Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
A Father's Wisdom
This morning as we were sitting down to school for our first day back in a while, my Dad called to ask if he could stop over. This is not a usual occurrence at all. The perfectionist in me screamed, "But then we'll get behind!" The daughter in me (and all of my kids) was, like, "Yes!" My Dad is about to start his second retirement job and he was scouting out traffic. Traffic was being uncooperative - crazy public schoolers don't start back 'til tomorrow. So he brought my kids donuts.
Anyway, my Dad has come a long way. I value his journey because I am stuck where he was 30 years ago - angry, perfectionist, expecting the world of myself and my kids. Having been there, he understands. Heck, he helped make me who I am (which is not to say that I am not responsible for the way I am and behave today). Anyway, he reminded me today of words that he has told me before - words that are hard to believe at my age of 38, but words that have a completely different perspective at his age of 68. Very few things are really all that important. They are certainly not as important as we make them out to be at the moment. Health, of course, warrants the importance we give it. The broken window? Henry fixed it. The stained carpet? We don't notice it and no one comes over anyway (and if they do, they can cope). We'll replace it when we can. There are so many things about which I freak out and none of them matter a bit. Not really.
It's like I remind the kids all the time - this is not our destination. We were not made for this world. Our job is to live in it and grow through it so that we can, through the grace of God, spend eternity with him in heaven. Put in the perspective of eternity, so few things seem to matter at all! What matters? Making sure my children know who made them and why. Making sure they love God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength, and that they love their neighbors as themselves. By that metric I think I'm doing okay. I don't use my doctorate. I'm not known or recognized in my field. I'm not on anyone's "up and coming" list. As I frequently remind myself, though, my job - my only job - is to get my children to heaven. And I don't need perfection for that. For that I need to do what I've been doing. For the rest I need to listen to Dad and let go and let God.
Anyway, my Dad has come a long way. I value his journey because I am stuck where he was 30 years ago - angry, perfectionist, expecting the world of myself and my kids. Having been there, he understands. Heck, he helped make me who I am (which is not to say that I am not responsible for the way I am and behave today). Anyway, he reminded me today of words that he has told me before - words that are hard to believe at my age of 38, but words that have a completely different perspective at his age of 68. Very few things are really all that important. They are certainly not as important as we make them out to be at the moment. Health, of course, warrants the importance we give it. The broken window? Henry fixed it. The stained carpet? We don't notice it and no one comes over anyway (and if they do, they can cope). We'll replace it when we can. There are so many things about which I freak out and none of them matter a bit. Not really.
It's like I remind the kids all the time - this is not our destination. We were not made for this world. Our job is to live in it and grow through it so that we can, through the grace of God, spend eternity with him in heaven. Put in the perspective of eternity, so few things seem to matter at all! What matters? Making sure my children know who made them and why. Making sure they love God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength, and that they love their neighbors as themselves. By that metric I think I'm doing okay. I don't use my doctorate. I'm not known or recognized in my field. I'm not on anyone's "up and coming" list. As I frequently remind myself, though, my job - my only job - is to get my children to heaven. And I don't need perfection for that. For that I need to do what I've been doing. For the rest I need to listen to Dad and let go and let God.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Spring 2014 at Salve Regina
So tomorrow starts our new semester, sort of. Since we school year-round, that's not really accurate, but since we do take off a couple of weeks at Christmas, I tend to think of it that way. The kids are so excited to get back. In fact, Michael has been doing grammar every day, and Therese has been prepping for the SAT, working on debate, and doing Zane Education through the break. Nicky and MC, well, not so much. As for me, I truly have been sick or had a severe migraine almost every day this break. The guilt factor has been tremendous. I'm telling you right now that if you live with someone who deals with chronic pain issues of any kind, deal with them kindly. The pain they feel is one thing, and it compromises every aspect of their being. The guilt they feel for cheating their families of their full presence is something else -- and it hurts more.
If I only had to deal with getting back to school, I would be thrilled. I love doing school with the kids. It's funny, though. The thought of having to begin working, going to dance and TKD, and going to debate again almost makes me nauseous. The less I see of people, the less I want to see of people. Sometimes it just seems very difficult - almost too difficult to deal with. I'm guessing that my defenses are just very down from being so sick and tired. I have to find the energy to give myself the necessary pep talks to get myself up and at 'em. It will be strange to have Henry gone after having him home for nearly a month!
I have been resisting the whole "One word for 2014" phenomenon. I don't like things like that. I don't like things that force me into yet one more box that I know I'll come out of. It's just one more thing at which to fail. However, after giving it some nights of insomniac thought, I have realized that I actually do have two words that I hope will define 2014: health and thrift. If you have gone either the Goals and Resolutions route or the One Word route, best of luck to you in seeing it through. I have control over 1/2 of my first word and all of my second. I'm giving both of them over completely to God, especially the first, especially as it pertains to my children.
Oh, and Wendy, I promise that the Kindle and Audible posts are almost ready to go! ;-)
If I only had to deal with getting back to school, I would be thrilled. I love doing school with the kids. It's funny, though. The thought of having to begin working, going to dance and TKD, and going to debate again almost makes me nauseous. The less I see of people, the less I want to see of people. Sometimes it just seems very difficult - almost too difficult to deal with. I'm guessing that my defenses are just very down from being so sick and tired. I have to find the energy to give myself the necessary pep talks to get myself up and at 'em. It will be strange to have Henry gone after having him home for nearly a month!
I have been resisting the whole "One word for 2014" phenomenon. I don't like things like that. I don't like things that force me into yet one more box that I know I'll come out of. It's just one more thing at which to fail. However, after giving it some nights of insomniac thought, I have realized that I actually do have two words that I hope will define 2014: health and thrift. If you have gone either the Goals and Resolutions route or the One Word route, best of luck to you in seeing it through. I have control over 1/2 of my first word and all of my second. I'm giving both of them over completely to God, especially the first, especially as it pertains to my children.
Oh, and Wendy, I promise that the Kindle and Audible posts are almost ready to go! ;-)
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The Best Quick Entertaining Recipe
Frozen Meatballs
Small jar grape jelly
Jar of Chili sauce
Put it all in the crock pot and crock it on low all day. Yep, that's it. Serve it on toothpicks, over rice, or any way you like. People will *never* guess how you made it and everyone will love it. I'll have to update the post with a picture because we already ate tonight's example! Happy New Year...
Small jar grape jelly
Jar of Chili sauce
Put it all in the crock pot and crock it on low all day. Yep, that's it. Serve it on toothpicks, over rice, or any way you like. People will *never* guess how you made it and everyone will love it. I'll have to update the post with a picture because we already ate tonight's example! Happy New Year...
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Christmas
Wow. I have so many posts in half-finished form right now. I have one comparing the Kindle Fire and the Kindle Paperwhite (with my thoughts about the iPad thrown in). I just realized that my family owns 5 Kindle Fires, 1 Paperwhite, 2 iPads, and a Google Nexus (to say nothing of the 2 desktops and 3 laptops). There is a lot of technology in this house (I forgot to mention the iPods and mp3 players). And I call myself a Luddite...yeesh.
In any case. I have all these posts started, but on 12/23, I got a massive migraine. It didn't go away until 12/27. Yep. I had it all through Christmas. At least (unlike on Christmases past) I didn't have to spend the whole day in bed. On 12/27 my headache went away...and I got sick. The kind of sick where you can't do ANYTHING. You know, the congestion and exhaustion...so most of that is better, but the legacy of the cough is here.
Enough whining. For now. The point is that within a few days you can expect posts on Kindles and Audible (I have, ahem, 902 books in my Audible library. Don't judge.).
Finally, does anyone have Munchkin?
In any case. I have all these posts started, but on 12/23, I got a massive migraine. It didn't go away until 12/27. Yep. I had it all through Christmas. At least (unlike on Christmases past) I didn't have to spend the whole day in bed. On 12/27 my headache went away...and I got sick. The kind of sick where you can't do ANYTHING. You know, the congestion and exhaustion...so most of that is better, but the legacy of the cough is here.
Enough whining. For now. The point is that within a few days you can expect posts on Kindles and Audible (I have, ahem, 902 books in my Audible library. Don't judge.).
Finally, does anyone have Munchkin?
Oh my gosh! What an awesomely fun game! We have played it twice since Christmas and can't wait to play it again! There are expansion packs out the wazoo, too :-)
I hope you had a blessed, happy, and HEALTHY Christmas!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Kindle is on Amazon for $49!
There are so many reasons to get a Kindle, but the best one is the price -- and right now that price is $49! That's right, the basic Kindle is only $49 today! I honestly can't emphasize enough how much my kids love reading on Kindles and how convenient it is to be able to buy a book and then send it to every Kindle in my house at once. Jump on this deal. Tomorrow I'll write about Whispersync for Voice and Audible and why it is absolutely the best deal going...but you'll need a Kindle (or at least the app) to take full advantage of it!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
A Couple of Cyber Monday Makeup Deals!
Okay, so one of my obsessions is makeup. It's always been there, but it goes latent from time to time. It's not latent now. This will be a short post so it can get to Pintrest in time to make a difference! If you love Urban Decay, but don't love the prices, consider this amazing deal on the Book of Shadows IV!
On Cyber Monday, this bad boy is supposed to be available for $25. N.B.!! This is the Book of Shadows IV redux, UD's answer to its sold-out original. The CM deal is just noted as Book of Shadows with Revolution lipstick sample. Either way, it's a hugely good deal on some of the most amazing eye shadow out there!
If $25 is still a bit much for you, or you don't want to wait until tomorrow, or you like Smashbox just a tad more than UD, check out one more amazing deal:
This is Smashbox's Click, You're It eye palette which, if I remember correctly, was their 2012 holiday palette. Right now, at All Cosmetics Wholesale, this palette is under $18. Now, you won't get the primer and the lid may be bowed. It won't be boxed. HOWEVER, the shadows are still Smashbox quality! I can deal with the everything else!
Maybe you don't do high-end makeup at all. Click on over to ACW anyway. Check out their Wet n Wild section. I seriously need to do a whole blog post on WnW. Back in the day, I bought them because black lipstick was not cool (not like now when no high-end line is complete without its blackish shade), and WnW was the only company that made it! Quality was...not great. Times have changed. WnW lipstick is not my favorite, but the shadows are wonderful! Used over primer, they last and last. The colors are great. Well, ACW carries a ton of their discontinued stuff. They also carry other drugstore brands. And Lime Crime. Just had to throw that in there.
Hey, I know I'm 38 now, and I respect my husband's wishes that I not look like a circus clown, but the old me lurks not far below the surface :-D
Happy Cyber-Monday-ing!
On Cyber Monday, this bad boy is supposed to be available for $25. N.B.!! This is the Book of Shadows IV redux, UD's answer to its sold-out original. The CM deal is just noted as Book of Shadows with Revolution lipstick sample. Either way, it's a hugely good deal on some of the most amazing eye shadow out there!
If $25 is still a bit much for you, or you don't want to wait until tomorrow, or you like Smashbox just a tad more than UD, check out one more amazing deal:
Maybe you don't do high-end makeup at all. Click on over to ACW anyway. Check out their Wet n Wild section. I seriously need to do a whole blog post on WnW. Back in the day, I bought them because black lipstick was not cool (not like now when no high-end line is complete without its blackish shade), and WnW was the only company that made it! Quality was...not great. Times have changed. WnW lipstick is not my favorite, but the shadows are wonderful! Used over primer, they last and last. The colors are great. Well, ACW carries a ton of their discontinued stuff. They also carry other drugstore brands. And Lime Crime. Just had to throw that in there.
Happy Cyber-Monday-ing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)