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Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
"God can touch the rainbow."
Okay. So here are the Dormer Family highlights since my last / first post- drum roll, please. . . (anyone else get a mental image of Clark W. Griswold and family standing in front of their house going Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr?)
1) Joshua (DS#3), now 3 months old, has begun to laugh. Not a full-on giggle quite yet, but it's adorable and heartwarming, nonetheless. I really have to pull out all the stops, making a total and complete idiot of myself to get him to give up the laugh. Daddy, on the other hand, simply has to look at Josh to set him off. At first, my mommyness was a bit jealous that Daddy has that effect when I have to work so hard for it. . . then I decided that he's not laughing "with" Daddy, he's laughing "at" him. At least that's what I tell myself. :)
2) My home has been (mostly) clean for a full week! This may not seem like much to you, but I think it's some sort of record for us, lol. With a 5 y.o., 3 y.o. and 3 m.o., it doesn't take long for things to spiral out of control. We somehow manage to be busy every-single-weekend, and are home just long enough to sleep and make giant messes that we have no time to clean up because we are rushing out the door to the next family event, grocery store, church service, etc. By Monday, I'm worn out from all the running around over the weekend and it takes until mid-week to get the house to reasonably clean state. All to start the cycle again the next weekend. Flylady.com has been a life-saver. The site was started by a woman who was tired of living with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome), and has cleaning tips, schedules, inspirational stories, support forums and sends motivational e-mails. I love her motto- "You are not behind. Just start where you are at." Perfect for those of us who's perfectionist all-or-nothing leaves us feeling overwhelmed and like failures. I'm working on the babysteps (What About Bob, anyone?), which are all about creating a routine that works for your family, and FLYing (finally loving yourself). My mom came over today, and I spent all of 5 minutes picking up. Normally, preping the area for a vist would take, I'm embarressed to say, 2-3 hours. Dishes, bathroom, decluttering, vacuuming, mopping. . . So, if you suffer from can't have anyone over syndrome, give Flylady a try. (insert cheesy, self deprecating smile and thumbs-up)
3) I had a chance, the first since Josh was born, to spend some special "alone time" with each of the older two. Being able to have conversations with each one without interuptions was nice. The sweet thing was how each of them wanted to bring something back for the other, and said they missed their brother and wanted to go home to see them. During our time out of the house, they each got measured for, and picked out, new shoes. Both happened to choose pairs that light up with each step, and I'm sure our neighbors love that they've spent a good part of the evening jumping and stomping around to make the lights flash. :) Payback for those 4 am 90's song sing-alongs while she gets ready for work, hehe.
4) As for something meaningful in all the mundane day-to-day. . . As we drove to my in-laws for a visit, we pointed out a huge rainbow to the boys. In all honesty, I was just hoping to get them to focus on something and cork it for a few seconds. Christian, in a matter of fact voice, informed us that, "We can't touch the rainbow. No one can touch a rainbow." After a few (rare) seconds of silence, Zachary chimed in, "But God can touch the rainbow." A simple statement, but profound evidence that they really do understand more than we realize.
Mark 10:15-16 (NIV)
15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Off to get the kiddos ready for bed. Don't forget to take time to find the meaning in your mundane day-to-day. :)
1) Joshua (DS#3), now 3 months old, has begun to laugh. Not a full-on giggle quite yet, but it's adorable and heartwarming, nonetheless. I really have to pull out all the stops, making a total and complete idiot of myself to get him to give up the laugh. Daddy, on the other hand, simply has to look at Josh to set him off. At first, my mommyness was a bit jealous that Daddy has that effect when I have to work so hard for it. . . then I decided that he's not laughing "with" Daddy, he's laughing "at" him. At least that's what I tell myself. :)
2) My home has been (mostly) clean for a full week! This may not seem like much to you, but I think it's some sort of record for us, lol. With a 5 y.o., 3 y.o. and 3 m.o., it doesn't take long for things to spiral out of control. We somehow manage to be busy every-single-weekend, and are home just long enough to sleep and make giant messes that we have no time to clean up because we are rushing out the door to the next family event, grocery store, church service, etc. By Monday, I'm worn out from all the running around over the weekend and it takes until mid-week to get the house to reasonably clean state. All to start the cycle again the next weekend. Flylady.com has been a life-saver. The site was started by a woman who was tired of living with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome), and has cleaning tips, schedules, inspirational stories, support forums and sends motivational e-mails. I love her motto- "You are not behind. Just start where you are at." Perfect for those of us who's perfectionist all-or-nothing leaves us feeling overwhelmed and like failures. I'm working on the babysteps (What About Bob, anyone?), which are all about creating a routine that works for your family, and FLYing (finally loving yourself). My mom came over today, and I spent all of 5 minutes picking up. Normally, preping the area for a vist would take, I'm embarressed to say, 2-3 hours. Dishes, bathroom, decluttering, vacuuming, mopping. . . So, if you suffer from can't have anyone over syndrome, give Flylady a try. (insert cheesy, self deprecating smile and thumbs-up)
3) I had a chance, the first since Josh was born, to spend some special "alone time" with each of the older two. Being able to have conversations with each one without interuptions was nice. The sweet thing was how each of them wanted to bring something back for the other, and said they missed their brother and wanted to go home to see them. During our time out of the house, they each got measured for, and picked out, new shoes. Both happened to choose pairs that light up with each step, and I'm sure our neighbors love that they've spent a good part of the evening jumping and stomping around to make the lights flash. :) Payback for those 4 am 90's song sing-alongs while she gets ready for work, hehe.
4) As for something meaningful in all the mundane day-to-day. . . As we drove to my in-laws for a visit, we pointed out a huge rainbow to the boys. In all honesty, I was just hoping to get them to focus on something and cork it for a few seconds. Christian, in a matter of fact voice, informed us that, "We can't touch the rainbow. No one can touch a rainbow." After a few (rare) seconds of silence, Zachary chimed in, "But God can touch the rainbow." A simple statement, but profound evidence that they really do understand more than we realize.
Mark 10:15-16 (NIV)
15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Off to get the kiddos ready for bed. Don't forget to take time to find the meaning in your mundane day-to-day. :)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Jumping On the Blogging Bandwagon
Everyone else is doing it. So maybe it won't be Pulitzer worthy, or even very interesting for that matter, lol. But perhaps sometime in the not so distant future I can look back over what I've written and find meaning in the everyday drudgery of stay-at-home-momness. Don't get me wrong. I love my boys more than my own life, but after thousands of diaper changes, years of interrupted sleep, endless whining, neverending housework. . .hold on, I need to rotate laundry. . . Anyway, maybe blogging about it all will help me to more easily see the "bigger picture" through all the day-to-day. If that is too lofty a goal, then at the very least I can show off lots of adorable pics of my boys. :) Hmmm. . . off to e-mail my sister for help on posting pics.
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