So many things...

**Update** All is well.  Blood count is normal, lungs still sound clear, etc. etc.  So at this point, it seems to be something that maybe played piggyback to the stuff from last week.  Thank goodness she's OK.

Well, yet again, I've failed to blog.  I'm sorry, folks. 

Believe me, it's not that I don't want to.  But this pesky little life keeps getting in the way of things.

Last week, my daughter got sick.  We thought it was Croup, so we did the steamy bathroom thing, lots of fluid and rest.  Well, by Thursday, the cough was very wet sounding, so we decided to take her to the doctor.  We get her in there, and while her lungs sound clear, it appears she has another ear infection of some sort.  The ear drum itself looked great, but there was some sort of pus in there that, I suppose, appeared painful.  So we got some ear drops and antibiotics and were on our way.

Again, that was Thursday.  Sunday afternoon, after 3 doses of antibiotics, her fever spiked.  She had not had a fever until then.  Yet all of a sudden, she was on fire.  Like, 103.3 on fire.  Me being a little paranoid (and a hypochondriac myself) took her immediately to the emergency room, since the doctor was off duty and I was not about to risk anything.  By the time we got to the ER, all of 10 minutes later, her fever had gone to 103.8.  I was a little scared.

I've come to the conclusion that I hate emergency rooms.  Granted, this one was better than others- they let us call the shots on what was done to our daughter, but... we got no answers other than the good news that no pneumonia was present and there was no UTI- but a 'we think it's viral' and 'give her tylenol and motrin to help the fever'. 

Now, my daughter's been sick for over a week.  She's still feeling miserable, it's getting worse even, and I'm freaking out a little.  They said perhaps it was fifth disease... which can take a while to clear, I suppose.  At any rate, her pediatrician is bringing her in this morning for a blood draw.

All this to say, I've been busy with a sick little girl.  And I'm sorry, blog world, but that takes precedence over any posting that may or may not occur.

Also, please pray everything turns out ok.

Laundry lists

Do you ever look around at your life on a given day and feel so overwhelmed, you're not quite sure where to start?

That's me today. I guess it's time to get out my post it notes.

This might be what my table looks like today.  It's that bad.

That's right. I waste paper.

But really, if not for post-its, I would go insane.  I get overwhelmed easily . And when I feel overwhelmed, instead of getting everything done as I should I end up not doing anything.  And what kind of wife does that make me?  

"Oh, sorry hubby, you worked all day, but I'm just so done with it all.  You can clean up if you want, though."

...Yeah, no.  So, I go around my house.  I make a list of what needs to be done, all on one sheet.  Then I put each individual task onto a post it. I can then go on to arrange by priority, and stack them up so I only see one item at a time.  When I get done with that item, no matter how small the task is, the satisfaction of ripping off that post-it and throwing it away is...

encouraging.

It's so much easier for me to be productive this way.  And I get to feel really good about my accomplishments.  

Plus my trash can looks pretty! All those COLORS!

What about you?  What are some techniques you use to make things simpler? 

Daily Dessert

Thinking of starting a new feature, based on this post.

It will feature a link-up, where we can all share what we did for ourselves that day.  Maybe it will encourage more of a balance!

What do you think?  Sound like a good idea?

More on selfishness

"The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: life is a story about me."
— Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality)

I recently re-read this book.  It's one of my favorites.  In it, Miller writes about his realizations of what it is to be faithful (in his eyes) and Christ-like.  Now, I don't want this to turn into a blog about faith.  But, in my mind, being a good wife means being a Godly wife, so I take lots of life lessons from a spiritual aspect. 

I wrote about selfishness recently.  How as a wife and mom, you can't be selfish.  But seeing it put into these words was really a wake up call.

How many of us live life for ourselves?  Not intentionally, no, but we don't consider others' emotions or needs when making our decisions.  Despite having a being that is completely dependent on us- despite having a spouse who counts on us for any number of things, we tend to continue to live our lives in selfishness.

It doesn't even have to be in a large way.  I'll give you an example:
In our house, I take care of the grocery shopping.  I find the sales, I make the lists, I go out to all the different stores and get what we need.  But for so long, I wasn't even asking if there was anything P wanted.  Despite the fact that I know how much he loves tomatoes, I wouldn't buy them.  Because me?  I despise them.  He'll just salt one and eat it like an apple.

But why could I not buy them?  Why is it so difficult for me to get 1 small, inexpensive item that doesn't even take me out of my way (since I'm buying tons of produce anyway)?  There is no logical reasoning behind that.  I was being selfish, purely selfish. 

So I started buying them.  Not every time, of course, but I don't buy ANYTHING except milk every time.  But when he opens the door and sees those polished, juicy fruits (yes they're a fruit get it right!) staring him down, the happiness I witness is amazing.  It makes me wonder why I am not so giving all the time.

Why do you think that is?  Why are we naturally inclined to do things only for ourselves, rather than loving others as ourselves?  I'm always saying I want to be thought of... I should think of him, too, right?

The end of a dream

When I moved to Austin in 2004, it was my dream to attend UT.  I practically bleed orange, my love for that school is so strong.  Everything about it, too.  The campus is amazing.  It's a highly prestigious university.  It's still my favorite place to be in Austin.  Everyone I've met that attends is incredibly smart, well-read, and passionate about what they do or want to do.  They're... driven.

And you have to be, don't you?  To gain acceptance to such an honorable school, to continue on, plugging away towards that ever-so-elusive degree...Now, that's not to say that all who enter leave having accomplished their goals.  It is, however, a HUGE goal to attain.

Lately, however, it's come to my attention that I may never make it to UT.  I haven't done a lot community-wise, although I'd love to.  My GPA isn't good enough; it's a darn good GPA, but not UT-good.  I don't even know that I could handle the pressure of those classes along with my marriage and being a mom.  It's a lot to handle, a lot of expectations.

Today I was speaking with a transfer advisor at the community college I attend.  I must admit I started to tear up when I realized my dream may never be achieved; but then I took a deep breath and got a quick slideshow in my head.  I saw my husband.  My girl.  Our life, and how filled with joy it is.  Do I need a degree from UT?  Or do I just need a degree?

I think we all know the answer to that.  A degree from TX State or St. Edwards is jut as rewarding.  I will have worked long and hard to get my degree from wherever I get it from- and I will have overcome obstacles to get there.  I will cry on that day, the day I walk across the stage to get my diploma, I will cry tears of joy. Of pride. Of knowing that I accomplished something significant.  No matter where it's from.


I'm still going to apply.  And throw my horns up every Saturday.

\m/ HOOK 'EM! \m/

How about dessert?

The girl is napping.  P is napping.  The dogs are napping.  I had told myself that I would get some work done on the house while they napped, but I had an idea.

I'm going to have dessert first.

You're probably thinking, OK, have a flipping cookie, then. Fatso.  

However, I'm not talking about those calorie-ridden goodies, oh, no.  I'm talking those sweet stolen moments in life where we do something for ourselves.

As a wife, and especially as a mom, I don't get much of that.  It's very similar to Paul's becoming "All things to all men," (1Cor 9:22), this transition into wifedom.  My life, every choice I make, impacts my family.  So usually, my time is devoted to things that shape a better life: cleaning, playing, studying, balancing the checkbook, etc.  

Yet in going over daily stressors with my therapist, she informed me of this amazing, incredible, fantastic idea:

Have your dessert first.  She went on to explain that you have to redefine dessert.  There's no need for us to ever lose ourselves due to others' expectations, or our perceptions of what they expect.  The important people in our lives love us for every bit of ourselves.  This means they want us to continue being ourselves, right?  

So how do we hold on to ourselves?  How does one maintain sanity, truth, passion in their lives for things other than their family?  By redefining dessert.

For example, right now, I wanted to blog.  I wanted to share this revelation I've been given.  Sure, there are dishes in the sink, a floor to be vacuumed, boxes to be unpacked, man, I could make a list a mile long.  And yes, I want to do all of these things.  (I really do!  I love a clean house!)

Bu what really called to me was my big, comfy chair.  I wanted to put my feet up.  I wanted to write for you all.  And I wanted to read my favorite blogs, as well.  So that's what I'm doing.  Indulging.  I'll get up in a minute.

What about you?  What are some of your favorite 'desserts'?

Seize the moment.  Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.  ~Erma Bombeck

They call it 'Toobing'

Fun trips don't always end up...

as fun as you may have hoped.

Take, for example, our... challenging trip to the river a few weeks ago.  What should have been a nice, relaxing, gentle float downstream turned into a nightmare.

Of course, that's my view on it.  Me, who feels like the world is falling apart if a fly looks at her wrong (part of why I'm in therapy- breathing techniques WORK, people!).

Let's take a quick look at what happened:

We were bringing the girl, so we wanted to find a float for her.  Aunt T and I spent the preceding evening searching all around town for one, only to be informed that because in other parts of the country, fall is fast approaching, TEXAS store are no longer carrying swimming accessories.  I mean, really?  We find one on the way down to the river... air it up. and she would much rather just hang out in our tubes with us.  Great way to spend $20, if you ask me.

There's a rather quick chute at the beginning of this float.  We knew we wouldn't take the girl on it, but Unca Roo and Aunt T wanted to do it, of course.  Well, sometimes, this chute can drag you of your tube and under the water.  Unca Roo almost drowned early in our trip due to this.  Fun!

The only way to get past this chute was to get out just before it, and back in IMMEDATELY after.  So after climbing out... with 2 tubes, 2 coolers, and a baby in tow... we climb down back into the water. P went first, and took the girl into his lap, seeing as we were literally climbing in at the very bottom of the chute (where there was still rushing water!)  He, the girl, and a tube containing a cooler got sucked into the current and rushed away... The girl LOVED it.  She laughed and laughed as they swirled across the top of the waves.  P held on to her for dear life.  We lost our shoes.

Yeah. You read that right.  You see, we had all our shoes in a mesh bag that was tied to P's tube- and when that current hit him, it ripped that bag right off the rope.  3 pairs of shoes (Aunt T had water shoes on, smart girl!!) gone. Just like that.  And let me tell you, the sidewalk on the way to the bus when the float was done was HOT!

After the chute we were in for what we thought would be a great day... hanging out with good friends, relaxing, getting some fun in the sun.  What we forgot about was that there was yet another rough current ahead... that if you went one way, you were fine... but chancing the waterfall meant danger.

Ok, ok, *I* forgot that.  To be fair, however, I couldn't have gotten to easy mode if I had tried.  It was just too late.  I went over the falls... along with the attached cooler.  Consequently, I was flipped off my raft and swept downstream- I couldn't even get my footing, the current was that strong.  I was scared!  And, wouldn't you know it, there were  some kind (cough cough) teenagers at the base of the waterfall that held onto the tube for me- kept it right there, at the base of the falls.

Remember how I said I couldn't get my footing?  Yeah, I never really did.  Eventually the kids let the tube go- but not before opening the cooler and taking the beer, letting the girl's juice, wipes, and Aunt T's glasses float to goodness knows where.

That was a *really* expensive trip, don't you think?