yummy delicious warm weather...

A warm sunny day after months of snow is almost as good as a nice nap on a drizzly afternoon. It hasn't been as warm as it is supposed to be here today in over three months. Sixty degrees! I am going to get off this computer as soon as I finish this and get some work done quickly so that I can spend lots of time outside later....because this is like the one and only nice day for now...tomorrow, rain. The next day, only 40 degrees....and so on, a chilly week is forecast....of course the kids have tomorrow off from school for staff development day...they wanted to stay home today so badly...but I was mean. All nine of them got the bus.





Happy St. Patrick's Day! My mother's grandmother came straight from Ireland. So we felt quite Irish growing up, and had our corned beef and cabbage dinners, wore our green. Last year I decided I should start that tradition here....so when we went shopping last night, I bought the potatoes and carrots and cabbage, and of course the corned beef. (last year we thought the corned beef was way too salty, but I read to boil and drain first to reduce the salt)





Today is Garbage Day, so we have to make absolutely sure to keep Rosie inside.





Ladybugs are upon us. They aren't actually real ladybugs, just paler and ugly look-alikes. They are everywhere. And, just to celebrate that spring is near, I killed an ant on the counter the other day. Then Mirielle said she had killed one the day before...ugh, I hate dealing with ants. I bought a dozen ant traps and set them out.





Paul is coming home tomorrow night, finally. I can't believe how much I miss him. I find that I am a bit jealous that he is having fun without me. I feel like I don't get nearly enough time with him, especially "fun" time, responsibility-less time, yet he goes away and goes out to dinner with these co-workers....blah, no fair.





I wish I were young and beautiful and thin. The thin part, Oh, I know I could work much harder on that. I have been doing better. I haven't bought donuts in a while. I keep apples and bananas in the house. Yesterday for lunch I had brown rice and an apple. But later...blah...we had some Chinese food in Wegmans, Aaron and Evelyn and I....it is sold by the pound, so we were careful, but later when I figured out how much my food cost, and how much it must have weighed,(about 10 ounces) and how many calories were probably in that yummy General Tsao chicken, blah. But it was so good....





And exercise. I haven't given up hoping that one of these days I shall excercise.





Things don't always get done when I am gone. Last evening, I had to take Aaron to get his contacts, and to the grocery store. I came home a little after nine (his appointment wasn't until 6:45, I picked him up after drama)...the kids were tucked in...they had had the soup I had set out for dinner, which was evident from a few bowls still sitting on the table and the pan on the stove...rrr. But they had fed the kids and gotten them into bed....Joseph said he had a chemistry test to study for and didn't even eat dinner. Margaret said I should be more specific in delegating the responsiblities so things get done. Or perhaps I should just take all the kids with me everywhere I go, like I used to. Or better yet, I should just be thankful they are willing to watch the younger ones and that they are good to them and make sure they brush their teeth and say their prayers, and not just see the things that aren't done.

Because life is short. We KNOW this. Yet...there is this never-ending compulsion to get things in order, to make things better, cleaner, more functional, prettier....in me, anyway. And it is sneaky and tricky. I can think I will feel better when the dishes get done, but then I look at the floor and think I shall feel better after I mop....yet....there have rarely been times when I have been content that everything I want to get done is done. So what can I do? I mean, it IS good to have that drive to do things, I am thankful for that....without that this place would be awful. But I need to find the balance. I can't be a slave to that "drive".

I am encouraged this morning to have a good day. A good day isn't one in which I accomplish things around here, but rather when I am faithful to hear what God has to say to me in whatever I do. There is so much wisdom to be had in dealing with kids, especially the TerribleTeenagers. They are SO much fun and such a joy, but there is so much I need to learn in dealing with them. Mostly, I need to be humble. And that comes at a price, which is that I need to suffer. I need to be peacable and quiet and bite my tongue. Love covers a multitude of sin. Yelling and demanding have no place here, I hate anger! If my son or daughter is angry, shall I also get mad and demand that they stop being mad? NO!!! I am in much need of more patience. But I know that God is good. He sent these children to me, He won't just leave me now. He hears the prayers of His people.