A Whole New Week Lies Ahead

Life has just recently gotten exciting for the first time in a few years. Here's all I'm working on:

1. Making lemon & lime curd (and scone samples to try it) to sell at my local Farmer's Market, and I'm making $20 - $50/week when it's slow.

2. I'm designing facebook business pages, twitter accounts, and blogs for my family's and friends' businesses. I'm self-taught, so it's pretty exciting.

3. I'm in the process of trying to launch a tutoring center this fall. Not sure exactly how I'll get customers, but I'm doing a lot to get the word out.

4. Tim & his father are growing their mobile media company LMT. I'm not actually in the sales or management of it, but I'm supporting them with my social media help, and acting as Tim's personal assistant as needed - and I really enjoy that.

5. My faith is on the grow, and so is my middle child's, that makes everything better.

6. I'm trying to get back to writing a bible study on the book of Genesis.

7. I'm making new friends at church all the time, and will soon be in one, if not 2 bible studies. I may be teaching one of them too!

8. Jordan & Logan are going to camp in just a few weeks, so lots to do to earn the money for that and make sure they're prepared.

9. I'm tutoring Jordan in Spelling, Handwriting and Math this summer.

10. I'm hoping that some of my friends from the valley will come up for a few days this summer.

Can't wait to report the results of this week, hopefully making lots of these come together!

Heading back up the hill

It's been such a fast week. We built a web presence for Tim's company, updated all my social media accounts, attended Gangplank events, attended a casual seminar on public speaking, spent time with old friends, prayed and shared with other friends, Tim hiked up Piestewa Peak, went shopping with Moni & Gloria, had a nice dinner at home with the girls, and now we pick up the motor home and drive home, which should take about 4 1/2 hours with gas-ups and stopping in ShowLow for groceries.

Tomorrow we get up really early for the church's Men's Shoot. Tim & Logan will be competing against other men, women and kids for a chance to win the gun everyone's firing. I'll be there to socialize and take lots of pictures.

This next week, I'll be working on improving my sites, creating the LMT blog site, as well as creating Moni's sites. I really enjoy the creativity of that - like scrapbooking with purpose.
Well, gotta shut down to pack up the computer.

I'll be back.

A Perfect Day

I'm down in Phoenix this week enjoying helping Tim grow his business, taking in some public speakers, working on improving my own business social media, spending time with friends, and getting some time here and there to just relax with Tim, uninterrupted.

When people asked me over the years, "What's your perfect day?" I would talk about being on a family trip or cruise, the bills are paid, maybe we're doing something new with those we love, but you know what? You can learn to be just as content where you're at today.

Yesterday was pretty close to A Perfect Day. I'm in the valley, where lately, I've figured out is more my home than the mountains, although I really enjoy some aspects of it - especially in the summer. I also realized how much I miss our old church, the friends there, and fulfilling my purpose helping women through issues from a biblical perspective. I had a great dinner with friends we used to meet with regularly. We did life deeply together and grew together back then. I even got to sit through a whole movie with Tim without phones ringing, and people walking in to interrupt us.

It was a perfect day - we aren't anywhere exotic, our savings definitely isn't where we'd like it to be, we weren't experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but it was perfect. Simple. Warm. Heart-filling. Joyful. Peaceful.

What more could I expect than that?

Because I like organized lists...

What am I up to now that my homeschoolers and our Bible study groups are on summer break?

1. Now is the few weeks a year I get to read non-school related books and magazines - just for me.

2. I plan on visiting the valley as often as possible. I know it's about 110 degrees most of the summer, but I still miss many of my friends.

3. I'm teaching myself the whole social media thing. I've created a Facebook page for my tutoring center (that I hope to open in the fall), a Twitter account, a new blog for the tutoring center, a Google alert system to stay on top of what goes on in the internet that applies to my industry, and I still have 2 more sites to work with - then figure out how to effectively link them all together.

4. If they let me, I'm going to make lemon and lime curd and sell it at my local Farmer's Market. I don't grow the ingredients, so I need approval first.

5. I want to take the kids to one of the nearby lakes to go swimming this year. If that doesn't work, there's the pool at St. John's and the aquatic center in Show Low.

6. I'm going to make more time for tea with friends.

7. I'll host another tea in my home for friends (maybe 2 if there's time).

8. I'll work with Logan so he can learn the social media thing and turn it into a possible career with companies later on as their Social Media director (or at least one of their staff).

9. I'll take time to be quiet and enjoy early mornings, hummingbirds, campfires, sunsets, and rides on the quad and motorcycle with Tim.

10. Sleeping past 7 am would be nice for a change, too!

Where is the time going?

I have such a hard time believing that 3 weeks or so have gone by since I posted those pictures! Here we are half-way through May already! What's happened so far?

1. Spring has come, lots of days in the 70s, but it snowed just last week for a little bit too (no accumulation, thank goodness!)

2. We drove to the top of Cinder Mountain for the first time this year and drove down the front of it in the jeep again.

3. We had a nice Mother's Day family meal together. My kids got me movies, pink jeweled sunglasses and pink slippers and Tim got me a new tea kettle.

4. Easter was nice. We went to our Sunday School class, church service, then had a family meal together.

5. Logan disected a frog to end Biology this year.

6. We're just about done the school year and I'm in the planning stages for next year.

7. I hosted a Ladies Tea for my Sunday School group. There was 10 of us enjoying tea together here with a Tropical menu and beach theme while the guys went shooting on Cinder Mountain. It was a really fun day.

8. I'll be heading the the valley next week for a few days. I'll get to visit with a few of my friends, and soak up some sun, and get warm again, but Tim will be working and using the car most of the time. Hopefully we'll get to a movie for our 19th Anniversary and shop at Sprouts for organic and healthy foods we can't get up here on the mountain.

9. I had a really enjoyable 3 hour conversation with my mother on the phone just before Mother's Day.

10. I'm in the middle of reading all kinds of good books that aren't school related. I only get a few weeks a year to do that because I'm always busy reading the kids' books for school.

Here's some pictures:

April 2011

This month has flown by! We've had spring start to show up in lilac blooms on the bushes behind the house and had a few days that were sunny and in the 70s. Adam went to the Junior Prom with Ashlee. I've gotten lots of scrapbook pages done (I was so behind!), Tim got his Katana motorcycle going again, I'm in the process of planning a tea for a dozen women or so, and we just celebrated Easter. Tim's spent the last two weeks here with us but now it's back to Phoenix for work. The time has been flying by, but we're almost done school - then it'll be time for summer.

Here's a few photos from April:

Sooooo Ready for Spring

I don't know if there's anyone else out there like me, but I can't wait for Spring. I know lots of people feel that way around the beginning of April, but I can't wait because I really hate winter...I don't just "not like it", or it's dragged on too long, I absolutely HATE winter. I hate the cold, the clouds, the snow, the dampness, the dry air (dryer than normal at 6300' in the high desert), the dry skin, the short days,...ALL of it.

I had it pretty good for the past 6 years living in the Phoenix area. Winter was great, it was warm and sunny, there were palm trees and snow was just something you watched from a distance on the mountain peaks far away. This last winter in the mountains? I thought I'd never make it.

Last week was a great week. Saturday was warm and sunny here, in the 70s, and I was able to lay out in the sun in shorts and a tank top. It felt great! Even on Tuesday I was able to do the same thing, plus walk about 3 miles and enjoy it a lot. Then Saturday happened...it was only in the low 40s and it snowed all day long. It covered everything with white. How can you be slightly sunburned one day and just a few days later, you're back to heavy coats, wearing mittens and everything's white? It's just not right. I know the snow's gone in a day or so, but still, it feels like going backwards and not making any progess toward better days.

Today brings hope again. It's windy, but it's in the 60s heading for a high of 70 degrees later, and it's sunny. I hope to catch a little bit of sun on the front step while reading my book without the wind whipping my hair all in my face. Actually, all this week is supposed to be in the 60s and maybe hit 70 by the weekend.

I'm sooo ready for spring!

Finally! I get to see the Las Vegas strip!

I've been to Las Vegas about 4 times in the last 2 years, but only going directly to the hotel, enjoying our business convention, then leaving. Never have I had the chance to go down the Las Vegas Blvd. strip to see all those famous hotels I've seen in movies my whole life. I didn't have any desire to actually get out and walk it, or to go into any of the casinos/bars/etc. I just wanted to drive down and get pictures so I can say that I've seen it, and show the pictures of the beautiful hotels and lights to the kids. This trip, I lucked out.

This particular trip happened to fall just before my birthday, and Tim knew he'd be gone on the actual day because of his new job, so I asked if maybe, as an early gift, he could just drive down after the function and let me get the photos. I was so surprised when he said yes, he would!

I saw some barely dressed early 20-somethings looking for attention, casually dressed partiers, formally-dressed casino goers, a costumed (all in white from head to toe with no skin showing)jester/street performer. I even saw 2 people dressed up in oversized, Disney-like Woody & Jessie costumes, you know, from Toy Story 2. The lights were amazing! It was better than the best Christmas light show in any neighborhood I've ever driven through.

I did manage to see the Phoenician, Treasure Island, The Golden Nugget (although it was down a side street), MargaritaVille, NewYork NewYork hotel, complete with a statue of liberty and full-size roller coaster running around the building and street. I saw the waving cowboy, the Sahara, MGM, Tropicana, The Venetian, Palazzo, Hard Rock Cafe, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, the Harley Davidson cafe, Paris - complete with a mini Eiffel Tower and Arc d'Triomphe, the Bellagio, Trump hotel, Caesar's Palace, CaboWabo, Bally's, the Mirage, The Forum Shops (beautiful architecture), Vince Neil Ink, Gucci, Louis Vitton, Prada, Harrah's, the Wynn and Encore hotels, Circus Circus, the Riviera, lots of little chapels to get married, and lots more I can't even remember! It was a great memory to make and I'm thankful to Tim for taking the time to show me, even though it was about midnight when we got started!

Highlights of Spring Break in Phoenix

We had a great time in Phoenix for Spring Break! It was nice to thaw out, smell the orange blossoms, swim in warm water in March, and listen to the gentle breezes as they ruffle the palm leaves. Here's a few highlights:

1. We found a hotel room in a safe neighborhood with nice "neighbors" for just $210 for the whole week.
2. We got to attend our old church in Scottsdale and see so many of our old friends again.
3. We went swimming in a pool that was as warm as bathwater.
4. We got to lie in the sun and feel its warmth again - it's been so cold at home.
5. We walked around 2 malls and lots of stores, can't do that at home.
6. We visited with more friends on Monday.
7. We saw friends again when I attended the Ladies' Bible Study I used to belong to.
8. We went to the movies and saw Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, for just $2 each!
9. We found the largest candy store in Arizona.
10. Logan found a whole store that sold nothing but LEGOS - every shape, color, size and kind.
11. The kids got to go to Youth Night at church with more friends while I had time to unwind by myself for 2 hours.
12. The kids got to stay over at friends' houses and have sleepovers.
13. I had the hotel room to myself for a night.
14. I went out to eat at Panda Express with 2 wonderful friends I've been missing.
15. Went to the movies and saw The Green Hornet with friends.
16. Went out to eat at Pita Jungle with a friend from almost 20 years ago and had a great conversation, nice atmosphere (except for the spider than jumped on me, then him), and the best Mediterranean Chicken Tabouli salad.
17. I got to say goodbye to good friends while helping them load their moving truck.
I'm glad I got to see them before they moved out of state.
18. The best highlight was that Tim came back and we got to spend time alone together. He'd been in CA for 2 weeks and was so sick 2 weeks before that that we hadn't kissed in almost a month!
19. Tim took me out to breakfast the next morning.
20. We got to come home together.

It was the first vacation that felt like a relaxed vacation. Usually I pack so much in that time flies by too quickly, I feel there's so much I didn't get done, and then I'm tired when I get home. This time was perfect. The only thing that could've been better would've been if Tim got back sooner.

Looking forward to Spring Break

I'm so happy! In another week, I'll be able to spend Spring Break in the valley where we moved from almost a year ago. We've got a great hotel suite for a whole week! Most vacations for the past 20 years have been 2 or 3 days long, with my only week-long vacation in NewEngland in '09 to see my Grandmother.
Tim will be out of town for the next two weeks, so being gone for one of those weeks while he's away on business with his father makes the time not tick by quite so slow. I'll be taking the kids with me.
I won't get to see much of Adam. He'll get dropped off at his friend's house the day we arrive and won't want to be picked up until the day we head back home. I'll have to get by on just his phone calls and text messages.
Logan & Jordan will be with me most of the week. They may sleep over their friends' house for one or two nights, but the rest of the time, we'll be together. We'll visit our old church, spend time with friends we've missed, they'll get to go to youth group with their friends, and maybe we'll even get to a movie or hang out by the pool together. It's probably going to be around 80. Compared to the 40's and low 50's here, it'll feel like summer!
They're looking forward to just watching television for a bit. They haven't been able to do that in nine months! I'm looking forward to being warm, wearing shorts, laying in the sun, and not having to spend hours every day on teaching, planning, grading and preparing for school.
So although we'll miss Tim, we'll be doing okay.

Adam got his Driver's License!

He did it! Adam got his driver's license Wednesday! I'm so glad he got it on the first try. Here's a summary of how this all came together:

16th BDay - doesn't have money for a car & insurance, so no interest in driving yet.
5/10 - we moved, he was depressed, no interest in driving, had last paycheck in bank
6/1/10 - money ran out, "this sucks", wanted to get his permit (mostly to drive himself back to the valley to see his friends), new interest in getting a job
7/10 - Adam begins driving off just the golf course roads. He's a perfectionist, so he over-corrects and gets really stressed over not driving perfect. Has a chance to drive in the valley for about a mile and realizes at the stoplight, he's never driven up to one because we don't have ANY in town or in St. John's.
8/10 - skills improve, drives to town and pulls over before getting into the heavier traffic areas.
10/10 - Job hunting continues with no luck for 2 months, drives us either to or from church and sometimes while going to town to run errands.
12/10 - Lucky Break! Someone at church hooks Adam up to get a job at KFC in Show Low, the nearest town to get a job, 27 miles each way - VERY interested in getting his license to cut down on gas. He has to pay for the car to go there and back twice (to drop him off, come home, and go pick him up 7 hours later, and come home)
1/11 - He drives everywhere now, parking is still difficult but he's become a good driver. He even dodged a last-minute elk on the side of the road at 11:30 at night without even flinching.
2/10/11 - Adam turns 17 and wanted to have his license by now but they only do testing 2 days a week, we've all been taking turns being sick, and he works 4 days a week.
2/23/11 - We practiced parking in left and right hand spaces until he got it, practiced parallel parking a few times, drove around (they closed for lunch), and he went on his test. He passed first try - and he did it in a MINIVAN!

This is a great accomplishment that Adam should be proud of. Although Tim and I both passed our tests on the first try, I realize that's not always the case. I know lots of people that had to take it 2, 3, or even more times before they passed. We didn't have the money for Driver's Ed, but since we homeschool anyway, we taught Adam driving like it was a class for school - with lots of detail, information, practice and testing. He's actually a very good driver, as long as he doesn't get distracted changing the CD or anything. He already opposes texting or taking calls while driving, so I'm really not that worried about anything but late-night elk.

He's 17, got a job, got his license, carrying Honor Roll grades in 11th grade, and although I'll be sad when he moves out, I trust he can handle it when the time comes.

Adam's 17!

I can't believe I have a 17 year old! It's not like I was a teenage mom or anything. I didn't get married until I was 23, we waited a year before trying, then it was almost another year waiting for him to arrive. Am I really that old? I'd rather think that instead of getting older, I'm getting better or more experienced. Anyway, enough about me.

What an amazing 17 year old Adam is! He's smarter than most adults (taller than them too at 6'1"). He's true to himself, although I don't know if he's found his true self yet. He doesn't change to suit the people he's around. He doesn't always know why he likes or does what he does, but he'll stay true to that instead of always trying to fit in. He's the one his friends go to for advice, even ones that are 5 to 7 years older. He manages to figure out the best course of action for others. It's not always so easy to do that for himself, but he has a gift of insight when it comes to helping others through life. Even though he acts like he's the lone rebel, I know by the advice he gives people that his heart is right and his head's on straight on the things that really matter.

He's determined to get into college and have a career rather than just jump from minimum wage job to another. He wants to take the business route. Not sure what field yet. He's had business classes, leadership classes, read dozens of business-related books on everything from motivation to running a company. He's had accounting, personal finance and even Teen Pact government classes where he spent a week learning the whole process of legislation at our state house.

I'm proud of who he's becoming. He takes his job seriously and once he finally sets a goal, he goes after it until he gets what he wants. He's learned not to take anything for granted anymore, and at least with me, he's more appreciative than he used to be, even just 6 months ago.

I'm so thankful I've homeschooled him all the way through 11th grade so far. It's helped us develop such a close relationship. He's willing to open up and talk to me because I've learned an important secret: Don't JUDGE what your kids say, don't CRITICIZE their ideas. Just hear them out, ask questions that make them give plans more thought, and let them know that whatever they decide, you'll still love them - but there will be consequences if they choose poorly. Kids don't often realize the repercussions of their actions before-hand. It's our job to offer a warning, experience and examples, then you have to let go and let natural consequences or rewards happen. Take that away to be controlling, or in the name of protecting them, and they won't learn anything. Life and experience is a far better teacher than scolding and nagging. They don't listen that way because they think they know everything already, right? The best you can do is offer your perspective and let go.

In just over one year, he'll be out on his own, an adult in this world. Do I think he'll make mistakes? Of course. Do I think he'll do things I'd never allow under my roof, yes, but I don't see him taking the path of smoking, drinking, messing around from girl to girl, taking drugs, or anything else along those lines. I'm not blind to his weaknesses. We've just talked about these things and I know HIS perspective on them. He's smart enough to sit back and watch others make mistakes like these, and then learn NOT to follow what they did. It's a wise way to live.

I'm very blessed to have such a great young man for my first-born son.

Logan's 15

For those of you with small children, stop what you're doing right now and really enjoy them. Hug them, hold them, play with them (you're not too busy), laugh with them, read to them, watch movies with them, and if you're fortunate enough to have a baby at home, smell their little powder-smelling heads! Time goes faster than you can imagine. People told me that for years but when you're in the day-to-day of changing diapers, picking up broken pieces of toys and doing mountains of laundry, you don't believe it - but it's absolutely true!

The first few years, Logan, or "Bear" as we called him, was a chunky little truck. He put everything in his mouth, and never wanted to listen when we told him the word NO. He hated to sleep, loved to play, and would've lived outside if we let him. He didn't need toys as long as he could find sticks and rocks.

In grammar school, he turned out to be not only creative, but smarter than I could've expected. He spent the first 5 or 6 years of school in class with his older brother two years older than him. He developed quite an out-going personality, a natural born salesman.

In Jr. High, he found ways to express himself and get his energy out. He was involved in a Kids' scrapbooking class (mostly girls, he loved it that way), football, soccer, and especially Drama class. I lost count of how many plays he did. It amazed me that he was so willing to stand on a stage in front of 100+ strangers and act, sing, shout and all those other things I would've been too afraid to do.

Now he's in high school as a Freshman. He's really changed this year. He's a lot more respectful, responsible, focused, and he's turned into a good, hard-worker. We never imagined that would be in his future because he had such a fun personality. He's still fun, but he's figured out when that's appropriate and when it's time to settle down and get the job done.

I'm so proud to have a son like him. I've always had people compliment me on Logan, especially his heart for people, his helpfulness, and how he takes time to make people (especially younger children who may otherwise feel neglected) feel special and important.

And God's not done with him yet.

If Everything Went Smoothly, It Wouldn't Be an Adventure

This week completed 5 weeks of Tim's preparing, training, and practicing for his new career. He was hired by a new company to open a sales office in the city, get it up and running with 30 or so guys making money consistently, and a great manager in place, so he can then go do it again in another city. The potential is there and he's doing great, but putting our lives on hold for over a month, and not pursuing any other type of vocation in the meantime, it's got us financially holding our breaths again. Will it be like this forever?

Tim has faithfully invested 8 to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week to getting ready for this. He's studied scripts, spent a week in CA with the owners, gotten in real in-the-field data, responses and sales so he can teach from a realistic point of view. He's done everything right from where I sit, but still we're in a sort of waiting game.

Next week he'll be traveling to the city to look at real estate, meet with potential hirings, discuss details with a potential office person he wants to hire, and hopefully, he'll even manage to get a few sales of his own while he's down there.

I know once things are up and running (just a few more weeks), the money will come, the schedule won't be quite so hectic, I'll be able to go with him once in a while (the kids too), and things will be great. It's a good product/service, at an amazing price, and it's truly something that can help businesses bring in more customers, therefore, increasing sales. It's win-win for Tim and the business owners.

I just hate the waiting part...

Cold & Flu Season

Year after year we've been blessed with good health. Logan hasn't been sick with a cold in almost 10 years, Jordan doesn't get sick very often, Adam usually only has allergies, Tim usually just has allergies, and with my auto-immune disease, I haven't had a cold in 15 years! I've had one day every few years where I begin to get cold symptoms but it's gone before the next morning.

This winter, it's our first time being in such constantly low temperatures in 7 years and now we're all sick but Adam. Logan's been sick for 7 days now, I'm on day 3, Jordan's having an awful day today, Tim woke up with a non-stop runny nose - only Adam is still healthy. He's hiding in his room all that he can.

I have to say, although tempers can be short when we're sick, and we're too exhausted to get all of our chores done, for me, there's a bright side...my auto-immune system is finally back to normal!!! It's taken years of changing eating habits, losing weight, getting healthier with Monavie's products, and lots of prayer, but I finally think the scleroderma and associated problems are gone!

As for the kids, I'll just do what I can to take care of them as best I can. Lots of chicken coup, I guess! I'm sure we'll all be fine in the next week or so.

Can't wait until February!

2011 has gotten off to a slow start for me. I have lots of plans for this year but it seems most the things I want to implement are on hold waiting for something else to happen first. The one thing on track is my weight loss. I'm down 19 pounds since the beginning of November, not bad for just 2 1/2 months. Hopefully soon things will start happening so I can work my way down my Resolutions list.

Another reason I can't wait for February is that it starts to get warmer up here. It's about 23 right now, granted it's 5 a.m., but the nights are still in the teens/20s and although we had a couple of days in the 50s, most of the time it's only in the high 30s/low 40s. Once we hit a few weeks into February, we should be in the mid 50s most of the time. The nights will still be cold in the 20s, but the single digits and teens should be over.

The best reason for February is that it holds my two boys' birthdays. One turns 15 and one turns 17 (and should have his license by then). That should give BOTH of us some more freedom. As much as I'm trying to treasure every single day with my boys, I'm not one of those mothers that doesn't want their kids to grow up and go out into the world. I want the best for them, and keeping them babies forever isn't what's best for them. I can't wait to see what career path they follow, who they'll marry, what kind of fathers they'll become, and what mistakes we made that they learned to avoid. I'm so proud of both of them. They're both so smart, they're hard workers, and they care deeply about their friends and family (even if a 17 year old has trouble expressing it like an adult would sometimes.)

I didn't forget about my daughter. Although she's growing up fast, 12 1/2 now, I know that I still have 6 years to teach her, another 6 or more before she moves out, and so much still to experience. I don't feel rushed to savor every single moment in the same way that I do the boys. I've only got 1 year left with Adam before he goes off to college (if he can find the money), Logan may stick around longer, but if not, I've only got 3 more to teach him all I can to survive and thrive in the real world. Jordan has lots of time to shadow me and learn what to do. She seems to love sewing, cooking, and baking. She's hates school work. The best I can do is train her up to be a great wife, mother and keeper of her home - and continue to encourage her in her academic and potential career pursuits.

Maybe I'm not in SUCH a rush for February to come after all?

Glad he's back

I think it's only fair after posting why I had a good week with Tim gone, that I should now post why it's so good that he's back home with us.

1. I really enjoy sitting on the couch at the end of the day and watching a movie or an episode of Law & Order. We have no television here so movies are all we have. We watch movies and boxed sets of tv shows that have been given to or borrowed by Tim's parents. I watch movies with the kids, and by myself, but when I'm with Tim, it's better. We hold hands, or lean into each other, or sit close under my favorite Mexican blanket if it's really cold in our living room.

2. It's nice to know that if I need something done that's too hard for me, or if I don't have time to get done before I have to leave somewhere, Tim's always willing to help me, or do the job for me. He doesn't complain about it at all.

3. It's great to have a second driver when it's an hour and a half to take Adam to work and back - or to pick him up at 11:00 at night so far away. He never complains about getting the late driving shift.

4. He came home with a very positive, excited attitude about his new corporate position he was offered in CA. It's great to see him looking forward to setting up, running and supervising such a large operation - and knowing he'll have the flexibility to do it his way (for the most part). He's smart and now he'll have a chance to prove it, while providing an excellent income for us.

5. He's really come a long way on his journey. In bible study together on Sunday, I was realizing how well he knows his bible, how he "gets it", and how he understands how to apply it to our lives here in this day and age. All that is very important to me, but up until now, we never were in the same bible study together except for a small group with friends. That was great too, but it ended years ago when we all had to head in different directions.

There's probably a long list of other reasons why it's good that he's home, but in the middle of all I'm doing today, these are the ones that really come to mind first.

He seems a little more willing to try not to stress out the rest of us, more calm, more patient...I'm sure we all hope it lasts as he embarks on his newest adventure. If it's successful, it'll give us more options, and more visits to the valley, and more fun times to share with the kids. God only knows how much they've had to deal with because of our financial difficulties. I can't wait to share fun times, vacations, and rewards with them!

What a good week!

This week, Tim & his father are in CA on business. That gives me quite the reprieve. Don't get me wrong, I love that Tim works from home now and is here when we need him, but here's a few reasons why I also enjoy this week:

1. I have a perfectionist personality. I want things done the way I've thought it out and planned and decided is the best way to get it done. I'm not always right, he often is, but when he does something that's not my way, (especially in "MY KITCHEN"), I get frustrated and stressed. It's like me telling him what to do in HIS workshop area, right? It's my problem more than his, I admit that, but still...this week, I'm neither frustrated, nor stressed.

2. I'm sleeping the best I have in years! Tim tosses and turns, and if he wakes up in the middle of the night, something in him says, "Quick! Stand up and go walk around!" He doesn't even know why he does it. Sometimes it's just a quick trip to the bathroom, sometimes in the kitchen for a snack or just a drink of water, but it wakes me up, and then I'm up for hours trying to fall back to sleep while he passes out immediately. This week, I'm in bed at 9 if I'm not picking up Adam. 12am if I am picking him up. Then I sleep right through until 7 or 7:30! In the past 18 years, I've slept in 45 minute to 2 hour intervals - it's so nice to sleep straight through!

3. Food. When Tim's here, I never know when he'll eat, when he won't, when he'll have his RVL shake, when he's starving...it's hard to plan around him. I end up making too much, or not enough (and feeling guilty), etc. This week, I only worry about me. The kids take care of their own breakfast and lunch, and with Adam working nights, I only have to prepare for 2. No being around food all day long. No temptations to snack as I make other people's meals every two hours because no one follows the schedule for eating I planned (see #1).

4. Time. I try to be the best wife/mother/teacher/housekeeper I can be (again, see #1). When Tim's here, I feel guilty any time I sit down to read, journal, relax at the computer, watch a movie before 8pm, etc. With him gone, I'm free to go through my day working on those important but not urgent things I want to do more often but don't take the time to do. Again, Tim doesn't make me feel guilty about this, I do. Without him, the pressure's off.

5. Kids. When Tim's around, especially in conjunction with Dad, often they walk around all stressed out, or leaving trails of their Alpha Male personalities all over the place. It stresses the kids out. Typical American teens, the kids assume if they make eye contact with either of the men, they'll be assigned some physical labor, so they spend lots of time out of sight. This week, they've been around more, bedroom doors open, more talkative,...it's been great. It feels like we're so close these days. Again, I don't want you to think badly of Tim. It's just that teens will do anything to get out of doing "extra", right?

6. Schooling. Because there's a low-stress factor going on this week, and Tim's not here to run loud YouTube videos during the kids' reading & school time, they're more focused this week, more reading's getting done without so much prodding, and the kids are retaining more than usual. Tim doesn't do anything to distract them on purpose, it's just that he doesn't like headphones, I guess. And to be fair, if I ask him to turn it down, he either will, or will then put on headphones, or even go upstairs to use the computer there. He's almost always willing to do the right thing. It's just nice not to have to make him feel bad by asking.

I think my next post will be all the reasons why it's not so good that Tim's gone. Wouldn't that be the fair thing to do?

Memories

This has been a good week. I've had lots of moments to reflect on memories of my kids. Adam's been busy between school and his new job, and being a typical almost 17 year old, I've only spent time with him on the drive to/from work, and in our History discussion at school.

Logan & Jordan on the other hand...I know they're 12 and almost 15, but this week was a week of reminiscing. They did things they haven't done for years. Maybe out of bordom, maybe because neither have friends that are close enough to come over. Anyway, this week they watched the oldest Veggie Tales videos with me. If you haven't watched these, you should. They teach important lessons to kids but there's one-liners thrown in to amuse the adults as well. Being older, my kids caught lots of the jokes they never did when they watched as younger kids. I think even they were surprised that they remembered the words to the songs.

I also heard them playing hide & seek one day. It's a big house, so you really can play a good game here. It made me think of how they used to play in NH. Because Adam was the oldest, and his personality makes him quite the loner, Logan & Jordan were the two that always played together once Adam hit about 10. It was fun to hear them playing games and laughing together again.

I also caught them sitting together on Logan's floor building things out of his enormous Lego collection. No fighting. No bossing each other around like usual. Just two siblings, playing side by side, sharing time together.

I'm so thankful for the chance to reflect on a simpler time in our life when they were younger. Although I homeschooled and never missed a moment of their growing up, it still happened too fast and I often wish for the chance to relive a few days with them when they were younger.

Hang onto every moment with your children. Soon they'll be moved out and you'll wish you had. Appreciate the blessing while you can.

Time for Tea

I love to just sit and talk with the most special people in my world, accompanied by a cup of tea. Not the tea bag grocery store stuff - real loose-leaf tea. There's something about it that makes even just sitting and talking seem special. Yesterday I got to do that with Tim's Mom.

You would think living in the same house, we'd all be sick of seeing each other by now, but the way the house is laid out, there's sometimes DAYS that I don't see Mom. We each are a blend of 2 personalities, and one of those two, we share. That allows us to understand what the other feels in different circumstances, why we responded or reacted to it the way we did, why certain things get on our nerves, and what things mean the most to us. We spent two full hours just relaxing, getting caught up on the latest news, sipping a decaf. vanilla tea from our special teacups and saucers. We talked by the fireplace (the only warm spot in the house these days). I bet she spent lots of time just sitting and talking with her Mom a while back - now it's my turn to sit and talk with her. Sometimes we invite Jordan to join us, and she was only a few feet away on the computer, but it was good to have adult conversation without the constant interrupting of a 12 year old pretending to understand all we're discussing :-)

It was the great event of my day, until her cats began racing overhead (we talked an hour past their usual feeding time). When we stood up, we gave each other a hug, hopefully both feeling a bit more relieved and relaxed, and for the rest of the day, I felt like I'd done something special and memorable that day - and it didn't cost a penny!