Unreasonable!!

 

They couldn't have told us this 4 weeks ago when my daughter made the volleyball team.

They couldn't have given us a heads up when we had our team meeting 2 weeks ago.

Of course I couldn't have expected them to tell us last week when we were all wondering what the girls were going to be wearing.

Nope. That would have been too easy.

So instead, they decided to tell us last night that the girls needed to have navy blue volleyball shorts for the game that is...today.

How were they to know that there are ZERO of these shorts in any of the stores in our small town much less ones that would fit my daughter?

Surely they didn't know that we could have bought them so much cheaper online and been sure that everyone had them on time.

How would they know that some of us work out of town from 7am-2pm today and will now have to leave work early to scour the earth for these shorts?

I'm just being unreasonable.

Some moms!



For billing....press 1

Everyone hates a telemarketer call.  Am I right?

Now imagine that you have to interpret a telemarketer call.

Now imagine you have to interpret a telemarketer call about 30 times a day.

Yeah, welcome to my life.

You see I am a video relay interpreter for those who use sign language to communicate. How does this work? Suppose my Deaf husband wanted to call you on the phone. He would call me on a video phone...and we could see each other. Then I would conference you in and I would interpret for the two of you. Beautiful.

But when I am working a 10 hour shift, that starts in the morning and ends in the early evening, I can't tell you how many phone trees, robo-calls, debt collectors, technical support, and telemarketer calls I interpret.

Enough to last a lifetime...

....and then some.

Repost: Balance

Balance....something that we learn early on in life. When a baby learns to walk, he must find balance. When a child learns to ride a bike, she must find balance. Balance, such a fragile thing. I heard it once compared to spinning plates.

Let me introduce you to the plates of my life.

We have got china plates which consists of children, hubby, and God.
We have Corell ware ; things like jobs, bills, education, grocery shopping, house work, etc.
We have our plastic ware: sports, book club, scouts, etc
And last we have paper plates: tv, Wii, internet surfing, napping, etc.

As life goes, we balance these plates on sticks and we spin them. And then we go from one plate to the next making sure they aren't going to fall.

Once we feel like we have mastered the spinning of the plates we have, then we add more plates...plates of all varieties. The more plates we add on, the more running around we are doing. Spinning, spinning, always spinning.

My problem as of late is finding priority. I have all these plates, and I fear that I am letting my precious china plates wobble until they are about to fall while the plastic and paper plates are about to take flight.

Priority, such an important thing for a mom, don't you think? We have to make sure that our loved ones and our spirituality (best china) do not fall because if they do, they are hard to fix and the consequences could be devastating. But some of the other things like work and buying food, and education are all important things too.

The key is spending enough time with your best china, making sure it gets the attention that it needs so that it will be able to spin longer. There are days when there is that one china plate that wants my complete attention, for whatever reason. But if my time is spent spinning plastic and paper plates, that precious china plate will never be noticed. Only cursed for not spinning right.

So, slowly but surely, the paper plates are making their way to the trash, or at least into the cupboard to be taken out and spun for a night, then quickly returned to its place.

I'm a mommy now. I've got some serious spinning to do with my precious, irreplaceable china!

Balance and priority.

Things I've learned.

...being a mom.

When you say things you never imagined you would say: "Don't pop your brother's pimples!" "If you keep peeing on the seat, you will have to pee sitting down." "Please stop farting on your sister."...then you might be a mom.

When you look forward to being sick just so you can sleep in a little, even if it means you are miserable....you might be a mom.

When you're one childless day this summer is spent shampooing carpets...you might be a mom.

When you wake up with a child sleeping on the floor on both sides of your bed....you might be a mom.

When you have children waiting outside the bathroom from the minute you go in until the minute you come out... you might be a mom.

When getting your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away is the highlight of your month....you might be a mom.

When hours of your day are spent in your van, driving children from place to place...you might be a mom.

When you are the only person who knows where all the dishes belong...you might be a mom.

When you smell your kids' breath to make sure they have truly brushed their teeth...you might be a mom.

When you think your people are the most talented, most valuable, smartest, best looking people around....you are most likely a mom.

Own your choices

I will not be blamed.

 

I did not want him. 

I didn't believe he was the right person for the job. 

He was not my vote.

 

He was not my choice then.

He is not my choice now.

And he does not have to be my choice ever.

 

So why are people

who chose him,

Now saying that if I don't vote for him

it will be my fault

if he loses.

 

Again...

 

I did not want him. 

I didn't believe he was the right person for the job. 

He was not my vote.

 

 

You chose him.

You thought he could win.

You wanted him.

 

I

did not.

 

I will not be blamed...

 

...when he loses.

Heart Failure...almost

So glad to have this over.

My heart couldn't handle the stress!!

Picture found here.

Things I've learned....

....reading books

...You shouldn't limit yourself to only one genre. You open up a whole new world by mixing it up.

...When buying a book written by a comedian, you should always go with the audiobook. It's better that way.

...Audible is great. but can be dangerous to your bank account.

...Not all "classic" books are classics.

...With all the platforms for reading books these days, no-one has any excuse for not reading.

...I will take a book over a movie any day...my handsome is way better than someone else's.

...anything can be used as a bookmark...post-it notes, receipts, toilet paper. All good options.

...Goodreads.com. Pretty much the best social networking site ever.

....One of the only things that can keep me up past 2am is a good book.

...No other platform can beat holding an old fashion book in your hand. Something about turning pages and toilet paper bookmarks.

How does that taste?

If this wasn't one of the sweetest moments in the Rio Olympics so far, I don't know what is.

Photo found here.

Definitely a "How-Does-That-Taste" moment. What a gratifying moment that had to be for Phelps...because it was for me and I wasn't even swimming it.

A great teaching moment for my kids to see that if you take your eye off the goal, even for a hundredth of a second, you may just lose all you have worked so hard to achieve.

Also, don't taunt Phelps.

When it's this important....

Practice makes perfect, right?

Isn't that what they say?

That was my reasoning.

You see, while all my friends were enjoying their last few mornings of sleeping in, I was practicing my morning routine.

You know...

Waking up at 5am to get a hot shower. Blowing drying and curling my hair with  no competition with my siblings. (There were 8 of us, remember.) Putting on my new clothes, make-up, shoes, etc. Basically becoming beautiful!

It was the first day of school, people! And it only happens once a year. Gotta be perfect.

And I, for one, was going to be ready for it.

My kids....

...couldn't care less!!

The Price We Paid

"The Price We Paid" by Andrew D Olsen

Goodreads Summary:
The story of the Willie and Martin handcart pioneers is among the most compelling in the history of America's western migration. Though tragic, it is also a story of triumph that scarcely has an equal. It is one of history's great witnesses of the power of faith and sacrifice.
Although this story is one of the most frequently told of all Mormon pioneer accounts, it is also among the least understood. This book provides the most comprehensive and accessible account of these pioneers' epic 1856 journey.
In addition to painting a broad perspective of the trek, it includes dozens of personal stories from the pioneers themselves. Woven into the larger story of the journey west, these stories inspire, build faith, recount miracles, and reveal how these pioneers were able to endure such adversity. The book also includes chapters on the lives of many of these pioneers after the handcart trek.
Immerse yourself in the challenges and miracles of this astounding odyssey as never before!

My review:
I am LDS and I have heard about the struggles of the pioneers my whole life. This year my kids went on Trek up to Wyoming and Martin's Cove and so I wanted to experience it with them by reading a book about the people who were in the handcarts. This book did not disappoint. It is amazing the amount of faith these people had. I kept asking myself if I could have done what they did. Great book.

13

13

 

13 days.

 

13 days until...

 

....my food bill gets significantly lower.

 

...my house is a little cleaner.

 

...my house is little more quiet.

 

....my kids view home a little less boring.

 

....I can get a few more things done during the day.

 

...I feel guilty for enjoying an empty house so much.

 

13 days...

 

13!