It's been almost two weeks since my last blog post. I've had intentions of writing every evening, and somehow I just never found the time. (My list of "writing topics" grows everyday - just wish I had more time to actually write!) My husband has taken a new football coaching job in a town about 30 miles from our home, and it's "spring training" so I have no help in the evenings with the boys' baseball schedule. Not that this is unfamiliar territory: I've been carrying two little boys to their practices and games since the oldest was 4 years old. My husband's work schedule usually prevents him from helping much on week nights, especially now that he's commuting. So between baseball and football, life is pretty busy for our family right now. AND it's the end of the school year. There are standardized state tests, field days, awards programs, not to mention Big B's tryouts for middle school sports. I have to brag for a moment on Big B. He set a goal two years ago (yes, in 4th grade) that he would make all three teams - football, basketball, and baseball - when he got to middle school. Yesterday, he finished meeting that goal. He will be one of only two 7th graders (about 400 kids) to play on all three teams next year! I love that at such a young age he learned to set a goal and work hard to achieve it. His dad is such a hard-working, goal-oriented person; I'm glad he sets such a strong example for our boys. (And it doesn't hurt that they inherited his athleticism!)
Our love for sports ("Sports Mania") is what makes us a Busy Family and gives me the offical title of Busy Mom! While I normally seem to manage our lives very well, there are times (like right now), that I absolutely stink at being a busy mom. The laundry is piled up once again ("The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly"), the bathrooms need scrubbing, the floor needs mopping, and the yard needs mowing. Add to the mix that I am trying to cook healthy meals to manage my husband's diabetes ("She brings him good, not harm...") and to get myself back in shape ("My Battle"). A daunting task! We are also trying to be frugal in our grocery and gas expenses, which requires lots of advanced preparation. All of my good ideas (such as "Meal Shortcuts for Baseball Moms") aren't helping as much as I would like them to. However, I can breathe easier knowing that there is an end in sight...summer!
Oh summer, how I love thee! While there have been times in my career as a public school teacher that I have complained about low wages, long hours, difficult parents, and belligerent students, I do love my job. One thing that makes all of the headaches okay is that every year, for two whole months, I get to be a stay-at-home mom!! I love, love, love being home with my kids. And I have to say that I am the perfect little homemaker during the summers. My house is clean, projects are completed, scrapbooks are up-to-date, kids are happy, all is well. I can pack my baseball bag and head to the ball park with no worries. Can anyone truly understand the glory of summer without baseball? I certainly can't!
Showing posts with label House and Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House and Home. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
I have many good things in my life: my husband, my kids, my teaching career! At times, there are bad things too: lack of sleep, not enough time in the day, adult acne! But, there is one area of my life that is just down-right ugly: LAUNDRY! I have to believe that I am not alone. Surely, other folks out there feel the same way. You see, when David and I first got married, we made the deal that he would do the dishes if I would do the laundry. It seemed like a fair deal at the moment...but that was before two busy little boys. Even at my very best, when I am keeping up with all of my housework on a daily basis, it takes a minimum of two loads of laundry a day to keep up with my family's dirty duds. The busy football coach husband often wears two set of clothes a day. Oftentimes, he leaves dirty clothes in the locker room and brings home a pile all at once, easily getting me off-track with my daily wash. The busy boys have school uniforms, play clothes, and sports uniforms. When there are multiple games and practices in the course of the week, uniforms and sports gear must be washed daily. Even this busy mom wears one set of dress clothes to work, then comes home and changes into comfy exercise clothes for the evening rat race. Don't forget about sheets, towels, and wash cloths! Laundry is certainly a never-ending battle for me.
Well, as of last night, I had officially lost the battle. We have hit the peak of our "busy season" -- the one point of the year where two sports overlap. Basketball season hasn't ended, yet baseball tryouts and practices have begun! This overlap only lasts 2-3 weeks each Spring, but it is crazy nonetheless. We have stayed so busy during the last week and a half, that the laundry started to pile up. At times, I managed to sneak in a load here and there, but it was wash, dry, and DUMP! Yes, many of the clothes were clean; however, the piles quickly began to take over the living room...climaxing to the point that my living room looked like this:
Now, I had a plan to deal with this mess. My kids go to church youth group for two hours on Wednesday nights. Normally, my husband and I have a dinner date during that time, but I asked him to take a raincheck and decided to spend the evening washing and drying the dirty clothes that remained, and folding, hanging, and putting away the clean clothes. What happened next caused me to laugh in order not to cry! You southern folks will understand when I say that "everybody and their mama" showed up at my house!!! Friends, neighbors, my father-in-law, the list goes on and on... You can only imagine my humiliation at all these people seeing my mess. I pride myself on having a nice, clean house, especially when I know that company's coming. But instead, I had a messy house and no idea that company was coming! Fortunately, it turned out to be a nice evening, mess and all. We love visiting with family and friends, and now they all know that I'm only human (as if they didn't know this before)!!!
This afternoon, the entire family teamed up to get the laundry finished. There isn't a single dirty piece of clothing in the house. So for this moment, I have won the battle of the laundry. Maybe I've learned my lesson about laundry, maybe there won't be a next time, maybe I'll keep it up for a while...or maybe not! Only time will tell. For now, laundry is on the "good" list. Who knows how long that will last??
Well, as of last night, I had officially lost the battle. We have hit the peak of our "busy season" -- the one point of the year where two sports overlap. Basketball season hasn't ended, yet baseball tryouts and practices have begun! This overlap only lasts 2-3 weeks each Spring, but it is crazy nonetheless. We have stayed so busy during the last week and a half, that the laundry started to pile up. At times, I managed to sneak in a load here and there, but it was wash, dry, and DUMP! Yes, many of the clothes were clean; however, the piles quickly began to take over the living room...climaxing to the point that my living room looked like this:
Now, I had a plan to deal with this mess. My kids go to church youth group for two hours on Wednesday nights. Normally, my husband and I have a dinner date during that time, but I asked him to take a raincheck and decided to spend the evening washing and drying the dirty clothes that remained, and folding, hanging, and putting away the clean clothes. What happened next caused me to laugh in order not to cry! You southern folks will understand when I say that "everybody and their mama" showed up at my house!!! Friends, neighbors, my father-in-law, the list goes on and on... You can only imagine my humiliation at all these people seeing my mess. I pride myself on having a nice, clean house, especially when I know that company's coming. But instead, I had a messy house and no idea that company was coming! Fortunately, it turned out to be a nice evening, mess and all. We love visiting with family and friends, and now they all know that I'm only human (as if they didn't know this before)!!!
This afternoon, the entire family teamed up to get the laundry finished. There isn't a single dirty piece of clothing in the house. So for this moment, I have won the battle of the laundry. Maybe I've learned my lesson about laundry, maybe there won't be a next time, maybe I'll keep it up for a while...or maybe not! Only time will tell. For now, laundry is on the "good" list. Who knows how long that will last??
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
"My mama would be proud of you..."
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31: 28-29
Picture for a moment Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show: motherly, caring, nurturing, always taking care of others, never selfish, but fiesty enough when necessary! This was my mother-in-law. She was one of the most amazing women I've ever known, and I miss her terribly even though it's been over ten years since we lost her to cancer. Sadly, the deep appreciation I have for her wasn't fully realized until many years after her death. She was 38 when my husband was born, and although she had previously worked outside the home, she then took on the role of stay-at-home mom and full-time housewife, a position she proudly maintained for the remainder of her life.
When I first married David, I was in graduate school and just completing my first year of teaching. I had big career plans and no intentions of ever sitting around the house all day. (Stay-at-home moms, don't throw anything at me yet! That was simply my perception at the age of 22!!! I, too, spent several years at home when my kids were little. I know how much work it is!) At that point in time, I was the least "domestic" woman on the face of the Earth. I didn't know how to cook or clean or do anything that an "old-fashioned" housewife should do. That was partially my fault: In 8th grade, I petitioned the junior high school administration so that girls wouldn't have to take home ec! It was also partially my mom's fault: She did absolutely EVERYTHING for us! She had good intentions, but I was actually handicapped by the lack of independence.
Back to my mother-in-law...she loved me dearly. I have no doubt about that. But (and let me preface this statement by saying that she NEVER made me feel this way; it was all in my head) I never felt like I would be good enough for David because I wasn't her. I didn't know how to "take care of him" the way she always had. Again, let me paint a picture for you: a spotless house, no piles of dirty laundry, an amazing meal on the table EVERY DAY when my father-in-law walked in the door from work, the list goes on and on. I saw those tasks - the cooking and cleaning - as CHORES, things to be dreaded. I didn't know how to do those things, nor did I care to learn. Now, 15 years later, I know that those things were expressions of her LOVE for her husband and children. She took pleasure in taking care of her boys!
Most important to my mother-in-law, however, was not the house or the meals. Most important was the sense of HOME that she created. It was a place everyone wanted to visit. You were always welcome. There was an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility the moment you walked in the door. It was something I had never known. I had lived in a tumultuous household, often full of chaos and confusion. My in-laws' home was a sanctuary. Unlike the housework, however, this sanctuary was something that I wanted, something I worked hard to try to create, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, but always trying.
It's taken nearly 15 years to reach the point where I am today. Where I feel like the effort to create a "home" is really materializing. My kids (even the pre-teen) love being at home and tell me often how they have such a great life! I've even had a change of heart about the cooking and cleaning over the years. I came to the realization that my husband also saw some of those little things as MY expression of love for him and our boys. It was the kind of love he was raised on: selfless, serving, giving LOVE! As I embraced that fact, I began to take pleasure in preparing meals for my family. No, I still don't like the dirty laundry or the stinky toilets, but I have a better attitude about doing those things for my family when I remember that I do those things out of LOVE.
Last week, I received the ultimate complement from my husband. "My mama would be proud of you," he said gently. No words could have meant more.
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Proverbs 31: 28-29
Picture for a moment Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show: motherly, caring, nurturing, always taking care of others, never selfish, but fiesty enough when necessary! This was my mother-in-law. She was one of the most amazing women I've ever known, and I miss her terribly even though it's been over ten years since we lost her to cancer. Sadly, the deep appreciation I have for her wasn't fully realized until many years after her death. She was 38 when my husband was born, and although she had previously worked outside the home, she then took on the role of stay-at-home mom and full-time housewife, a position she proudly maintained for the remainder of her life.
When I first married David, I was in graduate school and just completing my first year of teaching. I had big career plans and no intentions of ever sitting around the house all day. (Stay-at-home moms, don't throw anything at me yet! That was simply my perception at the age of 22!!! I, too, spent several years at home when my kids were little. I know how much work it is!) At that point in time, I was the least "domestic" woman on the face of the Earth. I didn't know how to cook or clean or do anything that an "old-fashioned" housewife should do. That was partially my fault: In 8th grade, I petitioned the junior high school administration so that girls wouldn't have to take home ec! It was also partially my mom's fault: She did absolutely EVERYTHING for us! She had good intentions, but I was actually handicapped by the lack of independence.
Back to my mother-in-law...she loved me dearly. I have no doubt about that. But (and let me preface this statement by saying that she NEVER made me feel this way; it was all in my head) I never felt like I would be good enough for David because I wasn't her. I didn't know how to "take care of him" the way she always had. Again, let me paint a picture for you: a spotless house, no piles of dirty laundry, an amazing meal on the table EVERY DAY when my father-in-law walked in the door from work, the list goes on and on. I saw those tasks - the cooking and cleaning - as CHORES, things to be dreaded. I didn't know how to do those things, nor did I care to learn. Now, 15 years later, I know that those things were expressions of her LOVE for her husband and children. She took pleasure in taking care of her boys!
Most important to my mother-in-law, however, was not the house or the meals. Most important was the sense of HOME that she created. It was a place everyone wanted to visit. You were always welcome. There was an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility the moment you walked in the door. It was something I had never known. I had lived in a tumultuous household, often full of chaos and confusion. My in-laws' home was a sanctuary. Unlike the housework, however, this sanctuary was something that I wanted, something I worked hard to try to create, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, but always trying.
It's taken nearly 15 years to reach the point where I am today. Where I feel like the effort to create a "home" is really materializing. My kids (even the pre-teen) love being at home and tell me often how they have such a great life! I've even had a change of heart about the cooking and cleaning over the years. I came to the realization that my husband also saw some of those little things as MY expression of love for him and our boys. It was the kind of love he was raised on: selfless, serving, giving LOVE! As I embraced that fact, I began to take pleasure in preparing meals for my family. No, I still don't like the dirty laundry or the stinky toilets, but I have a better attitude about doing those things for my family when I remember that I do those things out of LOVE.
Last week, I received the ultimate complement from my husband. "My mama would be proud of you," he said gently. No words could have meant more.
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