A Birthday and a Good Week...mostly (because I have to cover all the bases)

Well, well, well.  I have been trying to be more on top of the essential "dailies" that I have had such a desire to do since I was 15 and yet have always struggled...since I was 15.  Morning exercise, prayer (real prayer, talking to The Man Upstairs, not just thinking a thought as my mind wanders and I go to sleep), reading from the scriptures and applying them TO ME.  Really, it is the ONLY (and I mean THE ONLY) time of day that I can have to myself because after 7-7:30 am the party begins and doesn't end until 11 pm when I finish and drop into bed.  But oh how I love sleep and my bed and my pillow and my blanket and the cool early morning breeze blowing through my window, and when he isn't sleeping so hot it feels like a nuclear plant resides next to me I enjoy spooning my husband.  Waking up is hard for this lady, but this week I got a little better at the above.  

I realized I don't need to get up and torture myself.  A beautiful walk will do, is something I can look forward to, and is definitely better than doing nothing because running or strength training sounds too horrid when I lay arguing with myself at 6:15 am.  

I also realized that praying out loud (but still in private) makes me think about what I'm saying, and I know God cares about the minutiae of my life.  Thank goodness.  Because there is a lot of it.

And this time reading through my Book of Mormon, I am taking a new approach and just focusing on anything that stands out to me in regard to my greatest struggle right now.  What the exact stories or dates or context is doesn't mean anything to me, just how do these words apply to me, how can I get stronger and wiser from what I am reading, and the most interesting things have been popping up.

Still, I laugh because yesterday I was feeling a little frustrating about my greatest challenge and thinking, hey, I am making this extra effort and nada.  Hello?

But today, I realized it has been a great week.  It has been really, really fun.  I am impressed I can work 40 hours, work all the mama hours, bug my husband a little about doting on me, have a million cares and still have a really good time.  I hadn't really noticed this about myself, but I really thrive on play.  Being an adult, and married, and having 5 kids, and money stretching and all that stinking life balance stuff is stressful.  I do it.  I am good at a lot of it.  I freak out about a lot of it.  But let me hike and wonder and explore and swing as high into the air as I can so that my tummy flips (the kid kind of swinging, people!), and I am a happy, fulfilled lady. 

 This week I have danced in the kitchen with my husband and some kiddos.  I have "explored" on an early morning walk and loved it so much I dragged my kiddos on the same 3 miler the next day.  Haha.  That was fun...actually it really was.  On the way back, I DID have to carry Shawn and then Ben and then Shawn and then Ben, but we made it and I liked the whole thing.  The whining bothered me not one wit.  We celebrated a birthday, a half birthday dinner with just Ben, Dad and Mom.  I created, meaning sewing and mod-podging.  Lots of parks, lots of playing, me included.  And visiting with people, friend-type people (but not too much, I am an introvert, but a little visiting never killed me).  I had so many years where I was waiting (like the Dr. Suess book, Oh the Places You Will Go).  I thought when we have enough money...when Lucas is done with this or that...when the kids are older...when I have more time...   And with that kind of logic, you get to do nothing.  So with the means I have and without stress about what I don't have and can't do, I am really enjoying the FUN aspects of life.  Playing with kids, livening up the mundane parts, teasing (nicely), and laughing, especially at Lucas.  Ah, it is good for him to be doing silly things more often.  He even gets little Daphne belly laughing with me too.  Shawn, Daph and I think he is pretty much the funniest person ever.  Tonight, he was playing a drunken Laban after we read our scriptures.  You really had to be there to appreciate it, but we certainly did.

I finished all of the reading nook I made for mi bambinos and bambinas that I can do without Lucas's help.  Now we wait. 

We took kids swimming to the Y on Monday for FHE and then I took them again to a neighbor's pool today.  This is Ninja Crazy Swim Hair Ben.

 We cleaned up all our messes.  There are so many.

 We celebrated a very excited 4 year old's birthday.  Grandma, he loves his game (and it's quick enough we can play it often-bonus).  He also has driven Super Grover and Cookie Monster on every surface in the house for 2 days.

 Time out buddies.  I crack up because one of my fav pics of Baby Matt and Lily is when Lily was crying in time out and Baby Matt came over and started crying with her.  In this case, when Daphne went to comfort Shawn, he cheered up, so you can't see how sad he was and her comforting him, but it works.

Good times, here.  I don't think much of the crappy stuff in life has changed, but I am making good things happen and trying to lighten up and not take so much personal and just enjoy THIS TIME, WITH THESE AWESOME PEOPLE that I get to be with every day.  Now if I can get rid of my sweet tooth, I could probably conquer the world!