a day in the life

Hello no one.

Today was very normal for me, and I realized how many crazy things happened on this normal day. Nothing out of the ordinary but the normal chaos to manage.

6 am. Asked my four year old if I could lie down in his bed because I truly thought that lying in bed with an active awake four year old was the most likely place for me to get a few more minutes of sleep

9 am. The first duel time out of the day (You sit here, you sit there)

We discover a cold front has come through and my son goes through every drawer and his entire closet getting out "winter clothes"

10 am. Lawn bowling in the backyard

11 am. My son strips down to his tighty whities and socks, upset to discover it's not winter anymore. He had no interest in putting on shorts again, it was as if there was no going back. He was still wearing nothing but underwear when Jimmy got home from work.

2 pm. Power naps for everyone. This means they don't last long, but you still wake up grumpy

5 pm. My 2 year old daughter tries to help cook and spills steeping tea (so not quite boiling water) on her arm. And while she screams in the next room (luckily dad got home early so he was holding her) I am cleaning it up, feeling guilty that I am not worried about her, all I can think is, "I'm glad there wasn't sugar in it yet, it won't be as sticky" (Oh, and the burn wasn't that bad. She was fine a couple hours later.)

6 pm. I take a walk around the block (to distract the burn victim) and up our huge hill with approximately 50 pounds of children, while singing "the farmer in the dell" (the longest song known to mom) and whatever else is requested.

While walking, I am one street over and I can hear my four year old asking my husband questions...while Jimmy is mowing the lawn! I am shaking my head, as he proves my deduction that he doesn't really always want an answer, the asking is like breathing to him.

7 pm. I successfully bathe myself and my baby at the same time, (impressive, I know) only to have him pee on my down comforter right afterwards. That's gratitude for ya

I read picture books.

8 pm. I eat ice cream. just thought it deserved a space

11 pm. I win (again) the self appointed award for "able to fit the most in a dishwasher". I win this a lot. Over and over.

Today, I am thankful for being created in such a way that I long to survive. And not only survive, but thrive. I am living, I am breathing, and I am rejuvenating on the inside. This is not of myself, so I cannot boast. Not that I would even consider it these days.

Life is Art is Life

I am thankful for a lot of things, but today it is Art. I have realized anew that it is everywhere. All around us. It penetrates all parts of our life. From the plastic food in my daughters room to the pine cones she enjoyed finding outside...from the brown bananas in my fridge to the crayons and markers in our playroom. Not to mention the books and movies on our shelves, the fine art prints on the walls, and the clothes on our backs. Somebody came up with that stuff and may we never take it for granted. Without the God-given creativity that I believe EVERYONE is gifted with, we would be blah. Blech. Boring. Do me a favor and take a moment to appreciate art today. To get you started, I've included an image by Chuck Close, an American artist of our time who became a quadriplegic and still painted with a paintbrush in his mouth. He has regained some control in his arms and hands and now paints with a paintbrush strapped to his hand. All I can really think as I type this is that he, too, was made in God's image. And with that comes a driving desire to live, to persevere, and to create.
Chuck Close
Big Self-Portrait, 1967-68.
Acrylic on canvas.
107 1/2 x 83 1/2"

Cash Alley

Well here is Cash Alley. He was born April 7th so that makes him just over 5 months old. It seems like yesterday we were having Jackson. Cash is a very calm easy going baby and he likes to smile alot. He weighed in the other day at Publix@ 20 pounds. Some of his hobbies includes breastfeeding, flipping over from his back to his stomach, bouncing in his doorway jumper, yelling out, and sleeping. No instruments or song writing yet, but we are not going to push him into
living up to his namesake. James Cash Penny. Ha Ha! Well here is my post. Jimmy has written. Now Julie will post again.

The First Day of Home School

Here is a photo of my wonderful students. Today is Tuesday, September 5, 2006. Today it is cloudy and hot. This week's sponsors are, the letter S, the number 3, the circle, and the color yellow. I'm glad our school only lasted about an hour. I'm pooped!