Time Flies

When I started this I meant to write on a regular basis. We all see how well that went. Time does certainly fly by, and really whether you are having fun or not matters not when it comes to the speed of time. Granted the really hard times seem slow while actually going through them but at the other side it still seems as though I stop and say, "wow, it's been 3 months," or whatever time it has been. And so it goes and goes. Can you hardly believe it is November already. Ahead of us now is Thanksgiving and then Elliott's birthday and Christmas. Can it really be true that my "baby" is going to be FOUR?!?! See, again, time flies. I remember the first time I found out I was pregnant, the first ultrasounds, the first time I saw him in person, the first time I held him, the first rolling over, first step, etc. etc. So many FIRSTS and now he's going to be four. Wow. And, do you realize that I have a nearly 19-year-old nephew. Seriously it has to be impossible that I am old enough for that to be possible. He's in college now. And, again, time flies. In April I will have been married 11 years. Okay, so maybe not ALL time flies. hahaha It does though. Doesn't seem possible. And, though the work day itself dragged the few moments I have to myself have again raced by. Folding laundry, cooking dinner, these are the things demanding my time now. Do you think time will fly while I wash dishes tonight? No probably not. But I bet the few hours I actually get to sleep before I start all over again will. =) So tick, tock, merrily sings the clock...

Behind the Title

The word "mother" isn't a very big word. Not too complicated to say and/or spell. Everyone pretty much thinks they know what it means but do we really. Last night as I was cleaning the bathroom while giving my kid a bath I got to thinking about the "title" of mother. What's behind the name? And, then my mind went off on a tangent all its own which, if you really know me, you realize isn't such an odd thing to happen. =)

So, here it is...MOTHER...the way I see it...

M ~ Multitask. If you can only focus on one thing at a time you are in for some serious trouble as a mom. There is never a time when I am simply doing ONE thing. If I am working at my job that provides a paycheck I am often also doing laundry, planning a schedule in my head, jotting down a grocery list as the needs come to mind, etc. Like mentioned above, last night Elliott's in the tub, playing with his toys and scrubbing himself. What am I doing while in there with him?? Well, besides singing the praises of Super-Elliott shooting the dinos with the water gun, I am also scrubbing the toilet and washing down counters. There is always more than one thing going on at a time.

O ~ Outlet. Some friends and I discussed this weekend the many different definitions there are for the word outlet and probably a couple of them would actually apply to defining a mother but in this case I am thinking of outlet as a power source. Sometimes I feel as though the whole house functions and moves and breathes as it drains out its power from me. You know those outlets you have in your house that have 3 way plugs attached to them and then an extension cord with 3 way plugs attached on to those, etc. until there is a massive tangle of cords with multiples of things pulling their ability to function from one simple outlet. That's the way I see a mother at times. One child can plug so many cords into their mother it isn't even funny...there is the laundry cord, food/drink cord, playmate cord, comforter cord, band-aid applier cord, and though they aren't necessarily fond of it, even the disciplinary cord, and...and...and...more and more cords. Some are temporary and brief power surges. Others are all day "drainers." All these activities are draining their power to function out of one outlet, mother.

T ~ Teacher. Whether you "homeschool" or not your child is being schooled at home by you. Their education concerning how they relate to others, disappointment, winning or losing, manners, and the list is endless all starts with you and is taught by the mother (and the father too, of course, but today we are focused on the mother). Make them good lessons. There is so much teaching that is done we as mothers probably don't even realize it. Well, not until we hear our child tell another one what we tell them all the time. You know those messages you could swear they are missing (like turning off lights) only to hear them tell another kid to do just that.

H ~ Hero. No seriously. Mothers are heroes. I don't mean the leap buildings and stop speeding trains kind of heroes. But seriously have you ever seen the look in your kid's eyes when you have found say the lost ever so important blankie or produced batteries for the favorite game to work again. Not mention even the simple task of changing the light bulb in their lamp. Yes, mothers are heroes. Unfortunately as the child grows out of the hero stage somehow mothers also start to lose their hero status. But in some ways we will always be heroes so don't let them down (too much).

E ~ Eraser. I thought of this one as I throw the sheets that didn't survive the night dry into the washer. We do our best to erase the mistakes that are made, make better the bad, correct the the mess, etc. Granted there are mistakes that they will have to learn on their own and ones that we won't be able to "erase." But I like the idea of how mothers are trying to help their kids correct their errors and "get it right."

R ~ Replenish{er}. Trying to make a verb a noun. =) We are the ones who replenish. We replenish the food cabinets and refrigerator and as I can't even keep up with how much this kid is eating lately this has to be done frequently right now. Food is important. Suppertime at the table is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the day. But I was also thinking about how we replenish the emotional storage bins of our kids. Cuddle times, hugs, kisses, saying "I love you," and more hugs and kisses. Smiles and giggles. Replenish them and build security in you and your love at the same time. Sweet goodness.

So whether you have just cooked supper one more time, given a bath, kissed a boo-boo, helped with homework, played a game, or whatever with your child...you are Mother, you are strong, hear you roar.

Thankful

A friend's status on Facebook today was something along the lines of "what if you woke up this morning with only the things you were thankful for yesterday." Got me to thinking. I don't have answerrs to many of the questions swirling in my head but still I can't help but ask them.

For being thankful for something do you have to consciously say, "I am thankful for _____ (fill in the blank)?" Or is being thankful a state of being? Where you are ever looking at life around you and knowing this is good, this is best? Or does the state of thankfulness coincide with the state of contentment?

For example...I don't consciously on a daily basis say to myself or anyone else that I am thankful for Elliott but there is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for him. He makes me smile on a daily basis. I often wonder how come my heart doesn't simply explode when he says, "I love you, Mom." And, there is a whole lot of joy going on when he says, "Thanks for cleaning up my room." I don't take him for granted. He is a daily part of my life that makes my inner child sing at the top of her lungs. Does somebody always hear me? No. Does that mean I haven't been thankful for him? I don't think so.

I don't have the answer. And, don't really have any basis for my belief at this point. But through all my thoughts and pondering I have come to my personal conclusion that thankfulness should be a daily thing but should be more of the state you live your life in, content, than it is by simply saying, "I am thankful."

But no matter what, in the end, I think what a friend commented on her status rings with a lot of truth. The status again, "what if you woke up this morning with only the things you were thankful for yesterday." And, the comment, "I would still be thankful."

The ABCs of Me

I would guess that just about anybody who reads this is already going to know "all about me" but there may be a few stragglers here and there that only know a "few things about me."

So here we go...

A ~ Asparagus was a vegetable that was introduced to me later on in life. And, I love it. Random thought...just couldn't think of anything else for "A". In a house with a 3-yr.-old "A is for Apple" is what is stuck in my mind.

B ~ Banana hater. Yup, tis true; I do not like mushy, slimy, make me gag, bananas.

C ~ Christian. Not just a religion, title, or security blanket. I am a "little Christ follower" seeking to please Him though not always succeeding. Getting back up, seeking His forgiveness, and continuing on anew.

D ~ Directionally illiterate. I am HORRIBLE at finding my way anywhere. I have gotten better but it has always caused a few laughs for my parents to reminisce on how I got lost walking home from school one day.

E ~ Elliott's Momma. As my friend Amy's Elizabeth told her, [he's] "kissed my heart."

F ~ Friend's Forever is not a cliche statement to me. Prov. 17:17 is a verse I desperately seek to live by. I have a friend who now lives in Oregon, I haven't seen her in more years than I would like to remember but we still regularly write letters and exchange Christmas presents. This past summer I was reunited with another friend who I had not seen or talked with (until recent Facebook reconnecting) for 13 some years, and it was like we had never been a part. Friends are super important to me.

G ~ Good grief how much further is it to "Z."

H ~ Horses are my "animal of choice." Perhaps someday...

I ~ Ice cream...I LOVE ice cream!!! Definite #1 dessert.

J ~ Jiminy Cricket. I say this often as an exclamation. Not sure why and in my world it fits just about every scenario there is. I am not even sure I have ever seen Pinocchio in its entirety.

K ~ Kid at heart. I like to color, go to zoos, play with legos, etc. I am so thankful I now have a child which makes my participation in such activities to be "socially acceptable." =)

L ~ Library card carrier (and user). I love to read and read as often and as much as I can, typically mysteries. I find great joy in the fact that my child likes to go to "the house of books."

M ~ Medical Language Specialist. That's my "official title." Basically I hear voices in my head (headphones connected to the computer) and make sure to type and edit what those voices (aka doctors) are saying accurately in the document.

N ~ Need lists and organization to feel "comfortable" and get things done. Which if you saw my house right now you would scoff at. However, there are about 3 lists sitting on my coffee table of the different things I need to get done.

O ~ Obviously I can't wait until Summer comes back and soon. I am a warm weather kind of girl. I HATE to be cold!! Bring me back the sunshine.

P ~ Patriotic! Wave a flag! Stand up and support a soldier! Red, White, and Blue!

Q ~ Quiet time/nap time is one of my favorite times of the day. =) Wish it were me actually getting the nap but Elliott sleeping is a good thing too.

R ~ Rarely watch TV without the DVR any more. Whoever invented that thing was a GENIUS!!!

S ~ Scrapbook wannabe. I used to be able to scrapbook and keep current on all of my pictures. Not any more. Would love to be able to sit down and work at it once again.

T ~ Tell me again why the alphabet has so many letters...running out of things to say about myself.

U ~ Unsweetened iced tea lover and consumer. Drink of choice, hands down.

V ~ Vertically challenged. Yes, I am SHORT. My petite sized jeans drag on the ground. But, I can say I played on the starting FIVE of my college ladies basketball team!! (Just please don't ask to many questions about our team and/or season; okay?)

W ~ Writer. This is my new "thing." With this blog and posting of articles on another blog site with work I feel as though I can officially make claim to this title. I am so excited. I am no James Patterson or Mary Higgins Clark, but I do have FOUR "followers" so far!! =)

X ~ X-rays intrigue me.

Y ~ Year long shopping is how I prepare for all the necessary gifts for Christmas.

Z ~ ZZZZzzzz...could always use some more sleep. Up and working by 4:30, work 8 hrs. a day, stay-at-home mom of a 3-yr.-old at the same time. What I wouldn't give for a nap?!?

There you have it. The ABCs of Carrie. And, yes, I still firmly believe that "A is for Apple." Lol

Lessons of Camping

This past weekend my husband, Shannon, our 3-1/2 year old Elliott, and myself all went tent camping at Piney Campground, Land Between the Lakes. When the brand-new tent had a hole in the corner the first time it was being set up I began to doubt the wisdom of taking the camping trip, but it, in fact, turned out to be a good time. However, there were some lessons learned. This would be our second camping trip with Elliott, and each time we have come away with a list of "this is what we do next time."

Lesson #1 ~ If I plan to ever came in Tennessee/Kentucky again mid September I MUST be dosing regularly on my allergy medicines beforehand and definitely while there. There was something coming out that wasn't making my nose and sinuses very happy.

Lesson #2 ~ In theory a tent with a divider for 2 separate rooms seems like a good idea and perhaps will be once Elliott reaches 5 or 6 but not so much when he is 3. He woke up a little bit scared the first night.

Lesson #3 ~ This too relates to sleep, the 3 of us no longer fit comfortably on a queen sized mattress. Before camping again Elliott will have his own twin mattress to sleep on. It did make me laugh though when he woke me up the second night from his little nest on the floor with, "move over Momma, so I can go back to sleep."

Lesson #4 ~ The football is an excellent toy to take along for the trip though I can only assume at some point he is going to expect one of us to actually participate in the game. Right now though he is happy with throwing it, chasing it, and throwing it again all by himself.

Lesson #5 ~ No matter how much you really think your 3 year old should like toasted marshmallows he just might not and really is just after the chocolate part of the S'Mores so keep your candy bar close or his sticky fingers may walk away with it.

Lesson #6 ~ Duct tape truly can fix nearly everything. Band-aids were on hand when Elliott fell in the rocks but they wouldn't stick to his hand. So ever the "man" my husband ran for the duct tape. We held the band-aid on the cut and then Shannon wrapped duct tape around Elliott's hand to hold down the band-aids. And, yes, Elliott thought he was pretty hot stuff. =) However, we also said repeatedly that only camping boo-boos get duct tape, regular boo-boos do NOT. Lol

Lesson #7 ~ No matter how you wish it may happen the cats (and/or other pets) simply will not make the bed, do the dishes, or fold the laundry while you are gone. Rather they will tip over lamps, knock dishes off the counter, spit up hairballs on your bed, and other wonderfully "helpful" things like that.

Lesson #8 ~ It doesn't matter to a 3 year old if he catches fish he can keep he just wants to catch some fish!

Lesson #9 ~ This was learned from the tents next to us. Making memories by taking your kid camping is not, "take your kid camping, leave them at the campsite while you go to work all day, only to come back at night and yell at them for eating all the food." SERIOUSLY?!?! I can hear it now, "Sure my dad took us camping. He pitched us a tent and then LEFT US."

And, (drum roll, please), Lesson #10 ~ Probably the most important...Memories last a lifetime, so make them good ones.

Can't wait until next time...already making plans and wondering what lessons will be learned on that trip.