When Our Day Doesn't Go According to Plan

Remember my big plans yesterday to declutter?  Two words.  Didn't happen.  As soon as I hit "Publish" I got a phone call.  Someone I know has been through some really hard hard physical problems these last few months.  Recently she almost died, about 2 months ago, and was hospitalized.  Had surgeries, came home, almost died again.  I was out running errands one Friday when the ambulance had to come get her.  She is not married, has no children, no family.  Well, now that she is healing she can't drive and is in so much pain all the time.  She called and asked if I would be able to take her some important places.  I knew I needed to but was still a little disappointed about my list I had planned.  All my plans for the day started to melt and fall away in my head.  However, I know what it feels like to live alone, be sick, and have nobody there for you.  I told her to give me 20 minutes and I'd head out.  It took the entire day and when we got back I had just enough time to get everyone ready for church and leave.


I know some people that would use people at every chance they get and frequently expect people to be able to drop their plans for them whenever they call.  I've often had favors asked of me because I'm a homemaker and they just figure I have all this extra time on my hands.  That maybe I'm just sitting around reading a book all day and don't know what to do with my time.  That's not Belinda (fake name).  She's a very, very independent woman who's always taken care of herself.  She put herself through college, got her bachelors, and was debt free by the time she picked up her diploma.  She had a really good career for years till she was injured.  It's not easy for people that have always depended on themselves to survive and take care of basic needs and then one day have to lay in bed with medical people all around having to help them.  When someone like THAT calls and says, "I need you", I know they really, really, really do.

I grabbed my book, my cell phone, and resigned to the fact that our days don't always go according to our own plans.  Taking her to all these places she really needed to go was long but it was hard to watch her just wincing to try and get in and out of the car.  After the last errand done, she cried.  She cried at her situation.  Cried she couldn't drive herself.  Cried that she had to have a team of nurses just to take care of her.  At the end of the day, you bet a thing like decluttering just wasn't nearly so important.  Yesterday was meant for Belinda.

Literally, my days have been so busy that I'm having to write everything into a calendar to keep up.  My doctor probably thinks I'm the worst pregnant patient ever because I forget things, forget my prenatals, forget to return their calls.  I'm not sure if juggling a large family is something I'm very good at.  There are probably a million women that can do it a thousand times better than me.  I do love being busy, hate laziness, and love being surrounded by all these little ones.  I can't imagine living life completely and totally alone with not one family member to stop by and say hi.  Sometimes it does us good to realize that like Job in the bible, it can all be taken away in a flash.  Our home, loved ones, a steady job.  Did you hear about the lady her lost her parents, 3 kids, and her house on Christmas morning in a fire?  They were all she had and she lost it in a fire.  

Fire at Conn. home kills ad exec's 3 kids, parents

Yeah, reading that kind puts it all into perspective.  It is better to love people and use things rather than love things and use people.  My plans can wait another day.

When Christmas Buying Goes Too Far

I think I have violent tendencies in my sleep.  No joke!  One night, in my sleep, I just did a karate kick and flung my laptop off my bed.  Charles said it really flew.  Then not too long ago I flung my fist in the air and punched my husband in the mouth.  He has to get dental work now.  Well, recently I got a french manicure so my nails are longer than what I'm used to.  Last night I hit my headboard in my sleep incredibly hard with my nails. My nails hit so hard I just laid in agony for 10 minutes till the pain subsided enough to fall asleep.  Today they are really sore.  Whenever I do these things I don't just kinda punch something.  My husband said it's with like a super human strength.  Good grief!  One night he turned his back to me he said to protect himself.  Heh heh.  

I'm 17 weeks pregnant and FEELING GREAT!  No more morning sickness (unless I say the word coffee out loud I feel a little weird).  The energy is back and I feel like I'm waking up finally to normalcy.  My husband is just awesome though and since he gets back before anyone wakes up, he lets me sleep in if needed in the morning. (That's how I get my rest, Happy Elf Mom).  Sometimes I'm doing laundry till past midnight until I just can't wash anymore.  Or waiting to mop till kids are in bed.  Sometimes while everyone is asleep I feel a little tap right where the baby is.  He/she is so little though that I have to be really still to feel it.  Pregnancy is such a gift and blessing. I used to rush these things but not anymore.  Babies just grow up way too fast.  I've been changing diapers since the year 2000 with no breaks and I've gotten to the point where there is just no rush to potty train.  We just wait till their 3rd birthday.  Once they blow out those candles we take the 3 year old out to celebrate and pick out their first underwear.  Their excitement is so cute.

Tomorrow we will be done with our Christmas shopping which is gonna make the rest of December completely relaxing!  We keep it pretty simple for Christmas.  We get each kid 3 gifts. One big one and 2 normal size ones.  This year we got each kid a bike and since we purchased it on Black Friday, we only paid $40 for the big ones and $25 for the smaller ones.  We actually didn't go out that day.  My mother-in-law picked them up at Walmart for us.  I didn't want them to have video games this Christmas so I got them stuff to be active and imaginative.  We got them costumes to play in as well.  We always purchase anything we get with cash so if we don't have it, we can't buy it.  That way there is no after Christmas stress or debt.  We've already paid off $19,000 in the past and don't ever want to go back into that.  So, no credit cards for us!  Those are like loaded weapons.  The picture below breaks my heart.  Have you noticed the increase in stories around Black Friday?  I don't even show up to those things anymore because I was hurt pretty bad back in 2002.  It was my first time and I thought everyone just waits in line peaceably.  I had no idea it was gonna be violent.  A drunk guy pushed two carts together and rammed them over and over in the back of me.  I was pregnant with my 3rd child.  I was in a lot of pain but couldn't sit down because I would've been trampled by all the craziness.  That was so scary I never participated again.

My kids can be in such a bubble at times thinking that we don't have a lot.  This makes me sad since I see what goes on in other countries and the kids even here in the states that eat once a day if they are lucky.  Abused kids scared in their own home.  Forget about presents, all they want is a safe place to stay, someone to hug them, and not be hungry.  The other day we were driving past a neighborhood that was really poor.  My kids said, "Mommy, are we in Mexico?  I said no, we are just in a poorer neighborhood.  They were shocked at the condition of the houses and how small they were.  Still, in America, we have it pretty good with all the help.  The poorest people in America are among the richest in certain places in other countries.  It's crazy how spoiled we are in America.  Sure we are all going through economic hardships but I still see some pretty full restaurants and malls.

By the way, there is a cool giveaway going on over at Notes From a Homeschooling Mom and you can check it out also on Facebook.  There are not too many educational games out there so check it out! :D