for me. This year, instead of overseeing their education, I feel like I need to be in charge of it. This is a little backwards from what I thought it should be, but I realized we don't run like the smooth oiled machine I think we are (note a little sarcasm). I thought as they get older I would be more the overseer, but you can only do that if they've been trained to be responsible for it. That is definitely a goal this year. The older girls will have to learn to learn. I am the manager of this home, and I don't think I've been very active in that role.

I think I'm going to have to get up earlier too. Not surprising to me. I used to do that well, but have become lazy. Self discipline is hard for me too. Hmmm. Maybe a little mercy in that training is in order. It's hard to learn without a model.

I want to find order and organization and routine this year. Can that be mixed with fun and play and love? That will be my quest for balance this year. I see those homes that do that well, but I'm not sure how to do that.

Hopefully, this year (school year), I'll be able to keep up with this blog to help me document our progress and activity. It would be nice to be able to look back and it all be in one place. So here's to hopin' and first day jitters!

A Real Life Kids Say the Darndest Things!

I teach 4 year old choir at church, just in case some of you don't know. I had a good friend come on Wednesday night and her daughter was in my choir. Becca did great, and Thursday morning I woke up to this email:

"Just thought I would let you know that Becca had a blast tonight. She came out saying that she learned about cats and dogs and "how to eat fish without your teeth." Then she said that her teacher has "the most beautiful singing" and that you sang about Jesus and God and college. Thanks....I think - LOL :)"

Becca at a Birthday Party. It was the only pic I had quickly!

I'm really glad Becca had a good time, but man, I wish I had had as good of a time as she did! There are some kids you can put on the witness stand and some you just can't! LOL! I love you Becca!

A woman's job description

Now, I have to say, I am not trying to get out of any work, but this morning the thought came to me that I wonder what God's description of a wife/mother/woman's job would be. Would it be the same for all women? Would it vary for situation, or if sin had not entered, would we all be in the same situation?

Did God have a perfect plan that fit every woman's life, or was His plan as different as every woman and personality? Now-a-days, we definitely can't say that there is one way to do things. That would be too confining and judgemental. What is His top priority? That even seems different to and for every woman.

Now, this could get deep and personal real quick, but I'll be the first to admit that the reason these questions came to mind is because I was thinking of all that I need/want to accomplish today. I wondered did Sarah or Rachel or Lydia ever feel this way? Have we made our lives too detailed, or are we trying to do too much of the work ourselves? I mean, did they make beds? Certainly not like we do. How often did they wash their clothes? Not as often as we do. Their meals took an insane amount of time more than ours do. They had handmaidens and servants - most of them. Was that a perfectly, divine plan? Probably not. Now, before you go that route with me, I know that God ordains all, and anything that happens is under His control, so it could be said that yes, it was His plan, but what did He really hope or see for us? Of course if you really think about it, we wouldn't even have clothes to wash before the fall! LOL. Probably wouldn't need too much of a bed either.

This is just ramblings that I don't have exact answers to right now. They'll probably come to me in pieces and I usually have some "duh" moments (like the whole clothes thing), but I know God wants to me to do my best to keep this house running and that would include 2 loads of laundry!

Talk later...

Running on High

Well, July has come and almost gone like a freight train! There were times I thought it was going to hit me, but we've made it through! LOL. I made it home from EXPO with my wallet a lot lighter and sleep deprived, but it was a wonderful break and so much fun! I couldn't even tell you all the things we laughed at, but suffice it to say that I even wet my pants! I don't have a group pic of our trip, but Vicki does so you can check out her blog at sisterhoodofscrapbooking.blogspot.com. These are some of the few I have:

Can you believe all the STUFF?! This is mine and Gina's. I think this was after EXPO!

Brenda kept things rolling with her practical jokes. I hope you finally got some Excedrin for that "monster" headache, Brenda!!

I went straight from the Stamp and Scrap House to the church to decorate for VBS. Monday morning we hit the ground running and we did crafts for 200 kids every day that week. It was a great week. We were very concerned that we would not have enough craft projects each day, but as Beth Smythe said, "the Lord is blessing the craft department the way He did those 5 loaves and 2 fishes!" It's the truth too! The kids had fun, but boy were we tired.

It may have helped that I had 3 Uppercase Living shows that week! Business is booming, and I'm going to have to do some recruiting or start turning people away! I think my husband is starting to miss me, but he has been a great sport. I have 4 more this week! (2 down, 2 to go)

School has been at the "0" scale these past two weeks, but we will start full force the 1st of August. I'm looking forward to sitting down with some quiet time to map out a loose schedule. We've gotten a good start, and I'm looking forward to getting into the "meaty" stuff. I hope the kids are!

I'm planning on being much more regular in the upcoming weeks, so for the 2 people that may read this, stay tuned!! LOL.

Time Marches On

Whew! Time really flies whether you are having fun or not! LOL. Things have been busy here, and I think about posting, but that time thing just gets me. First! I got pictures of my closet. It is wonderful, and we are enjoying it so much! It is like our own little dressing room, and almost nothing is on the floor. It cleaned out our dresser of clothes, and we have room to spare!

To update: The baby birds have left the nest. What a fun experience to watch them grow. We didn't lose one, which was good. I was a little concerned about what would happen to the girls if we found one had fallen out of the nest. As a matter of fact, they even chased one around the front yard Saturday. It wasn't flying well, but it was working on it, and it mostly hopped and ran everywhere.

Yesterday I was an absentee mom, I believe. I had an Uppercase Living show closing and spent a good chunk of time on the phone. I am pondering how to set my schedule. It takes some time for me to commit to "life/lifestyle" changes because I don't want to start something and restart. I have issues on following through, so I balk at starting something new so I won't fail or change it 10 times before I get it right. Is that a pride issue? Something else to ponder.

I cannot believe today is July 1! Happy Birthday Laura! This month is crazy schedule wise for me. That may be another reason I am shy about "setting" a new schedule. I do get to go on a scrapbook retreat in the middle of the month!!! I am so excited, and I've been playing in my scrap stuff trying to organize and list what I have and want to get done. I took Graycen to the last one I attended, but this time I get to go by myself. It will be nice. I wonder, do all moms have the huge guilt trip I do for leaving my babies? I know some do. We talk about it, but some just don't seem to at all. I guess it is good for me. My guilt comes from them missing me though. Boy, does that sound conceited when I write it! LOL. I just want them to have a good time and be good for their daddy! Some of it comes from him being so "beat down" sounding when I talk to him while I'm gone. I guess I could take it as a compliment, but truly, it makes me feel guilty and a little resentful that he can't just enjoy some time with the kiddos. I know it is hard for him, though, because he is not used to having them on his own. I need to start praying now that it will be an enjoyed weekend by all.

Later in the month, I have a zillion Uppercase Living shows. I let them book any day because of the July promotion going on with the triple points. Surely they won't all hold, but it is going

to take some patience and finesse to get through the end of the month with my sanity! OH! And on July 19th my DSIL (Dear Sister in Law) and I are going to Intimacy! Woohoo! It is her birthday trip and DH gave me a nice gift certificate for Christmas that I still havent' used. It will be a good month, but I'm going to have to mind my manners.

That's enough ramblings for now. Hopefully, I will be more consistent and talk to you soon!