A Day In the Life – Realizing Self-Worth
****I did it!! My DITL is finished…finally!! Yay! I’ve even had time to proof and make corrections. :0) ****
When I saw the DITL exercise Lacy at Tatum Tales proposed, I was a bit hesitant. Is my life really busy or exciting enough to journal and capture on film from minute to minute? Will anyone really read it? Forcing past my skepticism I decided to go for it…what did I have to lose? So here it goes…
Tuesday, November 16th
6:15am: I look at my alarm clock and realize Pickle is standing at the bed. I jump up “Wake-up! We’re late!”. In general, it’s unusual for the boys to ride the bus everyday at 6:50am. As hard as we try it’s almost impossible to get to bed on time at 7:30 pm. So I give in and allow them to sleep for as long as possible. In the long run it saves me grief. Unfortunately, on this morning, driving to school isn’t an option. Our crew cab truck broke down yesterday while my hubby was returning from a trip to Iowa. My brother is unable to look at it until later this week. So my only mode of transportation is our bench seat 1994 Ford which will only seat Pudder and one of the older boys.
6:25am: Willis FINALLY gets up and out of bed. Pickle has eaten, brushed his teeth and is working on feeding the dogs.
6:40am: Willis FINALLY (are you seeing a trend?) has a portion of his clothes on and brushed his teeth (I think). Still hasn’t made it down the stairs. Pudder is awake and adding to the madness. Pickle has finished feeding the dogs but realizes he is missing part of his homework.
6:45am: Time to go down to the end of our lane and meet the bus. Willis has yet to eat. At this point I’m dressing him – something I strongly encourage he takes ownership and do himself. While I’m helping him get his pants on followed by socks (which he’s not doing willingly) and then his shoes; he’s eating his yogurt. Pickle is helping Pudder get his coat and shoes on. In the end, the shoes never really make it on his feet. Oh, well…pick your battles.
6:48am: We must go down or we will miss the bus because our driver will not see us heading down.
6:50am: A call to 911 comes in about some crazy woman who’s wearing her house coat and slippers with a scarf wrapped around her waist and neck. She’s running in circles, yelling and screaming and running around some more, yelling at her oldest son “run down to the bus…no wait jump in the truck…no, stop, go…run boy, run!” (he followed those directions to a T, poor kid). In the same breath she’s telling her middle son to get in the truck while carrying her toddler by his bibs. Luckily, the 911 call didn’t really happen but the rest is pretty darn close to being true.
6:51am: The bus is here. Pickle is walking across the highway to get on the bus. Willis and I are turning in circles trying to get his backpack on the right arm while he frantically eats his toast and puts on his gloves. By now, the bus driver is rolling out of the door she’s laughing so hard. Ok, so she stayed in her seat but from what I could see, she was near tears. I really think we would have had a strong chance at winning America’s Funniest Videos.
6:52am: There goes the bus…the boys are on their way to school. And, no I have ZERO pictures from this part of our morning.
6:55am: I collapse from exhaustion. Then Pudder asks for milk. Which reminds me that we’re almost out and it’s grocery day! And, I haven’t finished my list yet. I check the reusable refrigerator list.
Hmmm, not much on the list...1/2 of the items are things I buy online. Ugh! Shopping is seriously a task I dread!
After the shopping list I bath, put on my face, dress to shoes and make our bed.
Yes, that's a lump in my bed and yes, it's alive. You know it's cold out when the dogs stay under the covers even as the bed is made. It'll be a mess before 8am. BUT, let it be known that I tried!!
In the meantime, Pudder eats his breakfast. Need, coffee, now!!
Kind of funny that I couldn’t get WordPress to edit this photo and flip it correctly because this is what life looks like until I drink my coffee! LOL!
7:30am: Reboot laundry and dishwasher. Pudder decides to start becoming fussy and won’t let go of my leg.
I decide to give him a little pain reliever…he seems to be chewing on a lot of things and still hasn’t had his 2 yr molars peek through.
7:45am: He’s calmed down a bit so I continue with my planned routine. Over the weekend, I vacuumed upstairs in preparation for carpet cleaning today. Our room isn’t that bad. The boys ‘ room is BAD.
Pudder dumped a glass of Willis’ Gatorade all over the floor. He also go a hold of a marker last week and while giving Willis his nighttime allergy medicine we dumped the spoon, leaving a large portion on the floor. Nice and sticky, just the way I like it!
****UPDATE!!****
I forgot to add that during this time I also swished and swiped the upstairs bathroom and played a game of peek-a-boo behind the shower curtain. See below…
A little swish and swipe. Excuse the painters tape...still renovating!
Peek-a-boo!
8:30am: With the carpet finished, we pack the truck with our re-usable grocery sacks, plastic sacks which need to be taken to recycling and empty water jugs to be filled at my in-laws.
8:45: We leave and head for the farm to fill up on water. On our way we see this enormous cloud of black smoke.
9am: We arrive at the farm to fill the water jugs and catch up on what’s been going on…who’s calved, not calved, family Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc… I picked up some nuts that fell off their Walnut tree. We’ll take them to my grandpa so he can feed his squirrels.
9:30am: We’ve spent too much time chatting away and there isn’t enough time for shopping and driving back and forth to town. Curiosity gets the best of me and I decide to locate the fire which continues to bellow black smoke into the eastern sky. At the same time Pudder takes his morning nap.
10:00am: I finally find the fire. The source is/was a beautiful horse barn/stables. I was told all of the horses escaped but that at first the fire was so hot they couldn’t get close to it. They anticipated a total loss. I later spoke to my mom and she had been there before. She said it was a beautiful, one-of-a-kind facility with an air-conditioned and heater arena. So sad!
Before the fire, the barn had been visible from this viewpoint.
10:20am: Time to head home and pick up Willis from the bus.
10:35am: Picked-up the mail and unload the Cub Scout popcorn we loaded the day before. It needs to be sorted and delivered. Checked on the livestock, let the dogs out, grabbed some snacks, drinks and pottytime.
10:56: The bus arrives and drops Willis off & away we go on our shopping trip. A mile down the road we see this…
We stayed and watched this doe and buck for a few minutes then moved on…very nice rack.
11:40am: Arrive at Aldi’s for the first half of our shopping. I had two fantastic little helpers!
12:05pm: We drive thru Mickey D’s and grab some lunch.
Willis shows off his new Happy Meal toy!
12:15pm: Arrive at Wally World for some quick mega-shopping. I threw the boys into a cart with their food and away we went.
While at Walmart…
I'm going bananas!! My kid is obsessed with them. Even though we had just purchased a bunch at Aldi's he had to have more. They each are given the change to pick one small item. Pudder chose a "banabala."
Look mama! Opples! Can I have one? Oopps, I dropped it!
Your welcome brother! Good thing Willis was there to play 'catcher.' I was beginning to see images of apples everywhere.
They just HAD to have their picture taken in front of the tree.
Willis' item was chap stick...I was glad he made that choice...his lips have been so dry lately.
Tough lesson, not yet learned. We keep telling Willis that these machines are designed to NOT pick up an animal and that it's a scam. He just keeps on trying and trying and trying. At least this machine is only 50 cents and its HIS money.
The boys have three envelopes for their money. Spend, save and give. Willis chose to give to the Salvation Army this week. I'm a proud mama!!
And finally,
See ya next week! Such good helpers!!
1:45pm: Time to head home…I’m exhausted. Might have to stop by McD’s again for a hot Mocha coffee.
2: 30pm: We arrive home, unload the groceries, get ready for snack time and the arrival of Pickle who gets off the bus around 3pm. We also try on Laci’s new coat.
"Does it make my butt look too big mama?"
3:15pm: Time for Pickle to do homework.
He is working on using more emotion as he tells the story.
With a 50 min. bus ride home he usually is able to complete his math. Then it's my job to check for corrections.
Once his homework was done Pickle turned in 10 buttons to play on the Wii.
Then it was time to sort the Cub Scout popcorn.
Everything is accounted for, now we need to label and organize by town.
Next we did chores. Our female duck laid 15 eggs however, some are turning black and are more than likely are rotten. Since this is our first experience with hatching ducklings, we took one egg out to the middle of the pasture and broke it open. It was the worst thing I've ever smelled. We ended up with 6 eggs left after throwing out the black ones.
Cracking open one of the black/grey eggs...Yuck!! DO NOT do this at home!
Next, we fed the steers, chickens, ducks and goats, then it was time to collect eggs. Only 7 tonight. Then we gave a couple hay cakes to the steers. With the cold weather here they are relying more and more on the hay.
4:40pm: We had a little downtime. I did a little work on a website and logo while the boys played and my hubby browsed through his cookbooks.
6pm: Mama/Son night for Pickle and I!! We started the evening by attending a fund raiser called Community Claus. It’s a spaghetti supper held at a local church…homemade spaghetti sauce and garlic bread…yum, yum, yum!! The monies raised are given to members of our communities, who are in need this holiday season. Following the supper we went across the street to the grade school for our annual Family Reading Night program.
- I forgot to take pics while at the Spaghetti Supper so before we ran to the school I had him “pose” in front of the Christmas tree. He ended up winning one of the door prizes!!
6:45pm: Family Reading Night begins! It was an interesting an entertaining program which began with a unique Laser Show promoting literacy. Here are a couple of pictures I was able to snap…
Pickle was picked from the audience to help explain what the word laser means. Who know, LASER is actual an acronym! You learn something new everyday!
Promoting AVID readers through asking questions, visualizing, interpreting and deciding. Throughout the presentation there were laser shows choreographed to popular songs. Our neighbor girl who sat behind us was really rockin' it out...especially to the Taylor Swift song! Too cute! Too bad it was dark and I couldn't get her pic. She was adorable!
This is Sponge Bob!!
7:30pm: I LOVE our school because all of the teachers and staff are so dedicated. This year our PTO teamed up with the village library and everyone received a free book and goodie bag as they left. It was a nice touch to a great evening!
8:10pm: Arrive home…Can I pretty please change into my jammies and relax?? The other two boys weren’t asleep yet so there was some tucking in that was warranted before I could change. We did “Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite,” said our ‘love yous’ and to sleep my precious boys went. Pickle in his new room, Willis back in his old bed which leaves Pudder in….our bed! Something I swore I’d never let happen again. Pickle slept with us for his first 3 1/4 years. It’s so hard to move him back to his own bed…you never want them to grow up, but grow up they do.
9pm: Time to change and go to sleep…NOT! Actually 8pm on is usually my work time. So I’m late for work! Hope the boss isn’t too hard on me. LOL! I’m working with two new clients and one of my longtime clients. She sells retail so this is the busiest time of the year. There is much preparation to do before Black Friday. At the same time I try to get a little laundry done so we aren’t running around in our birthday suits tomorrow! I’m not sure if I have enough energy to climb Mount Washmore but I’ll give it my best!
Midnight: I’ve had enough and can’t keep my eyes open…off to dreamland!
I LOVED doing this activity! I only wish I would have had enough time to write all in one sitting, work comes first. I’m blessed to have work at this time of year, especially when it is slowing down for my hubby. So I can’t complain, and I appreciate everyone for being patient. I hope there was something during that famous November day that has helped you or enlightened or made you giggle!
The most important lesson I learned is that I’m important…very, very IMPORTANT. It cracks me up that I thought I wouldn’t have enough to write about and with the exception of our night out, it was actually a slow day in comparison to most. I also learned that I’m not doing enough playing with my kids. I’m thankful for Lacy who forced me upon my will, kicking and screaming (no, not really) to participate. It truly has forced me to realize my self-worth. If you didn’t have a chance to participate I encourage you to post your own DITL…oh, and be sure to leave a comment if you do…then I can come take a peak into your world!
Happy Monday!
New-Found Confidence Through Cub Scouting
Before embarking on a new activity, as a parent I always ask myself, “What is my purpose or goal for enlisting our child in the activity?” Last fall Cub Scouting became an option for Pickle. And we asked the question. What do we want Pickle to gain from Cub Scouting? Of course, we want all of our boys to be successful, caring individuals who have self-worth. Over and above this we want them to have a trait neither my hubby or I feel we had…Confidence.
Fast forward 9 months…Last week, Cub Scout Camp 2010 (Click here to read more about our Cub Scouting journey.)
As leaders, two of us took Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Others filled in during Tues. and Fri. as they could. There were 21 boys. Ten from our Pack and 11 from another who couldn’t have cared less who we were or that they should even attempt to respect us.
***VERY IMPORTANT TIP & NOTE TO SELF: Avoid walking on Mon. if at all possible.***
I’m a little dizzy from Mon. & reeling from all of the Mack trucks that ran over
Pickel Shooting Archery
me. (SIDENOTE: Two years ago I thought I’d try substitute teaching. Due to a breast-feeding schedule – God’s way of saving me some embarrassment – I was never able to go in but my husband always said they’d eat me alive if I did.) As of last Monday, he was officially 100% correct!
If I’m still dizzy now, 8 days later, imagine how I felt last Tue. Well, let’s not. I spoke with the mom who went on Tues. and learned that the boys all got into trouble during archery and air gun rifle. This pushed me over the edge and somehow on Wed. morning I emerged as Hilter. We had a fantastic time in the sports station as each Scout would go through an obstacle course. Then it was archery time. Prior to leaving the Sports area I attempted to line the boys up single file. This
Here is is shooting in the airgun range. He had all week to shoot a total of 35 pts. & receive his badge. On the first day, he shot 47 pts.
bombed like a flying bird pooping through the air. It also charged my temper. As I arrived at the archery area I went to the head instructor and told him we are implementing a ‘zero tolerance rule,’ – listen, be quiet and sit patiently or you’ll sit out for the rest of the day. The younger boys ‘got it,’ except for the ADA child. The older boys looked at me like ‘whatever lady! We are in charge here!’ Even so, they did well through archery. Then came airgun – the rule was re-explained but this time they tested it & two boys ended up sitting out.
There was an indifference…do we like her or do we respect her?? As the day went on I tried to bond with a couple of the boys signing songs like “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but Girl Scout cookies taste like mold!” and helping them bait their hooks at fishing. On Thurs., I worked to build more rapport. They became more attentive to the rules which led to more fun. At the end of the day, as we were marching in the single file row I failed to create on Mon., I mentioned to a couple of the boys that I wouldn’t be there on Fri…to my surprise they were disappointed. On Fri., watergun day, I went to pick Pickle up. One of the older boys was trying to shoot a boy who was standing in front of me. The boy in front moved and I became the hit target. The look on his face was something I’ve dreamed of seeing on my own boys’ face. His face went from smiling to scared and he quickly apologized, stumbling over his own words. I said it was alright and we hi-fived. It was a new-found confidence that Cub Scouting gave an unintended person…ME!
The Law of the Pack – Our Cub Scouting Journey
Before embarking on a new activity, as a parent I ask myself, “What is my purpose or goal for enlisting our child in the activity?” Last fall Cub Scouting
Pickle receiving his Tiger Cub badge during the cross-over ceremony to the Wolf den.
became an option for Pickle. And we asked the question. What do we want Pickle to gain from Cub Scouting? Of course, we want all of our boys to be successful, caring individuals who have self-worth. Over and above this we want them to have a trait neither my hubby or I feel we had…Confidence.
Did you know there have been numerous Presidents, CEO’s, Military commissioners, actors, athletes, etc… who began as Scouts? Who doesn’t want their kid to be successful? Sign him up Scotty!
Our Cub Scouting experience started off on a rough step. Our den leader had no clue what she was doing, lacked reliability, couldn’t connect with our kids and ultimately quit three weeks before our boys were to ‘cross-over’ to the Wolf den. The parents all decided we would re-group and each take on a responsibility. No problem we’ve got it covered. We sat down to plan out what was left to do. We had spent 6 months completing only 5 of the 15. AHAHAH! Chaos ensued. How are we possibly going to complete 10 things in 3 wks when it took 6 months to do 5?? Our team stepped up to the plate. It was a whirlwind but we had a blast and the kids got to do some pretty cool
Pickle on the green screen during TV station tour.
things…Help produce a commercial at a local TV station, then sat in on the evening news and then were surprised when they put us all on TV! We took all of the kids to my in-laws to fulfill a dairy/food activity, went on a hike and picked up trash. Toured a police department, had their fingerprinting
Big brother can't have all the fun. Here is Willis attempting to get himself on the tv screen...cow boots, wranglers and all!
Cub Scouts learn how to lift fingerprints from the mock crime scene during our tour of the police station.
completed and solved a make-shift crime…that was SUPER cool!
While all of this was taking place three of us emerged as the Den leaders, including myself. Then news came that our Pack leader was leaving the Pack since her youngest son was moving on to the Boy Scouts and she would be taking on responsibilities there. Well, one of the three of our Den leaders decided to take on the job. The other took on an Assistant Pack Leader position…and here I am. I’m excited and ready for the task!
Update…We just completed Cub Scout Camp 2010. Click here for ‘the rest of the story.’
Project 52
The Magic FarmHouse 