Thursday, November 17, 2011

Halloween Pics Overdue








Chickenfoot

Chickenfoot
(noun)
Emotional Blackmail. 


"If you love me you will buy me gum when you go to the store."
"You don't love me at all."
"If you care about me you will let me go to her house."


Non-Chickenfoot:
Mom: "Braelyn, get in the car right now."
Braelyn: "Not until I sit in the front."
Mom: "Braelyn, you will get in the car right now or you will get extra chores when we get home."
Braelyn: "Mom, that's a chickenfoot."

The kids and I have been using this term for over a year now and it works surprisingly well. We started using it for my sake. I was going through a hard time in my emotional life and I wanted the girls to have a word to say when they noticed me using emotional blackmail. It comes up quite often in a house full of females. They each know the meaning and understand how it works. Once said it helps us to see what we are doing.

I use my blog as a type of journal and history so I wanted to get this one documented. It's a keeper.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Matter Most

I have OCD. I like a clean house. This past week has been intense and hectic and my house leaves something to be desired. Last night though I was looking at everything on my bathroom floor and saw a pair of Bella's high heel wedge church shoes, my baby's puppy book and truck, my church shoes and my temple bag and realized what mattered most. We lived last week. My kids played. We worshipped our Heavenly Father. I love my family more than anything on earth. I need to learn how to keep perspective and how to let go...

I will clean tomorrow. Today I will thank God for the things that matter most to me.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Oh Crap

I wrote my last post then logged into Facebook to find my good friend post this after she's had a rough week. I feel sheepish. 


"Gratitude expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have brings a calming peace—a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don’t have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future. A recognition of and appreciation for our gifts and talents which have been given also allows us to acknowledge the need for help and assistance from the gifts and talents possessed by others." -Robert D. Hales

A day in the life at war with details

Well wow. Just want to jot down a few things from today.

My dad wanted me to take my car to the transmission shop today to find out why it's been pulling at 45 mph. I arranged a ride to pick baby and myself up this morning. She arrived and brought us back home (about a 15 minute ride) and pulled into my driveway only for me to recognize that the only way into my house was sitting in my car back at the transmission shop in the form of a garage opener. So back she took us to get it and then brought us back to my house...again. Then as I took my baby out of her car seat I noticed his diaper leaked on her seat. Oops. :( Ugh.

I laid Bentley down, got some work done though not nearly enough, and was about to shower when my dad phoned and told me my car needs to stay in the shop to rebuild the transmission so I need to find a ride to the rental car place. As I called my same friend who brought me home this morning she told me I could borrow their extra car and that she was on her way to pick me up. I got Bentley up, skipped my shower and was ready when she came back. On my way out to get into her car I stubbed my toe on a scooter that was laying in the garage and pulled my toenail up. I got into her car with blood running down my foot. Oh yay. After she got me all hooked up with her extra wheels I drove Bentley and me back to the transmission shop to get his carseat out of my car as well as a couple other items that I would have liked to have. After getting down to it I saw my car up on a jack in the shop and realized quickly that I wouldn't be able to retrieve my belongings. Turned around and came home wasting about a half hour.

Later today after the girls got home we were busy with homework (after I mentally checked out for 30 minutes and slept on the couch to escape) and somewhat of a dinner. Brae and Ken have these Veteran posters due tomorrow and they had to get them laminated. I took the girls to church tonight then the three little kids ran with me to Kinkos. I passed Kinkos initially and had to turn around at a light down the street. When I came back I turned in a driveway too soon. Finally I made it to the store and was told it would be $18 to laminate but their machine was broken. They were sending me to the Kinkos down the street a ways. All day the Spirit was telling me to try Mardels and after a couple phone calls to Mardels (which was just across the street from Kinkos) I found out they could laminate for me. We were in and out in minutes and it only cost me $.54 to do both. I could not believe the price difference! I was thankful Kinkos machine was broken and so thankful I listened to the small prompting. It was a small thing but saved me money and time and gas in the end.

We are back home now and am lucky that the little girls found time to shower and grabbed something to eat. My house is in disarray. I have laundry piled up on my bed and everywhere else for that matter. I yearn for the days past when life wasn't so hectic and bombarded with five million and five details. It feels like so much. Even a phone call seems overwhelming to me anymore. It's not ok.

I'm really blessed for so many reasons I know. But somedays I don't win the war against the details. What needs to change for me to feel better? I'm tired.