Update and All Aboard!

I have no time for blogging right now.  Life has been going FULL STEAM AHEAD with no stops. I get up between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and cook breakfast, do any dishes or cleaning I need to, make sure Pawpaw does his blood sugar and takes his pills, run any errands, throw in a load of laundry, get lunch going/prepared, then am still working on getting our clothes and things organized and put away so that we have our own space in our rooms of the house, then start preparing supper, then do dishes and clean kitchen, and fall into bed by midnightish. Nephews have been around since school is still out for summer, so all the food prep/cleaning is doubled.  And I haven't put together a chore chart to get the kids helping yet, other than Micah taking out trash.  So SUPER BUSY.  This is all since Tuesday, since until then we were still cleaning and packing at the old house.  I have been so exhausted but proud of myself (and thankful for the grace) for adjusting to our new normal.  Had some commitments at church and our first Frontier Girl's meeting (woohoo) and got all of our address change and moving errands done. I had felt like I was losing weight, but may be reverting back to old stress-handling ways...need to reassess our eating/exercise habits and (Virtual 5K? huh? what's that? :P sigh...) ....well frankly my next goals are working on the home school plan and our new schedule, which includes chore charts, exercise goals, and eating.  So...I gots a lots to do LOL

For now, Father-in-law is doing great...home health care and PT comes nearly every day.  He gets outside in the sun a few times a day for some fresh air w/ his new wheely-walker LOL  His little buddy has to join him:

When he gets ready to walk somewhere, he calls out "All Aboard!" and wherever she is, whatever she is doing, she comes running and hops on the seat on his walker, usually on her knees, sometimes w/ her goggles on LOL....and she does her arm, and yells "Choo choo!"  It is so cute, I really need to get video.  Then she says "you're my best pawpaw in the world!  you're my best friend!" :)  


Anyhoo... hope to post that home school plan and chore chart plan soon... off to a canoe trip tomorrow, or at least transporting kids and teens to it.... Be Blessed! :) (I love when I hear a cashier or some stranger in a store say that to me....is that only in the South?  I wonder...)

What was I Just Saying (vol. 2)

Chick-fil-A: if you’re not sure, this is how fascism works | The Anchoress

So true....

The BEST thing I've read on Aurora

She does it again at A Holy Experience ....tears fall as I finish reading her lovely words.  Again.  I am going to go hug my daughters now....and my son tomorrow when he returns from camp.

Rosie Perez and the Golden Girls

Even without cable tv, and just a digital antennae for a few local channels (which having no cable has been wonderful...we get a lot more done!) you can just turn it on at any given time and surf the channels and find really outrageous stuff on these days.  As I sat down for my turkey on whole wheat and grapes/watermelon lunch, I had a few minutes to do just that.  I landed on Anderson Cooper's (the now "out-of-the-closet" famous former-CNN anchor...although being Gloria Vanderbilt's son, I guess...I'm not so surprised by his "news"...but anyhoo...) talk show.  He's been a good journalist, but not "all that" to me like to the rest of the world.  But I knew his "talk show" would have controversial stuff on it.  Well, first he had the self-named "Golden Girls" on....3 grandmas from the Bronx who basically sit and gossip.  I'm not sure if they had their own blog or show or anything, but they sit over coffee and peruse the Internet for trash talk.  Kardashians being the latest biggest smut.  But one of several things that irked me, was that they for instance took the article/picture (I mostly like Mayim Bialik's take on it, so there it is) of Alicia Silverstone feeding her baby pre-chewed food and trash talked it... "Ridiculous!  In this day and age?  Gross! Why doesn't she breastfeed?"  Of course if it'd been a pic of her breastfeeding, they probably would have say "why does she have to do that in public?" I know it's not for everyone, but I know a lot of moms who will say, put a certain food in their mouth to bite off a smaller piece for the baby or mash it a little with their teeth, so the baby won't choke but yet can share in the meal before them.  I know it's not exactly what she is doing, but.....WHAT is the BIG deal?

But these older ladies were applauded in their gossiping, back-biting ways of tearing down mothers and others.

Then, a surprise guest star came on to give one of them a Happy Birthday cupcake and hug.  It was Rosie Perez, who said "You know (paraphrasing) I think it's great that they show that this is the way REAL women talk, and that when you get older, you just don't care anymore" (meaning you say what you feel and don't care who hears it or what others think)  Gee, when is it that this became a gold-standard VALUE in our society?  Just don't care.  Tell it like it is. OMG did you see what SHE did?  Sigh.  I guess all the tabloid years have desensitized us.  The paparazzi.  We love to tear down others and trash them.  It makes us feel better about ourselves.  It's "fun."

Of course, they still had SOME traditional values, being grandmas and all, I guess.  They didn't approve of the mother who was on next who still worked in the porn industry and had for years.  Sigh.  Lovely.

Note to self:  Do not turn on tv.  The end.

Back to packing.....

An Update to "What I haven't been able to express"

Caught a few articles posted on FB that I wanted to post in the context of a follow-up to this post :


IN addition to this post of Alan Keyes' words in a debate with Obama several years ago, someone posted this great post by the infamous "Bad Catholic" on patheos.  What I love about this article is a.) he can express things I can't LOL and b.) he is "smart enough" to argue from a Philosophical point of reference and "higher thinking" ....rather than as he puts it, " entirely flushed of all meaning and significance. We are hollow men, stuffed man, and our words hold all the weight of whispers and straw."


So...check them out, and follow the links Bad Catholic adds too for even more explanation.  He is right on too w/ his little comment on "God's plan" and how Christians have the same divorce rates as anyone else.  It is so depressing, as I mentioned in a previous post.  Dropping like flies...heard of another one tonight. sigh.

7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 6

1. A friendly visitor.  There was some discussion about rare tropical poisonous frogs, but we are pretty sure our little buddy was just a plain ol' green tree frog :p  Made for some up close "scientific observation and nature study" though :)  (Is he poisonous? Will he bite? Why does his neck do that? How does he "talk"? How does he stick on there? Look at his eye balls.  Is that his butt? Will he give you warts?  Will he only give you warts if you kiss him?....) LOLOL

2.  More adventures at the water park :) And below...a side by side of Mariam then (6 months) and now (4 years) there. :)  My how the wee babe has changed  :)  And we had a nice economical lunch of PB&J's and jars of ice water LOL  Hoard...I mean RECYCLING has to pay off at some point :)

3.  Sent my two guys off this week for middle school camp.  I just can't think about my baby boy shooting down those rapids or ziplining down the ropes course or I'll be back here again. LOL  But the motley crew did get a blessing and prayer from Fr. G before they left (and I made an observation of Fr's new shoes LOL a pair of these ...getting his exercise on I guess :) So...I know they are in good Hands.  But...they did arrive to the weather below...and since I didn't get the flashlights packed, Doug was walking down a muddy path in the dark and rain to his cabin.  Oops. (ducking)....

UPDATE:  Got a report in that they had a blast on the first rapids today (the "easy" one, yikes) and only had 4 fall out of the raft (shudder)....but Jesus SAVED them LOL  A guy who looks like Jesus...or really looks like Jim Kaviezel LOL  Same difference. :P  BUT the thrill was Micah diving off this big rock 10+ feet high into the river at this special diving point.  He is so much braver than I.  And he did it TWICE.  Into FRIGID ice-cold water LOL  Fun Fun.  They also enjoyed a nice Mass at the near-by parish. Uber-cool!

4.  And again, prayers for dear FIL.  He's about the same...he feels better because the catheter has his kidneys more stable, but we're not sure what the next step is or the prognosis.  He is a beloved father and grandfather (and many other roles.)  He's birthday is coming up next week...he'll be 79.  This was him in 2 pictures about 10 years apart, doing his favoritest thing in the whole world...holding his grandbabies.  They literally say he is perked up after we take the kids up for a visit to the hospital.  They keep him going, keep him fighting. 

5.  Speaking of hospital visits...they relate to my "training" LOL

6.  Now for some political media matters: a friend tuned me into this post about expressing our beliefs even when it's hard to do in this society, especially about such touchy subjects.  I mostly agree (and can relate), although I understand Leah's concerns.... But I actually believe what I reiterated here or what is expressed in the links therein.  I "don't hate gay people either"...I love "my neighbor" as myself, etc etc. 

7. Oh, and related to number 4....us moving out and moving IN w/ the in-laws.... has me MAJORLY DECLUTTERING as I pack up boxes that will mostly go in storage.  We will mainly have the essentials and a few things we like/need (few toys, home schooling stuff, drawers for clothes, etc)..... but yeh...I am desperately  trying to prevent getting on the show Hoarders....well, aren't we all?  But I mean...it's in the "genes" on BOTH our sides, so we gotta be vigilant.  I am in a MOOD to "GET RID OF IT."  I'm surprising myself.  I mean sure I've created a new rubbermaid box for myself called "quilt and sewing scraps" from a few special kids' clothing items...but that's about the MOST extra of anything I am SAVING. If we don't use it or need it...bye bye!  Again, Flylady would be proud of me LOL  I've come a long way baby!  But seriously, ...there are few things we NEED to save for posterity sake, in reality. If you don't use it, lose it!  LOL  Enough cliche's for one night?  Well...I'm calling it a night then, and getting this posted in still only ONE day late, rather than two. LOL  (btw, this one is gonna THRILL hubs. LOL)

For more quick takes, see Conversian Diary.

Virtual 5K Update 3

Well, my next phase of training has come in an unexpected way.  We had been to visit Pawpaw in the hospital several times...this time and before.  She was a little nervous, due to her own ER visit one Christmas night, when she had to get staples in her head.  LOL  But she did fine and semi-enjoyed the ride up and down in the elevator.  But suddenly, a few nights ago, after a long napless day, she just lost it.  A fear as bad as her fear of tornadoes took over.  I thought she was gonna puke again, like she did the last bad Tornado warning we had. Sigh. :(  Poor little girl.  And I couldn't battle that.  It wasn't worth it.  We took the 7 flights of stairs.  Yes, there was huffing and puffing.  But I needed a good kick in the pants.  THIS time last year, dang it, I could have flown up them.  I was working w/ my personal trainer friend doing sets of up to 15, alternating stairs and strength training/abs/upper/lower body etc.  I'd lost 40lbs and was getting there. But...a few things happened that were stressful, and boom...I fell off the wagon.  And I'm still beating myself up over it.  But...everday he is there, we are going to climb those stairs...and then, I'll go to the ones at the church gym...I'm going to get there again....and beyond.  I know I can... "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

P.S.  If you didn't know, "she" is Mariam LOL

P.S.S. Did I mention it was SEVEN (7, siete, sept, septem) stories worth of stairs?! In a row...no breaking it down like my previous workouts of up, down, up, down...just up, up, up (etc for 7, or 14 if you want to count both sets for each floor) w/out stopping.  Down is easier, just that my by then my knees are like, whoa there girl, let's take it slow.... my muscles are so sore from swim/aqua size to cardio stairs LOL...I really wanted to cry tonight...I shouldn't get so winded...sigh.  Oh and Mariam doesn't get winded at all.  BUT...she acts like it after looking at me, as if she is somehow "learning" that that is what you are supposed to do LOL  I go up behind her and down in front of her, ...stairs have always scared me.  I love heights, not scared of them at all. But the stairs to get there...I fear falling down them...and more so, my kids falling down them.  "Hold on to the rail" I repeat over and over.  Maybe it would somehow prevent a complete fall all the way down....but I digress....