the joy of being a mother....

I vent here, I complain plenty. But there is so much joy in all this too! Here is what has made me happy lately...

1. Private First Class Benjamin Paul....He has been hoping fervantly for a special assignment called "Hometown Recruiting". It would mean a few weeks home instead of the five days he is alloted between his training and where he is going to be stationed. He heard that the soldiers who got good grades (his were excellent) and stayed out of trouble, which he did, would be chosen. So yesterday when the names of the chosen ones were called, he was surprised and disapointed that some of them were guys who got low grades, and who had gotten in trouble for things...and his name wasn't called. So. He said he was very upset. More than upset, extremely sad. Then, he realized that like all things, this was God's call. So he just gave it up. He knew that God has a plan for everything, and perhaps he would never know the reason, but this just wasn't meant to be. He said after he realized this, he was fine. So...he told me all this on the phone, and I my feet were floating like a foot above the floor...what more could a mother ask for??!! My son believes that God causes all things to work together for his good!!

2. We found a bathing suit for Mali! Second store! It fit, she was happy, it was only ten bucks.

3. Suzanne and Sonja were volatile this morning. One just looks at the other, the one interprets the LOOK as a MEAN look...blah, fighting breaks out. Just words, but still. One storms out, one cries. I talked to the one and told her to tell her sister she loves her...so she did, and the sister apologized.

4. Last night, a piece of watermelon flew from one child's hands toward this child's sister, across the room. It missed, hit the window, but the juice from it sprayed sister. Sister was SO mad. Perpetrator insisted sister deserved it, onlookers agreed. The accused is usually the most peaceful of the kids, and was just as surprised as the rest of us by this action. After a while, I went in victim's room to comfort and see if she was all right. I hugged her and told her I loved her, then told the child she was arguing with in the first place that I also loved her...she just looked at me with the most soft expression, and said so thankfully, "I know you do, Mom." (I think they both thought they were in trouble....)

5. The house was so messy yesterday when I finally got home from my all-day shopping trip. It was 88 degrees, and I was tired, and I had to make dinner. The kids all wanted to go to the gym. I just couldn't. I have been running around too much. I just had to stay here and get things in a little bit of order, after all, Paul was on his way home....he couldn't come home to an empty messy house....Ashley started picking things up and folding towels and cleaning....then Mirielle made pancakes for dinner while I cooked up some bacon (I made a huge salad for me, and for others who don't choose to eat things like pancakes, although they looked and smelled delicious). They ended up abandoning their plans to go to the gym, and we had a grand old time sitting around the dinner table talking...

6. Charlotte Claire likes to pour her own cereal and milk now. She is just so happy that she can do it. She is eating right now while I sit here and type, which does make me feel like a BAD MOM.

7. I did sneak in 20 minutes of exercise yesterday afternoon even though I could easily have expended the energy cleaning up instead....but it feels nice to have the respect of the older kids for sticking to my Horrible Diet and Exercise Plan. Nothing feels as nice as hearing one's teenager say, "You go, Mom!"

8. Sonja K. told me that she noticed that I don't huff and puff as much as I used to.

So, I bought a Wegman's bakery apple pie yesterday for four dollars, Memorial Day special. Aaron loves apple pie, so I was thinking of him. One eighth of the pie: 350. blah. Last year I remember eating that pie for breakfast and lunch. I just had half a slice last night, and didn't eat all of the crust. For about 150 calories, it just wasn't worth it. I can eat a piece of whole grain bread and three slices of turkey for that. Or a yogurt and fruit. Or an apple and a few almonds. For some reason, there is still most of the pie sitting out there..it taunts me, but I do not want to eat it.

I behaved myself while out and about yesterday. I always bring apples and nuts with me, and a Balance bar. For a treat in Target, I bought some salt and pepper cashews. I only had twelve of them, they are so bad, but oh, so good.

My princesses are such princesses. While I was gone yesterday they raided the closet and found velvety Christmas dresses. They wear their sisters' heels (Abigail took some of the girls to the Salvation Army store recently for the 50% off sale, and bought them high-heels)....and tons of clips and sparkly things in their hair....

I went on a short version of my walk this morning because I woke up a little late....I went the other way down the road and went up a different hill. The funny thing is that I was deep in thought, and didn't even notice going up the hill. Later I am going to sneak out without Rosie and go up and down it like three times for a nice little workout.

Just for the record, I am not out of the woods yet, as far as Loving Food goes. It is hard to resist temptation sometimes. My mind whispers these things to me like, "Just a little won't hurt. It will be so good." And things like, "How can I keep going like this...?" But I figure it hasn't killed me yet, and I just have to deal with one temptation at a time. It is NOT easy, especially when it seem to go SO slowly....the scale went down to a number I hadn't had the pleasure of seeing for a number of years, then went back up one. blah. Rush of happiness, then a few days later, fighting discouragment. I shall not get back on the scale until Monday.

I am picking the kids up early this afternoon from school. They have been bugging all week for it, so I wrote the notes....

This is the big conference weekend at our church. It is interesting because Paul and I work at the grille all day long, and take care of the kids. We do go to the morning meeting and stay long enough to hear some good things, then on to setting up for lunch. It is busy and crazy and tiring, but it is so much fun! We have such good fellowship with each other, and the friends here in our local church with whom we cook and serve. It will be a hot weekend, so we will also have the sno-cone machine going...I shall grill some chicken breast today, and pack baggies of salad fixings so I will have healthy things to eat all day...because we sell these bacon cheeseburgers that are almost to die for, on fresh kaiser rolls with lettuce and tomatoes....and the local Hoffman hot dogs, which are juicy and scrumptious...we also sell salads with grilled chicken, and deep fried fries, and salt potatoes. And loads of candy!!! I sell it all day long, but no longer eat it. Ouch.

Now both princesses are up...Camille knows how to put ponytails in her own hair now, which is cute, but not exactly pretty......