Thank you so much for getting the hint when I left your hair clippings in my sink until you got home last night. You did an excellent job cleaning them up. There are not many things in this world that gross me out, but other people's hair is one of them. Even when it's yours.
Appreciatively yours,
Wife
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Dear Mack,
I love it that you cut your own hair to save time and money. However, I do not love it when you leave the clippings in my bathroom sink.
Respectfully yours,
Wife
Respectfully yours,
Wife
Monday, 7 February 2011
Hidden Places
I have made numerous allusions to my basement recently. Let me see if I can more aptly paint a word picture for you, since I am too prideful to post actual pictures. Our basement is unfinished (concrete floor, concrete walls) and as large as the downstairs of our house. It will someday be, Lord willing, one awesome recreational space. But right now, it looks like a tornado ripped through. Literally. There are boxes, both empty and filled, stacked everywhere. There are things that have been pulled out of boxes during searches for lost items strewn about on the floor. Children's toys and outdoor Christmas decor (think lighted trees and reindeer) enhance the mess.
In the midst of all this chaos sit two couches. Rather, a loveseat and a couch that was once cut in half with a chainsaw by its previous owner. Said owner could not fit a full sized couch down his basement stairs, so he cut it in half, moved it downstairs, and put a nice slipcover on it. You can't really tell, unless you are unfortunate enough to sit on the divide. When that owner moved across country and justifiably did not want to move a two-piece couch, we inherited it. Since we also cannot fit a full sized couch down our basement steps, it was a logical fit. In addition to those couches, there is a TV, to which is connected our Wii and X-Box. The children play their video games down there, as well as rollerskate, dribble basketballs, and play flashlight tag when Wisconsin winter won't allow those activities outdoors.
Now let me paint another word picture for you: Company's coming. I spend the day straightening up the house, cleaning the guest bathroom, mopping, vaccuuming, and generally making the house presentable for guests. I feel the mixture of self-satisfaction that my house is looking the way it should, and guilt that it didn't look that way before. I question why I put forth so much effort for guests, but not daily for my family. I quote Proverbs 31 to myself, and feel good that I am exemplifying that woman on that particular day, and deficient for all the other days where I most certainly don't. The "hidden places" such as the basement, our cluttered closets, and the piles of papers that I hid rather than filed in my rush to get things in order nag at a corner of my mind. I sweep those thoughts away, and think "Well, no one's going to see those places. I need to focus on what will be seen."
Company arrives. We eat dinner, enjoy some fellowship, and then it inevitably happens. Mack decides that he and the husband should go downstairs and play X-Box. Or that we should all play Wii together. Or the husband just happens to be a handy type of guy, and Mack decides to get his opinion on our future basement renovation. Or the children go downstairs to play, and the wife follows cries from one of her children down into my abyss. There are no words adequate to express my shame and mortification.
After such a scenario recently, I was struck by the obvious spiritual parallel. I spend so much time "cleaning up" the areas of my life that people can see. I carefully apply my "Jesus face" to go to church, use kind speech and diligent discipline with my children in front of others, measure out the right words to those that are struggling or grieving. I speak of the necessity of submission and humility to young women, serve in the Body when I am able and it suits my purposes, and behave in good testimony when I know those that don't believe are watching. But what about the rest? What about the places that no one else sees? What about my speech and actions toward my family when we are alone? What about my attitude toward serving and giving when it isn't convenient? What about the thoughts and feelings in the deepest recesses of my soul? How much time do I spend cleaning those up? How much shame and mortification would I experience if those were laid bare? How can I possibly feel satisfied with what appears on the surface when I know that what lies beneath is a chaotic mess? Where do I start? How do I get it all cleaned up? It's even more overwhelming than the basement.
1 Samuel 16:7 "...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
In the midst of all this chaos sit two couches. Rather, a loveseat and a couch that was once cut in half with a chainsaw by its previous owner. Said owner could not fit a full sized couch down his basement stairs, so he cut it in half, moved it downstairs, and put a nice slipcover on it. You can't really tell, unless you are unfortunate enough to sit on the divide. When that owner moved across country and justifiably did not want to move a two-piece couch, we inherited it. Since we also cannot fit a full sized couch down our basement steps, it was a logical fit. In addition to those couches, there is a TV, to which is connected our Wii and X-Box. The children play their video games down there, as well as rollerskate, dribble basketballs, and play flashlight tag when Wisconsin winter won't allow those activities outdoors.
Now let me paint another word picture for you: Company's coming. I spend the day straightening up the house, cleaning the guest bathroom, mopping, vaccuuming, and generally making the house presentable for guests. I feel the mixture of self-satisfaction that my house is looking the way it should, and guilt that it didn't look that way before. I question why I put forth so much effort for guests, but not daily for my family. I quote Proverbs 31 to myself, and feel good that I am exemplifying that woman on that particular day, and deficient for all the other days where I most certainly don't. The "hidden places" such as the basement, our cluttered closets, and the piles of papers that I hid rather than filed in my rush to get things in order nag at a corner of my mind. I sweep those thoughts away, and think "Well, no one's going to see those places. I need to focus on what will be seen."
Company arrives. We eat dinner, enjoy some fellowship, and then it inevitably happens. Mack decides that he and the husband should go downstairs and play X-Box. Or that we should all play Wii together. Or the husband just happens to be a handy type of guy, and Mack decides to get his opinion on our future basement renovation. Or the children go downstairs to play, and the wife follows cries from one of her children down into my abyss. There are no words adequate to express my shame and mortification.
After such a scenario recently, I was struck by the obvious spiritual parallel. I spend so much time "cleaning up" the areas of my life that people can see. I carefully apply my "Jesus face" to go to church, use kind speech and diligent discipline with my children in front of others, measure out the right words to those that are struggling or grieving. I speak of the necessity of submission and humility to young women, serve in the Body when I am able and it suits my purposes, and behave in good testimony when I know those that don't believe are watching. But what about the rest? What about the places that no one else sees? What about my speech and actions toward my family when we are alone? What about my attitude toward serving and giving when it isn't convenient? What about the thoughts and feelings in the deepest recesses of my soul? How much time do I spend cleaning those up? How much shame and mortification would I experience if those were laid bare? How can I possibly feel satisfied with what appears on the surface when I know that what lies beneath is a chaotic mess? Where do I start? How do I get it all cleaned up? It's even more overwhelming than the basement.
1 Samuel 16:7 "...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
Go Pack Go (Part 2)
Little One somehow became convinced that the Packers were going to be playing the big game at our house last night. Evidently the Superbowl was to be played in our backyard or something. She woke up yesterday morning, almost tearful, saying, "Mommy, why did the Packers leave in the middle of the night? Now we'll never get to see them play football!" I'm still not sure why she ever thought they were HERE in the first place, thus convincing her that they must have left in the middle of the night. Who can discern the mind of a three year old? But she was definitely convinced. She even invited her Sunday School teacher over, "...because the Packers are playing football at our house tonight."
Turns out? She wasn't completely mistaken. Clay Matthews dropped by for a little visit.
Turns out? She wasn't completely mistaken. Clay Matthews dropped by for a little visit.
Friday, 4 February 2011
Go Pack Go
It was Packers Day at school today, in honor of their trip to the Super Bowl. C-Ray has been asking for a Packers shirt for quite some time, but I had yet to buy him one. He was set with a green shirt to wear though, and was happy and content. He commented to me this morning, "Mom, if you ever do get me a Packer shirt, don't get me the quarterback. I want one with a bigger number." I replied, "Like Clay Matthews?" C-Ray answered, "Yeah, he's number 52. That would be good."
Mack, most impressed with his son's knowledge of the Packers' roster, decided that the boy must have some Packers gear. He set out to get him something during a lull in his morning. Of course, circumstances arose, and I ended up making a "quick trip" to Target, on good authority that they had lots of Packers clothing. That "quick trip" turned into over an hour and 5 different stores, none of which had any kids' merchandise in stock. My search finally ended at Kohl's, where they had racks upon racks of kid-sized Packers gear. I spent more than I would've liked on a shirt, which does indeed sport the number 52, and stopped by school just as C-Ray was coming in from recess.
"Hey buddy, come here. I got you something."
"Really? What?"
I hold out the shirt.
"Want to put it on over your other shirt for the rest of the day?"
"No thanks. I'm good."
Mack, most impressed with his son's knowledge of the Packers' roster, decided that the boy must have some Packers gear. He set out to get him something during a lull in his morning. Of course, circumstances arose, and I ended up making a "quick trip" to Target, on good authority that they had lots of Packers clothing. That "quick trip" turned into over an hour and 5 different stores, none of which had any kids' merchandise in stock. My search finally ended at Kohl's, where they had racks upon racks of kid-sized Packers gear. I spent more than I would've liked on a shirt, which does indeed sport the number 52, and stopped by school just as C-Ray was coming in from recess.
"Hey buddy, come here. I got you something."
"Really? What?"
I hold out the shirt.
"Want to put it on over your other shirt for the rest of the day?"
"No thanks. I'm good."
The Simple Life: Step Two
After a brief blogging hiatus due to travels and out of town visitors, I shall share with you the first teeny-tiny babystep in my efforts to purge and declutter. I took down my Christmas tree during the first half of January. This is an accomplishment in and of itself. The year Apple was born, on December 27, the tree didn't come down until the day before Valentine's Day. In fact, removing it from the living area of our small apartment was my Valentine's gift to Mack. Since that benchmark, I have shamefully adopted the philosophy that anything before that date must count as improvement. Anyway, I resolved to organize and downsize the Christmas "stuff" when I put it away, rather than just tossing it back in the same mismatched boxes that have travelled with us over ten years and three states. So, I updated the Christmas storage from this:
To this:
And I threw away this:
And started this box of things for donation/garage sale:
Like I said, it's a baby step. And I had to put those nicely organized and labeled bins down in my basement. Where you can't even see the floor. That's next. Really.
To this:
And I threw away this:
And started this box of things for donation/garage sale:
Like I said, it's a baby step. And I had to put those nicely organized and labeled bins down in my basement. Where you can't even see the floor. That's next. Really.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Car Thief
So Mack really hates it when I blog funny things about him, but this morning was so typically "us" that I just have to. I set my alarm for 5:30 this morning with grand intentions of going to the Y to work out before the rest of the family had to be up. I do this frequently, but I NEVER actually get up, so I did not mention my intentions to Mack, knowing that he would tease me if I didn't follow through. But about the time I was due to get up, Little One came crawling into bed with us, and I certainly wasn't going back to sleep with her knees pressing into the small of my back. So, I quietly slipped out of bed, got my exercise clothes on, and made it out the back door without anyone in the house awakening. I even had the presence of mind to text Mack and let him know where I was, thinking that if he woke up to find me gone, he would try to call me, and see that I had texted him. So, I raised the garage door, started the trusty mini-van, and was fumbling with my seat adjustment as Mack came busting through the back door in only his shorts. He looked at me in bewilderment and hollered, "What are you doing??" I told him where I was going, then followed him back into the house because he looked a little pale. He leaned over and rested his head on his hands on the kitchen counter, trying to collect himself. In his state of slumber, he assumed the body in bed with him was mine rather than Kendra's, and thought someone was stealing our van out of our garage! So much for not waking anybody up...
Friday, 7 January 2011
The Simple Life: Step One:
So, in my pursuit of Simplicity this year, one of the things I mentioned was downsizing our digital media diet. So, my first initiative of the year was to re-institute "No Media Thursdays." For the kids and me, this means no recreational computering, video games, or television. We did the same thing last year, for a few months, but let it slide once summer vacation came around. There was some minimal complaining from the kids yesterday about "having nothing to do." They got over their whining when they received little sympathy from me. After homework was done and rooms were neatened, they conducted races with their Zhu-Zhu pets and played a game involving imagined hot lava in the family room. We've had a lot of those games in our house since we vacationed at Mount St. Helens...
Anyway, I requested that Mack join us, and received a bit of mocking in return. He did, however, refrain from turning on the TV until after all the kids were asleep. I read while he watched, and was further mocked when I chuckled at the Office re-run he was watching. I think I need to find something recreational that we can do together besides watch TV if I'm going to get him on board. Any suggestions?
Anyway, I requested that Mack join us, and received a bit of mocking in return. He did, however, refrain from turning on the TV until after all the kids were asleep. I read while he watched, and was further mocked when I chuckled at the Office re-run he was watching. I think I need to find something recreational that we can do together besides watch TV if I'm going to get him on board. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
It's a New Day
So, I don't know if anyone reads my blog. Oh wait, there's nothing to read, because I haven't posted in almost a year. But I do enjoy writing, if blogging can actually be called that. And my husband encourages me to do it, so with new resolve, I shall blog this year.
Last year, I gave up on traditional New Year's Resolutions. I decided that I was just setting myself up for failure. We all know that I'm not really going to lose 3o pounds this year, or get my entire life completely organized, so why pretend? Rather, I adopted the "One Word" philosophy- I chose one word that I want to typify my life for the year. In 2010 I chose the word "LIVE." Simple, I know. Now, my intent was not just to continue breathing and sustain consciousness, although I was grateful at the end to have accomplished that. Rather, my intent was to LIVE life more fully. After 9 years of feeling like I was in survival mode, just trying to keep my sanity amidst toddlers, diapers, and multiple awakenings nightly, I decided it was high time I focused on THRIVING rather than SURVIVING. Some general thoughts surrounding my word choice were 1) Stop worrying about trying to be or appear perfect, and just enjoy my life for what it is, 2) Stop worrying about trying to make my children be or appear perfect, and just enjoy them for what they are, and 3) Try new things, be less uptight, take chances, go with the flow!
My word for 2011 is SIMPLIFY. I am coming to the realization that much of the chaos that I feel in my life is of my own creation. I overcomplicate, I procrastinate, and I don't delegate. I believe that a huge piece to feeling less pressure, more peace, and less chaos is to just simplify life as much as possible. I'm still thinking through exactly what that looks like with skin on, but here are some general thoughts: 1) Unplug more often- make a conscious effort to keep digital media, cell phones, etc from encroaching upon my time and stealing the childhood of my children 2) Purge and declutter- if you have ever seen my basement or garage, we are only a few years away from an appearance on "Hoarders." We have too much stuff, and it's not well organized. Changes must be made, and a more simple life must be had. 3) Simplify our food choices. This use of the word "simplify" does not denote "easier," but truly "more real, less artificial, foods that are simply food rather than chemicals." While this choice might actually complicate my life, I think it is important. 4) Learn to say "No." I don't think I need to explain that one.
One of the reasons I am trying to commit to more frequent blogging is to force myself to update about the process of simplification. What are you working on this year? What is your One Word?
Last year, I gave up on traditional New Year's Resolutions. I decided that I was just setting myself up for failure. We all know that I'm not really going to lose 3o pounds this year, or get my entire life completely organized, so why pretend? Rather, I adopted the "One Word" philosophy- I chose one word that I want to typify my life for the year. In 2010 I chose the word "LIVE." Simple, I know. Now, my intent was not just to continue breathing and sustain consciousness, although I was grateful at the end to have accomplished that. Rather, my intent was to LIVE life more fully. After 9 years of feeling like I was in survival mode, just trying to keep my sanity amidst toddlers, diapers, and multiple awakenings nightly, I decided it was high time I focused on THRIVING rather than SURVIVING. Some general thoughts surrounding my word choice were 1) Stop worrying about trying to be or appear perfect, and just enjoy my life for what it is, 2) Stop worrying about trying to make my children be or appear perfect, and just enjoy them for what they are, and 3) Try new things, be less uptight, take chances, go with the flow!
My word for 2011 is SIMPLIFY. I am coming to the realization that much of the chaos that I feel in my life is of my own creation. I overcomplicate, I procrastinate, and I don't delegate. I believe that a huge piece to feeling less pressure, more peace, and less chaos is to just simplify life as much as possible. I'm still thinking through exactly what that looks like with skin on, but here are some general thoughts: 1) Unplug more often- make a conscious effort to keep digital media, cell phones, etc from encroaching upon my time and stealing the childhood of my children 2) Purge and declutter- if you have ever seen my basement or garage, we are only a few years away from an appearance on "Hoarders." We have too much stuff, and it's not well organized. Changes must be made, and a more simple life must be had. 3) Simplify our food choices. This use of the word "simplify" does not denote "easier," but truly "more real, less artificial, foods that are simply food rather than chemicals." While this choice might actually complicate my life, I think it is important. 4) Learn to say "No." I don't think I need to explain that one.
One of the reasons I am trying to commit to more frequent blogging is to force myself to update about the process of simplification. What are you working on this year? What is your One Word?
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Anonymity
Friends and family,
Just as added precaution in this world of cyber-lunatics, I am trying to make my blog more anonymous- removing our actual names and replacing them with nicknames, which might take awhile, but I think should be done. If you can't keep track of who's who, see the sidebar section called "My Cast of Characters" for reference.
Just as added precaution in this world of cyber-lunatics, I am trying to make my blog more anonymous- removing our actual names and replacing them with nicknames, which might take awhile, but I think should be done. If you can't keep track of who's who, see the sidebar section called "My Cast of Characters" for reference.
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