Little Miss Whiny

Sometimes, I am downright appalled at myself. Sometimes, I can be absolutely the most selfish, prideful ogre around. Are there ever mornings that you have to remind yourself 12 times before 9 am that "this is the day that the Lord has made"? When I am low on sleep (not an excuse, but a proven reason) and feel the pressure of a lengthy list of to do's, I need to search a little harder for my "happy heart". S sometimes finds hers in her pocket or under her pillow when it is lost. I think mine is harder to find some days.

I read something from a blog I hit every once in a while (itsalmostnaptime.blogspot) that made me laugh...until I had my own Little Miss Whiny make her appearance. This fellow blogger wrote:
Every once in a while when I am in the midst of my wifely chores the little whiny woman who lives inside of me pouts, "Must be nice to have clean underwear just magically appear in your drawers." Then immediately afterwards I hear God answer Little Whiny Woman, "Yeah, about as nice as it is to have a paycheck just magically appear in your bank account." That tends to shut up Whiny Woman right quick.

So, after waking up REALLY early with a non-air conditioned baby cutting 2 teeth, I am cleaning house today wondering why certain humans in my house cannot pick up their own things. I am wiping potties wondering why it is so hard to hit the target. I am folding clothes knowing that that "certain" dress/shirt will not be clean and ironed even though 20 others are. The lunch I prepare will not be as yummy as the one they wish for. And, my Little Miss Whiny is living strong this morning inside me.

My sweet husband is doing what he does...writing reports, crunching numbers, pulling long hours away from his family. I would much rather be wiping down my kitchen counter with Dora playing in the background than at a flourescent lit office. He works so hard. I am in awe of his sacrifice for us. And, here I am...doing laundry while my sweet boy naps. I am sharing a snack with a precious little girl who slept until 9:30. My oldest is having a big day at Science Camp. I am enjoying the sun streaming in the windows of a house I am blessed to own and share with the people I love most. Ahhh, perspective...that is what I needed.

Oh, look...there it is....I found my happy heart after all! Bye Bye, Little Miss Whiny - do NOT come back anytime soon, please!!

my tough guys

I have decided that I am not as tough as I thought I was. I have also decided that my children are SO MUCH more resilient than we give them credit for being. I have decided that it is HOT in Alabama in July. All that said, my big kiddos are upstairs watching movies, hanging out in their rooms - with a broken air conditioner. Yes, I plugged in a box fan. Yes, the ceiling fans are on full blast. But, it feels like a sauna up there! They do not seem to care though. They think it is sooo much fun sleeping in the floor in their underwear with a fan blowing on them at night. They think watching a movie in bed this afternoon is a treat - even though the temps up there are hitting 90 degrees. I did make Bear sleep downstairs in my room in his playpen today. He would have melted in his room, poor guy. He is sure liking going without any clothes on these days though.

Where am I, you ask? Well, I admit it...I am on the couch, checking emails, downstairs with my ac kicking at 73, drinking my sweet tea, and thanking the Lord that my children are tougher than I am.

he is on the move...

Look who just turned nine months old....and look what he has learned to do.... And...life will never be the same...
he is on the move and LOVING it!!!!

From the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July - 10 days late! We had such a fun Fourth - hanging out with friends, watching fireworks, eating yummy food, and swimming. I was coming off of a tummy bug (or food poisoning - who knows?). I was the only one it hit, thank goodness! Thankfully, I was ready to get going by the holiday weekend...just not ready to eat all those yummy foods I mentioned...oh, well.
The big kids love swimming these days..staying cool, playing water games...enjoying an ice cream snack break!
I have to admit that as I get older, I am becoming more sentimental, more patriotic, more thankful. As we listened to all those "firework show songs", I felt myself becoming pretty emotional. I was sitting by the pool with Bear in my lap. He was watching ever so intently. S was sitting beside me. C was in E's lap. And, we were watching a beautiful display of fireworks together. I was overcome thinking about how blessed I am, how grateful I am. Even though our country has so many things upside down these days, I am so thankful for what our country was based on. I am so grateful that I can teach my children about the men who died to make our country free and to teach them about the man who died to make them free. I am so thankful...God bless America...this land that I love...