Category: Yearly Goals

The temperature has dropped significantly.  It’s dark at 6 pm.  We’re snuggling in our blankets with new appreciation for their warmth.  I’m afraid winter has made its entrance.  Much as I dread it, it brings its own blessings.  My favorite constellations belong to the winter sky.  I love having more family time in the evenings.  I hope and pray that we can fill that time with worthwhile things.

The week has been a full one, but I needed it to hold much more than it did.  My baby had a particularly tough week, needing lots of attention and time in my arms, which motivated my two and four year-olds to seek the same.  More than once during the week I looked down at three people standing at my knees, arms up, crying “hold me!”  And I thought to myself, “Seriously?  All three of you?!?”  Much as I love motherhood, sharing one lap between three crying children gets old quickly.  It’s good for me to remind myself that although I have only three at home during the day, life is intense with three little ones, no matter how many more come spilling through the door after school.

At the end of one long day this week when my husband had left for an appointment I hadn’t known about, I sat wearily at the dinner table with my 8 children.  I confess I didn’t really want to be there.  I wanted them to be in bed, I wanted to be done being needed for the day.  I looked around the table in the soft glow of the lights and told myself, “Someday I will miss this.”  I didn’t think it because my heart was tugging at me.  I didn’t think it because I was trying to enjoy the moment.  It came on blind faith, faith in the words of the hundreds of mothers who have gone before me who say, “Someday you will miss it.”  That promise is perhaps the most universal one offered by every mother I know whose children have grown and gone.  And because they are women I know, respect, love and want to be like, I believe them.

So I paused.  I looked around the table, listened to snatches of the little conversations they were having with the sibling nearest them.  I looked at the sizes of their bodies, the way they sat in their chairs, some of them filling the seat and others almost being swallowed by them.  I watched the way they held their forks, some with expertise and others with minimal control.  I tried to memorize them.  I tried to memorize the curve of their cheeks, the color of their hair, their eyelashes almost touching chubby little cheeks.  I tried to memorize their voices, the way they sound right now, the things they did or didn’t like on their plates.  I watched the way they looked at each other, the way they talked to each other, the way the older ones helped the baby as she sat so proudly in her little chair at the table.  I tried to memorize all of this and for a moment I felt like I was standing just outside the room watching a re-run of an old movie with dim lights and faded colors, observing a traditional family gathered around a traditional table for a traditional meal.

It soon passed, they finished eating, my husband came home, we moved on with the evening and put them to bed.  It’s funny.  I didn’t have any kind of emotional reaction at the time I paused to observe all these things but as I type it tears stream down my cheeks.  I hope that time will not rob me of that picture I still see, of my eight young children scattered around my kitchen table on a random night eating a simple meal.  And in a sense, those few minutes might be the most important thing I did this week.

My report for the week:  100 steps.
Highlights:

1.  My tulip bulbs arrived in the mail.


2.  We woke up to gray skies and rain on Monday morning.  I was tempted to wait for better weather but instead went out in the rain and dug trenches along the edges of my flower beds.  I planted those bulbs, all 250 of them.  It felt good to be doing yard work in the lousy weather, and as the week wore on I was so glad that I got them in the ground when I did.  As the temperatures dropped I felt like gloating at the winter weather, daring it to do whatever it wanted because I have already won.  I’ll have flowers in the spring.


3.  I got my hair cut.

4.  On Thursday morning I had a friend over and we worked on a Fall project together.  It was so much fun to let the little ones play while we talked and worked.   Friends are one of life’s good things, wouldn’t you say?

5.  Late Thursday night as I was driving home from something I saw the moon and it took my breath away.  It hung low and large over the west horizon, a waning gibbous that looked as if it had slipped from it’s spot just a bit, almost laying on its back.  It looked like the color of golden wheat, and as I drove I realized I was seeing the very sight that has caused illustrators for generations to depict the moon with a nose, cheekbones, and a slight smile.  The sight was so magical that I felt I could almost see those details, the moon smiling down on a peaceful night as I smiled up at a most beautiful sight.

6.  Thanks to my sister, I looked at the Happiness Project blog and saw this list of happiness mistakes .  It was thought provoking to consider how many of them I make at different times, and healthy to consider ways to grow and change.

7.  I had a lucky bit of time when my three little ones all fell asleep at the same time.  I had a million things to do but I sat down in a comfortable spot and read a good book.

8.  I discovered my baby had cut her first molar.  (that explains some crying) 9.  I discovered my baby had cut her first canine.  (that explains more crying) 10.  I discovered my baby has two other molars on their way in.  (that explains the rest of her crying, but none of it explains the crying of the two or four year-olds) 11.  My two oldest daughters went with me to the baptism of my cousin’s daughter on Saturday night.  It was wonderful, and I had a lot of fun talking with my cousins, my aunt and uncle, and others.  We were so grateful to be invited.

12.  This morning I got up 2.5 hours earlier than everyone else and enjoyed a most pleasant, quiet , morning.  I had dinner made and in the refrigerator before 7 a.m.  I wish I could do this every day!

13.  Tonight we attended a fireside as a family and listened to our 9 year-old son speak.  He did an outstanding job and we felt so proud of him.  He is a great young man.

I am stunned that November is already half over.  Like everyone else, there is so much to do and so little time.  It’s sobering, and I hope that I’m careful and making good choices with what time I have.  I’ve got two birthday parties to pull off before I can worry about Thanksgiving, so I’m praying for a happy baby this week.  I can say this about raising children:  I’m pretty sure there’s no danger of a boring life in my future.

Something will always be going on.

Have a great week!
Jennifer

Yikes.  As the number on my report grows larger, the year grows shorter.   It’s amazing how long the days are, and yet how quickly the months are history.


I love November.  It’s a month for gathering in, watching the sun rise, enjoying slow, quiet evenings and good books.  It’s the month we drink in all the comforts of home after a busy August through October.   November slows my life down, slows my heart down, and provides a precious pause before December.   I wish it was 45 days long.

Report for the week:  81 steps.  Lots of  little things this week, little things that were important because  most of them were part of preparing for my daughter’s baptism.

Highlights:

1.  On Monday night we had a family Book of Mormon party to celebrate our recent completion of the book.  It was a fun night together.

2.  I voted.

3.  I spent a day running errands, and got much less accomplished than I hoped.  The baby screamed the entire time.  It helped me to feel very humble, and reminded me why I generally avoid running errands.  I felt like crying several times but managed to stay calm.

4.  I feel like I finished a few dozen little things this week:  replacing glass in a picture frame, hanging this, fixing that.  It feels good to just be done with things!

5.  My heart was full as I watched my daughter enter the waters of baptism with her father.  It was a perfect moment.


6.  I spent time engaging in imaginative play with my two and four year olds, which means that I just followed orders and choked back my laughter.

7.  We loved having my parents here for the weekend.


8.  With my parents, we did a lot of laughing at the funny things our younger children said.  Sometimes I wonder how people find humor in life without little children to provide it.  I’m grateful ours is rich in laughter, thanks to innocent but oh-so-charming little ones.

9.  In an uncharacteristic move, I decided to go ultra simple on food for our gathering this weekend, and it felt good.  I chose to order a 6 foot sub sandwich instead of cooking for the luncheon.  I added a basket of apples and little bags of chips for a casual feeling.  The children loved it and I enjoyed having more time to talk.  Simple is good.


That said, I have a long list of things I want to do to enjoy this season of Thanksgiving.  We’ll see how simple my list gets as the week progresses.  There is much to enjoy and much to be grateful for.

Have a great week!

Hopeful Homemaker

Cozy.

That about sums up my heart tonight.  The children are in bed.  Correction:  Seven of the children are in bed.  One of them is back out of bed.  As I type this the sounds of my four year old contentedly eating the dinner he refused to touch four hours ago carry through the house.  October is complete and with a happy heart I prepare to greet November.  You may be tired of my pictures of the sky, but I cannot resist sharing one last fiery October sunset.  Honestly, it’s been a beautiful month.


This week’s report:  107 steps.  Oh, how I wish this number represented forward progress in areas that really matter to me.  Unfortunately the week was crammed full of  urgent but unimportant tasks and activities.  If  nothing else, at least I have a list of all the things I did when I wanted to be doing better things.

With the end of another month, the current grand total of steps for the year is over 3,000.  Who would have guessed?

Highlights:

1.  After almost 15 hours of time in 5 days dedicated to his soccer team, our son’s fall season is over and we are officially done for a couple of months.  (Could you hear that sigh of relief?)

2.  With the end of his season, I am taking a leave of absence from my part-time, unpaid position as shuttle driver.  I intend to stay OUT of my car as much as possible.  Yes, we’ll still have gymnastics four days a week, piano lessons, Scouts, etc. but removing the soccer and lacrosse schedules makes the calendar look rather dreamy in comparison to September and October.

3.  I thoroughly enjoyed the things my four year old son said to me this week.  A couple of examples:  “Mom, my leg muscles are insanely huge.”  After watching the Math Circus DVD by Leap Frog, I overheard him walking around the house saying “And zero is our special friend.”  That boy is a riot, I tell you.  And for the record, I should state that he walked into the Primary room of his own accord today. For weeks he’s been laying on the floor to kick and scream immediately following Sacrament meeting.  Big victory.

4.  On Monday night I had a great learning experience as a mother with my two year old daughter.  Precious.

5.  I bought a new hair dryer this week after my old one died (when myself and 3 daughters all had wet hair and it was raining outside).  They seem to quit on me after only 6 months or so anymore.  Is it just me?  I’ve tried multiple brands, and they all fizzle out and stop.  If you’ve got one that works, I’m anxious to know what kind it is.  I’m tired of buying them.

6.  I had professional pictures taken of my little one this week.  I’m excited to see them, and really hope that one of them captured the essence of her.

7.  One of my dear friends who moved away in August was back for a quick trip.  I loved seeing her, catching up briefly, and sharing a hug.

8.  We had a truckload of dirt delivered, and my awesome husband moved it to where our flower beds will be in the front yard so that I can plant tulips (which are en route via UPS because I couldn’t find what I wanted locally). Somehow we got lucky and managed to schedule the dirt delivery when the weather was pleasant.


9.  I cooked some favorite recipes.  Yum.

10.  Today I had the opportunity to teach a short lesson on the topic of reverence. It was a great experience for me.  I know that it is never my own intelligence or wisdom that I’m sharing, but it is always an experience I enjoy.  Today was no different.  I learned so much.

11.  And just to keep things real, we have this picture from our ultra reverent scripture study this evening:


That would be me with three children climbing all over me.  And here’s proof of how quiet we weren’t:


I have no explanation for the thirteen year old who felt that taking pictures was an appropriate way to “follow along.”  All I can say is that we’re not quitters and we’ll do better tomorrow.

And so another week has come and gone.  The next promises to be an exciting one.
Have a great week!

Jennifer