Strawberry Jam

This afternoon and evening, I made a huge mess in my kitchen but I also made a huge batch of strawberry jam! It was quite the ordeal because I had to make 2 major stops in my jamming: first I had to go down to the bottom of the hill to pick up the kids off the school bus. However, the substitute school bus driver flew by our driveway and went all the way through the rest of the run before dropping them off. After sitting in the car with a 2 year old for over 45 minutes (Annie was asleep in the house - yea, that's bad, too), I finally recovered 2 kids from the bus - one crying, the other fuming! Okay, so back to my jam. Stick a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. Flop Annie to keep her quiet. Feed Annie to keep her quiet. Change Annie to keep her quiet. More jam. Then - uh oh- out of jars! I was going to make a quick run to my mom's to pick up a few more jars so that I could finish, but then Chad called and Aaron had forgotten his soccer ball at the house. Okay, just a 30 minute loop out of my way to take the soccer ball to soccer practice, then to get more jars, then home. Baths, book, bed. Back to the jam. Finally finished at 9:30! 25 pints and 5 smaller jars of homemade strawberry jam!!!! Besides a few to be used for gifts, we will likely eat it all this year. Not a difficult process, but a messy one for sure. And today, a very time consuming adventure!

(I would have taken a picture of my mess - and my jam- but my camera battery was dead.)

Showering with a toddler

Yesterday, due to both of us needing a quick wash, Ben had to take a shower with me which he rarely ever does. He kind of stood near the back and enjoyed the light spray as it filtered over me. The funniest part, though, was when he said, "I pee Mommy's toes!" There was no 'on' in his sentence, but, apparently, that's where the pee was!

Yukanni

Annie has had an unofficial name change to Yukanni. She spits up sooooo much that we are always saying, "Yuck, Annie!" And then she smiles. I think she thinks that's her name!

2 Funny Things

First funny thing: Katie already likes to talk to her friends on the telephone. She wants to call them as soon as she gets home from school, and she wanders around the house with the phone. Is this normal for a kindergartner? The other day I heard her say to one of her friends: "My daddy's bald and his feet stink." What? I thought it was hilarious. He might be bald, but I don't think Chad's feet stink.






Second funny thing: Ben is becoming attached to
several stuffed animals. So far he has 3 puppies of various sizes, 2 kitty cats, and a bunny. He alternates which ones he wants to take with him, though he would take them all if he could carry them. The other day he said, "Mommy! Look!" He had lined them up on the couch next to him and they were all watching Cars together!

My Beautiful Morning

I took some time off on Saturday.

When you work a job that offers vacation days, it seems to be easier to get time off. As for me, none of my jobs offer vacation days - not the one I get paid for nor the many others that I don't get paid for. So I finally just took a day off on Saturday. Of course, it wasn't a full day off, but it was something.

I had to fight for it from the start. First, Chad was recovering from strep throat so he was in town instead of out of town like he had planned to be. Second, I forgot a bottle and bag of milk for Annie so I had to turn around and go back home to pick that up. Third, Ben cried when I left him at Granna and Papa's - which I think he has probably never done before! Aaron and Katie were with my parents for a trip to Cincinnati, so that did help. Finally, at 9:30am (later than I anticipated), I left everyone.

Aaahhhhh. It was a beautiful Saturday, too. Lots of sunshine and warmth. If only I had been in a sleek convertible with a cute pair of sunglasses, I might have driven around all morning. Alas, I was in my dirty van with my old scratched up sunglasses, so I just went to the nearby school and headed to the track.

I spent about 45 minutes walking and praying. Not for exercise, but rather for clarity and renewal. After that I sat down on the bleachers with my journals. I hadn't written anything for or about my kids in their journals for a long time, so I caught up a little (after 5 months, I finally wrote Annie's birth story for her)! Then a little time in God's word and my own journal. I love when God teaches me something new as I read a passage I've read many times before - the feeding of the 5000: most gave nothing; one gave a little; God gave in abundance.

As noontime neared, I packed up and headed to Panera Bread for lunch. There I sat on the patio with a friend and enjoyed the quiet conversation. I ate salad, not french fries. I used my silverware to eat with not to cut up someone else's food. I listened as another person spoke in complete sentences about topics that I didn't have to feign interest in! It was wonderful and rejuvenating.

After my day alone with God (okay, so it was only a morning but it was something), I came home a little more patient with a little more to give back to my family. I plan to do this at least once a month - even if I have to fight for it every time.

My beautiful morning was only a few days ago, but it's already starting to settle into my past more than my present. Fortunately, I still have the sunburn on my neck to remind me.