Category: Musings on Life and Beauty

Today has been a catch up from behind day, full of emails to teachers regarding make-up work from last week, as well as visits to the doctor for immunizations (21 shots, all together, for 7th grade, kindergarten, and the little girls).  We’ve spent time on the phone, time in the car, time with the calendar trying to work everything out for the insane month of May.

This is what I wish I’d been doing instead.  (Notice I didn’t write should .  I should have been doing laundry.)

I wish I’d made one of these wreaths :


and I wish I’d ordered one of these trash cans for our kitchen.  Mine has seen better days.

I wish I’d tried this recipe out for a Family Night treat:


I’m craving lemon.

And speaking of shopping and baking, I am totally in love with these cake stands .

I’ve had this tutorial sitting open on my desktop for more than a week.  I wish I had time to try it.  Along with finishing all the other ridiculous projects I accumulate.

But it’s raining.  And it’s Monday.  So we’ll be doing homework.

And that’s ok.  The above list is just stuff.  Trying to motivate 5 children to get caught up on homework is what life is really all about.  Sort of.  Or at least, I hope so.  ‘Cause that’s what I’m doing!

Hopeful Homework… I mean, Homemaker.

This is what last weekend’s snow did to our cherry tree.  It’s so sad to see this year’s beauty and potential fruit gone so soon.

The sun is shining today and the sky is clear and blue.  Just the weather I’ve been longing for all these dark, gray, cloudy months.

I should be celebrating, but I can’t seem to shake the clouds inside.  I feel a little like those blossoms.  Spent.

My washing machines are hard at work eradicating another night of sickness among us.  As tired as I am of it all, I must admit I was relieved when the 10th member of our family finally gave in to the virus.  We’ve set a new family record:  ten cases of stomach flu in six days, four of them hitting within 90 minutes of each other.

It’s been such a wasted week.  Everything is dirty.  We’re behind in everything.  I picked up my camera and took a walk around the house looking for even one happy, tidy spot.  I couldn’t find one.  I’m over the bug myself but can’t seem to shake the ball of lead I’m carrying around in my stomach.  I know I should roll up my sleeves and get to work, but I don’t have any fight in me this morning.

Can I just cancel May?

Perhaps feeling lousy has me discouraged.  Perhaps it’s just humbled me enough to be honest with myself.  Perhaps the sight of dirty laundry and dirty everything that piles up when your whole family is sick has me feeling overwhelmed.

Any way you look at it, I have a problem.


I have too many interests, too many ideas.  I like too many things.  I like them enough and am good enough at them that I end up pursuing too many interests, too many projects, always believing that I’ll have time to accomplish what seems so beautifully simple at the time, convinced as well that I might actually become good at it.

And so I start.  And then I’m interrupted.  And then life goes on.

And right now I feel trapped by all my silly dreams, wishing I’d never spent the money, or begun, or even dreamed it up.

Am I an incurable optimist, or certifiably insane?  The ball could fall either way.

But either way, I’m still in trouble.  It’s got to stop.  I’m raising 8 children, for crying out loud!  In what universe did I think that added up to time for anything extra?  And why am I afraid to get rid of it all, to quit everything but the very basics of being a Mom?  Am I afraid that in the end there will be nothing left of me?  Am I afraid to truly forget myself?  Or is there some part of me that I’m supposed to keep alive in these crazy years?

Sometimes none of this bothers me.

Today it does.  Today it makes me cry.

Can I just “reboot” my life and go back 15 years to get it all right?  How is it that I managed to be so successful in my pre-marital life, only to look around today and wonder what’s become of me?

Once upon a time I saw so clearly the girl I meant to be.
Today I see a mess.  Lots of them.

And that is my problem.

HH