When Your Resolutions Choose You

So it looks like my beautiful lil sis is here to stay.

Yes, I did say beautiful.

You're right, I'm sorry. The last picture I posted of her hardly does her justice.

Well, how about this one... yes, both of my lil sis's are beautiful.

The one that is staying with us, (the baby of the fam) is the beautiful lil sis on the left.

















Yes, she is very beautiful.

She's managed to survive almost a week here at the Nutty Nut House, and still comes up and thanks me for taking her in.

I just smile, knowing that at some point, she will be gritting her teeth as she dashes for the front door.

:)

In reflecting on this change in our lives here, I'm realizing that the benefits go both ways.

Because we have a.... quasi-guest in the house, I've been taking more time to really listen to my children. To understand their point of view in situations, and not just scream that everyone who is fighting will now pick up their scrub brushes and commence with the cleaning. Not that I ever did that. Really.

I've also noticed that where DH and I tend to succumb to our melancholic selves when tempers are short, we are now finding the humor in the squabbles, and all for the benefit of our new teenage charge. I distinctly remember my own Dad breaking the tension many times for my mom and us older kids because the bickering by the younger ones (yes my adorable sis being one of them.... ironic, eh?) was driving us all to distraction. It's molding our parenting style into something more light-hearted... which was an issue I've been mulling over during this break.

One of the main reasons lil sis is here, is due to a medical condition that has developed because of (stress-induced) poor eating habits. My job is to make sure that she gets her protein and veggies at least once a day.... mainly at dinner time. Therefore, my menu planning is essential. This, again, is something that has been suffering lately. And a little kick-in-the-pants is definitely needed. In fact, I welcome it.

Another area where my score is that dreaded "needs improvement" is cleanliness. By that, I mean of course, the house. Lil sis has said that it doesn't bother her how clean the house is, and I've cautioned her to lower her expectations from the beauty that surrounds her when she goes home to Mom. But it sure does bother me to see the state of the kid's bathroom that she has to use, or the dire straits that the kitchen floor is in. I'm determined to keep better control over the state of the union around here, and to re-instate the chore schedule with gusto.

And last, but certainly not least.... here is a little known fact. I am her Godmother. If that doesn't heap a bunch of responsibility on me to get my act together spiritually, I don't know what does. This seeming dry spell that I am experiencing on the praying front has me deflated. The thought of the upcoming home schooling semester and all that it will entail, is daunting. Knowing that there is a huge opportunity to witness to God's will and God's grace working in and through a family, humbles me. I will be hitting my knees more often this year.

The best part about this arrangement, is that I get to have family really close by. My beloved lil sis is not responsible for anything but herself and her studies while she's with us. I've made that clear. The kids have chores and school, she has school and laundry, and I have my own stuff that goes along with my vocation. It's enough for me to saunter past her room and have a quick chat, or glance in at her room and all the college accoutrements that go along with that life, and it makes me smile.

I love that she's here, that she is doing well, and that I can help in some small way.

What a blessing that these New Year's resolutions have come my way.

:)

Well.... What a Weekend!

Things are jumpin' here at the Nut House, and since I've been MIA for awhile, I need to update y'all before any serious ruminations are posted.

~Assuming I've had any serious ruminations lately.... unless it was my scattered LSD-esque thoughts whilst attempting to knock this latest sinus infection by following my Dr's advice and taking MucinexDM... yeah, I could barely stand up for 12 hours.

~My one day in the horizontal position has cost me two days in the home-rescue project. I was seriously (don't laugh!) hoping to get some house-cleaning/de-cluttering done after the holidays. I barely have access to my laundry room at this point, and the living areas of the house are awash with toys. At least the meals keep coming, which is where it's at these days.

~Yesterday was one for the books, let me tell you. I jumped out of bed, threw some clothes on, and rushed off to pick up my youngest sister at the airport. She is returning for the second half of her sophomore year at college... but there's a twist. We drove to her apartment where we dumped all of her belongings into my car and her friend's, so she can move in with us! Her health and a few stress-factors at school are necessitating this move, and begs the obvious... will it really be less stressful here? Ha. That remains to be seen. But at least she'll have her own room, and a solid dinner every night.

And, I don't know... I think she'll fit in:


















What do you think?




















:)

Merry Christmas!

From our Nut House to yours....

(this photo taken by our next door neighbor, Mr. multiple-earring-tatoo-dude who-just-married-his-son's-mother... there's always a story, isn't there?)

Have a wonderful celebration, my bloggy friends!

:)

It's No Wonder We Are Constantly Sick...

This is our projected 10 day forecast.

I'm not complaining about the 70 degree temps, no sir!

I'm just wishing we could get off the roller-coaster and decide what season we're in... mkay? Thx.

:)

Why This One is Headed Straight for the Convent

The other night at dinner...

Little Boo: So, when you get to college, do you just run as fast as you can and grab some guy to marry so no else gets him?


:)

When Approaching This Child...

Looking back at the change that has taken place in me these past 11 years, the transformation from a know-it-all college grad into a full-fledged mother... I am astounded.

Astounded that God has taken a self- absorbed, self-seeking individual and achieved a metamorphosis that seemed at one time to be impossible.

When DH and I were first married, it seemed a natural result of the love we had for each other, to extend it to a third party. Within our first month of marriage, we acquired a cat.

:)

To our defense, we were eager to have children, but God's timing was to postpone that event. Of course, He truly knew best. We conceived Action Man at the end of my first year teaching, and gave birth to him during my second year. I squeaked through that year, bringing him to school with me, directing the play, and just barely surviving the insanity of it all. DH graduated with his MBA, and I never worked outside of the home again.

My work took what I thought to be an alarming turn. You'd think that being the oldest of 6, I would have some sort of an inkling of what I was getting myself into.

Nope. I was pretty clueless. (remember how self-centered I said I was?? yeah. God had his work cut out for Him.)

And so, when Action Man reared his screaming head, I was stunned. I was even more flabbergasted when I realized that this screaming thing was here to stay. God had seen fit to bless my first born with a severe case of colic. Unable to nurse, spending gobs of money on formula, working my tail off while recovering from an emergency c-section, I was a wreck.

In short, God threw me to my knees.

Which is where He wanted me all along.

In blessing me with such a needy child, and then 2 more births in quick succession, God was going cold turkey on me in the selfishness cure. No "miracle patch" for me. No siree. I suddenly found myself surrounded by irrationality with no time to read, write or pee. My only vivid memory of that time was the three of them: Action Man, Sports Fan and Little Dear (ages almost 3, 1, and 2 months respectively) lined up on my bed, ready for their diaper change. Yes, three in diapers at once. It's quite a war story.

It's also a love story.

God was pursuing me. He sought to change me, to mold me into something better, a more productive worker for the harvest of souls. He knew that the only way he could force me outside of myself was to place a loved one in my care. And just for insurance, to place many little loved ones in my care. He knew that a mother cannot ignore the needs of her child. That the midnight wail, the hourly call to duty would not fail to re-mold a heart hardened by selfishness. That the first bend to another happens automatically in the will of a new mother. An eagerness to serve, to soothe the cries and nourish the heart, soul, and stomach of this precious child comes first without a second thought.

Until, overnight it seems, this clueless 20-something woman is transformed.

It is no wonder, then, that the awesomeness of God comes to us in the tender form of the infant Jesus. Who can deny Him his due? Who can turn away from His cries? Who can refuse Him?

“There is nothing more mysterious than infancy, nothing so small and yet so imperious. The infancy of Christ has opened a way to us by which we can surrender self to Him absolutely, without putting too much pressure on our weak human nature.”

(Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross)

God, in His all-knowing, all-merciful way, chooses to come to us humbled and makes it easy for us to submit. He coaxes us to bend our ways ever so gently towards His will by having us first gaze into the eyes of the Christ-Child. We forget ourselves and all of our grandiose plans, and instead look for ways to please this most precious infant, even to the point of radically re-shaping our entire lives.


:)

Small Town Christmas Parade

Otherwise known as...

Why Nutmeg's ears are ringing... the insanity edition.

Saturday was St. Nicholas' feast day.

It was also the morning of the great Catholic toy swap.

And the day of the downtown Christmas parade.

(we had take out for dinner)

We woke up at an ungodly hour (makes me wonder what time our Christmas day celebration will start... anyone vote for 4am? I think that may underestimate Little Dear's early-rising ability...) due to the expected candy in the shoes. We ate breakfast, read our exhortations from St. Nicholas, who oh-so-wisely uses this opportunity for a little note of praise and encouragement, and a wee bit of chastising.

:)

Then DH shooed everyone out the door so the ladies could come over for some coffee, cake, and free shopping. It was fun.. highly recommend it.

In the afternoon, we headed out to the Christmas parade. Action Man and Sports Fan were in it this year, having just joined Webelos II this fall. Their leader is one of our friends, and a funnier dad you have not met. We are so grateful for the boys' experience thus far.

For this event, their awesome leader bought all of the boys their own KAZOOS.















So the lads got to march around downtown kazoo-ing their favorite Christmas carols for 30 minutes straight.

Yee-haw.

And now we get to hear not only those very same carols, but every other possible song/sound/sentence through the same medium.

I am seriously thinking about leaving their scout leader a very L-O-N-G and very L-O-U-D message on his machine... in kazoo-speak.

Just to share the joy.

:)


And just what is Little Love's problem?




















Oh, right.

A horse-drawn carriage marched by.


:)

Around the House: A Nut House Tour

In case you should ever happen to drop in someday....



(Complete with explanations!)


Our obsession, reinforced by my Father-in-law, who is much beloved by my boys:



















A snug spot for a beloved pet:























The fruits of our over-zealous decorating committee:





















A shortage of half-n-half...


















:)

Pancakes: A Review

About a month (or so...yikes!) ago, I was contacted by Anne Viljaste from General Mills to try out a new product: Fiber One light and fluffy pancake mix.

I agreed to try it in return for posting a review here.

I have to admit, I was pretty excited to be asked to do a product review. Yes, even one about pancake mixes. Let me tell ya, it doesn't take much to stir up some excitement around here.

A few weeks later, we were shipped three boxes of pancake mix.

And one Sunday morning, DH whipped up the mix for breakfast. He tried one with just the water added and the other with the buttermilk. I sneaked in a handful or two of chocolate chips for the kids' pancakes (which totally negated any nutritious benefit I'm sure) and made some of my homemade maple syrup.

I don't know if it's because we are total pancake snobs, as in, we have never ever used a mix but always make our pancakes from scratch, or maybe we are not used to eating healthy?

No one liked 'em.

The pancakes sure were light and fluffy and looked scrumptious! But once we poured the syrup on, the pancakes broke down and mushed themselves onto our plates, refusing to budge. The buttermilk variety were definitely fluffier in appearance than the ones mixed with water, but the end result was the same.

Was it my homemade syrup? I don't use corn syrup, so it's definitely on the watery side (like true maple syrup would be) and maybe that's where the problem is. Corn syrup may keep the pancakes from getting too soggy... I don't know.

So, there it is, folks. My first (and most likely last) foray into the world of product review and I have to post a thumbs down. Ah well, gives me more time to perfect my sewing endeavors, doesn't it?

more on that later...

:)

Still Life

My life is anything but still. But here is a frozen-in-time snapshot.


Outside: Sunny and chilly. Well, it's 60. And tomorrow will be 70. But then it's back down to the 50's. I know, poor me.

Inside: Chaos reigns. Day #1 of homeschooling after Thanksgiving break and I feel like the guillotine master. My poor kids. Only 15 days to go until Christmas break!

What I am reading: Supposed to be reading Lying Awake by Mark Saltzman. Need to get my hands on it before my IRL bookclub meeting on the 8th!

What I am planning: A toy swap on Saturday morning here at the Nut House. A bunch of us moms decided that we should benefit from other's surplus and host a quasi-garage sale/give-away with coffee and treats. Shhh. Don't tell Little Boo. I also have a few parties to attend and much gift-buying to accomplish.

What I am craving: This. Every year. Especially the DQ version. And I may or may not be planning my Christmas shopping outing to include a round-about scenic route through the nearest DQ drive thru. DH doesn't get it, but there are those of you out there who do. Let's commiserate.

Projects: Sounds crazy, but I still want to paint the other wall in our front room and re-cover those cushions in the home school room. I know this has nothing to do with Advent or Christmas prep, but it needs to be done, and I need to be disciplined enough to accomplish it. At least I'll feel better knowing I reached a goal.

Towards a healthier me: The piece of pumpkin pie I just inhaled aside, I'm noticing a few lumps where no lumps should be, and the panting as I scale our stairs is not an attractive habit. I am contemplating my upcoming soccer season, and thinking that if I really do not want to totally humiliate myself, I have got to get my rear in gear. So, right now I'm in the thinking stages. With high hopes of lacing up my running shoes soon.

Living the Faith: Advent wreath, check. Advent lapbook? Hmmm. Still on order. Hope it comes soon. This is an area we always need to work on. I am hoping that this Advent we turn a corner.

What's your (not so) still life look like these days?

:)