Category: One Step

It is Sunday evening and the sun is beginning to set.  Most of my children are upstairs playing cheerfully while my oldest is in the kitchen making soap bubbles the size of watermelons.  It is nice to be back in our own house.  As I review the week  I realize how nice it was to have a slow weekend.  This was the first weekend in 7 weeks that we haven’t either been out of town or had out of town company over the weekend.  In fact, this was only the 4th weekend to ourselves in 13 weeks.  Life has been so, so busy!  If you heard someone breathing a long sigh of relief in the past few days, it likely came from me.

So here I am again with my report.  This week I logged 48 steps.  Honestly, I thought I’d accomplish much more.  After we came home I realized how tired we all were, and not only due to traveling.  Our family has been moving at a crazy pace for months and we’re all exhausted.  Here’s an example.


I love taking pictures of toddlers who pause for a moment and accidentally fall asleep.  Today she did it on the stairs.


So, instead of the whirlwind I intended to be, we all got some extra sleep and relaxed a bit.  I’m happy about what was accomplished (much of it unexpected).

Highlights:

1.  On Monday we were still in Escondido.  My husband organized a party at the beach in Oceanside for his family and any old friends he could contact.  Lots of people showed up.  We had a large crowd, lots of children running around (making it harder to count heads than it usually is for me.  I have a habit of counting heads every 2 minutes or so when we’re in public) and adults chatting.  It was a very enjoyable evening.  The best part came near the end when all the men put on wetsuits and grabbed their boards for some surfing.  I felt so happy for my husband that he had the chance to do this.  I don’t think he’s surfed with these guys since high school.


A bunch of us stood in the parking lot talking well after sundown.  It was hard to say good-bye.  I managed to get a picture of  some of them before we left.


2.  Upon arriving home I discovered that one of my dearest friends is moving to Seattle in just over a month.  She is the mom I’ve watched for the past 10 years, trying to be like her.  I had the opportunity to help her get her house ready to show and it was so nice to spend some time helping her.  I feel incredibly sad that she’s moving.

3.  One of my washing machines wouldn’t start after we got back from vacation.  We had a dryer break shortly after we bought them a couple of years ago and although the manufacturer ended up replacing it, we learned that it’s difficult to find people  who know how to fix them.  My first impulse was to feel frustrated and discouraged.   My washers and dryers are good friends of mine.  I can’t afford to have them break!  I decided to say a prayer and see what I could do to troubleshoot.  An hour later it suddenly turned on.  Relief!  (followed, of course, by a prayer of gratitude) 4.  I’m working my way through the reading material I chose for the summer.  Much of it is heavy reading – one of the books is a college textbook.  I did some reading and writing this weekend.  It’s true that you learn much more when you write about what you’ve learned.  I think of Michelangelo’s words, “I am still learning.”  Isn’t it remarkable that we never have to stop learning?  What a gift!

5.  For some reason I began cutting my girls’ hair a few years ago.  It always ends up that we do it on Sunday mornings.  I think I’m getting a little better.  My seven year old requested that I cut off about 3 inches of hair.  Here is the “after” for today’s haircut.


6.  One of our local grocery stores had eggplant on sale for $1 each this week.  Yippee!  I made my eggplant parmigana for dinner tonight and fed our family a delicious meal for $5.  That’s pretty good for 10 people.

7.  I have one child who whines much more than the rest of my children, and another who’s done a lot more of it in recent months.  This week both my husband and I tried to gather them into our arms and hold them when they were whining.  I think it helped.

And there you have it.  I’m giving myself permission to feel exhausted tonight and in the morning the break has got to end.  I feel like I haven’t done anything creative in too long, and I need to get the juices flowing again.  My favorite holiday is next Sunday and I’ve got a lot of work to do if we’re going to celebrate in style!

Have a great week!

Jennifer

Greetings from Escondido California!  My favorite week of the year has come and gone.  We’ve played, swam, surfed and built sand forts.  We’ve used tons of sunscreen and taken 2-3 showers per day.  My week of bliss has ended, and we’ve said good-bye, reluctantly, to the ocean.  I miss it already.


We’re now visiting my in-laws, and Father’s Day has been spent with my husband’s family.  It’s wonderful to be here.   We have one last day of play ahead of us and then we’re headed home.  I’m reaching the point where my own bed is sounding better every day.

This week’s report:  60 steps.  It’s been a great week.

Highlights:

1.  I read five books this week, a total of about 1300 pages.  Talk about relaxing!

2.  I spent a lot of time this week holding my baby.  She cut her 3rd tooth this morning, and although she feels lousy she’s been sweet and it’s been great to spend a lot of time together.

3.  I had the opportunity to observe a family in the beach house next to ours.  They were having a large family reunion and it warmed my heart to watch them interact, express opinions and let their children play together.  It made me feel like my family (brothers and sisters) is a lot more normal than some of us think.

4.  We played Aggravation with my grandpa while we were in Newport Beach.  It was a lot of fun to have my children play with their great-grandpa.  I love him so much.


5.  My parents flew into town on Friday night and we were able to spend a day a the beach with them.  It was a dream come true.  It’s been 17 years since I’ve been at the beach with my mom and dad.  I really enjoyed sitting and talking with them while we watched the children play.

6.  Today I had the funny experience of meeting the mother of my oldest daughter’s first grade teacher.  What a small world we’re living in.

7.  I enjoy talking with my father-in-law.  He is very talented and I love his perspective on things.  He really thinks about life and I love to hear his observations.

8.  My kids went for six full days without getting in a car for any reason.  THAT’S an accomplishment.

9.  This morning at church I watched my husband holding our two youngest just outside the doors because they were being loud.  I sat there looking at him and marveled again that he’s mine and that our children have such an amazing father.  He takes good care of us all and we love him fiercely.

10.  Did I mention this?


(photo taken by my oldest daughter) Have a great week!

Hopeful Homemaker

Hello from Newport Beach California!  After 11 hours on the road yesterday, we are loving the salty air and cool breezes of the beach.  This is our one week out of the year when we truly change gears.  We live entirely by our needs, not by the clock or the world’s expectations.  I love it.


It took a crazy week to get us here, and we’re happy to have lived through it.  Getting ready for a trip is almost like moving.  It takes SO much stuff, so much cleaning, so much planning and arranging before you leave.  Every time we go on a trip I promise myself that it won’t be like this next time, but it always is.  And you live through it.

So here we are with another week’s report.  23 weeks, and I haven’t missed a single one.  Pretty cool.  This week I recorded 73 steps.  Included in those steps were some big things:  purchasing a new vehicle for our family, celebrating my husband’s birthday and driving to California.   In addition to this, I have a few other highlights.

1.  Upon arriving at the beach house, we were amazed to discover that we can park the space shuttle in my Grandpa’s little driveway.  After conferring with him and with his neighbor, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a parking space for the week.  If you know me and how I sometimes worry about dumb things, you’ll know that this is a huge relief.


2.  At 8:00 p.m. on Friday night (when I should have been packing and cleaning) I finished a quilt.  It was commissioned by my sister in law for her Dad’s 60th birthday.  It wasn’t the wisest commitment to make at this time of year, but at least I kept it.  By some miracle, it is completed and is now on its way to her.  Pictures to come in the next few days.

3.  I started another book.  I know.  I have this strange habit of reading 5 or 6 books at a time, but somehow I always finish them.  I packed several books with me to read this week while the kids are falling asleep at night and my husband is working remotely.

4.  I took my son to what we believe was his final doctor’s appointment for his broken finger.  After a little more than 2 months, it appears the adventure is over and he has a functional finger.  He’s managed to get his range of motion good enough that the doctor sees no need for therapy, and we just have a few warning signs to watch for.  Slowly but surely it’s beginning to look like a normal finger again.

5.  I tried a new recipe.

6.  I got a haircut.  This is a bigger deal than you might think.  The last one I had was before my baby was born, ten months ago.  The only haircut I’ve had since then was one I did myself.

7.  I keep learning the same lessons about being a mom over and over again.   Stay calm.  Be patient.  Speak softly.   If you want something from your children, give them a way to hand it to you cheerfully.  Smile more.  Hug them more.  This was one of those weeks that made me wish that I had learned more fully, wonder if I’ll ever really get good at this.   I hope I’m slowly getting better.

8.  I learned that when my two year old starts screaming (the kind of screams that make you pause to see if the electrical circuits in the house are going to explode like in the movie Monsters, Inc.) I can calm her down by holding her and whispering to her.  If I’m patient and persistent, she stops screaming.

Just for fun, I’m going to share one specific goal I have for the coming week.  I am going to buy 4 bowls for my Grandpa’s house.  Last year he had exactly 8 bowls in the house.  This year we can only find 6, which means that two have been broken.  After washing dishes in the middle of breakfast this morning so the rest of the family could eat, we’re just going to restock his cupboard and hope he’ll keep them around till next year.

One more thing.  If you want some entertainment this week, just wander the streets of Newport Beach CA after dark.  If you can find a house that has a cacophony of sounds pouring out of its windows, it’s probably us trying to get 8 children to sleep in one room.  It’s a real adventure, let me tell you.   Every year I wonder if we have a little crowd gathering on the street outside, covering their mouths to stifle the sounds of their laughter.  The thought of it makes me laugh, too, which is better than yelling.

That about sums it up.  This week I’ll be disconnected from the electronic world for the most part, so I’ve scheduled some posts for the week that will re-cap our recent trip to Denver.  In the meantime, we’ll be soaking up the sun, playing in the sand, surfing the waves and just being together.  I’ll check in as soon as I’m able, and share pictures soon.

Have a great week!

Jennifer