Snapshot Tuesday

What's at the top of my to-do list?
--Gotta make my house "babysitter presentable" (which means bedrooms too!) today, because we're going to our Parish mission tonight and leaving Ben and Mary with the sitter. It's our 25 year anniversary and we've built a gym and been celebrating mass in the gym for 1 year while our church has been expanded. We are finally back in the church! Woohoo! I didn't like the gym.

-- My sister Becky is in her 7th month of pregnancy and we're having a shower for her at my sister, Lisa's house (thank God it's not at mine). So anyway, I need to shop for the ingredients of the dishes I'm making.

What have I accomplished?
-- I presented my witness to my CRHP team. Whew. That's done. Now I feel more prepared for the actual retreat.

--I've decided that next year I want to make the swim team commitment. We have a neighborhood team and before this summer, the idea of signing my kids up for swim sounded like one big commitment. Too much for me. Practicing almost daily, meets every week that are hours long. So this represents a huge step out of the cave for me. I think I'll be more able to make a commitment like this next year. The meets are Monday nights so I'll have to get a babysitter for every meet. Parents are needed to work the meets so I won't be able to watch Ben and Mary during the meets. Monday nights are our Men's and Women's Group nights so we'll take turns taking them to the meets. I'm looking forward to connecting to more people during the summer. It will give me an excuse to get out of the house. (I know this one hardly qualifies as an accomplishment, but sometimes, mental shifts are bigger for me than the action needed).

-- I took the kids to the pool by myself and we all came home alive and happy, if not a little tired. If I told you what it was like preparing to go...no I won't. Well...let's just say I got peed on because swim diapers are not made to hold urine and it was a lot of packing for a family to be well fed, watered, protected, entertained, and dried off.

What's bugging me?
--Mary wanted to be held most of the time at the pool. I don't remember such extreme clinginess at this age from the other kids. I'm wondering if she's teething. I thought I felt upper molars come in but she kept wanting to bite my finger off (she MUST be teething!). I keep telling myself it will get better (because I know it will)...but I'm not accomplishing anything around my house because of her inability to be left alone. I guess I should be thankful that at this very moment she is happily watching TV.

--Mary took a crayon to my guitar. Purple.

--I've realized that I've been violating rules # 17, 28, 40, and 72 of the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff with Your Family" by Richard Carlson, PH. D.

Rule #17 -Don't wait for bad news to appreciate your life. I'm sick of complaining about a few small problems when I am so rich with blessings it's not even funny. If anything happened to any of my kids, husband or family, I would be crushed. We are healthy, we are able to pay all of our bills, we like each other and we are able bodied. What else can you ask for? I keep waiting for a better stage in my life. What if the best stage is the one I'm living in now???

Rule #28- Stop exchanging horror stories. I've gotten better at this, but not too long ago...I would call Ted at work and tell him about all the horrible events that happened since he left. Life is too short to spend so much time talking about the negative. I'm working on being positive. My decision to be happy.

Rule #40- Don't be a martyr. I hate the fact that I have to write this one down. Who likes those martyr/victim people. I don't! Whenever I try to convince someone that I have it worse than they do...I'm doing just that. Uck. Let's move on.

Rule #72- Stop exaggerating your workload. I blow out of proportion actual events that happen in my day...and yes they may be hard at the time...but it is not my whole day! It just feels like it in my mind. Mary can be difficult...but not all the time. I need to give her more credit.

So yes, I've violated these rules and many more in this wonderful book I picked off my shelf the other day. I need to read them more often as reminders.

What have I said I was going to do but I havenÂ’t?
This is accountability and I just don't feel like accountability right now. I'm eating a lot of icecream...I never said I wouldn't but for some reason I feel bad about it.

What's my latest obsession?
--The basement. Should I buy I brown entertainment center or black (from Target). I really want the black, but the brown may be more practical.

--I'm having crazy ideas like taking the frumpy, never properly tucked slip covers off my ugly couches downstairs and making a fitted slip cover. What am I thinking?? Where will I get the time? Pure motivation and drive can do a lot. I'm excited about picking my own material.

What's been making me happy?
--Thinking about my free time this school year. 5 hours a week with no children!

--Ted and I are planning a vacation for just the two of us to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. Any suggestions as to which one are welcome. We don't want to be in the party scene. Our 15 year anniversary is next year and we'll probably go for 5 nights early June. We've never been on a trip like this. Our honeymoon was the closest to this but it wasn't all inclusive. I'm such a penny pincher, it's good for me to have everything included so I'll indulge myself more. I can't wait.

--My CRHP group. I love getting to know these women in my parish.

--Seeing all the beauty in my kids. When I give less energy to the negative...the positive springs forth!