Outlasting

We go through the day, just making it through.
We've done all that we aspired to do.
We made our money, we've done our best.
We worked so much that we did not rest.

We get so caught up in this silly world,
We don't pause to realize how life has unfurled.
The whole time we worried about "important" things,
We failed to pay attention to our actual blessings.

Memories aren't made by working to death,
How can you live when you can't catch your breath?
You can control what your destiny will be,
You have the power to dictate your legacy.

Though our lives may be short, and gone in a flash,
We can still make memories that last.
After we're gone from this world for good,
Will we leave good things where we once stood?

Through all of these trials and all of the fuss,
Let's make sure we leave something to outlast us.

All I Want For Christmas Is...Sleep.

My alarm is set. The house is locked up. The lights are all turned off. It's 11:00 pm, and for once, I'm in bed on time. I think to myself, "Finally, I'll get a good amount of sleep and be well rested tomorrow." Wrong. Some time around 3:30 Aj woke up and came into my room. Instead of fighting, I let him sleep in bed with me, which means I had to give up my pillow and deal with Blankie in my face. Whatever, I'm going back to sleep. Five o'clock rolls around. Caleb wakes up and comes in the room. He asks if it's time for school, and in the process, wakes Aj up. Some how, I got them both to go back to sleep...until about 6:00. Somewhere around then, I sent them both out to watch TV so I could snooze until my alarm went off.

When I got out of bed this morning, all I could think was, "How hard is it to get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep?" I mean really, I'm not asking to sleep until noon, or have a whole day reserved for sleeping (even though I'm pretty sure I could sleep for a whole day). All I want is seven consecutive, uninterrupted hours.

Well guys, get out your cheat sheets. Here's an excellent Christmas gift idea for the lady in your life: let her sleep. I know it sounds silly, and almost to easy to be true, but that's really all you have to do. Pick a day and say, "This day, I'm going to let you sleep. Don't worry about the morning stuff, just get some sleep." You would be surprised how excited this could make a girl. Of course, this requires you to possibly put a child on the bus, or take them to school, or feed the baby and change a diaper, but the rewards are worth it.

So to sum up, Mommy's Christmas Wish List probably goes something like this: Sleep, Victoria's Secret gift card (every body wins on that one), a massage, and something sparkly. For country girls, add something camoflage. For girly girls, add a spa day. See that? I just made your holiday a little easier. You're welcome.

Why Should I Be?

I know today is supposed to be Poetry Wednesday, but I just didn't have it this morning. Instead, I would like to tell you what's really on my mind.

Sometimes, our life seems like it's going straight to hell. Whether it be work, a living situation, or recent life changing events, it doesn't always go the way we hoped or planned, and let's face it, that sucks. Within the last week or so, I've heard more sad stories than good ones, and I've done my fair share of complaining.

This is supposed to be the time of year we count our blessings and give thanks. It's pretty hard to do when you're facing the recent death of a loved one or the return of a recurring illness. So with all this bad news, and sad events, why should we be so thankful?

Everything we have in life, even the things we feel have been taken away from us, were a gift to us. When we were born, we didn't come with a guarantee of health, our loved ones didn't come with a guarantee of being there our whole life, and our life didn't come with a certificate of pleasantries.

If you have recently lost a loved one, give thanks for the time you had with them. You weren't promised a single day with them, let alone the amount of time you got. All that time, and all those good memories were a gift. If you or a loved one is facing serious illness, give thanks. Although facing sickness sucks, be thankful that person is still in your life or that you are still in the life of the ones who love you. Be thankful that you still have time to make more memories.

If you have a job you hate, be thankful you have one at all. If you don't have a job, be grateful you don't have a job you hate. If you hate where you live, be happy you have a home. If you're without a home, be happy you don't have to pay rent or a mortgage. Not where you want to be? Be glad you aren't where you were.

Thanksgiving isn't a time to pretend everything is perfectly fine. It's just a time to be thankful for things, even when we don't feel like we should.

And That's Why They Call Them Half Days

It's the week before Thanksgiving. Every child and parent knows that means only one thing: half days. To a kid, this means it's easier to go to school, because they're going to be out before they know it. The whole day seems to go by faster as classes are shorter. And no matter what day of the week it is, a half day always feels like a Friday. I remember being in school and loving half days. It was pretty awesome.

Now here's the parents side. Half days means I still have to do all the prep work in the morning like he's going to school for a whole day. I still wake up early, make my pot of coffee, make him a "lunch", and get his uniform ready. We still have to go wait for the bus, and I still have to deal with Aj waking up before he should because he hears us walking around. Then, when I would normally have enough time to accomplish things, but not today.

Today, in about four hours, I'll have to go wait for the bus again. You would be surprised how much I can accomplish in four hours, but it still won't be what I normally get done in a day. Then, when Caleb gets home, I'll have an extra two hours of listening to the boys fight over toys and begging me to go outside, not to mention fighting over what they're going to eat.

So if you ever wondered why they called them half days when they're aren't really half of a school day, it's because it literally breaks a parent's day in half. Good luck with that.

The Curse of Genetics

All my life I've been fighting,
Fighting an unseen foe.
He makes me drop all sorts of things,
Hit my hands, and stub my toes.

I spent time in a cast when I was six,
Fell off of a slide at five.
Cuts, gashes, and bee stings, I mean really,
It's a miracle I survived.

Now I've gotten a little more careful,
And this foe now, Heaven forbid,
Has stopped attacking me,
And now he goes after my kids.

Three times in two weeks it's happened now,
A phone call or note from the nurse.
He's fallen down stairs, or off of the slide,
It seems I've passed on my curse.

Who knew I could pass this to my children,
Who knew clumsiness was a gene?
What I do know is if they're anything like me,
It will be amazing if they see fifteen.

God please help my poor children,
If it be your will.
Keep them away from injury and harm,
And keep from me the ER bill.

And I Die A Little Inside...

Every parent knows that a child enjoys,
Playing with all sorts of noisy toys.
However what parents don't always know,
Is the more annoying, the better the show.

Max and Ruby, where are your parents?
Your entire show doesn't make any sense.
I expect more from my child than just one word,
And a boy playing tea party is a little absurd.

Dora the Explorer, yeah, you did it alright.
Because of you, I have a serious plight.
You keep my child quiet and entertained,
But I have a headache, and I'm going insane.

Thomas makes me want to curl up and die,
Your antics are so pointless I want to cry.
Bubble Guppies, your jokes are so bad,
Your songs stink, the whole thing is just sad.

I could speak on more shows, I could whine all day long.
But Heaven forbid my kid doesn't see his show when it's on.

A Return To Normal

For the past two months, our house has been torn apart. We were one of the unfortunate families who had damage due to Hurricane Irene. Because of flooding, the lower level of our house has been in shambles and we haven't been able to use it. But last week, my husband and I, and a few of our closest friends, have been working all day, everyday to get it back to functional.

We've torn up flooring, drywall, and studs. We've replaced walls, insulation, and painted. We worked through joint pain and sickness, and just when it seemed like it would never be finished, we succeeded. The last few nights we've been able to sit downstairs by the fire, watching TV and relaxing like we've wanted to for a long time. There's still a little work to be done, but at least we can enjoy all of our house again.

This might be the first time in a long time that I've been excited to do laundry or sweep the house. The rest of the house got completely neglected while we were working downstairs, and while I'm almost caught up, it's nice to know I can focus on what I usually do. Getting back into my routine is wonderful, and not having to worry about the fact that my house is torn up is a weight off my shoulders. We once again have "adult space" back.

Now it might be a stretch, but I feel like this can be an analogy for a life lesson. Becoming a parent can be a complete disruption in our lives. We go from thinking only of ourselves to suddenly having to worry about another living being over ourselves. We have to work through pain, sickness, sorrow, and fatigue to get things done. It seems at times like the work will never be done. But, there comes a turning point, and all of a sudden you're at the point where you can sit back and enjoy all the hard work you put into it. One of the most rewarding things is being able to see the fruits of your labor. And while your work isn't necessarily finished, you hit that defining moment, when you almost have to stop, look around you and enjoy all you have accomplished.

Things I've Learned

This week, I've learned numerous things from my children. Here's a short list of the most important ones:

1) No matter how tired or sick you are, your children don't care.

2) Waking up to a child staring at you at 5:30 in the morning is not only infuriating, it's really creepy too.

3) The dumbest things can scare the crap out of your child. They can go all through Halloween without getting scared once, but a stink bug makes them scream bloody murder.

4) Baby gates are not made to keep a two year-old contained.

5) Children do not care what time it is. If they think it's time to wake up, it's time to wake up.

6) If a "timeout" is supposed to last four minutes, your child will behave for exactly three minutes and thirty seconds.

7) Boys think throwing sticks across the road at 7:30 in the morning is funny.

8) Coffee is no match for a child's energy at 6:30 AM.

9) Toilet paper can be a really fun toy, that is until Mommy finds you out.

10) No matter how good or bad your day has been, nothings compares to the calm and solace of knowing both of your children are asleep.


Remember parents, never stop learning.