My kids are sleeping. I want to sew. I want to write. I want to do familysearch indexing. I want to sleep. I could get another batch of laundry going. I should sleep.
But I am loading up my body's energy for the night. Eating my usual bowl of granola. Actually it is a little sweeter tonight than usual because I got the special kind since I had a 20% discount. But it is easiest to write between bites so that is what I am doing now. Feeling my tired body, I will probably sleep next. Well after I read a few scriptures. I haven't read any today.
What am I up to? Mom! That is my number one job. I am trying to do better at it. And I am trying to recognize the good things I do at it.
I like watching the 'I am a mormon' clips and I think, what would mine be about? I am not at a state where I want them to film me in my house. I have been working at trying to catch up on the cleaning since I was down so much with colds and migraines. But I am trying to not overdo it. I mean, I am a mom. I need to give all my kids the attention they need, I also need to not burn out, so I try to sneak in time at my sewing machine. Sometimes I do read. I was getting geared up for spring planting until another week and a half of regular snow blew in.
I like the flylady attitude that I can do anything for 15 minutes. When I do something and try to push through until it is 'done' that is when I become exhausted. I did push hard a couple days on cleaning. If you had seen my house before you would really see the difference, if you hadn't you might wonder if as one of Joseph's classmates said 2 years ago, 'don't you guys ever clean?' (And we thought we had done a good job! I guess our piles on shelves/tables didn't meet his house standards.) We are working at getting order so that we can maintain a feeling of cleanliness. And I am going through things with the kids. Joseph won't get rid of anything, including the boxing things come in. I have to offer something he wants more. But I am not willing to buy him a playstation to get him to throw away his Christmas present costume. (a BIG box wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper). When going through Isaks stuff with him, he says yeah lets get rid of that, I hate it! Joseph freaks out. You can't get rid of that, Can I have it? Mom steps in. No way, Joseph. I am not letting you have more stuff. You won't get rid of anything. We have too much stuff in our house. That is why it is such a mess. Also my dad has a theory that newer/nicer looking homes are easier to keep clean then a house that itself is run down. Well we can only afford the run down house, and we are way better off because of it... but we are working on fixing it up. That too is a process. But in about a month we will have a fascade that we won't be embarassed for people to see. Hopefully soon after that we will have a working bathroom complete with a shower upstairs. And I think we were just given a new blessing.
Since the winter has continued and we scheduled the builders to come work on the house months ago, Mommy Kathryn has been concerned about us freezing. The outer layer of our house is coming down next week! We are already cold in the drafty house I can't imagine how that will feel when there is even less blocking the wind. We were even considering pulling the boys out of school and I and kids going to stay at the in-laws while Daniel stays and works both job and house. Now we hate being split up. we didn't really want to do that, but where we have been battling so many colds anyway it didn't feel right to make us try to add that to the demands on our worn bodies. Here is the blessing... in so many ways.
We have become good friends with a family who lives about 10 drive away. That alone is a great blessing. But they are angels, they asked if there was anything they could do to help during this next project. Well long story short, we are going to stay at their cottage. And there are many pluses with that. One, we will be neighbors with some of our best friends. I haven't lived in walking distance from friends since England and that was brief. (That best friend of mine is going to try and come and visit us with her kids at the end of summer!) Ella and her friend will be able to play when ever. I don't think Ella has ever had that. My friend and I have tried to get a night out each week , and it keeps getting cancelled. So living that close, we should be able to work it out. I only half-jokingly told them (before this recent kindness) that if they weren't careful we were going to feel like they were our family here on Gotland.
Well here is the blessing that made me start writing this. I told the kids that we have to clean up every night, since it isn't our place. They will each get to take one small basket of toys. Thats all. And everything has to be put up before we go to bed. Joseph started saying he wouldn't then I said we will clean for their night minutes instead of doing something fun with us if it isn't done. I told them the goal is that we will be in a habit of cleaning when we move back home that we will just keep it going. :)
Also the loft, is where Joseph and Isak want to sleep but it has a low rail. So I have said any yelling or fighting up there and they won't get to sleep or even go up there.
Yes some things will be harder. The fridge is like a quarter as big as what we have. And we will be using the freezer box inside their regular house for our frozen goods. We will have to drive Daniel out to the main road on days he works when he has to carpool. But an adventure for three weeks, with the blessing of good friends. I choose to see the Lords hand. Oh yeah, I can shower regularly without dreading going into the freezing basement. (I need to choose my basket of toys well, so I don't go nuts. I would take the sewing machine, But I don't think there is room to put it up. We will see.)
Now we just need to find more nice things to do for them to reciprocate and show our gratitude.
(also I have been a bit sad that come summer they will go to her homeland Canada for several months and that means no get-togethers then. but at least there will be this first.)
Now I spent a long time doing this. My eyes are tired of the screen. So I will close.
But I am loading up my body's energy for the night. Eating my usual bowl of granola. Actually it is a little sweeter tonight than usual because I got the special kind since I had a 20% discount. But it is easiest to write between bites so that is what I am doing now. Feeling my tired body, I will probably sleep next. Well after I read a few scriptures. I haven't read any today.
What am I up to? Mom! That is my number one job. I am trying to do better at it. And I am trying to recognize the good things I do at it.
I like watching the 'I am a mormon' clips and I think, what would mine be about? I am not at a state where I want them to film me in my house. I have been working at trying to catch up on the cleaning since I was down so much with colds and migraines. But I am trying to not overdo it. I mean, I am a mom. I need to give all my kids the attention they need, I also need to not burn out, so I try to sneak in time at my sewing machine. Sometimes I do read. I was getting geared up for spring planting until another week and a half of regular snow blew in.
I like the flylady attitude that I can do anything for 15 minutes. When I do something and try to push through until it is 'done' that is when I become exhausted. I did push hard a couple days on cleaning. If you had seen my house before you would really see the difference, if you hadn't you might wonder if as one of Joseph's classmates said 2 years ago, 'don't you guys ever clean?' (And we thought we had done a good job! I guess our piles on shelves/tables didn't meet his house standards.) We are working at getting order so that we can maintain a feeling of cleanliness. And I am going through things with the kids. Joseph won't get rid of anything, including the boxing things come in. I have to offer something he wants more. But I am not willing to buy him a playstation to get him to throw away his Christmas present costume. (a BIG box wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper). When going through Isaks stuff with him, he says yeah lets get rid of that, I hate it! Joseph freaks out. You can't get rid of that, Can I have it? Mom steps in. No way, Joseph. I am not letting you have more stuff. You won't get rid of anything. We have too much stuff in our house. That is why it is such a mess. Also my dad has a theory that newer/nicer looking homes are easier to keep clean then a house that itself is run down. Well we can only afford the run down house, and we are way better off because of it... but we are working on fixing it up. That too is a process. But in about a month we will have a fascade that we won't be embarassed for people to see. Hopefully soon after that we will have a working bathroom complete with a shower upstairs. And I think we were just given a new blessing.
Since the winter has continued and we scheduled the builders to come work on the house months ago, Mommy Kathryn has been concerned about us freezing. The outer layer of our house is coming down next week! We are already cold in the drafty house I can't imagine how that will feel when there is even less blocking the wind. We were even considering pulling the boys out of school and I and kids going to stay at the in-laws while Daniel stays and works both job and house. Now we hate being split up. we didn't really want to do that, but where we have been battling so many colds anyway it didn't feel right to make us try to add that to the demands on our worn bodies. Here is the blessing... in so many ways.
We have become good friends with a family who lives about 10 drive away. That alone is a great blessing. But they are angels, they asked if there was anything they could do to help during this next project. Well long story short, we are going to stay at their cottage. And there are many pluses with that. One, we will be neighbors with some of our best friends. I haven't lived in walking distance from friends since England and that was brief. (That best friend of mine is going to try and come and visit us with her kids at the end of summer!) Ella and her friend will be able to play when ever. I don't think Ella has ever had that. My friend and I have tried to get a night out each week , and it keeps getting cancelled. So living that close, we should be able to work it out. I only half-jokingly told them (before this recent kindness) that if they weren't careful we were going to feel like they were our family here on Gotland.
Well here is the blessing that made me start writing this. I told the kids that we have to clean up every night, since it isn't our place. They will each get to take one small basket of toys. Thats all. And everything has to be put up before we go to bed. Joseph started saying he wouldn't then I said we will clean for their night minutes instead of doing something fun with us if it isn't done. I told them the goal is that we will be in a habit of cleaning when we move back home that we will just keep it going. :)
Also the loft, is where Joseph and Isak want to sleep but it has a low rail. So I have said any yelling or fighting up there and they won't get to sleep or even go up there.
Yes some things will be harder. The fridge is like a quarter as big as what we have. And we will be using the freezer box inside their regular house for our frozen goods. We will have to drive Daniel out to the main road on days he works when he has to carpool. But an adventure for three weeks, with the blessing of good friends. I choose to see the Lords hand. Oh yeah, I can shower regularly without dreading going into the freezing basement. (I need to choose my basket of toys well, so I don't go nuts. I would take the sewing machine, But I don't think there is room to put it up. We will see.)
Now we just need to find more nice things to do for them to reciprocate and show our gratitude.
(also I have been a bit sad that come summer they will go to her homeland Canada for several months and that means no get-togethers then. but at least there will be this first.)
Now I spent a long time doing this. My eyes are tired of the screen. So I will close.
