So much to say, so little webspace!

My heart has been pulled in about 48 different ways in the last few weeks...  Between sick kiddos, tax season, friends in the straights (and valleys and fires), my family's busy schedules, and well... just life...  I have had a hard time finding a balance for myself.  I have mostly been on the teetering side of unhealthy-out-of-whackness (yes, a word! LOL)!  Only now, just in time to start getting ready for a big family vacation (more to come on that one!), am I feeling a little more myself, walking a straighter line.

I am so blessed that I have a center.  A place to come back to, especially when life is chaotic!  God is my grounding wire!  I have a husband who is not afraid to tell me I have stretched myself too thin, or tied myself is crazy knots!  I have kids who aren't afraid to tell me when they have needs that need to be met!  **I have amazing boys by the way.  They communicate in amazing ways.  They express love like no other!  They love me in abundance and forgive me endlessly...  Talk about radiating God's love!...  I just had to share that sidenote!**  I try to keep myself sensitive to the Holy Spirit's nudgings, and have learned when I don't move, I usually get moved...  Sometimes brutally!  lol 

Something I have never taken seriously since I started on my walk and since I was given a 2nd shot at life, through Him, was the Sabbath.  In fact, I used to think it was such a foreign thought!  I mean, HELLO!!!!  I have things to do on the weekend!  I can't take a WHOLE DAY OFF!!!  I had heard of people doing it and I really didn't think much about it.  I have been on near total burnout for a while and low and behold, the whole Sabbath thing has been all over my world!  I finally gave in to this extremely foreign, difficult to apply and submit to, way of thinking!  I am on week 4 of honoring a day of rest every week.  Wouldn't you know it that the 1st weekend I submitted, and cleared our schedule, that was the night the kids got super sick and I was on my toes for 5 days straight!  I was so thankful God had me rest beforehand and I was prepared to take care of my children, and get this, I didn't even get sick myself!  Normally, I would've been so run down already that I would have nose dived, right behind my children and been sicker than any of them!

I have been taught how to apply healthy boundaries to almost all aspects of my life.. Some are harder to apply than others.  I have been able to untwist myself out of the ball that I got myself into.  I have gotten myself back to my priorities.  It's hard because, not only do I love God, love my husband, love my family and love my job, I just love people in general!  I love to be there for my friends, because they are my family too!  And because I have been blessed to acquire so many deep, real and fulfilling relationships, I want to make sure I invest in them and keep them growing!  Sometimes it is hard to figure it all out and make sure I am on target with were I should be and not just where I think I need to be.  I'm trying!  ;) 

When I am where I am supposed to be, the peace in my heart is unreal!  The peace in my home, is amazing!  Even in the trials and fire, when it is right, I'm alright....  Things aren't any easier than before, but I have had enough rest and enough time with my Daddy, to keep myself going and thankful for another chance every morning I wake up!  Life is good...  Maybe, dare I say, GREAT????  I think yes!

Balanced.. for now, until the next weight drops and I do this all over again... And inevitably fall off the shelf and give myself a new chip or ding...
K

Sick and cracked!

Well, aside from the honesty in that comment, lol, it basically defines the literal side of my home right now...  I have 2 sick OS (offspring), and am battling the bugs so hard, that my hands are totally cracking from the sterilizing and hand washing!  I have this thing about germy bugs.  I hate them!  Possibly more than the average momma!  Not in an OCD fashion, but I just loathe being sick, when my family is sick, or when any of my kiddos are sickly. 

Spending as much time together as we do, I try as hard as I can to keep the bugs to a minimum.  I teach the kids to wash their hands before they eat, after they eat, when they come home from school, you get the idea.  Even the babies can sing the ABC hand washing tune!  As much as I hate bleach and the toxicity of it, I give in when it comes to sick bugs!  My hands are hating it and are letting me know as much!!  But alas, there are obviously some bugs that I couldn't get my hands on...  Dumb BUGS!!!!

I have the boys (it went from 1-2 last night!  BOO!!) quarantined with strict STAY BACK orders!  I am hoping the victim list doesn't grow, but let's get real.  We have taught our boys to be kind and affectionate and above all, share with kind hearts.  They seem to perfect those skills when the bugs are lurking!  lol  Of course, right?  I had this awful realization after a long night with #1 (Where I got smacked in the face with the harsh past reality of that once sleep deprived mother of my newborns!  Up every hour not knowing how you are functioning, but yet, doing it.  lol Only now, the sweet OS was older and actually apologized the next day for keeping me up all night!  Sweet lil' man!) and remembered the day before, while walking home from our sweet day at the park, watching the 3 boys giggling, passing the gatorade back and forth...  SHARING IT!!!!  The mega symptoms started that evening at dinner...  YUP, the damage had already been done.  DOUBLE DRAT!!  GATORADE!!!  That's it, new rule!  No more sharing.. Well, for the week!  lol

I don't get too freaked out about the kids being together after they get sick.  My theory is, long before the 1st symptom, they have already shared those lil' sleep ruining, booger inducing, sad little sick face-making germs!  I try to keep them apart from each other when I know things are lurking or when I have reason to believe they are an attack waiting to happen.  Otherwise, not much you can do once they've all slobbered on the same gatorade bottle, or rattle, or sippy cup! 

So now I sit and wait for the next attack on the horizon.  I have a good army in waiting and am not afraid to engage them!  I aint afraid of no germs!  GERMBUSTERS!!!  :)

*** This was written on 2-22-11.. Not sure why I didn't post it..  It seems pretty complete now that I just read through it...  I'll chalk it up to lack of sleep and improperly functioning brain cells!  ;)***