Ouch....

OUCH is the most accurate description I can give for the past two days.  I had a migraine of epic proportions.  The first day, Tuesday, was the worst.  Apparently I had a virus along with it as I had a fever complete with chills.  I would cover up with everything imaginable until I would finally warm up enough to fall asleep in my dark quiet bedroom.  An hour or so later I would awaken, burning hot and throwing everything off so I could cool down and feel better.  This cycle repeated itself for about 36 hours.  We won't discuss the nausea, other to say I had extreme nausea, barely keeping down my Gatorade and pain killers.  I also had an ear ache, sore throat, body aches and even my neck was sore/stiff.  The absolutely, positively WORST part of the day was when my husband called and said he needed me to pick him up at work.  This meant I had to drive in the crazy afternoon drive time traffic to get him.  Then I had to ride home while he drove. I KNOW he didn't really drive at 100 mph, hitting every bump and pot hole on 264, but it certainly felt like it.  By the time we got home, I was literally in tears.  It hurt beyond any pain I had ever felt before, including childbirth.

Day two was better, but only marginally.  The fever was gone as were all the aches.  Ahhhh....the relief of "only" a migraine.  What am I saying??  It was still excruciating!  At least it was a step in the right direction.  Even the drive to pick up my hubby at work was better, slightly.  This time it was only an adventure in pain, rather than the pure unadulterated torture of the previous day.  No crying this time around, merely minor moaning and groaning quietly to myself in the back of the van. 

The worst part was not being able to fulfill commitments I had at church.  I really don't like it when I'm not capable of following through on a promise.  I know I was sick, but I am supposed to be invincible, capable of handling anything that comes my way, no matter what it is.  Somehow, my Super Woman status was revoked this week. 

Thankfully, this morning I woke up with a mild headache.  I took more Tylenol. After eating brunch at Bible study and drinking a cup of coffee, I felt much better.  A second dose of Tylenol and lunch and I felt even better.  But, it was the final dose of Advil and a snack later this afternoon that finally kicked the pain to the curb!!  Praise be!!

So, finally, I am back to my life in all it's craziness.

Slacker....

I admit it.  I am a slacker.  Today, anyway.  Not sure why, but today I have a case of the "I don't wannas."  Apparently the cat agrees with me.  She just walked over and sat on the keyboard.  Of course, when I moved her so I can type she left.  :)  Maybe it's the weather that is getting to me.  I felt so much better when the days were bright and sunny and warm.  Overcast, cool rainy days make me want to curl up in blanket with a cup of coffee and a great book to read. 

Too bad I have things that need to be done today.  Must cook dinner.  Must do laundry (although that's almost done for the day).  Must buy a vacuum cleaner and then actually use the thing.  Must take hubby's uniform to the cleaners.  Must take a shower at some point - preferably before leaving the house. 

Guess I should get up and get moving so everything will get done before the kids come home.  *sad face* as Jusin says....

Edited to add:  I spoke too soon. I am NOT a slacker.  Headache has hit, as has nausea and chills.  It's official.  I am getting sick.  UGH..... 

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Today I did something I've never ever done before.  I made corned beef and cabbage and Irish Soda bread.  How have I lived the past 42 years without making this meal?  Even more to the point...WHY have I lived this long without making this wonderful meal?  Mercy, but it was delicious.  Well, let me be precise.  The corned beef and cabbage (and onions, potatoes and carrots) were delicious.  The bread was given a thumbs down by the entire family - including me.  I had a feeling as I was kneading it that it wasn't going to be that good, but I decided to bake it anyway. I can't explain it any better than to say it just didn't FEEL right.  I've baked enough bread and spent enough time kneading dough that I know how I want it to feel...and I just never got that feeling from this loaf.  Oh well.  Next time around I will make something different.  Maybe some rye bread from scratch.  Hmmmm....that has distinct possibilities.  And, the next time I am making a much larger portion of corned beef.  We only had enough for dinner tonight.  NO left overs for sandwiches tomorrow. 

On to another thought.  The two older boys brought home their ASVAB scores today.  Oh my!!  Were we ever proud of them.  Justin (a high school junior) scored a 98 and Matthew (a high school sophomore) scored a 93.  The person interpreting the scores for them gave them some great advice for college and was super impressed with them.  In fact, he told Justin the ONLY other person he has ever seen score higher on the ASVAB was a sophomore in college!  Made Justin feel really great.  Confirmed what his Dad and I already know about him and his brother.  They are two very special young men, with lots of potential. 

Happy Birthday to my brother, David!!  Love ya!  And, special birthday wishes to all others who were born today.  May the luck of the Irish be with you.  (Not that I believe in luck, but it sounded good. LOL) 

Last thought for tonight....GREAT mid-week prayer and worship service at church tonight.  I am loving our Wednesday ngiht services.  Greg is doing such a great job teaching us about the Abundant Life from Galations 5:13-26.  Read it, study it, apply it to your life.  It will make a change in you if you do! 

I am NOT helping my husband anymore!!

Wow...What a morning.  I can't believe it's barely 10:00 am.  Seriously, it should be at least 5:00 pm.  Why?  You innocently ask.  Let me explain. It all started with the alarm going off at the insane hour of 5:15. My hubby got up and started his morning ritual of getting ready for work and at 5:30 gently woke me so I could dress and drive him to the bus station.  We are down to one vehicle, so he generously rides the bus to work each day.  We each go about our business of getting ready to get out the door by 6:00 am.  We are on schedule.... until we get in the van and he puts his cell phone in it's designated spot....the same spot where yesterday afternoon he left his military id card.  This is when the fun began.  He asks, "Where is my ID?"  I respond, "Probably on the dining table where I left it last night."  Big sigh from him.  He pulls the keys from the ignition and walks back to the house.  I sit there for a few seconds waiting when I realize I did not see his ID when I took my purse from the table.  So, I dig thru my purse in the darkness.  It's not in there.  Hmmmmm....  Back into the house I go where I see him moving things around on the table and looking frustrated.  We talk....and look....and talk....and look....and talk some more and look some more.  He sits on the sofa and watches me look.  I cry (not hard, just tears rolling down my face).  He looks angry - or maybe extremely frustrated is a better description.  But, he was wonderful.  He could've yelled at me, with good reason, but he kept control and stayed quiet.  After two very long hours of searching for his ID card and running thru the events of yesterday afternoon and evening, I once again went to the kitchen trash can where earlier I had done a frantic search thru the bag.  This time I pulled the bag from the can and systematically started searching thru everything.  Yup.  There it was in the empty cereal box next to the banana peel and some papers.  WHEW!!!  What's crazy is in the first frantic 15 minutes of searching I  looked thru the trash, all the while HOLDING this empty box which I didn't look in because I expected the card to be at the bottom of the bag. 

After the search was over, I hugged my hubby and thanked him for not losing his temper with me.  He almost made me cry again as he said "How could I yell at you?  You were trying to help me.  Besides what kind of example would I be to the boys if I read the Bible and pray with them at night and then yell at their Mother in the morning?"  My heart swelled with love and thankfulness that I am married to such a wonderful man.  And, I promised him that from now on, I am NOT helping him again - with his ID card, that is.  From now on, it stays where he puts it, no matter where that may be!! 

Isn't it interesting that yesterday's sermon was on "What to do when things go wrong."  It was the main topic of our conversation as I drove him to work. On the bright side, it was nice to eat breakfast and spend some extra time together this morning. 

But, can I just say....WHEW!! What a day!  Time to brew more coffee....

Flipping the House

Last weekend Clay and Renee Crosse were at our church for a weekend conference and Sunday services.  It was a wonderful weekend of God's truth being spoken in love by two people who truly love the Lord.  Clay spoke to the men and Renee to the women on Saturday. Then they both addressed the church on Sunday morning.  One of their topics was "flipping the house" and it really spoke to my husband and me.  So much so that we are doing our own house flip.  A mere week later we have seen such a difference in our home and our children!!

What are we doing differently?  Simply sitting and reading the Bible aloud and praying with the kids.  We are trying to do it nightly.  We missed a couple nights due to our crazy schedule and all felt as if something was missing those days.  I think what surprised me most is the kids not only seem to like it but they actually want it to go longer on nights when we have a quick reading and prayer time. 

My husband and I were talking tonight about how awesome it is to see our family gathered around with  Bibles open, reading God's word and talking about it.  Discussing things that speak to us and why.  I am enjoying hearing the boys questions and comments.  Some of them are really insightful - like Justin asking if Paul was married - and some of them are simply interesting - like Patrick finding verses that are in a Superchick song.  I'm looking forward to seeing where this flip takes our family.  I know it's going to be wonderful. 

OH...and a funny Bible story from our house.  My husband and I both grew up with the KJV being THE Bible.  When our boys were all small we gave them Bibles of their own.  Over the years we've bought new ones for them.  Daniel had requested a smaller one that would be easy to take to church.  Out of habit, I bought a KJV for him.  Over the past couple of years, he has mentioned it's hard to follow along at church since we typically read from the NIV.  But, he's never made a big deal about it....until we started our daily family devotionals. Our first couple of readings were from Genesis.  The word "helpmeet" turned into a huge sticking point with him - a funny one, granted, but a sticking point nonetheless.  On Tuesday I promised him we would buy an easier to read Bible.  Well, the week was crazy busy and we didn't make it to Family Christian.  Today we went to the church bookstore after services.  He looked over the Bibles and narrowed the selection down to 3:  a plain NIV, a teen study NIV and The Message.  He cracked me up as he looked over the three.  He liked the plain NIV since there were "no helpmeets!!" He also liked the Message  because "it's easy to understand".  But, in the end he bought the teen study Bible.  It has "great cartoons" in the margins.  Gotta love the logic of a 13 year old boy.  :)

Nationals.....

It has been a long day and isn't over yet.  But, it soon will be.  Today was the big competition for our two eldest sons.  It was the NJROTC Area 5 Competition to determine who would go to the NJROTC Nationals Competition in Pensacola, FL on April 8 & 9.  The top 10 schools from our area competed against each other for two slots at Nationals. Our school has placed well enough to go to Nationals the past few years.  This year that was not the case. 

How do I feel about that?  Conflicted sums it up nicely.  Let me explain.

Part of me feels really sad for our kids.  They have worked hard recently preparing for this competition.  But, I didn't see a high level of commitment this year among the cadets.  I don't think they wanted it as much as the other schools.  Part of me feels upset that our cadets didn't put forth more effort all year long and especially today.  It seemed as if the cadets thought they were guaranteed a slot simply because they have gone the past few years. And, finally, part of me is relieved.  I wasn't looking forward to making the trip to FL over Spring Break.  We are having something special that weekend at church that I really want to attend.  Nationals (and being there for my sons) was competit ing for my time and attention.  Now I don't have to make the choice.  It was made for me today. 

Does that make me a bad Mom?  To want to do "my" thing more than something for my kids?  After all, I do something for them almost every day for NJROTC.  Is it okay to be a little "selfish" for a change?  Why do I struggle with that?  Should I struggle with this question?  How do I change?  Should I change? 

These questions will not be answered tonight.  Probably because I don't have my coffee with me.  In fact, I've only had one cup of coffee today - a grande skinny caramel macchiato from Starbucks.   This could explain my questions and lack of answers tonight.  Too late now.  I'm heading for bed.  Time change tonight means an early start tomorrow....  Coffee must be involved as I start my morning.  Time to set the brew cycle for tomorrow morning.  :)

Goodbye Bossy

Here I go again.  New day. New site.  Fresh cup of coffee.

I'm not a novice to blogging.  I have blogged in the past, but didn't stick with it because I didn't like the site(s).  Hopefully this time around will work better.   Here's hoping....

What's going on in my mind today?  So many things....I won't try to put them all in this blog though.  It would take too much time for me to type and for you to (hopefully) read.  Top thought however is that I miss my van!  Yes, you read it right.  My van is gone.  Bossy was her name.  I don't remember how or why we called her Bossy.  Doesn't really matter.  All that matters is she is gone.  My friend, my faithful companion, my transportation over the years.....  and my first totally brand new vehicle.  She only had 15 miles on the odometer when we purchased her and most of those were put on by us during our test drive!  But, all good things must come to an end and today was the end of Bossy's time with our family.  She was towed away a short time ago by a nice guy from a local charity.  I'm glad we were able to benefit others by donating her.  Goodbye Bossy.  You served us well.  It was a great 13 years.  You will be missed.

Isn't it silly to miss a vehicle that much?   To be that upset that it is no longer a part of my life?  We bought it when our third son was only a couple months old.  We took so many family trips in that van.  So many memories are wrapped up in that van....like the projectile vomiting from the back seat to the front of the van while sitting at Sonic!  Or Daniel singing along to a song and burping at a strategic point.  Kids fighting in the back seat.  Me hitting a mailbox and shattering one of the windows.   Vacations.  Day trips.  Running around town.  Etc. 

I know what you are thinking.  You think I cried this morning.  Hate to disappoint, but I didn't.  I watched her get hooked up to the tow truck and I walked back into the house to call my husband with the news that the van is gone.  I feel sad, yes.  But, come on.  It's just a van! 

The rest of my day is going to be devoted to cleaning house.  It must be done.  Therefore, I must get off the computer and back to work.  Thus far I have managed to vacuum the downstairs (a chore I may describe another day), declutter the downstairs, wash, dry and fold the laundry, and clean the bathrooms.  Still have things to do though - like dusting and cleaning the shelves over the washer and dryer.  And, I must empty the entertainment center in my bedroom so we can get rid of it this weekend.  The entire house is going to be cleaned, reorganized and rearranged over the next couple of months. Look out local donation centers!!  I will be visiting soon!!  :)