Thoughts on "Army Wives" (you might be surprised)

One of my favorite shows on TV right now is Army Wives.  Now if you are a fan also, you probably think this blog is going to be about which soldier is not coming home.  All I could find online yesterday was speculation over which soldier has been killed.  I even read some crazy posts where people are outraged that the show is making us wait another week.  Now I will agree to being very disappointed with that - but it's called RATINGS!  That's how they get you coming back!  Cliff hangers are a big deal in TV dramas, so let's move on! 

But I digress.  What I really want to talk about is a statement made by Rolland to Joan regarding their daughter getting into a good preschool.  He said "the most important thing we can give her is a good education."  At first I thought nothing of the statement.  I did think - "it won't be the end of the world if she doesn't get into some snazzy preschool.  It's preschool - not college."  But later, I was thinking about his statement.  And it struck me as way off.  A good education is very important.  It prepares your child for the future.  But I don't agree it's the most important thing we can give them.  What about love?  or values?  or a moral code?  a love of the Lord? self-respect?  To me, those things top education.  You can be at the top of your class, but if you're a self-centered jerk that uses people and cheats to get to the top, it's not really going to matter.  Shouldn't the most important thing we give our kids be the knowledge that we love them no matter what?  And more importantly, that God loves them.  Isn't that more important that a good education?  I think so.

Oh and while I'm at it - my thoughts on the other issue - Jeremy will be killed off.  I know everyone is thinking Chase, and it might have been when there were talks of a spin off staring Pamela.  But now that the spin off isn't happening, and Pamela wants to get back with Chase (and be an "army wife" again), I'm going with Jeremy.  If it was any of the others, their wife wouldn't be an Army Wife anymore, and therefore not fit with the point of the show.  And Jeremy mentioned last season that he left everything to Molly in his will.  He's also planning a wedding, so to kill him off would be very dramatic.  There's my 2 cents. :) 

why do I even make plans??

Why do I even bother making plans?  Do you ever ask yourself that question?  Today was another day like that.  I had planned to do floors today - vacuum, mop, possibly steam clean the carpets.  But guess what I did - I popped my kneecap out of place and then back in.  Have you ever done that?  Let me say - it hurts!!  I do this every couple of years.  I will just be sitting down and when I move my knee - POP.  It pops out and back in.  OUCH!  It usually brings tears to my eyes.  Today I immediately took the ibuprofen b/c I know how bad it gets.  But I decided it would be best to skip the floors today, and focus on something I could do sitting down.  So instead I worked on laundry - so I could sit and fold it and let the kids put it up.  It all worked out, and work got accomplished, just not what I set out to do.  

So to answer my original question - If I don't make plans, I just sit around wondering what I could do.  I know there's tons to be done, but I usually just play online.  And that's not beneficial to anyone.  So while plans usually get changed, as least I make plans.  And when it becomes obvious that my plans aren't going to workout, I plan something else.  I also have long-term plans.  Sometimes it becomes obvious that these plans need to change.  At one time, I planned to have 4 kids, finish my college degree, and go into counseling when all my kids were in school full-time.  Plan #1 changed when the stick developed 2 lines and I knew #5 was coming in 9 months.  I still haven't had time for plan #2.  Right now hubby is taking online classes, and I think we could only survive with one of us in doing homework all night.  So the other will have to wait.  Although I do often feel like a counselor with my friends, so I guess I'm already doing that one.  

New plans - stay focused on my walk with God and live according to His plan, keep the house in order, raise the kids, possibly have more kids, and support my husband in whatever he's doing.  And I'd like to get a treadmill. :)


What are you long-term plans?  Have you thought about where you want your life to go?  What do you want your life to look like in 5 years?  10 years?  Are you doing anything right now to reach those goals?  Maybe today you can take a few minutes and jot down a few things for your future, and then start moving towards those goals. 

Have a blessed day!!

sometimes plans change

Today was suppose to be Megan's surgery day.  I had a long night - partly from waking up thinking about her surgery, and partly from waking up afraid she might get up in the night for a drink of water (a big no-no before surgery).  We all got up on time, and I decided to start laundry and then get myself ready.  Then I realized I needed to give the baby her medicine.  When I turned around Megan was eating breakfast!!  As you know, the day of surgery you can't eat anything!!  I guess it was just habit for her, and I had put out the boxes of Poptarts (yes, I know - not the most nutritious breakfast, but it was fast), so she ate one.  I immediately grabbed the phone and called the hospital.  The very nice lady said she would ask around and call me back.  A few minutes later I get the call from the surgeon - no surgery today.  He was so nice about it.  He said he was treating it as if it was his own kid, and he wouldn't risk it with he own child.  He said not to worry about it, and we would just reschedule.  I'm so glad we are going with this surgeon - he's great!  We have been very blessed with specialists for our kids.  We always end up with great ones.  Wish I could say the same for regular doctors, but that's another story.

So our plans for today - sit at the hospital all day - were now out the window.  Hubby had already taken most of the day off, so we just decided to hang out as a family.  We ended up at the grocery store.  I know that doesn't sound like a good time, but you can make it a fun time!  The kids love helping put stuff in the cart, pushing the cart, picking out things to eat, and hunting for the items we have coupons for.  We do it like a treasure hunt - who can find this item?  Of course, the baby got cranky, but after a bottle, she fell asleep in the cart and was good the rest of the trip.  Madi (3 y/o) had a meltdown when we first got there b/c she didn't want to ride in a basket, but once we let her out and explained the importance of staying with us and helping out, she was fine too.

After our shopping trip we came home and made lunch.  Then we picked up the house and laid down for naps.  Of course, the baby wasn't tired b/c she slept at the store, but after a while, we both fell asleep on the couch.  Thank goodness for a comfy couch b/c I ended up there for an hour!  Guess I was more tired than I realized!  

Speaking of the baby - Mikayla (6m/o) is so close to crawling!!  She gets up on hands and knees and rocks back and forth.  When this doesn't get her where she wants to be, she just rolls there.  But she will figure it out very soon!


So the lesson for today - we have plans, but God changes them.  And we can either get upset and mad b/c things don't go our way, or we can look at it as a new opportunity and just go with it.  Today, I decided to just go with it.  At first I was upset, and very mad at myself for not saying something to Megan sooner, but then I realized I couldn't change what happened, so I might as well go with the flow.  Things didn't go as I planned them, but God always knew what today held.  And I'd rather go with His plans!


Prov. 16:9 (NLT) "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps."

Spring Break - day 1

Today was the first day of Spring Break.  I had several things I wanted to get done today, but the kids were a little wild, so we didn't get as much done as I had hoped.  Two of the  kids did get the bathroom clean, so that was something.  And the other 2 made sure the bedrooms were picked up.  I kept the laundry going all day, and tried to keep the living room picked up.  So as their reward for working around the house today, we went to the library for books.  

Tomorrow Megan (6 y/o) is having surgery to remove a cyst on her neck.  One of our friends from church will be her surgery nurse, so that should help with her anxiety level.  I think  having a friendly face with her at all times will be a huge blessing!  This surgery is to remove a duct that has developed a cyst on it.  It has been infected twice, and we're told it will continue to get infected until it is removed.  We decided to do the surgery during spring break so she wouldn't have to miss a week of school.  Originally my husband was supposed to be at AT this week, but when he told those over him that his daughter was having surgery, they decided he can do it later in the year.  I am so glad he will be with me!!   The other kids will be staying with my mom.  I'm sure it will be a long day.
 

what's missing?

Have you ever looked at your life and felt like something was missing?  Well, I did recently.  I couldn't put my finger on it, just felt restless.  For one thing I felt like I was just coasting through life.  Like I wasn't putting enough effort into anything.  But things have started to change.  This year while I read through the Bible I decided to start underlining any verses having to do with women, marriage, motherhood, etc in pink.  I went straight to Proverbs 31:10-31.  As I was reading the verses and underlining them, I realized that's what missing!  I am not doing what I should be doing to be a "wife of noble character".  My house and my family aren't being cared for as they should b/c I was being lazy about my duties.  

So that's when things started changing.  I've been doing more to improve myself as a wife, mother, homemaker, friend, daughter, sister, etc.  My first responsibility is to my husband and kids.  So I have been trying to be a better wife and mother.  I have made many changes, and those in my house seem to be enjoying it.  I am also doing better in caring for my home.  The first step has been to organize the house.  Besides the everyday things - keeping up with the housework and daily tasks - I've started organizing and de-cluttering the house.  This process will take a while b/c I'm doing it with the help of a 3 year old and 6 month old.  But that's ok.  They are learning in the process.  And as long as it's getting done, I'm not going to force myself to a timetable.  

I'm also going to start sewing, cooking healthier meals, teaching the kids more responsibility, doing more to go "green" and keep the family healthy, among other changes.  But we'll get into those in another post.  

Physical health is another area I'm working on.  I have been going to the gym at least 3 times a week.  Well, I missed this week b/c I've been sick and barely had the energy to walk to the kitchen, let alone go to the gym.  But I will start back next week.  And I'm eating less at each meal.  For now, this will have to work.  I figure it's a good start - exercising and eating less - that's the key to losing weight, right?  My ultimate goal is to have a treadmill at home, so I'm not tied down to the gym's daycare's schedule.  And if I have a sick kid, I can still get in my workout.  I know, I know - you can walk outside for free.  Yes, but have you read the part about the 2 small kids?  Weather would be a factor, and I live in a state with bi-polar weather.  

I'll leave you with this funny conversation I had with my youngest son (8 yo).  son: maybe you're pregnant (regarding being sick)
me: no! definitely not pregnant
son: but you need to be pregnant. (said with such calm)
me: why do I need to be pregnant?!?!? 
son: so I can have the most siblings of all the kids in my class.
me: who has the most right now?
son: ____ has 5 brothers!!  
me: that's not too bad - you already have 4 siblings
son: he also has some sisters.
me: hhmm, well, we might have to let him win.

But I don't think my son is convinced. lol  ;)

Time for something new

I have a big family.  Some people think I'm crazy for having 5 kids.  But I love it, and wouldn't even mind adding to our family.  (Did I say that?)  Although with a six month old that still doesn't sleep through the night and who is currently sick and extra cranky, I have days of thinking we have enough.  But that's another post.  So I've been reading a book about the logistics of raising a large family.  And while I don't agree with everything the writer says (I have no problem sending my kids to school every day), I have learned a lot.  And while reading this book, I have been wondering about other large families.  How do they manage all the kids, chores, finances, meals, day-to-day stuff, comments on their big families, etc.  So I started searching around.  And I would find groups or forums for large families, but I started noticing they had a lot of similarities, and they didn't look that much like my family.  One of the biggest things was homeschooling.  I have nothing against homeschooling.  But it is not for me.  I know it is for some, and more power to ya!  But it is not for me.  I am not called to be a teacher.  Granted, I am not really happy with the public school my kids currently attend, but my solution to that is to try to find a way to send them to private school (like I went to), not to pull them out completely and teach them myself.  In fact, the book I'm reading made it sound like one of the worst things you can do to your kids is send them to school.  Really??  

So like I said - none of the groups seemed like a fit for me.  So I decided to just start blogging.  I have not been faithful about blogging in years - since my husband was gone for 6 weeks, and I used it to keep him updated.  But I am going to try to do better.  This is going to be hard b/c one of the changes I am making right now is spending less time online, and more time taking care of my family.  But I think I can manage some time in the evenings or during naptime to get in a few blog posts.

So if you have several kids, I would welcome your input.  If you are going to tell me that 5 kids is too many, well, I'm sure there's something else you can read on the internet.