I'm still here

I just haven't blogged lately. It seems I can't come up with a topic about which to write whenever I think about blogging. So I don't do it. Today's entry isn't about anything in particular. It's a cold and wet day - very conducive for a nap. So far I'm not giving in to that temptation, however. I will go and do some laundry in a bit. I will make a meatloaf this afternoon for supper. I will get my things together to direct the children's choir tonight.

See - now I don't know what else to say.

Perhaps a nice cup of coffee would help.

The kids are doing well. It's never boring around here at all. It just gets really annoying sometimes with all the high-pitched squeals and increased volume in the house. I sure do love them, though. And overall they get along very well. That pleases me so much.

As always, I am grateful for everything that has gone right in my life. And for what hasn't, as I'd like to believe I am stronger for those not-right things. Guilt comes easily to me, and I don't think it is a healthy or helpful emotion. So I try to think through why I don't need to feel guilty. If I do need to feel guilty, I try to remedy what I've done wrong so I don't have to experience guilt about that anymore.

I'm quiet today. Not my typical M.O. Reflecting, pausing, accepting, just being.

But the pile of dirty laundry in my bedroom is about as tall as the bed. So it's time to take it to the basement. Then maybe I'll reward myself with a little snack. I'll consider eating something fairly healthy, too. I am actually hungry right now - my stomach is even growling. So I won't be eating simply as a reward. I'm just going to get some work done before I satisfy my hunger. And aren't I so lucky to have access to healthy food here in my house that I can eat when I'm hungry. God bless those who aren't so lucky.

Spelling Assignment

Here is a paragraph that J wrote as a spelling assignment this month. I'm not sure which of the words were actual spelling words, but he apparently came up with this to say from the words on his spelling list.

"I think my mom is a very kind person. She cooks meals for all of us every day. She always has a warm face and gives me warm kisses. She never frowns, not even when she's mad. Then, she only has a stern look. Best of all, I love it when she helps me go to sleep. My mom is the best ever!"

His teacher gave him a check-plus, and added "Sounds like it!!"

As I write this my son is having one of his difficult moments. I wanted to record this on my blog just in case I ever lose the piece of paper. It will be very helpful for me to re-read in times like this.

Up Early for a Saturday

I woke up early for a Saturday this morning. I got up to use the bathroom at 6:36 and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up again and came downstairs. So far this morning, I've let the cat out and in and out and in and out and in, and shaken his bowl of food so that the little heart Aunt Sarah painted at the bottom of his dish is covered up. He prefers not to see that when he's eating. I have also made a pot of coffee which sounds like it's close to finished now. This is always a big accomplishment for me since my knight in shining armor of a husband makes and - get this: brings me a cup of coffee in bed!! - most mornings. I have also exchanged a few words with J, who fairly regularly wakes up around 7:00am. And last but not least, I have blogged a bit so far today. Yay me! Going to get a cup of coffee now and just sit with it for a little while and sip as I continue to wake up.

Blogging from a laptop

This is my first post composed at the laptop that my mother gave me when she got a new one and that a very generous friend revamped for me at no charge. (He did accept a bottle of wine as a token of my appreciation.) I'm hoping that I will be able to download videos from my new camera that James gave me for Christmas and post them more often via this laptop. I haven't installed the camera software yet, nor have I downloaded any pictures or videos. That is a soon-to-happen project that I anticipate will benefit this blog.

Life goes on. I am trying to stay in alignment as best as I can. James' company has declared bankruptcy, and while he has a job as of today, his future there is extremely uncertain. I have an interview next week for a part-time job that I hope will be a good fit for me. The kids are doing well. We had two snow days this week, plus the MLK holiday on Monday. So it's been a long week with the kids at home longer than expected. I spent much of Tuesday watching inauguration coverage. It is hard not to take for granted the peaceful transfer of power in our government. How very, very fortunate we are.

MC turned 4 on Saturday. We celebrated with a purple party which she had been planning ever since her pink party last year ended. By the way, she's already planning her 5th birthday party, and it's back to pink for that. J told me tonight that since she's already planning her next one, he is starting to plan his next one. When do kids outgrow birthday parties? That's what I want to know.

My grandmother (dad's mom and only surviving grandparent of James or me) turns 90 tomorrow! Both of my dad's sisters are flying into town to celebrate with her (and us). My uncle was unable to come due to work requirements. He will be with us in spirit, no doubt. I am looking forward to being able to spend some time with them, even if it is short. To reach 90 is certainly a milestone.

Happy New Year to all of my devoted readers. Thanks so much for your interest in what is on my mind. It means a lot to me.

2009 - The Year of Alignment

I have declared that 2009 is the Year of Alignment for me. When I say this, I mainly mean body alignment: maintaining good posture, not crossing my legs, keeping my feet pointed forward and not outward, being aware of where my body is in space and making a conscious effort to keep everything aligned as it was intended to be. Doing so will make me feel better about myself as I look thinner and fit better into my clothes. Case in point: I am wearing my size 10 jeans that I was able to fit into a year ago, but had not worn in the last 6 months. When I stand/sit up straight, they fit very well, and my muffin-top belly mostly disappears. When I start to slouch, the muffin top comes back and the pants start to give me indigestion. I realize that losing a few more inches in my mid-section will help this as well, and I intend to do that. But it sure does feel good to get back into them. Anyway, I digress a little. Alignment also means to me getting my priorities set appropriately for this stage of my and my family's lives. Aligning my goals and actions with what I believe God has in mind for me to do. Saying yes to things that are fun and/or interesting to me because they are in alignment with my God-given gifts and talents. Saying no to things that are not in my best interest or in that of my family. Alignment means having a basic structure to my days that allows me to fit in some sort of exercise, time with my husband and kids, prayer/devotion/scripture study time, and time for me to do my Helen-things like blogging, for instance. It also means keeping a perspective that when my day/body/priorities are out of alignment, I accept it with God's grace and simply readjust as best as I can and go on. Lastly, I want to align myself with others so that I am aware of what is going on in their lives and make choices that benefit them as well as me - both people I know and the rest of the world in general. So, as I adjust my posture and seating alignment in this chair again, I will carry on in my Year of Alignment.

New Taekwondo Chapter

Tonight I took J to his first individual Taekwondo class. The photo is of him receiving his new camouflage belt from Master Wegmann. After lots of consideration, we decided that it is best for him to continue alone. This will be his area of expertise. It should take him about 2 years to earn his first black belt.
I was impressed with how quickly he caught on to the new moves tonight, especially the ones with some of the TKD weapons that he got for Christmas.
The other good news about Taekwondo is that J won a Wii in their membership drive drawing the night of our graduation to camo belts. A friend of his (via his grandmother who is a good friend of mine) signed up to take classes. As a result J ended up with a bunch of tickets in the bowl so he had a good chance of winning. The Wii was the grand prize from the drawing. We get to pick it up after class on Thursday! He is so excited about it. I hope it meets his expectations. I'm looking forward to it too!

Brainstorming New Year's Resolutions

First of all, I know myself well enough to say I will be making new month's resolutions and even that will be a stretch. But at least I get to start over again on a fairly regular basis. I thought I'd just brainstorm here about some potential goals/resolutions. Here goes:

• do my push-ups every day
• stop eating in front of the tv
• stop eating snacks after 9:30 pm
• stretch for approximately 5 minutes every day
• go to bed earlier/get up earlier while getting enough sleep
• earn CEU's on a regular basis (~1 per month/10 hours per month)
• write thank you notes in a timely manner
• actually hand-write thank you notes
• spend more time really listening to my children
• stop crossing my legs when I sit (I understand it contributes to varicose veins)
• have a regular devotion time each day

That's enough for now. Actually that's enough - period!