If You Really Know Us....

.....You'll find this comic strip all too funny. I think I just about snorted my oatmeal this morning when I read it.


I want royalties, you know. And I think I am going going to have my house scanned for bugs.

Trying Something New

I'm getting brave.

I have a cousin who is probably one of the most driven people I have ever met. She has no fear of trying something new. It seems like she is always in the pursuit of conquering something new. I am in awe of her. I wish that I could be like her.

Me? I'm the coward. I'm the one who has all these dreams floating around her head. I'm pretty sure that few, if any of these dreams will ever come through. Lots of reasons. Money. Fear. Lack of motivation. Fear. Procrastination. Fear.

Catch the theme?

It is that fear of failure that just keeps me from even attempting to learn something new. Even with "schooling" Luke, I proceed with fear. I've already screwed him up, I'll probably screw him up more!! Each day I find myself beating down the thought of giving up. Yet there is a part of me that says that this is one area that I cannot give into fear and give up. That's why Luke and I are where we are. He was fearful and gave up.

So, I look at my cousin and all the things that she has done and I find myself motivated. She taught herself how to play the guitar. I haven't actually heard her play, but it sounds like she taught herself really well. So, I thought....if she can do it, so can I.

A few months back, I bought a CD/DVD kit on how to learn to play the guitar. I pulled it out last week and have committed to "practicing" every week day. I say practice lightly because I don't feel like I'm making a lot of headway. I've "learned" a couple of chords. But I can't transition between them very well at all. I struggle even with learning the right "tension" to place on each string. AND....my fingers HURT!! I almost feel like I'm losing feeling in them. I hope they toughen up!!

So. I've 'fessed up. I am hoping that with that confession will keep me honest. I will try to keep things posted as to my progress. Maybe God will speed my learning along. Wouldn't that be fun???

What a Mom Would Do.....

We've all heard the extreme stories of what a Mom will do for her kids. We would eat scraps. Wear rags. Climb a mountain. Sacrifice our lives. And so the story goes.

Tonight....this Mom went to a whole new level in Motherly Sacrifice.

Daria is pretty awesome at soccer. She puts her poor mom to shame. I have had dreams where I played as good as she does. She seems to be naturally gifted that way. Beyond the practices that have been assigned to her by coaches, she really hasn't worked on her skills on her own. Unless you want to count playing against Dad on Sunday afternoons!!

One of the skills she needs to have for Classic Soccer is to learn to juggle. To me, juggling even with your hands is difficult....much less with your feet and a soccer ball. I've often tried to encourage her to practice that skill....but she has never liked to do it on her own. Yesterday, I decided that if she really needed to practice this skill....I would make it happen.

So tonight, I suggested that she and I do some juggling in the garage tonight. And that is what we did. Now....mind you....I've not played a stitch of soccer....unless you want to count playing against/with Tim on Sunday afternoons. BUT....I was in there practicing my juggling.

I was quite proud of myself. I actually did it about 4 times in a row a couple of times. I could fairly consistently do it 3 times in a row. I was even doing about as good as Daria most of the time. By the time Classic tryouts happen, I may just be the total Soccer Mom package!!

The bonus in the evening was just the fun that we had. Caden came out with us and dinked around with the balls, too. (Anything to get better at soccer!!) We laughed and had a great ol' time. I was a little surprised that Luke didn't come out and join us....but he was having a great time playing with his Rescue Heroes.

So...Here's to being a Mom. We really do do it all!!

Valentine Blessings

Every once in a while, my sweet Tim throws me for a loop. Guess you could call me a Roller Coaster gal....cause I really liked this loop!!

I really expected my Valentine's day to just be another date on the calendar. To say that Tim isn't a Romantic is an understatement. I've learned to just take what I can get. I certainly have learned to never expect anything grand for Valentine's Day. Totally a retail holiday.

The day started out pretty normal. Wished I could say that I slept in, but Murphy's law says that one must get up early when we want to sleep in. Even though I was up early, I was lazy....until we had to head out the door for Daria's two soccer games. (They won both...and Daria was amazing....again! Gosh, I'm proud of her!)

After we got home, the kids and I crashed a little bit while Tim helped the neighbor service the church tractor. That is pretty normal....but then he comes home and begins doing things that are extremely atypical for him. Like....picking up the living room. Putting things away in the kitchen. MAKING THE BED!!! And offering to buy pizza for dinner...even after we had to eat out for lunch between Daria's games!! Wow...he's being awfully attentive.

WHO IS THIS MAN AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY HUSBAND??!!??

Then....he gives me my Valentine's gift. Wow. He actually got me more than a handwritten note!!! I'm shocked. I didn't think that I could be even more shocked...but when I opened it....I would have fallen over if I wasn't safely planted on the couch!! He bought me a Wii Fit!! I had just gone the day before trying to find one and they didn't have one. I couldn't have been more excited. Even the fact that he dashed to the store that day before Daria's game to get it didn't dash my excitement. Even the fact that the kids were just as excited and consumed for the rest of the time didn't dash my excitement.

As I was enjoying watching my kids' enthusiasm, I hear my kids yelling that someone was here. I look out the window to see Tim's sister and her husband drive up. Hmmmm. That's awfully interesting....for Valentine's day. Why would they be here to celebrate their Valentine's day??? I thought for sure that they were just here to say a quick hello. Then they come in and start settling in. I began to wonder if our one pizza would be enough to feed us all!! I wasn't sure what to think.

As conversation went, it slowly came out that they were here to babysit....while Tim took me out!! Well, blow me over! Quick....run in and change your shirt. My Soccer Mom sweatshirt doesn't cut it on a date with my sweetie!

So, Tim and I headed out to one of my favorite places, Burgerville. Nothing grand. But I did get to pick out anything I wanted off the menu this time!! That's awfully generous for my miserly hubby. And....we didn't have to wait for hours at a restaurant....or for Tim....we didn't have to pay a tip!! We had a good dinner....and good conversation. And....that IS good!!

We came home to let Jeff and Debbie go home and do some celebrating of their own. The kids needed baths for church the next day. And I wanted a turn on the Wii Fit. Even with the usualness of the evening, we had a good Valentine's day.

I felt blessed.

Thankful Thursday

Gettin' down to business.....

Today I am thankful for:

• Luke's desire to be read to. I have been amazed lately how much Luke has been enjoying reading. He use to have no desire to sit and listen to stories. Now he can't seem to get enough. Tonight we ready "Bad Kitty".....3 times, "Poor Puppy"....3 times.....and 2 Munschworks stories. I read for 45 minutes until my throat was sore....and he was still begging for more.

• The "MITCH moms co-op" I have been participating with the last couple of weeks. We take turns watching kids, "teaching school" to preschoolers, and volunteering in the classroom. We get a lot done....and it lets me get back into volunteering in the classroom.

• And I will say it again...and again...and again....I am so thankful for my Moms In Touch friends. I don't know what I would do without them. They are such an encouragement. They are definitely a bright spot in my week.
  

Happy Thankful Thursday!!!

Can you hear me now???

I think one of my biggest frustrations in life right now is that I feel like I can talk until I'm blue in the face and not really be heard.

"What'd you say?"

That is what Tim would say right now if I verbally said it out loud. Of course, right now, he is sacked out on the couch....again.....and he wouldn't hear a word that I say. But that is a typical response of his when I ask him if he heard me. Of course, 99% of the time he is just teasing me. It is an time-old joke between him and I. I can't tell you how many times I took him seriously and repeated myself. I'm getting smarter. Either that or I've just been married to him for forever.

So maybe I shouldn't say that I wish that I was heard. I want people to listen. So maybe I should think for a while on what is meant by listened to. Can I feel like people have listened if there is no response? No acknowledgment. No change in behavior. Nothing.

What is the responsibility of the listener?

Then again, maybe it is the fault of the communicator. Maybe I have failed, again and again, to communicate well. But then again, are we only required to listen if things are communicated correctly, succinctly, and well? Is it possible to listen even when the point is stated poorly and in frustration?

Maybe my frustration lies in the secret desire I have to be understood whether I say anything at all. Sometimes I can't say what really needs to be said. Or the words fail me. Even then....can I be heard? I mean....really heard.

Or maybe I just really want to know that I've been heard. I mean really know. Even my prayers of persistency and desperation come from just wanting to be truly heard.

Enough of that. Gonna break that thought train. Rant over.

Family Fun

This Christmas, I convinced Tim to buy our family a Wii. Of all the gaming systems out there, this is the only system that has remotely interested me. To move and wiggle instead of sit and jiggle seemed totally worth the money.

We actually missed getting one in time for Christmas, but due to a little bit of good timing, we were able to buy one a couple of weeks ago. The kids...and well...me, too....were really excited! For a while there, it was Wii frenzy around here. But as time has gone on....we aren't nearly as fanatical about it as we had been.

Okay....the kids aren't nearly as fanatical as they use to be. Me. I'm just getting started.

I have been having a blast. Now that the kids have cooled a little bit, I now find that I have time to play. The kids have even enjoyed watching me play. Even my wildly competitive son cheered for me today when I earned a gold medal on a game. Now that is a shocker!! Usually he's mad and out on a mission to be the best.

It was fun tonight watching my Tim rise to the his Ego's call. He's always Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected. Mr. Calculated. Because he is so stinking level-headed and calculated, he easily masters the games that leave the kids and I sweating and puffing. It is fun to see my oh-so-sober husband loosen up and have a blast playing the Wii. So cool.

I think tonight we had the best family time we had in a long time. No crying over someone losing. Laughing at each other attempting new games for the first time. And we all got involved. It was so much fun.

Next time I am going to have to remember to get the camera out. Click: Luke dodging wildly in the boxing, trying to show Mom how its done.. Click: Caden jumping wildly at a great shot in golf. Click: Tim being Mr. Joe Cool. Click: Daria grinning mischieviously.

Until the next fight breaks out over remote choices.....best purchase we've made in a long time.

For Me

The other day I was singing a part of this song. I had never given it much thought before....but I couldn't get it out of my head. Then yesterday, every time I got in the van, this song was playing on the radio. I had heard it before....but now I really heard it. Now I know why I was singing it the other day. It was for me, this day.

ONE TRUE GOD

I don't have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that's holding me
And I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make
I have a God, He made everything
So I don't need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

He's the Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains
The one true God

I don't have a thing that I got on my own
I don't have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who's carrying me
I don't have sin that He doesn't forgive
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His
But I have a God who still loves me
So I don't need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
Who is this King of Glory

Jill of All Trades

Master of None.

I've always wanted to be really good at something. Not just okay. Or even good. I mean really good. Excellent. Over the top. Superb. Maybe even, dare I say it, the Best. (hmmm....there seems to be a little shame associated with wanting to be the best. Interesting.)

The things of life, for the most part, have come fairly easily for me. I guess that is a good thing. I can do a fair amount of things fairly well. I have a knowing inside that says that I could do just about anything if I gave it a try. The only thing I really lack is that it never has given me the push to succeed. The drive to be excellent. I've always just worked hard enough to be good enough. Good enough to get the A. Good enough to get the pat on the back. The sticker on the page. Approval.

As I think about this, I also find that there is fear in being fairly good. There is fear of failure. Fear that if I push to go beyond good, I will find that I can't. The quote on my calendar for the past month has been: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a....fool about it." W. C. Fields. I guess that I fear being the fool, so why try.

I find myself very envious of others and their skills and gifts. I love to see how others use those gifts. Unfortunately, when I see their successes in areas I would love to be good at...I find I want to run away. (I know....I totally see the ridiculousness of that statement. But what is, is. I never said all my thoughts were good ones! Ha!) I might even think that I am pretty good at something...until I find someone who is better. Which is never hard to find.

So, here I sit. If someone were to ask me what I am gifted at, I couldn't answer. I can do a lot of things fairly well. But there isn't one thing that I could say that I do very well. (Except for complaining or procrastinating...but I don't think that would really be what they meant!) For the last month, I have been attempting something that I thought that I could do fairly well. Life, of course, never goes quite like you plan...most of the time. I'm panicking. I'm doubting. I want to run away, plug my ears...........la la la la la.

It is hard to wrap up a transparent post like this. I'm sure that my family is taking notes for the Insanity(with a capital I!) case they are building for my defense. The next extended "quiet space" my blog encounters may be due to the fact that they've had me committed until all this craziness has been eradicated, erased, and reprogrammed.

Until then:

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:10.