Simple Woman's Daybook #3

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is working it's way up and they sky is a pale, slate blue with pink.

I am thinking...back 13 years ago...my oldest was born today.

I am thankful...I have more energy this morning...thinking it means today will be a good one.

In the kitchen...there are biscuits cooling on the counter so I can make sausage biscuits sammiches for the week.

I am wearing...yoga pants, fleece top and slippers.

I am creating...a to-do list for the day..

I am going...to get boy Oompa up in a few for breakfast and school work.

I am wondering...if I'll ever feel good enough.

I am reading...still nothing.

I am hoping...boy Oompa's online teacher evaluation goes well.

I am looking forward to...a weekend getaway with my sister-in-law(fingers crossed we can coordinate schedules)

I am learning...to push through the depression and tackle the day despite my overwhelming desire to crawl back in bed and stay there till 2014.

Around the house...it is blissfully quiet.

I am pondering...how much I can sell my kids for and if it'll be enough to buy those trained circus monkeys I've talked of??

A favorite quote for today..."I'll take being poor but jacked up", local newscaster on hearing men spend roughly $1000 on coffee drinks per year.

One of my favorite things...that potential feeling....when you come across something or a situation that has promise to be exactly what you want or need.

A few plans for the rest of the week:Online teacher eval this monring, doctor appointment for me tomorrow, and running oldest to Pep band. Pretty light compared to last week.

A peek into my day...

My beautiful teenager

Simple Woman's Daybook #2

 Simple Woman Daybook #2


FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the skies are gray and I am watching it rain.

I am thinking...about what activity/class/etc I can do that'll be just for me.

I am thankful...for this quiet moment of peace in my day.

In the kitchen...are dirty lunch dishes and the ingredients for dinner!

I am wearing...Jeans, t-shirt, and hubby's flannel shirt.

I am creating...menus for work.

I am going...to finish up the boy's school work then tidy up my chicken coop and collect eggs...if the rains lets up.

I am wondering...when I'll feel we're financially secure enough to take a vacation.

I am reading...sadly, nothing at the moment.

I am hoping...the cold weather that's coming this weekend doesn't last. I don't like cold!!

I am looking forward to...this weekend.  I will get together with my family to celebrate my oldest nephew's birthday.

I am learning...that remaining calm in a crisis is much harder to do than you might think. 

Around the house...it is quiet.  The girls are back at school, hubby back at work and the boy is taking his lunch break from home school and is back playing in his room.

I am pondering...why, when life looks like it's taking a turn for the better, we get hit with troubles and more importantly, how to overcome.

A favorite quote for today..."I don't know....maybe we win....maybe we don't. But I had to try"-my mother-in-law. Lord knows, I need to take chances more often in life!!

One of my favorite things...big hugs from my son.  He gave me one when I mentioned I had a headache.

A few plans for the rest of the week:Work tomorrow morning, running oldest daughter to Pep Band, dentist appointment on Saturday to get small cavity filled(yuck) and dinner with the family on Sunday.  

A peek into my day...

Nit-picking while Nit picking, literally...

Nit-Picking(noun)-minute and usually unjustified criticism
Nit picking(verb)-act of removing nits from one's head



 
Today's post is not one I wanted to share but felt I needed to share.  We've had an uninvited guest into our house that is, although it shouldn't be, a source of embarrassment.   My youngest daughter, the middle Oompa Loompa was sent home from school on Monday with head lice.  Head Lice!!  Us.  Her.  Really??

I can rationalize that having lice doesn't mean you're dirty or unkempt but in the back of my head I keep telling myself that she got it because I'm not the housekeeper I should be.  Once your kid has it then people start popping out the woodwork with stories about when either they or their children had it too.  Having head lice carries a stigma and people aren't as open about their struggles until you've been afflicted.  I think that sucks but know that it probably won't change.  

We left the school and headed straight to the pharmacy for the shampoo.  It smells like death and the strong odor stung baby girl's eyes.  It's a little scary to be using pesticide on your kid's head but I wasn't taking any chances with an herbal remedy that may or may not work.  I want those little suckers gone for good!!  Our biggest obstacle in all this is the sheer amount of hair my girl has.  It's not long, not quite shoulder length, but man is it thick!  It took three and a half hours to comb through the first night and right at three the second day.

I had to drive her to school today and she was checked over my the school nurse before being allowed to return to classes.  I was actually excited to show off my nit picking skills to the nurse but was dismayed when she found a few nits I had missed.  There were only two that the nurse saw and if I promised to comb through her hair again tonight, middle Oompa was cleared to go back to class.

It's been a frustrating few days filled with laundry, tons of laundry, a good amount of tears and hair combing and a tinge of embarrassment.  Our course of action will have us repeat the bug spray shampoo in a few days and another thorough washing of all her bed linens.  I am thankful that neither of the other two Oompas, Mr. Awesome© or myself ended up with lice.  I threatened to cut all my hair off if I did and boy Oompa was not thrilled at the idea of having his head shaved!!  I think we're pest free or will be my tonight's nit picking session and I can rest assured that my house keeping skills are not to blame for this incident.  I will however make a concerted effort to vacuum more than once a week!!

Nit-pickingly yours.....Deborah

Hello Rock and Hard Place.....We Meet Again!

Who else marks the beginning and ending of weeks based on payday?   Today, I am planning on heading out to take care of my weekly grocery shopping.  Normally, there is a nice, fat check direct deposited into our account during the wee hours of the morning.  Except this week.  The company Mr. Awesome© works for shut down production between Christmas and New Years.  Our dilemma is that Mr. Awesome©, despite his awesomeness, is only a contract employee.  A temp, if you will and not privy to the perks and bonuses that standard employees get.  Namely, paid vacation and holidays, sick days, and one of the best health insurance plans in the area. 

We knew it was coming and did our best to make sure there was money stashed in the savings account.  It was a challenge to save money during Christmas.  The desire to spend and buy gifts for each other to show our love and appreciation was great, but we managed all right.  Thankfully, there is only one bill that is set up for automatic withdrawal this week and aside from groceries, gas and Mr. Not So Awesome's cigarette habit, we should make it with only a small dent into the savings account. 

Financial stress has dogged us throughout our marriage.  I think back to our early days with relatively no debt and only one child and am disgusted with our spending habits.  Eating out, buying baby clothes and toys, weekly golf rounds and practice session at the range.  If only we knew then, what we know now.  The power of budgets and savings plans. Where was Dave Ramsey back then!!!  I just chalk it up to amazing lessons learned, albeit, the hard way.  Nevertheless, we made it through several lean years and I pray those days are behind us for good.  We're not rolling in cash now but needs are met and we've been able to squirrel away a few nuts.  Now, off to eat before I do my shopping.  I am not responsible for what ends up in my buggy when I'm hungry!!

Pinching Pennies.....Deborah 

The Power of the Subconscious...

Our bodies are such amazing machines and it's hard for me to understand how someone could think we evolved from fish.  Our systems are so intertwined and complex yet at times so very simple too.  The human mind is so very incredible, it controls breathing, heart rate, all organ function, blinking, you name it, with such precision.  Race cars and Swiss watches are pale in comparison to the human body.

My astonishment (well today's anyway) stems from a rather bizarre dream I had last night.  Even though I know it was only a dream, I am still embarrassed by the situation.  Please no snickering!!  In my dream, I was in a living room with many family members.  My father-in-law and husband's cousin's wife were the only 2 with faces.  I just know the room was fairly crowded with folks sitting around watching TV.  I was seated on a toilet in the front of the room, up by the TV.  Yup, doing my business!!  Weird right??  There were more details but I'll spare you.  By the end of the dream I had gotten up and walked as casually as one possibly could to the kitchen and sat down and started a conversation with the before mentioned husband's cousin's wife.  Oddly, no one said anything or acted like me relieving myself in such a manner was out of the ordinary.  I remember feeling horribly embarrassed but acted as nonchalantly as possible to help diffuse the angst. 

I used a handy dandy dream dictionary and came up with this:

To dream that you are in a public restroom with no stalls or that there are a lot of people around while you are trying to do your business signifies your frustrations about getting enough privacy. You are always putting others ahead of your own needs. As a result, you are lacking a sense of personal space. Alternatively, the dream indicates that you are having difficulties letting go of old emotions. You are afraid that if you reveal these feelings, then others around you will judge and criticize you.  

Wow!  I have been feeling a little cramped lately.  My girls were home all day for two weeks over Christmas break and Mr. Awesome© was off work for one of those weeks as well.  It was cold and rainy which meant we rarely left the house.  The noise level, constant mess and sibling bickering was overwhelming at times.  I noticed I began gritting my teeth again and looking back had near daily headaches.  I have a recorded history with Seasonal Affective Disorder so with the lack of sunlight and fresh air I tend to get a little squirrely anyway.  Guess I'm not coping as well as I thought I was.  It seems I need to make a plan to get some decent "me" time.  

What do you engage in that's just for you?  How do you connect with you?

Disconnected......Deborah  

The Simple Woman's Daybook...experiment

As you know, or maybe you don't, I'm great with ideas and concepts yet have issues with follow through.  It's one of my many character flaws and I'm working on it.  Well, I'll work on it tomorrow, or maybe next week!

I digress...I found The Simple Woman's Daybook blog and have decided to give it a whirl.  As my recent post indicated, I have been feeling a little lost and disgruntled at life.  It's become hard to see the forest for all the trees and desperately want to feel connected to life again.  I think this can help me or at least encourage me to slow down and take a look around.  I tend to get bitter when I've lost sight of the blessing in my own life.

 simple woman's daybook #1
Tuesday January 3, 2012
FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the wind is whipping the light dusting of snow around and it's frigid!!

I am thinking...that if my kids don't stop squabbling at each other I might lose my mind.

I am thankful...that my girls go back to school tomorrow.

In the kitchen...there is a pot of used frying oil I have no clue what to do with.

I am wearing...standard issue...jeans, long sleeve shirt with fleece zip vest, socks and slippers.

I am creating...nothing at the moment.

I am going...to take my son to Cub Scouts tonight.

I am wondering...why my children fight so often.

I am reading...nothing for me at the present but helping my son read Mr. Popper's Penguins.

I am hoping...to finish all the dirty laundry in my house today.

I am looking forward to...the kids' bedtime tonight and the few moment of quiet I will have.

I am learning...to have patience.

Around the house...there is much clutter and useless(to us) stuff gathering dust.

I am pondering...what God wants me to do.  What is my purpose on this Earth?

A favorite quote for today..."shhhh, Mama has a headache"

One of my favorite things...My new juicer :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week:School work with the littlest Oompa.

A peek into my day...

The never ending clutter and mess!!!

 Go and start your own daybook!!  The Simple Woman