alongcamejen's Xanga

From Under the Mound of Clothes

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 02:15:44 GMT

Do you ever feel like you have the most mundane job in the universe. And really, I know that's a stupid question. How could raising children be mundane? I think it's the "HOME" part of being a stay-at-home mom, not the "MOM" part. HOME. 24/7. Laundry washed 2 days ago needs to be washed again. Furniture dusted 2 weeks ago, coated once more. Dishes cleaned yesterday, back in the dishwasher. Food in the fridge, food out of the fridge. Toys in their proper bins last night, dragged out once again. Does someone come into my home during the day and undo what I've done? Oh yeah. Thing One and Thing Two.

In the last 72 hours, I've left the house twice. My fault, I know, but we've been eaten by one mosquito INSIDE today, how much worse outside? (Yes, I do use bug repellent, but it might as well be honey.) My poor kids are climbing the walls. They need to run in wide open spaces, and the living room just ain't cuttin it. At 8:30 tonight, when their little heads should have been resting on fluffy pillows (with clean pillow cases, I might add), they were wrestling in bed, getting sweaty and having the time of their little lives. But, I digress...

The longer I'm in my HOME, the more my reality is warped by walls left unpainted, piles of papers unfiled, stacks of clothes unorganized. I keep thinking I'll get on top of this. After all, I once had a wonderfully organized house...before kids.

But here's the rub. I'm HOME. Why aren't the chores (defined in the dictionary as 'tedious task', I might add) getting done?

So I put my faith in systems. Flylady, envelopes, notebooks, binders, calendars, labeled bins. But then I discover something much more painful than being unorganized...being undisciplined. Maybe I'll just stick with disorganization.

After all, I HAVE a house to clean, clothes to wash and food to cook. I have a dishwasher to wash my dishes. I have a washer and dryer to clean my clothes. I have a helpful, supportive spouse.

Really. What's to complain about? Is anyone frustrated by my lack of organization besides me? I don't think so. Can I be free to struggle in this instead of struggling to be free? And what in the world does that mean? Let me know if you find out...

Oh, and don't forget to throw that load of laundry in the dryer before you have to rewash it...

The Bully

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:42:45 GMT

My mom says this is a face only a momma could love.

But this is my brother's dog, Emmet. How cute is he? Just thought I'd share...GO DAWGS!!

I'm nobody

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:32:35 GMT

I heard a quote years ago. It may be untrue or wrongly assigned. But it's said that Queen Elizabeth was out and about when someone approached her and asked, "Who are you?" She responded,

"I'm nobody, but my father is the king."

Think on that...

Not that you care, but...

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:23:49 GMT

It's 9:10pm. I have a fever. I've had a fever for 3 days. Holiday? Poopyday.

My 13 month old is making airplane noises when he plays with his brother's planes.

My 4 year old smashed his face into a chair while playing a game with...you guessed it...ME. Two words. Real. Bad. Real bad. Not broken, but swollen and finally bruising after a few days. Way to go, Mom.

Back to the 13 month old, who decided walking was the way to go last week. He takes joy in his steps. You should see his face (as opposed to the slammed face of my 4 year old). And those little shoulders pulled back to keep his balance. You know the stance.

Did I mention my 4 year old got a fever too?

I think my perfectionism has given me an ulcer. I'm not kidding.

Tonight, I was trying to explain the hymn "All for Jesus" to my 4 year old. I told him we live "all for Jesus" because he died for our sins, paid our ransom, to give us eternal life. He said, "Like our verse, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." It's not wasted after all.

Birthdays and Memories

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:45:50 GMT

Hi. My name is Jennifer. It's been 2 1/2 months since my last blog.

I'm with my friend Nanette who dragged me here with a posted comment on my site. Her last blog was yesterday. I'm here to support her.

But enough of my bad habits. J4 had his first birthday yesterday. I awoke this morning remembering back a year...J4 was taken to NICU within an hour of his birth. He was there for a week. This time last year, my husband and I were venturing up to NICU to see him for the first time after a rather quick and drug-free birth. (The drug-free part was not of my choosing and would never be again.) We couldn't touch J4 or talk to him as that would cause him to expend energy he needed to breath and heal. It ended up not being very serious, thank God...and I mean that...the God of Heaven and earth who gave me my precious sons and sustains us daily. But it's not a good memory, that first week.

Now? What a little joy, except when he's throwing a fit, of course. I don't remember J3 throwing fits this early, so I'm curious to see if I have a little strong-willed child on my hands. If so, I'll be calling U2Mom to commiserate...

My Wonderful Husband

Mon, 01 May 2006 13:17:34 GMT

Too often, I'm nagging my husband and complaining about him. So I'm going to take an opportunity to tell you how wonderful he is. This weekend, I took J4 out of town to see my cousin's high school play and left hubby here with our 4 year old. He took J3 up to Toccoa with Uncle Tom on a road trip. They read books and played at the park. He adores J3. They wrestle, tickle, sing and dance to the Beatles. They have silly little jokes between them. He's a great DaDa.

He's also a thoughtful hubby. I keep a running list of things to get at the grocery as I see we need them. He went to the store and got everything on that list while I was gone. He made dinner last night while I was taking a nap, exhausted from the trip...ribs and corn on the cob. And the icing on the cake? He cleaned up after dinner. It was lovely.

Poppyseed Bagels

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 14:02:42 GMT

Just a little bit of advice: If you haven't introduced your child to poppyseed bagels, don't. Every morning, I have like a zillion poppyseeds on the floor because my 4 year-old's favorite breakfast is a poppyseed bagel with cream cheese.

We've discovered a great poppyseed bagel though, if you are interested. I've found them at Kroger and Publix, although it may just be in this area, as they are from a bakery in Norcross, GA. They are from Masada Bakery. They have great Ciabatta rolls too. I find them in a special rack or end cap. Try them...YUM!

Grammar Lesson

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 19:32:48 GMT

Following is an email I just received from a car salesman. Tell me if you know what it says!

"I just recived your inq regarding that HONDA ODYSSEY 2003 that you are interested in . . I still got that car avalable and its in accilent shape. y. the car as really low milage on it there is no scrachies on the body of the car single owner of lease car . we all ready done 129 % inspaction on the car .and + i have many other honda odyssey 2003 if you wana chose in many other colors with low milage. so when ever you feel like just give me a call or send me a e mail ok . you can reach me at 770 817 3333 and ask for ricky and i will be more then happy to assist you further with that car."

Need I say more?

Time Alone

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:52:14 GMT

One thing lacking in my life is some time alone in my house. BK (Before Kids), little did I know how much I would cherish this. But my husband has taken our 4 year old to a movie. And honestly, although it is a movie I'd like to see, I'd rather be here with my 9 month old (who is currently napping). My house has gotten completely out of control in the last week. I was on strike from housework, I guess. So I've been catching up on some things.

Laundry...that'll take days to catch up. Since I last ran a load, my husband and son have played in the creek, we went sliding on some rocks at a local park and we gardened for 6 hours during the weekend. Needless to say, we have some DIRTY clothes.

But what I really got on to share is a card my brother-in-law gave me for my birthday. It says,

Things I've Learned: Any pan is a no-stick pan if you no cook on it. (Inside reads, "It's your birthday. Don't cook.")

I thought this was a hilarious card. Bro-in-law is a bachelor, so doesn't cook AT ALL. So that made it a bit funnier too.

Anyway, Happy Thursday!

Chicken Recipe

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 02:41:51 GMT

I made this tonight, and it's just one of our family favorites. Even J3 will eat it...he's 4. Thought I'd share it. It's easy and yummy! Good with a spinach salad. I'll include a good salad dressing recipe too!

Honey Penny Chicken

2 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted

1/4 cup mustard

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp curry

Mix all ingredients and pour over 4-6 chicken breasts in baking dish, turning chicken to coat. Cook covered with foil for 1 hour at 400. Serve with rice.

Honey-Balsamic Dressing (from Coastal Living...because I like to dream big.)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a wire whisk. Makes 3/4 cup.