Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Introducing ME!... again

Been a while since my last post.  I'm now a 35-year-old mother of 4:  D is 11, B is 8, P is 4, and J is almost 8 months.  My hubby is still a police officer of about 9 years.  We live in a 3600 square-foot fixer-upper on about an acre.  One dog, one cat, one fish.  A raccoon ate all the chickens.  I guess we're still working on getting this country living thing together.

If I'm going to be honest, there's a LOT to do as an LDS stay-at-home mother of 4.  Some of it is just life, some of it I brought on myself by my commitment to homeschool, some of it has to do with the church, and some of it is simply stuff I want to do because it interests me.  I have to do some of that last category in order to feel really connected to who I am.  Here is a partial list:
Cooking - cleaning - taxiing children - run errands - shopping - kin-keeping - laundry - diaper changing - journaling - taking and maintaining pictures - planning outings - church meetings - studying scriptures - teaching - lesson planning - baking - decorating - visiting teaching - tasks related with my calling - tasks related with the homeschool co-op - fixing things - paying bills - and let's not forget playing with and making memories for my kiddos.  D is already looking for Scout, our Christmas elf, so I guess I have to get him out in the next couple of days.  He is 11, but still believes in Santa.  I questioned at one point recently whether he really still believes, or he's just going along with it.  Then I overheard this conversation:

B:  I want a _______ for Christmas.  (I forget what toy it was exactly.)
Friend:  I don't think they make those anymore.
D:  It's okay.  Santa's elves MAKE the toys.  They can make whatever you want!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, he started asking a LOT of questions about where babies come from, so hubby had the birds-and-the-bees talk with him.  Then he continued asking questions until hubby also had to explain birth control.  So, D knows all about where babies come from, but still believes in Santa.  It may be a little backward, but I'm not complaining.  I'm happy to get another year of magic out of him 💙.

And then there are the tasks that are really JUST.  FOR.  ME.  One is this blog.  Sure, you can read it, I'd love that!  But this is for me.  This is for me to vent my gratitude for all that I have and for the blessed life I lead.  That's right.  All those tasks I mentioned above... blessings.  Every.  Single.  One.  They're a little overwhelming, but they're a product of the wonder I get to see every day in my family.  Some of the other tasks I do just for me are crafting, reading, and learning the piano.  I could really use some help with that piano one... I stink.  Maybe one day when I have more time to spend with it, I'll get better.  Reading is a wonderful outlet for me, but I guess I also do that for my kiddos.  If I expect to homeschool them, I have to continuously improve my own level of education, so I'm learning things all the time.  And one more thing I'm trying to do for myself is the Personal Progress Program.  It's supposed to be for the young women, but it's perfectly appropriate for me as well, being a convert who has never had a chance to do it.  It may take me a while.  I just filled in my first bubble in "Faith" and there are like 50 or more of those little bubbles altogether.

Anyhow, I plan from this point out to fill my blog with all kinds of randomness, which I imagine most people will find boring, but this is for me.