I’ve been struggling with lots of pressures over the past few days…..you mommies know how it goes…I can either be a good housekeeper or a good mommy or a well, that’s about all I can juggle.  However, there are other things that pull at me – like being a knitter, a studier of the Word, a reader, getting some time to myself, having and being a friend, getting healthy.  Yes, some are obviously not important – but it is still there.

Right now…

  • My floors desperately need to be swept and mopped.
  • My bathroom needs an overhaul.
  • My Bible beckons me to come and be quiet before the Lord.
  • My son needs someone to listen to him read.
  • The crockpot needs to be filled with healthy food for our dinner.
  • I need to work on a cabled scarf I’m starting as a gift (dang, I hate deadlines)…my sweater (it’s almost sweater season here in CA!!)…and another baby kimono I’m knitting.
  • I’m stressing about money – why is it never simple?  And, why is there never enough??
  • My son just informed me he does not want cereal but wants a “real” breakfast.  “sigh”

THERE IS NOT ENOUGH OF ME TO GO AROUND!!!!

When will this feeling of pressure go away??  When will the band around my chest loosen?  I need a break.  I get up in the morning and it’s all about everyone else.  Not only my family’s needs and expectations – but other people outside the family too!  If I’m lucky I can sit down for about 30 min and knit.  But then DH walks in the door and I feel guilty!  What’s up with that?  I  know I’ve worked all day.  He, if he thinks about it, should realize that too!  And maybe he does…but the guilt is there.  Then I’m up – finishing dinner and starting homework for #1 and #3.  Dinner and then cleaning up afterwards.  80% of the time I go to bed as soon as possible just to have some quiet time – I’m an introvert – I’ve learned that I NEED quiet, alone time.  Sadly, my patience is almost non-existent in the evening.  More guilt.
Ok – enough whining – this isn’t going to clean my floors!  So, I listened to my Bible and I plan to hit the local stuffmart later today for cleaning supplies and a new dustpan so I can clean the floors and the bathroom.  Chicken Cacciatore will go in the crockpot from the new Diabetic Fix It and Forget It.  I’ll start school after breakfast (he’s having cereal – not even that much of a protest) and maybe I’ll knit while he reads to me.
(endofrant)

Today has been great!  I got up late….but it didn’t seem to create too much havoc.  I got Dh and J1 & J3 off to school and then J2 and I got busy.  He did about 20 min of the Study Dog program while I got organized.  Then we started flashcard practice, he read to me and did his comprehension workbook.  Then math, handwriting and grammar.  Then we worked on the Scout promise, salute and handshake.

After we finished school I created a menu and a grocery list and we got all our shopping done for the next two weeks (not counting trips to restock the produce – we can never make it two weeks for produce)!

And, now I have time to work for a few hours while he does Legos and plays.  Then dinner and a homeschool support group meeting tonight.

I love days like today!  I feel like I’ve accomplished something and am in control of my environment.  It sure beats all those days when I feel like the world is spinning out of control and I’m hanging on by my fingertips!

Feast One Hundred & Eleven

Appetizer
What was the very last song you listened to?
My youngest was just singing – an Oompa Lompa song I believe.
Soup
What is one company/store/corporation you would recommend that people stay away from?

Sutter Hospital in Davis, CA. When our son died, almost all their contingency plans failed when it came to us…they didn’t even send us a Chaplain. I’ve heard other stories too. I think they are more concerned with getting more patients in their door than actually giving them care. Just my personal opinion. I hold no one person responsible. It’s a administration issue.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy having your picture made?

1

Main Course
Besides a bookmark, what is something you’ve used to keep your place in a book?

I’m bad – I’m a page-corner turner! 🙁

Dessert
Name a food that you like that most people don’t.

Ocra – yummy!! Fried, pickled…however I can get it!