A Memorandum

For those of you that might be wondering if I've died, the answer would have to be maybe. I haven't quite figured out if I've arrived in Heaven or...well, the other place! Since my last adventure, my life has been turned upside down, and what used to be the norm for me has taken a recent, and sometimes tragic turn. But, let me put your minds at ease by saying that NO, I have not become a single parent - either by divorce or death - and NO, my family size has not decreased in any way - either by divorce or death! We are still a very active & happy family of 5, but me? I seem to be having a hard time finding my groove again!

You see, Michael recently started a new job, requiring that he be away from the house for 5 full days! For those of you that are used to this, stop laughing! It's no laughing matter because my psyche is on edge!!! His new position is only 20 minutes away, so he does return to us every evening, so it's not like I'm alone 24-5! Nope, just 7:30-5:30, Monday through Friday. It's a difficult turn of events because for the passed 3 years, he's been self-employed. This little term simply means that his office was in our home, and he was here more than NOT here. He would go to a particular client's site a few days a week, but our other clients only called when they had a crisis. He would come & go at will, for the most part. It was a wonderful life :) If I had errands to run, I would simply wait until the afternoon, put the 2 younger kiddos down for a nap, then head out for a few blissful, peaceful hours of errand-running! No whinny kids! Just me, my thoughts, and my list of 'to-do's'. Life was wonderful!

But then, our primary client, and primary source of income, lost one of their primary clients, so we were cut back to only 1 day a week. This cut our income by 2/3's! It's safe to say our prayerlife became very active, all at once, and Michael decided that it was time to make a change. After about 5 months of intensive looking, and 2 phone calls & 1 dead-end interview, the Lord dumped this position into his lap and within 3 days, he was gainfully employed. We're very thankful and happy with this new position because it suits Michael to a tee! And, for the first time in about 3 years, we have a steady paycheck :) Could life be any better than it is right now? Of course it can!

I could have a nanny, and a housekeeper, a personal shopper, and a .....

*Note: I am not complaining about our recent change in life-style because I see it for what it is...a change & a blessing. Change is good most of the time, but that doesn't mean it's not hard. My current situation is hard because I'm just trying to figure things out and to find the groove that I seemed to have misplaced. God is good and if He can give Michael the job he's been looking for, He can give me the mental health that I need to get through an ENTIRE day without losing my cool with one, or all, of my children :)

The Soccer Game Spectacle

Today was the perfect day for a soccer game! Our oldest son, Alex, is in his 3rd season and absolutely loves playing soccer. So, we do all we can to get to the games every weekend, on time. However, getting a family of 5 out the door for anything is always a chore, so my decision to sleep in a bit this morning was my first mistake!

Alex had team pictures this morning at 8:45AM, a game at 9:30AM. But since the kids didn't get to bed until sometime around 10:30 last night, we decided it would be in our long-term best interest to allow them all to wake up on their own, versus our waking them all up and having 3 grumpy kiddos for the entire day! They were all up by 8:15, which worked well since that gave us an hour to get dressed and into the car. Getting out the door on-time wasn't a problem today! We drove into the parking lot just before game-time, so Alex jumped out at the curb and ran over to his field so that he wouldn't miss kick-off.

After locating a parking place, Michael & I unloaded the other 2 kiddos, 2 chairs, the double stroller and all of the paraphenalia that must be taken to the game to keep everyone happy (drinks, snacks, etc.). Once we got to the field, the game was underway, but thankfully we hadn't missed anything yet. One of the mom's informed me that there was allot of mud today, so I should be careful. Maybe I should have taken her warning seriously...

The first 2 quarters went as they should have, with Alex almost scoring the first goal of the game - stupid goal post! During half-time, all of the kids took their break time seriously as they each stood around talking with their parents and taking their criticisms in stride - 'stay with the ball', 'pass the ball to your other team mates', 'pay attention to the game', 'stop playing around and falling so much'. The 3rd quarter was upon us before we knew it, so the coach started calling all of the players back to the field and getting them lined up or to their appropriate positions. With all of the typical fanfare, we watched the kick-off and started cheering for our team like all good parents do.

All at once, I saw Alex on the ground and realized that he had been 'injured', so like any other mother would do, I ran out onto the field to see if he was ok - or needed stiches! Thankfully, it was just an elbow to the eyeball, so the coach told him to go sit for a bit, then to get back out on the field when he felt ok again. With that, we turned and started for the sidelines. It was at this precise moment that I suddenly found myself sitting in the middle of the field in a pit of mud! Yep - you read that right - I had stepped right into the pile of mud that all of the kids kept sliding through. My flip-flop-wearing feet had slipped right out from underneath the rest of my body, causing my butt to meet the ground with a sudden and sharp THUD!

So, there I was, sitting on the muddy, wet ground, looking at all of the parents, looking at me! The coach came over to help me up, then to comment..."Wonder if anyone caught that on video?" Gee, hadn't thought of that! As gracefully as I could, I stood up and started for the sidelines again, this time being a bit more cautious of where I stepped. Once safely away from that darned pit, I turned around to show my posterior to the crowd, which immediately brought cheers and clapping. As I made my way to my chair, Michael looked up at me, and with a smug look of disgust asked, "You didn't just fall on your butt in front of all of these people, did you?" All I could do was laugh...what else could I do?

Finally!!!

Today is the kind of day that makes me want to spend every waking moment outside! It's a beautiful, crisp fall morning - finally!!! There is a wonderful, cool breeze blowing and the sun is tucked behind he clouds. I actually pulled one of my jog suits from the back of the closet to wear as I watched Alex walk himself to the bus stop this morning. I have to admit, I'm wishing I didn't have to head to work later today - I want to take the 2 younger kiddos to the park to play. But, alas, father time won't allow such an event since I'm having to gauge everything I do around that darned clock! If only days like this would last forever!!!

I'm not one for sweat, so summer in Texas is my least favorite time of the year. Winters don't really count since we technically only have like 2 weeks of really cold weather. If my winter coats come out of the closet, it's a rare occassion! Spring is a great reprieve from the gloomy winter months, but they don't last very long either - it starts getting hot too fast for my liking. Autumn is my favorite because, for one, I don't sweat. I can wear pants with short sleeves or sweaters, giving me the ability to make the most of my very limited wardrobe. It's cool enough to take the kids out to play regardless of the time of day (during the summer, the best time to play outside is when it's dark); they can play outside without the bulky coats that might be required during the colder weather, and without fear of heat stroke during the spring/summer. It's also the prettiest time of year, even though we don't have the pretty colors that Katrina might have. Although, you might see the occassional tree with a few orange, red or yellow leaves, I wouldn't consider that the norm around here. School is in full swing, the holidays are just around the corner, and the year is approaching it's end, with the hope of a wonderful new year to come. Yep, Autumn is what I'd consider the perfect season!

Bearsie, where are you?

To my friends that typically frequent this blog, I apologize for vearing from my normal 'frazzled mommy postings'. But, my friend's blog is missing and I'm wondering what's going on? And, since I know she reads my blogs from time to time, I thought this would be the easiest way to find her. Of course, if I still had her email address, I could just email her to find out what's up, but since I've managed to delete it from my address book, I've had to default to posting my question here.

So...Bearsie-boo, where are you? I know you're still alive since you've been commenting on everyone's blogs, but I cannot get to The Nother Hole or your profile, so I'm wondering what's going on? Hope all is well!