tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38743110050875510192024-03-05T17:17:09.585-08:00Counting My Blessings"But you can't always tell-with somebody's mother, I mean. Mothers are all slightly insane....."
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher and the RyeGretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-58482520262080784472009-01-02T15:34:00.000-08:002009-01-02T18:15:16.774-08:00I'm not admitting anything!First of all, I quit caffeinated coffee. That's my <strike>excuse</strike> reason for taking a few months off from posting. I do feel a lot better in general but I don't seem to have much of a personality left. Hmmm.<br />Also, during the glorious summer and fall months, well to be honest, I had better things to do. And now I don't. So let me fill you in a little bit...<br />Apple picking, usually a favorite, did not go so well. Mostly because Isaac was in a really bad mood and didn't want to actually pick anything. No apples, no pumpkins. All he wanted to do was take the hay-ride, which we did, twice. <br />Not surprisingly, his very favorite outing this fall was to the trolley museum. They have an event (every year I think) where you can ride the trolley to a field, pick out a pumpkin and then paint it. That was ok. The kids seemed to enjoy the painting a little bit, although not nearly as much as I thought they would. They wouldn't go near the bouncy house but they had fun running around the field. Isaac kept wanting to get back on the trolley but I was trying to draw out the experience a little bit because I thought that after that it would be a short ride back and the outing would be over. Not so. First of all, the ride back was longer than the ride there. It turns out that it is just a long straight track with a loop at the end where the trolleys have to queue up before they can all head back in the opposite direction.<br />Secondly, it turned out that we were allowed to ride the trolley as much as we wanted as long as we only took one pumpkin each. No problem.<br />So, we waited for the open-air trolley (extra exciting) to take us back to the station for a snack and bathroom break and then we waited for the open-air trolley to come back and pick us up for a second trip. And this trip had a fun little twist! <br />When we got to the loop at the end of the line (we were behind one trolley and waiting for two more to show up) newly-potty-trained Isaac informed us that he needed to pee...badly! There was no way he was going to make it until the trolleys started moving again let alone until we got all the way back to the station. Sooo...<br /><br />Here's my advice:<br /><br />1. Always sit in the very back of the trolley so nobody can see what you're doing.<br /><br />2. Ignore signs that say not to bring drinks on a trolley ride (we honestly didn't notice the sign until later) so that you always have an empty soda bottle on hand.<br /><br />If you follow my advice you may just have happy ending like we did instead of a puddly one. <br /><br />Happy New Year!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-73049015106590964232008-07-10T11:59:00.000-07:002009-01-02T18:17:07.684-08:00The things we get excited about...Isaac is potty training! In case you hadn't heard. Not so much training though really as him deciding that it's worth the trouble to use the potty. Since he's known how for a while I think. I knew my <strike>laziness</strike> instinct to wait would pay off! <br />So that's my parenting advice for today. If you have a strong-willed child, you may as well just wait for potty training to be his idea. Unless you love losing power struggles. And unless your definition of potty training means training yourself to clean pee off of everything BUT the potty. It's a lot less work. Except for emptying man-size poops out of the little potty into the big one...<br />Sigh... he's getting so grown-up. The only things left that he doesn't say quite right are hangaburgers (hamburgers), pecks (beaks, as in, Do those seagulls have crackers in their pecks?), and cries (he get's very upset when I wipe the "cries" off of his cheeks while he's having a tantrum). I really hope he doesn't figure those out too soon.<br />Gracie is talking up a storm now too. Some of her favorite words are NO! and MINE! She's completely spoiled rotten. Yesterday we tried AS HARD AS WE COULD not to laugh while her Daddy was speaking sternly to her. We really really wanted to be serious and make sure that she knew what she was doing was unacceptable. It didn't work. Her face... she brings new meaning to the phrase "too cute for your own good". <br />We got her sleeping well for about a week and a half and now she's got a bunch of teeth coming in and stays up half the night. This is both of them "waking up slow" as we say in our house. For me that involves a couple of giant cups of coffee but the sugar in a sippy cup of juice does plenty for them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj964sw-TLzHqtaiqbMUsoo25S0LCj1kGXiNzXO4e6jVEBv9CuUdmd2P8X7S3ETcZ_cIEl9x1c6VSBNq5PYHEnjh5Aez0mc34i9Kwi3wru6VQu2fwKiSn6Kws2kK9eENYy7mitMVtW03do2/s1600-h/050.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj964sw-TLzHqtaiqbMUsoo25S0LCj1kGXiNzXO4e6jVEBv9CuUdmd2P8X7S3ETcZ_cIEl9x1c6VSBNq5PYHEnjh5Aez0mc34i9Kwi3wru6VQu2fwKiSn6Kws2kK9eENYy7mitMVtW03do2/s320/050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221472782970692466" /></a>Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-46017345434832221982008-06-23T11:48:00.000-07:002008-12-08T13:06:35.600-08:00The Secret to my... uh, Insanity?These pictures are a bit old (March probably?) but I've been wanting to share them. They were all taken on the same day. See if you notice a theme. <br /><br />This one is a little bit hard to make out but look carefully at each of the items. This is the result of one of Isaac's passions... painting! Luckily this was with washable paint because he's even more enthusiastic about totally permanent craft paint! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vazjMCtlthlx3zSUt6kS42cSSiWCUSzZskDrIbD49AgGA1L3I0RKbmhvJAp6myO9wMTdukWbcD4q6JTZWTKKOCnFnabsKPdCCC-M0nsLBgpL8nvpxfirDCAWmIAWaMreSNMgDi4f-P5F/s1600-h/3-22-08+194.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vazjMCtlthlx3zSUt6kS42cSSiWCUSzZskDrIbD49AgGA1L3I0RKbmhvJAp6myO9wMTdukWbcD4q6JTZWTKKOCnFnabsKPdCCC-M0nsLBgpL8nvpxfirDCAWmIAWaMreSNMgDi4f-P5F/s320/3-22-08+194.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215153394204790210" /></a><br /><br /><br />This one is Grace and, I think, Bisquick. Not as bad as the time she dumped an entire bag of powdered sugar on the living room carpet though...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNux2ej9tjWYxoh8MA1CEt9Qtrj-_Pp4SlaOyW6nx1HzrAq96icBfEGSO6mTZDKRLfRKGw2m5qwAfg1BIhQjPCOdGqcm6Tu1y64ovASDrvLIEhIZH4EaEgxAbgLU80IEbe2nA2zGVjIdp/s1600-h/3-22-08+195.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNux2ej9tjWYxoh8MA1CEt9Qtrj-_Pp4SlaOyW6nx1HzrAq96icBfEGSO6mTZDKRLfRKGw2m5qwAfg1BIhQjPCOdGqcm6Tu1y64ovASDrvLIEhIZH4EaEgxAbgLU80IEbe2nA2zGVjIdp/s320/3-22-08+195.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215153397271352642" /></a><br /><br />This is Isaac. He is standing behind the electric heater in our living room driving his toy engines through... any guesses?... baking soda!!! A whole box. Look at the heater and at the floor. Yikes!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8N90XhxalxmyhAtKeXPPsX0n-5ZZmqgbh8c4Vz_WXGFMG-rojUCuZjP6HKqszot6afeKFiMjO9oy4VHje_heDMNW0chhi7kF4_CQzR9gUVX63bE_LVRkoYfzQv8cvBZB5UoE1inlP2Sf/s1600-h/3-22-08+190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8N90XhxalxmyhAtKeXPPsX0n-5ZZmqgbh8c4Vz_WXGFMG-rojUCuZjP6HKqszot6afeKFiMjO9oy4VHje_heDMNW0chhi7kF4_CQzR9gUVX63bE_LVRkoYfzQv8cvBZB5UoE1inlP2Sf/s320/3-22-08+190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215153400899911378" /></a><br /><br /><br />Yeah, I need to get the lock fixed on the cupboard with all the baking supplies. Although they haven't been getting into it as much since we've been able to get outside. <br />So, that's my tip of the day I guess:<br />If the children aren't in the house, then they can't mess it up!<br /><br />That's also the only way I know to keep the end of the day tidy-up to under 3 hours! And you wondered why I don't keep up with my blog...<br /><br />If anyone has any ideas that are more helpful than mine, I'd love to hear them! :)Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-65259374530348967612008-04-30T05:47:00.000-07:002008-04-30T06:26:18.628-07:00Crime and PunishmentI was sitting at the computer, also known as the time-suck machine, doing something very <strike>pointless</strike> important. Isaac was sitting behind me at the table eating a sandwich and Grace, well who ever really knows what Grace is doing? <br />Suddenly, "Ouch!" said Isaac. Loudly. <br />"What's wrong?" I asked, distractedly.<br />"Ouch!"<br />"What's the matter?!" I was starting to be mildly concerned.<br />"OUCH!!!"<br />"WHAT IS THE MATTER?" I said, raising my voice and finally turning around. <br />There was Isaac, still at the table and there was Grace, standing beside him and trying to steal his sandwich.<br />"That hurt my feelings," he said, referring to the attempted theft. <br /><br />That kid cracks me up!<br /><br />On another note, Gracie will be 15 months tomorrow. Sigh. My big big girl. She's saying a bunch of words now including her latest, "baby". I remember, distinctly, the first time Isaac said "baby". Which is funny 'cuz I don't remember much these days. I think it's just one of those words that sounds ultra-cute in the teeny-tiny voice of a one-year old. Grace also sings "baby, baby, baby, baby" to the tune (sorta) of the "Baby Signing Time" theme song which just melts my heart. <br />And guess what else 15 months old means? According to Dr. Dobson, it is the earliest you can begin discipline. <br />I've been waiting for this.... ;)Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-5249800860936584672008-02-28T10:26:00.000-08:002008-02-28T11:14:05.863-08:00For Safety's sakeThe gate by the stairs fell down yesterday and I, inexplicably, didn't put it back up right away. Then I sat down for 2.2 seconds to help Isaac with something and when I looked up I noticed that Gracie was gone. Of course I knew right away where she was. But I couldn't see her from where I was standing so I immediately thought that she must be up near the top, where the stairs turn the corner and are really really steep. The part where she always slips when I let her crawl up ahead of me (with my hands on her the whole time of course). So I sprinted for the stairs, all the while in the midst of a heart-attack. Before I could reach the top though, I heard a sound over the baby monitor. It was Gracie, playing happily in our bedroom (yes we still share). When she saw me, she gave me such a proud (and also impish) smile. I'm glad she was so happy because there goes another year off of my life! <br />Isaac, apparently, is trying to make up for the years <em>he's</em> shaved off of my life expectancy. I had taken out a bottle of cleaner and left it on the dining room table for later use. But Isaac spotted it and said to me, "Those are chemicals Mama. I don't want you to touch them." <br />Now that's advice that I don't mind taking!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-56062805202751730012008-01-16T11:27:00.000-08:002008-01-16T17:50:59.667-08:00Lights, camera, action, Wiggles!Isaac's dear Nana got him a "Wiggles" dvd. I'm not sure that we needed to have the "Wiggles" in our lives. It was good strategy on Nana's part though, if she's wanting to spend more time with the kids. I mean, Hubby is going to need lots of help with them when the dvd drives me to the funny farm.<br />Ok, so having Wiggles songs stuck in my head 24/7 is annoying (Literally they are going through my head even while I'm sleeping. You know, for all of 20 minutes.) but they may actually be a good thing for Isaac. He is just so self-concious about dancing. Well, he actually doesn't really dance but he gets embarassed even when other people do (and not just his dorky parents). So that's why she got him the dvd. And yesterday he actually watched me dance along with the dvd and didn't even glower at me. And this morning I caught him nodding his head to the music for a few seconds. I'd call that progress. Worth my sanity anyway. Since I didn't have much left to begin with.<br />Speaking of progress, Gracie actually took a step all by herself yesterday! Go Gracie! There's good news about her sleep too! Well, not really good news... her sleep is as horrible as ever, but at least I've found someone new to blame. Early this morning, during her 648th(ish) waking, when she wouldn't go back to sleep, I finally turned toward her and peeled open my eyelids to find... the cat. She was licking Gracie or doing something equally entertaining. So I kicked the cat out of bed and I didn't even have to nurse Grace again to get her to go back to sleep. Which is good because I draw the line at 648 times per night. Usually. Unless I'm desperate.Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-14640407411495809842008-01-09T11:22:00.000-08:002008-12-08T13:06:36.394-08:00Gracie Day!I am aware that I don't talk about Gracie very often. That's mostly because she doesn't say anything funny yet and I know it's not very interesting to <em>read</em> about how cute someone <em>looks</em>. But I did want to have a "Gracie Day" today so I've decided to just show you how cute my baby is these days. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTBOqp7hIZY68sAgiR9G54xvXcuO-en0-41P9MvRN55Pk3cZd3JKk9o1xjM20eeu9nQ6H55tVgqKNBRz_R3_9aoOBFuJ_2ygdBKywMoTh9QFVv0SygssBwPqhJhyphenhyphenn5CUCazGE8jUyJ4xD/s1600-h/020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTBOqp7hIZY68sAgiR9G54xvXcuO-en0-41P9MvRN55Pk3cZd3JKk9o1xjM20eeu9nQ6H55tVgqKNBRz_R3_9aoOBFuJ_2ygdBKywMoTh9QFVv0SygssBwPqhJhyphenhyphenn5CUCazGE8jUyJ4xD/s320/020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153564025021998082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWutxgaqV1bqR4ZcRTkf6vCi04rI319CJ46Ll077G2U83vYRL68IdQ84OFxg1IMNBhGAlGDVQXKuaxYT3A83m5lYXsQTloAx3LSGXsE1cpDpCy6_RLCZIegS7btJt5TvP_B9tSCuh4tFXF/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWutxgaqV1bqR4ZcRTkf6vCi04rI319CJ46Ll077G2U83vYRL68IdQ84OFxg1IMNBhGAlGDVQXKuaxYT3A83m5lYXsQTloAx3LSGXsE1cpDpCy6_RLCZIegS7btJt5TvP_B9tSCuh4tFXF/s320/009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153564029316965394" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTuyM1nEkBzGt9L4UnGa9hp0MBPXRG0zYk8it9uGsuVUg7vrRgUGeRdBDgE84-ozQlH1dPtjiGTeNqtmQroveckZ5WvIMAspYsIva7uQaDLrnyWHcVjUdJwAQ8W-eYDb9bSAIQ6ViW5mC/s1600-h/037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTuyM1nEkBzGt9L4UnGa9hp0MBPXRG0zYk8it9uGsuVUg7vrRgUGeRdBDgE84-ozQlH1dPtjiGTeNqtmQroveckZ5WvIMAspYsIva7uQaDLrnyWHcVjUdJwAQ8W-eYDb9bSAIQ6ViW5mC/s320/037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153564033611932706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrE_moTgTFBDgNfgT1K00qWUX8wPNKk06bDEljcjuj_xm4B7PPmRmQtRHhVztAx_t2T78-TPEVonqeWr8QL9ncQNtPFGdY_G133jmy4n1Gzy4xhZ6cHO0ggbrtggbqSFSe-GDj6YHdKHw/s1600-h/044.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrE_moTgTFBDgNfgT1K00qWUX8wPNKk06bDEljcjuj_xm4B7PPmRmQtRHhVztAx_t2T78-TPEVonqeWr8QL9ncQNtPFGdY_G133jmy4n1Gzy4xhZ6cHO0ggbrtggbqSFSe-GDj6YHdKHw/s320/044.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153564046496834626" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNWR6QdwuteQSzIZPfF3_k_SMlta0HAKghMtbcTvR8qcsx4PSDh_30KhcbwQvC9-qYTaW7HPHs9KII2tEHwxtJdW9CNuEyLqS10_YJo36S9Kun0KzN0NNSDbmbRYBkRXsCdxC2pxrxwLC/s1600-h/046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNWR6QdwuteQSzIZPfF3_k_SMlta0HAKghMtbcTvR8qcsx4PSDh_30KhcbwQvC9-qYTaW7HPHs9KII2tEHwxtJdW9CNuEyLqS10_YJo36S9Kun0KzN0NNSDbmbRYBkRXsCdxC2pxrxwLC/s320/046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153567826068055122" /></a><br /><br />Alright, I can't resist just a <em>little</em> bit of bragging. She can draw! And since she is my very <strike>neglected</strike> independent second child, she taught <em>herself</em>, using Isaac's crayons, in between crayon-eating sessions. She is also quite good with a spoon. Mostly because she would rather die than let someone feed her. She doesn't actually eat much but her aim is really good! Especially when she aims at the floor... or me. Last but not least, boy can she climb stairs! I think that that little talent of hers my end up accounting for my first gray hairs.<br />Anyway, have a great Gracie Day!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-18971557371298550642008-01-06T07:06:00.000-08:002008-01-07T11:55:13.311-08:00Inside the Mind of a 2-year-old (or me)"Mama," said Isaac as I searched for a computer game for him to play. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"<br />"I don't know," I said. "What are you thinking?"<br />"Sesame Street!"<br />Right. Of course. <br /><br />Funny how the mind of a small child works. I mean, I used to make fun of Lunchables. You know, those prepackaged trays of cheese and crackers and (kinda gross) lunchmeat. Who in their right mind would pay all that money for something that they probably have at home already? Then last night I needed a really quick dinner idea that Isaac would actually eat and suddenly I had this idea to get him a Lunchable. Not only did he eat some of it but he was really excited. He kept <em>talking</em> about it. Who knew? <br />So anyway, to the inventor of Lunchables, I'm sorry I doubted you. You truly are a genius.<br />Come to think of it, I guess that's just marketing for you. That works on me too. I bought the shampoo that I'm currently using for no other reason than that the bottle is pink. And I do enjoy using it. <br />Sure, it makes my hair fall out but I do like looking at that pink bottle!<br />Just kidding. It doesn't make my hair fall out.<br />That could be stress right?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />ps. Don't get worried my dear ones who are reading this. My hair isn't actually falling out. Just a joke!<br />Happy Monday!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-70007895570201866152007-12-20T12:26:00.000-08:002008-01-07T11:57:30.664-08:00Clues to Isaac's FutureMy retired-kindergarten-teacher MIL likes to tell the story of how, when he was a little boy, my Hubby would take care of the classroom doll when she brought it home for the summer. Which really alarmed my FIL. But, she always adds, it worked out just fine because look at what a wonderful father Hubby has grown up to be. And she's right; he really is an amazing Dad. <br />Still, we've never given Isaac any dolls. He has definitely NOT been interested. But Gracie got a doll as an early Christmas present and we were playing and I pretended that the doll had gotten hurt. And Isaac decided to hug and comfort her. I started to get warm fuzzies. Until he took her by the hand and swung her around SMASHING her into his block tower while simultaneously hollering, "Don't do that!". Then he did it again. And again.<br />Sigh... I'm still hoping to be a Grandmother someday. Hopefully not one of those Grandmothers who has full custody because her child is an unfit parent.<br />On the bright side, he's a smartie. We were eating at the Grandparents house on Christmas Eve. Isaac was drinking some water when, out of the blue he said, "Water starts with W."! What timing! The Grandparents were, of course, quite impressed. And I'm dreaming that my son might be a writer someday. If not Father of the Year. <br />It's not looking like it's in the cards for him to be a doctor either. Hubby was drying him off after his bath the other night when Isaac suddenly made a wild grab at his own private parts, yelling proudly, <br />"THAT'S MY PEANUT!"<br />Clearly anatomy is not his best subject so far.<br />If all else fails, I guess there will always be a place for him on the back of the trash truck. ;)Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-25956109500365836102007-12-12T19:32:00.000-08:002007-12-15T07:09:36.162-08:00ThomasmaniaThe following is an excerpt from an actual conversation between Isaac and Little Thomas (we have Thomas toys in 3 sizes) who was being played by Isaac.<br /><br />"Thomas, you're coming?"<br />"No. I'm not."<br />"Why not?"<br />"Because... I'm not."<br /><br />Once again, a master of logic, that Isaac. Er... I guess that was Thomas, but still. Lately Little Thomas has been Isaac's constant companion. He even takes him to bed at night and at naptime. Which makes for interesting conversations about how Thomas can't settle down and go to sleep because he has work to do. <br />Then, during the day, it's all<br />'"Bust my buffers," Thomas cried' and '"Oh no!" Thomas gasped.'<br />That's right, our 2 year old narrates his playtime with verbs like "cried" and "gasped". Strange, I know. And he sounds exactly like a Thomas story. Or movie. We probably just read to him too much though. I mean, we only watch "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" (Thomas' first full length feature film, FYI) once or twice a day. No biggie right? <br />At least he's still using his imagination. Since Thomas is the only engine he has, his matchbox cars have been filling in for the other engines. Which gets a little confusing for me. It's hard to remember who the mixer truck is supposed to be and who the station wagon is. So I have to keep asking and Isaac lists them over and over for me.<br />"This one is Edward, this is Mavis, Henry, James, and James, and oh yeah this one is James."<br />In case you hadn't guessed, James is his favorite after Thomas right now. We're getting him James for Christmas. Not because he needs it, but because my poor tired brain is not what it used to be.<br />At least the "Thomas" stories are teaching him all kinds of good values, like how important it is to be "responsible", "reliable", "really useful", and "right on time"! But the question is, do I really want my child to become one of those punctual people? I mean, I'm not sure that being on time really <em>is</em> a virtue. At the very least, it's overrated. I mean, what's up with those people that are naturally on time EVERYWHERE they go? Without even the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to get us NORMAL people out the door less than 20 minutes late! I mean, isn't it soo much worse when people show up too early than when they show up late? Isn't it??? <br />By the way, if you're one of those FREAKISHLY PUNCTUAL people, you're still welcome to comment (because I'm really open-minded like that) but please be careful what you say. My self-esteem is even more fragile than my memory these days. ;) <br />Merry Christmas if I don't post again before then!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-65543996509535160822007-11-20T07:54:00.000-08:002007-11-20T09:42:25.758-08:00Never a dull momentThe other night at the dinner table we were discussing Isaac's lips. This was only partly because we're soo interesting and partly because when they're dry he picks them until they bleed. So we were saying how awful they looked and I mentioned that I'd put Vaseline on them that day. The very mention of Vaseline must have panicked Isaac (who HATES having anything on his lips) and he started complaining, "No! Don't want that! That goes on my bum!" <br />It's hard to argue with logic like that.<br />Especially when you're laughing to hard to explain that that's a <em>different</em> tube.<br />We went to story-time again yesterday. Very exciting you know. We made a paper-cup turkey and everything. Then a little boy sneezed all over Grace and me. I woke up this morning with a sore throat. Ugh! I <em>do</em> get sore throats when I'm tired though and Gracie was up about twenty-kazillion times last night so there is still hope that the kids won't get sick. I guess. I probably just sealed my fate by even typing that.<br />So it's just the same old stuff going on around here. Nothing new or interesting. Woops... I take that back. Isaac is dipping his cars in his applesauce and then driving them on the carpet! That's <em>definitely</em> new. I gotta go...Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-8904788790243647552007-11-06T07:12:00.000-08:002007-11-06T08:07:54.715-08:00Sick Days... againSNOT. It's the only thing I can think to blog about. Actually it's the only thing I can think of at all because I'm up to my eyeballs in it. Yup, the kids have colds. Here we go again! We went to church 2 whole times, got all excited because finally, MAGICALLY after 2 and a half years of being attached to me at the hip, Isaac is perfectly comfortable staying in the nursery by himself. And Grace is okay...I think. Well, to be honest I don't know how she feels about the whole thing but I'm too tired to worry about her soo... I got to sit through a sermon... with my Husband... and NO CHILDREN!!! But I forgot why we had actually stopped going to church last winter. It was because sending your children to a church nursery is about as safe as taking them to the Peditrician and letting them LICK the toys in the waiting room! So my fantasy of becoming a church-going family again may be short-lived. Likewise my ideas about regular story-time attendance at the library (which we did yesterday). Sigh... and I was SO loving the idea of leaving the house a few times this winter. Well, I guess it's a good thing we bought a new remote so we can watch DVDs again. Especially since I'm bound to catch everything they do, what with my full 15 minutes or so of sleep every night. <br />So my question really is, do my kids have abnormally weak immune systems or what? I mean, I don't think so because Isaac had only had 1 (mild) cold up until last March or so when he was about 21 months old. Then he started catching something literally EVERY SINGLE time we went to church. And poor Gracie gets everything her brother gets even though she's nursing. What do people do that need to send their kids to daycare? I'm pretty sure I'd spend the entire winter working 2 days and then being home for a week with a sick baby and then sending them back to daycare for a day or 2 (just long enough to pick up a monster virus) then being home for a month with a really sick baby. And do other stay-at-home-moms really take care of the kids all by themselves while they have the flu (the mom not the kids) because I just can't do it! A cold is bad enough but to take care of kids while you're feverish and barfing? No thank you! So what am I missing? If you know any secrets, please share them! <br />I know you'd all love for me to just keep going with this feel-good post but Grace is waking up from her awesome super-long (yeah I'm feeling a little sarcastic :) nap so I better go get her.<br />Oh! Did I mention that she started pulling up tp stand, cut her first tooth (very painfully), and said her first word (Isaac) all in the same week!? It was a very. very. very. BAD week for sleep. On the bright side, she is totally amazing! Congratulations Princess Grace!<br /><br />ps. Listen to this song, especially if you need to be lifted up a little! It's my absolute favorite right now and I'm listening to it about 12 times a day!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T9XyoLjFLOo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T9XyoLjFLOo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-61949654006275951182007-10-16T07:52:00.000-07:002007-10-16T08:23:43.525-07:00Confession of the DayI've been wanting so badly to blog lately and just haven't been able to come up with anything. I think it's because I want my blog to be lighthearted and lately my heart is just a little bit heavy. All the laundry and dishes and unpacking (yes, we're still unpacking) and naps and meals and baths and everyday life are just kicking my butt right now. <br />I think that every Mom has a story to explain "what I didn't understand about being a parent before I became one". I think for a lot of people, it's just that it's SO hard. And it is. That's not my story though. Even if I didn't know exactly what it would be like, I expected hard. I even expected it to be really really hard. But I was ready. I'm a very hard worker and I'm very devoted to my kiddos and to the idea of being a good Mom. I figured I could handle it. Here's what I didn't expect.<br />All of me is not enough. All of the energy and all of the patience and all of the creativity and all of the hard work and devotion that I can muster WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH! Which, if you're a parent, you probably knew already. <br />Here's my dirty little secret. I have guilt. Not the average guilt that every parent probably has but terrible, crushing guilt. I just can't let go of the idea that I should be able to give my kids a perfect childhood. And yet, I know it's wrong. I'm quite sure that God designed the parenthood experience to be this way. I think it's so that we would be forced to give control of our greatest earthly treasures to him.<br />So now I feel guilty about not trusting the way I should. Figures.<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Snr6lK7rGaM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Snr6lK7rGaM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-12226981913217377752007-10-11T06:45:00.001-07:002007-10-11T07:41:43.475-07:00Unhealthy AttachmentsWow, am I a slow learner! Why oh why did I tell the whole world that Grace is an amateur fit-thrower? Now (of course) she's morphing into an 8-month-old drama queen! She's learning that thrashing around and kicking her feet makes for a bigger better tantrum. This, combined with her new-found mobility (she's crawling... and she's good at it!) and a brother who doesn't want her to touch his stuff, is making for some interesting days here!<br />Meanwhile Isaac is developing some weird attachments. On Monday we had to have our truck towed. When the tow-truck arrived at our house, I immediately called Isaac to the window to see. I was expecting extreme excitement since, as you know, the arrival of the trash truck is a weekly cause for celebration. And the tow truck wouldn't just stop in front of our house but it would actually be IN OUR DRIVEWAY! And just as I expected, Isaac was very excited... for a minute. Then he realized that they were going to be taking OUR truck away with them and the whole event became devastating. We assured him that we would be getting the truck back but he wouldn't be consoled. <br />"Ok," I thought, "this is strange, but we did see an episode of 'Arthur' where Arthur is miserable at the thought that the family car is about to be junked and eventually saves the day by discovering that a baby rattle in in the tail-pipe is the only thing wrong with it (yes, we watch too much TV... so sue me). I guess emotional attachment to cars is just something that happens to little boys as well as grown-up ones." <br />Then Tuesday (our new trash day) rolled around and the trash truck came and we rushed to the window just like always. And, just like always, it was exciting. Until they started loading our trash into the truck. <br />"Want our trash back," Isaac said sadly. HUH??? <br />So now I'm living in fear. You've probably heard of the recalls on "Thomas" toys lately. Of the 3 that we own, 2 have been recalled now. And twice I've been able to get away with pretending that I just can't find them for weeks on end while I wait for the new toy to arrive in the mail. But those 2 were just "Red Caboose" and "Toad". I'm terrified that Thomas himself will be recalled because I don't think Isaac could go a day without him and if he gets that upset about the trash being taken, a recall on beloved Thomas could make for a really rough 6 weeks or so! Oh yeah and the lead paint thing is scary too.Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-9374612312157575102007-10-01T06:31:00.000-07:002007-10-01T07:39:08.058-07:00Blessings in DisguiseWhat am I, CRAZY?! Did I actually put it in writing that the discipline issues were just a phase? I'll put it this way; last week I learned for sure that God has a sense of humor! <br />The one thing that does make it all a little bit easier is that as Isaac's gotten older and more verbal, it's gotten easier to distinguish between real anguish and the times that it's purely for my <strike>benefit</strike> punishment. Mostly because he tells me. For instance, he spent one of his (many, many) timeouts last week fake crying and saying, "Help me calm down Mama. Help me calm down!" I didn't mean to actually help him calm down but my laughter may have done the trick! <br />Another time last week, we were in the car and tired, hungry Grace started crying. Not to be outdone, Isaac began the really REALLY fake crying (not to be confused with plain old "fake crying") and when we ignored it he called to us, "We're crying back here!" <br />I'm afraid that Grace has inherited a very unsympathetic Mama. I find myself daily saying to my sweet 8 month old, "Oh stop fussing. You're fine." I NEVER would have said that to 8 month old Isaac! I guess I can chalk some of that up to experience but honestly, I think that mostly it's because Grace is such an amateur compared to her big brother. Thank the Lord.<br />Anyway, I do want to just state for the record that even though I know you're not supposed to compare your children, I do it anyway because I really am just so wildly proud of both of them. I love each of their personalities and having them be so very different just makes me feel like I've been given a little bit of everything. They compliment each other perfectly and I wouldn't change a thing!<br />And in case my very positive attitude this morning is making you wonder...yes, I've just had my coffee! :)Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-70029465625529266312007-09-20T11:00:00.000-07:002007-09-20T11:02:40.379-07:00PSHeeheehee! I was going over animal sounds with Isaac this morning and when I asked him, "What does the bunny say?" he said, "Rabbit Rabbit"! Too funny!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-228949358029398692007-09-18T10:30:00.000-07:002007-10-01T06:39:21.254-07:00Just Another UpdateSoo... the kids are napping for the moment (yes BOTH of them, miracle of miracles!) and I have a thousand other things to do but the old blog is calling my name! It's been too long!<br />Anyway, here is what is going on with us (and why I've been MIA). We have a new (old) house, a new computer, and a new job for Hubby starting on Monday. He also started taking an online class this past weekend. Isaac is still nowhere near potty training but that's ok because I've switched Grace to cloth diapers and am in the process of switching him too. It's less expensive than disposables and less of a headache than cleaning the carpets all day long! Grace's sleep has taken a turn for the worse this past week (and you didn't think it could get any worse, did ya?) but she's currently sleeping in her playpen when she's not in our bed because we haven't put her crib together yet. I'm hoping that when she has her crib back she'll sleep better again... yes, I do know better but I'm still hoping.<br />Other than the new house, computer, job, and oh yeah, we're thinking about shopping for a new church sometime soon, things are basically the same around here. Well, except for the fact that the kiddos are constantly changing. Which is kinda too bad since I think they're at the absolute most perfect ages right now. <br />Gracie is quite possibly the most gorgeous baby in all of history and getting more beautiful by the minute. She still has that sweet disposition but is experimenting with adding a little bit of drama into the mix every now and then in the form of a shrieking tantrum. Too bad for her that next to what her big brother used to dish out, her objections sound like an angry little mouse. Ok, they're a little bit louder than <em>that</em> but unlike Isaac, she doesn't make me wonder if she's actually being TORTURED by an unseen force. I just laugh and tell her that "save the drama for your Mama" is just an expression and I don't want to hear it.<br />Speaking of my little whirlwind, all the angst I had over Isaac's discipline seems to have been for naught. It seems that he was going through the terrible two's a bit early or something. We still do occasional time-outs of course but overall he's mellowed out a lot... at least for now. In fact, I think he may actually be the most polite (or is is politest?) 2 year old in the world. He's been saying "please" and "thank you" and "excuse me" and "sorry" for quite a while (not that anybody else knows it since he still doesn't really speak to anyone outside of the house). Just this past week though, he took it to a new level. I asked him if he wanted dinner and he said, "No. Me no want dinner. Thank you though." THANK YOU THOUGH?! He really just sounds like such a little grown-up sometimes. He's also started telling us, with very careful enunciation, "I'm okay," after he hurts himself so I know that his referring to himself exclusively as "me" instead of "I" will soon be going the way of "bapple" (apple) and "chitchen" (kitchen). SIGH!!! Oh, he also asks us "How your day?" (How was your day) even when we're right in the middle of it and tells us "Don't worry 'bout me." AND he finally said "I luf (love) you" to me! Just once though and it's been "I luf ya" ever since. I guess I should savor the "ya"s though before they're gone. It's been hard not to cringe at them since I realized that he was mimicking me. <br />Anyway, I can't really say that nothing has changed but I guess I could say that I really haven't. Same old, same old going on in my tired brain. It's nice to put it out on the internet again though. Hopefully my next post will happen a bit sooner!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-49230364442578492352007-08-09T11:41:00.000-07:002007-08-09T12:02:44.855-07:00Just a little updateWow! It's been forever since I posted! That is because, in case you hadn't heard, we got the house!!! Yippee!!! So now it's all about painting and cleaning and packing...<br />Also, my computer is not working so I only have a computer in the evening when Hubby is home and by then I'm pretty tired.<br />In other news, the no-cry sleep solution has gone nowhere! Well, we've gone nowhere with it. There's just too much going on for me to be able to focus on it. Soo... Grace's sleep is worse than ever. Also, the work we were doing on discipling Isaac has gone right out the window. <br />I just can't wait until we're all settled into the new house! I crave structure and routine and organization... and coffee! Not that I can't have that here; I just can't have it now because it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon... but that's besides the point.<br />I really don't have anything entertaining to share today. I just wanted to let you know where I've been... if anyone is even checking this anymore! :) I'm hoping to get back to regular posting again soon. Don't hold your breath though!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-8797811124505596832007-07-12T18:37:00.000-07:002007-07-14T18:05:21.675-07:00More nutritious lunch choicesSo the good news is that we're not eating as much mac 'n cheese these days. The bad news is that now Isaac is basically subsisting on Peanut Butter and Fluff sandwiches. Peanut butter and FLUFF! I'm embarrassed to even type it.<br />I'm not exactly sure how it happened except that I remember walking through the grocery store one day (I think while I was still pregnant) and seeing the fluff and remembering it from my days in daycare (where the only other things that I remember ingesting were oreos and kool-aid... in case you wondered why I don't send my kids to daycare!) and I wanted some. But I didn't buy any that day. In fact I didn't buy any for weeks even though it's right next to the peanut butter (which we buy every week) and the craving wouldn't go away. Finally I caved in and bought some for a treat, resolving not to let Isaac have any. Which lasted for exactly 2 seconds after he asked for a bite. So now he's eating "P-Fuff" for breakfast <em>and</em> lunch most days and would probably want it for dinner, you know, if he would actually eat dinner. One day he even finished his sandwich and then, while I was busy with Grace, he ate most of mine! Isaac! Ate almost 2 whole sandwiches! What do they put in that stuff anyway? Marshmallows and CRACK?! Maybe I should start slipping some broccoli in there between the fluff and the bread. Hmmm.....<br />Anyway, we will close on the house on Monday IF everything goes right between now and then. So stay tuned!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-87526238303683758892007-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:002007-07-03T06:59:10.956-07:00My groggy thoughtsYou wanna know what is the worst part about having little ones who are not good sleepers? It's not the lack of "me time" or even the sleep deprivation, although that is horrendous (there's a reason why they use it to torture people). Nope, it's probably not what you'd guess.<br />Without a doubt, the very worst thing about having 2 little insomniacs is the suspense! If I put her down now will she wake up? If she doesn't, will she sleep for 5 minutes or 2 hours? Do I have time to a.) blog b.) use the bathroom or c.) clean the house (just theoretical- you know I'd never pick c!)<br />When people have asked me what I think is the hardest part of having 2 kids, I've automatically said that for me it's naptime even though when I think about it, naptime usually goes ok. Disaster is always lurking though. Grace could decide to stay awake until it's too late to put Isaac down. Or she could wake up crying just as he's drifting off (which would mean the end of the world- trust me!) And just to make sure that I don't get too comfortable, Grace usually wakes up <em>just</em> as I'm leaving Isaac's room. It doesn't matter if it has taken me 5 minutes to get him down or a half an hour.<br />What really drives me crazy is how people don't understand this and urge me to nap when the kids do. "Even if it's only 10 minutes, you should try. Maybe you'll get a good nap." Ha! Shows how much you know! First of all, if I lay down, it's not going to be the day that they nap well. Secondly, I can only stand that feeling of being wrenched out of dreamland and into reality so many times in a 24 hour period and the 17 times (give or take) a night is about filling my quota. <br />Earlier this week I actually did get so desperate that I tried it. I was soo tired and feeling yucky and I thought that if I laid down with Grace that she would sleep for a while. Isaac only had 45 minutes or so left until his normal wakeup time but he'd had Benadryl right before he went down and the last time he had Benadryl he had slept for 3 hours! 10 minutes later he was awake. And I mean WIDE awake, not even groggy like he usually is after his nap!<br />Soo... to get to the point...we're starting the old no-cry sleep solution today. You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging much and it's not because I don't want to. I've just hit that can't-even-function-anymore level of tired and have been finding it possible to be interesting. So anyway, I could use your prayers! The no-cry sleep solution did fabulous things for Isaac's sleep but it does take patience and actually involves more staying awake before things get better. <br />In other news, the house buying is still moving forward. If the radon test comes back ok and the house appraises right (we'll know about both within the next couple of days) and if the current owners will agree to replace the oil tank (eek!) then we'll be in business! Again, any prayers are appreciated! <br />More later...Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-6685166011619657352007-06-26T10:15:00.000-07:002007-09-18T10:29:31.032-07:00Just another day in ParadiseThe forecast for today said it would be in the 90s! So I decided that if we were going to get out to play it would have to be in the morning before it could get quite that hot. My plan was good. When Gracie woke up from her morning nap, I'd get the kids ready really quickly and we'd have time to play before lunch. Except that I forgot that it takes a half an hour just to get us all sunscreened and bug-sprayed. And then I had to bring up the laundry from the basement and find the clothespins and everybody's hats and Isaac didn't want to put his shoes on until after he put his COAT on which he doesn't know how to do. Finally I convinced him that I'd help him with his coat once we got outside if he would just put his shoes on NOW! Of course he forgot about the coat as soon as we stepped out the door...PRAISE THE LORD! By then it actually was about lunchtime so I brought out crackers and cheese and turkey and peanut butter and we had a little picnic. Once the clothes were hung, the mail retrieved, the neighbors's cat chased away and his departure mourned ("Where kitty go be?"), I put away the stroller, 2 bikes, all the sandbox toys, and the lunch fixings and dragged us inside. Then came the removal of the sunscreen, bugspray, and sweat. Two baths, a shower, and a completely trashed upstairs later, the kids went down for their naps RIGHT ON TIME! GO ME!<br />Speaking of Supermama, I also took both kids grocery shopping BY MYSELF yesterday! I know, I know, I am completely crazy! But I got one of the carts with the car on the front and Isaac got a free cookie from the bakery, a free slice of cheese from the deli, and a new "Thomas" book (not free but worth the $4) and he stayed right in the cart and there were NO tantrums the WHOLE time! Well, there was one in the parking lot on the way out when he dropped part of his cheese and was so so sad that I wouldn't let him pick it back up (Him: My cheese!/ Me: I'll get you more when we get home/ Him: Me want <em>that</em> cheese!), but since that was outside of the store, I'm not countin' it! <br />So I guess it pays to be a little crazy once in a while. Like my cheesy but sweet husband always says when I tell him he's crazy, "Yup! I'm crazy about you!" And I am crazy about those kids! Which is a good thing since they're the ones that made me crazy in the first place...<br />Before I sign off (which I probably should do before I hurt my brain- I'm a little scattered today, huh?) I just wanted to give my Hubby some credit, you know since I've shared his shortcomings with the whole world (or at least all 5 of my readers). My birthday is this Thursday and I've already received a present from him! A wonderful, thoughtful present that I absolutely love but that I did not hint about, did not order myself, did not make the arrangements for him to order! I had nothing to do with it and it's an awesome present and it's here on time...EARLY even! Oh yeah, and it's a pair of PINK CROCS!!! Ok so they're the wrong size but that's only because he remembered my old size and didn't realize that 2 pregnancies had made my feet bigger. And he's doing all the work to exchange them for me! New shoes delivered to my door...what more could a girl ask for? I LOVE YOU HONEY!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-8980839489200235222007-06-23T09:55:00.000-07:002007-06-27T10:49:28.070-07:00Can I get an AMEN!?"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." 1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NIV)<br /><br />I was talking to a friend last night (in order to protect the innocent from association with my blog we'll just call her Friend A) about another friend (Friend B of course) and how Friend A thinks that Friend B looks up to me or maybe even is a little bit jealous of me. This sounded very improbable to me since in addition to having a family (which is about the only Earthly thing I have) Friend B has a new car, a college degree, her own home, lots of things that I know are very important to her that I don't have. I listened patiently (as patiently as I know how; I once even let 10 seconds worth of silence go by without breaking in) as Friend A and Hubby (who totally understood where she was coming from) tried to explain to me that it is because I am happy and have what I want in life even if it's not the same as what Friend B's has. While I think that Friend A and Hubby were on the right track, after thinking it through this morning, I think that they weren't quite putting the whole puzzle together for me. I mean, I don't care if a person is the absolute happiest person in the whole world! If they don't have a family there is no way that I'm going to envy them even if they have everything else a person could have (and I am seriously prone to jealousy!) because a family is what is important to me. I don't think that Friend B could envy me for the things I have when I don't even have the things that are important to her. <br />I think perhaps that what I have that she wants (even though she doesn't realize it) is true contentment. And I'm no expert but I think that true contentment is can only come from God. I KNOW that in my case, it is from Him alone! Here's an example. A few years ago I was going through a time of wanting my own home SO badly. I was definitely coveting but I don't think that adequately describes how I felt. I wanted it so bad I could TASTE it, so to speak. I had been working toward it for a long time and out of the blue a friend of mine called me to tell me that she'd bought a house (and she had not been working towards it the way I had). When I heard the news, it made me physically sick. The bitterness I felt was like poison. So I avoided her. And avoided and avoided until I couldn't avoid anymore. The time came when I had to go see the house. I didn't know how on Earth I was going to be able to walk into that house and be happy for her when the very thought still made my stomach sink. Well, the day came and as I was driving to her house I was hoping so hard that the road would take me into a city, would take me to a house that was nice but not at all what I would want, so that maybe I could somehow be happy for her. I was also praying. The entire drive I never stopped. It's a good thing too because the road was taking me out into the breathtakingly gorgeous countryside. I was praying over and over for God to take my envy away but as I pulled up to my dream house, it was still sitting like a lump in my stomach. I walked into my friends amazing new house and the envy suddenly disappeared. She gave me a tour and I was able to sincerely compliment her home without even the threat of tears. If I have ever witnessed a miracle, that was it!<br />All this is not to say that I'm perfect or that I never get jealous anymore. Like I said, it is something that has always been a big struggle for me. In fact, right now we are in the process of trying to buy a house and I have been praying all morning because I'm having a really hard time not obsessing (please pray for me!). I guess what I'm saying though is that it makes all the difference in the world to know that I can be happy with what I have no matter how little it is, if I will just give it to God. True contentment is GOD-GIVEN and I am SO BLESSED to have a God who will give it to me when I ask!<br />Anyway, I hope you were blessed by my little foray into theology today. <br />Even if you weren't I know I really needed the reminder! <br />Have a wonderful weekend!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-61485291803664594932007-06-18T07:10:00.000-07:002007-06-18T08:10:09.452-07:00For my Daddy on Father's Day (or a day late- sorry!)Thank you for always loving me unconditionally. Thank you for always taking the time to talk to me and to teach me about big things and small ones. For teaching me about God and life and how to open a checking account and how to drive (which took no small amount of courage I'm sure). Thank you for teaching me that it's not important to have a lot but it is important to be generous even when you don't. Thank you for teaching me that honesty matters. Thank you for making me feel safe and taken care of and at the same time encouraging my independence. For being proud of me even when I make different choices than you would. Thank you for being understanding when I make mistakes and for always being willing to admit your own mistakes. Thank you for teaching me how to forgive and how to stand up for myself. Thank you for always treating me like a person that matters. Because that taught me not to surround myself with people who don't think that I matter. Thank you for reading to me when I was a little girl and for brushing my hair. Thank you for putting notes in my lunch and for making sure that there were many hugs and "I love you"s every day.<br />I could go on but the keyboard is getting blurry. Thank you for being my Daddy. I love you!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-59083921473339407152007-06-13T07:02:00.000-07:002007-06-15T09:24:12.818-07:00So much for one-on-one time but at least I get to blog today!I had vowed to myself today to spend more one-on-one time with Isaac. I was a little sad that I was going to have to give up some of my usual coffee and computer break during Grace's (too short) morning nap but Isaac has been acting a little bit more jealous of her and I think maybe he just needs some more attention from me. But then Elmo came on. And of course if it's a choice between listening to me jabber on or listening to Elmo's words of wisdom, well we know what Isaac's gonna pick! But I'm ok with that. Good morning sweet sweet coffee!<br />So this may not really be a very cohesive post but here are a few of the things that are on my mind.<br />Ya know how Isaac is saying new words all the time now? Well, a few minutes ago he was looking out of the glass door and got very excited about something that he could see outside. He came running over to tell me about it but I couldn't understand what he was saying. "Big ones" maybe? So I went to the door to see for myself and sure enough, there were 2 BIG crows hanging around the garbage cans (it's trash day!). "Oh yeah," I said, "those are some big birds aren't they?" But, as I turned away to go back to what I was doing, he said the word again. And this time I understood. Did you just say "PENGUINS"!? I almost didn't have the heart to tell him that he hadn't seen actual <em>penguins</em> but mere crows (albeit big ones!) My boy, you are too cute for words! <br />As for my girl, she is laughing all the time now! And it's a jolly little laugh, which is fitting for someone who looks so uncannily like a dwarf baby (storybook dwarf I mean, not to offend a real person with dwarfism) with those oh-so-round cheeks and the tufts of hair gracing her ears! Often she sounds a lot like a goat bleating but lately she's been doing whole peals of laughter too. They come out of nowhere, surprising us and of course absolutely melting our hearts. And guess who has turned out to be the funniest family member of all? Drumroll please... it's Isaac! Now, I have 2 theories about this. The first, which is the one that I like to believe, is that she just absolutely adores him and that they will grow up to be the very best of friends. The second, which is probably the more realistic of the two, is that she likes physical comedy. And Isaac provides <em>plenty</em> of physical comedy! Either way, he got to delay bathtime last night and jump on the bed for a little while longer because we just can't resist watching Grace laugh at her big brother!<br />I guess that's all I have for today. Isaac really wants me to play with him and I did promise myself...Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874311005087551019.post-47909356114594395042007-06-12T07:21:00.000-07:002007-06-13T09:23:13.939-07:00and a partridge in a pear treeIsaac slept terribly last night. It's not that unusual. We think it's because of teething, blah, blah, blah. The real question is why did I forget that so quickly? I was feeling pretty sorry for myself this morning wondering what did I do wrong with this kid? Is this really just the terrible twos? Is Isaac trying to torture me? Only after several small tantrums over none of the computer games being the one that he wanted to play, and him not wanting to let me close enough to the computer to try to help, did I catch on. Duh! He's really really tired. It didn't help that I hadn't had coffee yet. <br />Luckily Grace went down for her morning nap unexpectedly early. "There," I thought, "Now I can get dinner in the crockpot and give Isaac some attention and maybe that'll help." Do I need to say it? WRONG! SO SO WRONG!<br />Isaac started saying this word that he's been saying lately that I've not been able to translate before. At this moment I can't even remember how he pronounces it and to be honest, I don't think I could do it justice anyway. All I can say is that it always makes me think he's saying "Hepzibah". Today being my lucky day though (or so I thought) I finally figured it out. "OH! Popsicle?!" So, I got him a strawberry (fruit juice, no sugar added) popsicle, seated him at the table, stripped off his white t-shirt, and you should have seen that sunshiney face! I breathed a sigh of relief and basked in the glow of his beautiful smile. For 30 seconds. What happened next can, I think, best be described as several popsicle-related tantrums culminating (when it finally fell off the stick) in THE MOTHER OF ALL TANTRUMS! <br />Now, when tantrums occur, we have a way that we sometimes deal with them that involves removing the offender to his or her bedroom (ok, ok, I admit that we only use this for Isaac. My tantrums take place wherever I choose; this is not a democracy!) to work through it on his own. The method is pretty simple but it requires great discernment to decide when to use it. If the tantrum is just for attention or to get his way then it works beautifully. If he is really and truly upset then it will backfire because he will never, ever get himself under control on his own. It can be tricky to figure out which situation you're in at the time. This morning it wasn't; he clearly just needed a hug. <br />Too bad I felt more like paddling him. Nevertheless, I gathered his sticky little self up (meanwhile transfering the stickiness to Yours Truly) and put him in the bathtub. I cleaned him off, wrapped him in a towel, and held him tightly. Eventually the hysterics subsided and we went downstairs to watch "Thomas" and get back to work on dinner. But Grace was awake and the dvd player wouldn't eject....<br />The morning went on but I won't. I'll summarize.<br />This is my ten o'clock inventory: Unsatisfactory computer game experience addressed with multiple small tantrums, computer-game tantrums ignored, 2 keys removed from computer keyboard, timeout administered for removal of computer keys, keys replaced. 3 popsicles (or partial popsicles) consumed, transfer of sticky popsicle residue from popsicles to Boy to Mama completed, Boy cleaned, Mama still sticky, one MOTHER OF ALL TANTRUMS soothed, one Baby-nap finished. 2 partially thawed pork roasts, 2 dirty stove burner guards and a dirty frying pan needing to be cleaned before pork roasts can be further prepared. One cold cup of coffee, a microwave too raw-pork-germ covered to heat said cup of coffee in, a Mama who has not yet had a break nor a single sip of coffee, a broken dvd player, and a partridge in a pear tree. <br />Well, except the partridge in a pear tree. But with 7 and a half hours left of the day, who knows what could happen!<br />Have a great day everyone!Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05159194644066841485noreply@blogger.com1