Wednesday Hodgepodge

1.  I recently read here about four secrets to happiness from around the world. They were-

Overcome your fears by facing them head on, allow yourself to relax and reset, work to live versus living to work, and find the good in life. Not sure if these are the actual secret to happiness, but which of the four do you struggle with most? Which one comes most easily to you?

Of the four, I probably struggle the most with allowing myself to relax.  When I try to all I see is the dishes that aren't getting done and the laundry that still needs to be folded and the sheer amount of STUFF that is still everywhere in spite of trying to stay on top of it.

I feel like I'm pretty good at finding the good in life.

2. How would you spend a found $20 bill today?

Stuff for the Lord's Pantry at our church.

3. Ego trip, power trip, guilt trip, round trip, trip the light fantastic, or trip over your own two feet...which 'trip' have you experienced or dealt with most recently? Explain.

Does a round trip to a distant ophthalmologist's office count?  My daughter's eye exam was today and it's kind of a hike to get there.

4. If you could master any physical skill in the world what would it be, and how would you use that skill?

Probably bowling.  Then I would teach my kids.

5. As July draws to a close, let's take inventory of our summer fun. Since the official first day of (North American) summer (June 20th) have you...

been swimming? no--our trip to camp was just before the beginning of summer 
enjoyed an ice cream cone? yes, yum!
seen a summer blockbuster? I don't get to see movies these days, though I'm not sure one is out this summer that I'm interested in
camped? no, I like camping in the fall when it isn't overwhelmingly stuffy in the evenings
eaten corn on the cob? oh yes.
gardened? tried to--first the rain wouldn't stop, now it's bone dry outside.  I'll probably go water my plants tomorrow.
deliberately unplugged? yes and no...unplugging is hard for me!
watched a ballgame? several!  Love baseball.
picked fruit off the vine? yes, the raspberries in my backyard flourished this year.  They were faboo.
taken a road trip? to drop the kids off at camp? yes.
read a book?  tried to--three weeks from the library doesn't seem to be long enough in the summer for me.
Are any of these activities on your must-do-before-summer-ends list?
I am very hopeful that my son and I will finally finish The Hunger Games with my son.

6. The Republican Presidential candidates will debate on August 6th. What's your question?

What is wrong with the whole lot of you?

7. What's your most listened to song so far this summer?

I don't get to listen to a great deal of music, but a lot of Neil Young seems to show up on my playlist.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I've tried to make it a point of discussing my daughter's medical struggles calmly with my kids--I've worried that if they see me panicking, they'll panic too.

That sort of unraveled today, when we were on the way to Sunshine's eye appointment, and Scout asked why she doesn't go to the same eye doctor the rest of us do.  So I calmly explained that she has growths called gliomas on her optic nerves.

He freaked out and asked me how I could say something like that so calmly.  So I guess staying calm isn't the answer.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Is your home air conditioned? If it's not air conditioned, is that by choice? Did you grow up with air conditioning? If not how did you cope with the heat? Share about a time or place you remember as being too hot-the temperature kind of hot, lest anyone be confused.

Yes, our home is air conditioned.  I don't remember how old I was when we got air conditioning in our home when I was a child, but I do remember being relieved because growing up in 100+ degree heat is wearying without a bit of relief--though that may be why we spent Saturdays at the movies or the mall.

Our first summer in the city we live in now, we were in an apartment without air conditioning.  And it turned out to be an unusually hot summer for these parts.  For several days the kids and I just toughed it out in front of fans and with lots of  water.

2. What's something in your life right now that falls under the heading 'up in the air'?

There's a cat that has taken up residence in my back yard.  He's wearing a harness, so he has a previous home, but I can't get near enough to him to see any other identifiers.  I put the word out to my local friends, circulated a photo, and I'm hoping he finds his way home soon.  He seems nice but he's quite afraid of us.

3. Your favorite light and airy dessert?

I have a recipe somewhere for a pumpkin angel food cake.  It is lightly sweet and perfect with a cup of coffee.  (I can't have it anymore until I find a gluten-free angel food cake mix...so if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.)

4. When did you last feel like you were 'floating on air'?

We dropped Scout off at camp on Sunday.  I miss him, and yesterday Sunshine started moaning about how BORED she is without him, but two things...first, I am extraordinarily proud of Scout, because he's smart and capable and brave; second, I am very grateful my two get along.  

5. Airport, airmail, airtight, airhead...which have you most recently encountered? Explain.

Airhead.  I was at Jo-Ann a few days ago, buying some smocked fabric (which is the make-a-dress-in-five-minutes sort of thing) and the lady at the fabric counter asked me what I was making.  I suspect it's a reflex for her, but it kind of made me chuckle and I briefly entertained the notion of telling her we'd be making pot holders.

6.  Have you ever been to the Alps? If so where did you go? If not, is this a destination on your must-see list? If you were headed that direction this summer, which of the following would be your preferred activity...a gentle walk, a serious walk, a bike ride, a boat ride around one of the lakes, or summer snow skiing?

No, I've never been, and I doubt I will.  If there's any international travel in my future, there's things I'd like to see first.  However, if I ever make it to the Alps, a serious walk is going to be the first thing on my list, followed by a boat ride.

7. What is one saying or phrase that was considered 'cool' when you were growing up?

Probably "Gag me!"  Hated it then, hate it still.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The weather has been so off-kilter this summer.  I'll be grateful when fall gets here and the evenings are cooler.

On not mourning the passage of time...or not.

We dropped Scout off at his favorite church camp this afternoon.  I would moan about his absence this week, because his absence WILL make things boring, but...

I'm too busy being proud.  He has learned more about nature, and horses, and God through these experiences than he ever would have had the chance to do, otherwise.  He was excited for this week, and I'm excited for him.

I don't like to bicker over denominational differences.  At all.  But this is one thing our denomination does that I fully, without hesitation, agree with: outdoor experiences are integral to our understanding of nature, the world we live in, and how to be a good steward of it.

I would despair that my son is gone for the week, but he isn't doing the same.  I would be bored, but who could do that with a trip to the amusement park and the bowling alley and the hospital in the offing for this week alone?  It's only a week, not all summer (like I hear stories about!), and I can do this for a week.

Admittedly, it was on my mind earlier...he is halfway to being a full-fledged adult, and there's already so much I haven't taught him.  He knows how to keep his room clean and do his laundry, but what about dishes?  And what about meals?

But right now, he's taking care of a horse.  My nine-year-old son is taking care of a horse.  He's good with them, I've seen it with my own eyes.  He barely has to whisper to them, and they listen.  He strokes them with no trace of anything but love.  He knows how to groom his horse.

I am too busy being proud.  He is already too busy caring for the animals he loves so very much.

All the small things

I feel like today was kind of a day of minor victories...

We spent yesterday at the amusement park.  Scout finally got on his first roller coaster, and then his second, which he rode four times.  I told them that if they got their chores done when we got home (or first thing this morning), we'd go to the water park today.  (It's been an odd summer, weather-wise, and I didn't want to waste a sunny day.)

Well, chores didn't get done, so we didn't go to the water park.  But I AM done with back-to-school shopping, so there's that.  And my dishwasher, which died a month and a half ago, is finally on its way to being fixed.  And THAT is a huge relief.

Scout leaves for camp (again!) tomorrow.  He's gonna have a great week.  I need to find a card and send it to him.  Sunshine and I always look forward to a week to ourselves (during the day, anyway) but I can guarantee you that by Tuesday, her mantra will become, "I'm BORED, when is brother coming home?"  Till then, we have bowling to do and cookies to make and probably at least one trip to the amusement park.  Those season passes we bought on Black Friday were probably the best idea we could have had for this summer.

I literally ate a salad for dinner.  Salads don't generally make me happy, but this one somehow did.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 1.July 15th is National Give Something Away Day. What can you give away? Will you?

Oh, probably. Clothes the kids have outgrown, books, food, time...our church has a pantry for donations so I'll probably pick up some of this month's requests, and drop them off.

 2. Do you have a mantra? Please share with the class if you feel comfortable doing so.

My sorority's motto is, "Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." I like that one. Think I'll use it.

3. Who does the grocery shopping in your house? How many times a week do you shop? Do you make a list or pray for inspiration in the produce aisle?

I do, and I try to keep it to once a week. I do make a list, but I don't stick to it terribly strictly. My kids like to refer to Saturday as "donut day" because I usually leave before they wake up, and almost always come back with breakfast.

4. Is there a TV show you're embarrassed to say you watch? You're going to tell us what it is, right?
 
Embarrassed? Not so much. I watch a pretty wide variety of shows, fromDownton Abbey to The Walking Dead, but none of them are particularly embarrassing.

5. A recent article listed fifteen words we should eliminate from our (written) vocabulary in order to sound smarter-

that, went, honestly, absolutely, very, really, amazing, always, never, literally, just, maybe, stuff, things, and irregardless

Of the fifteen, which word is your most overused?

Stuff. I feel like I say it all the time and stuff.

6. So apparently dying your hair gray (in your youth!) is a thing right now. It's called 'The Granny Hair' trend. Your thoughts?

But...why?

7. A while back Buzz Feed asked members to share the most beautiful sentence they've read in a piece of literature. A hard thing to narrow down, at least for me, but let's try. What's one of the most beautiful sentences you've ever read in a piece of literature?

"Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt that I love." Hamlet, Act II, Scene II. William Shakespeare.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 It's been a heck of a busy summer. My calendar holds four big-deal, all-day things for the next week, and six for the next week and a half. I suppose it beats being bored, but good grief...

Rebooting, this time with a personal plan.

I tried doing the positive things every other day...it didn't last long at all.  So here I am trying yet again.

Saturdays I'm gonna try posting a weekly recap.

My son (hereafter referred to as Scout) spent the first half of the week at camp with my husband.  He learned a lot of things and came back quite changed after only three days.  He swims now.  And he learned how to shoot a gun and a bow and arrow.  He lost a tooth.  It was a great few days for him.

My husband had been, prior to that, very ill with an infection.  Not that he let it keep him down for long.  He took his meds (and there were a LOT of those) and played it safe.  He's better now but tired.

My daughter (hereafter referred to as Sunshine) is raring to go back to school.  I'm eager for it myself, honestly.  I like watching my children grow.  I like seeing them learn things and apply them.

We all went to the local amusement park today--kinda blew off chore day, but whatever.  Summer has been very hit or miss (mostly miss) with weather, and we had a nice day today and I didn't want to waste it inside cleaning.  It was a good move--today was warm and sunny and we're all worn out.  Just in time to hit a baseball game tomorrow night.

After dinner, we headed to a burger place for dinner.  The waitress was nice and patient with my dietary weirdness (I'm gluten-free, but without an official diagnosis) and she was great...until she cut her hand on a shattered glass near our table and wound up leaving.  I hope she's all right...meanwhile the people covering for her and the manager all kept coming over to apologize.  It's humbling when they do that...I want to appreciate the gesture, it's very kind, but their concerns are misplaced for me.  I want someone to tell me she's okay.  I'm sure she is, it was just a cut, and even if it required stitches, she'll be back at it soon.  But there's still something that feels helpless about a minor injury like that.

I'm trying (again) to start a diet log...mostly because I've got an appointment with a new doctor next month, and I'd like to prove that I'm trying, I really am TRYING, to keep myself healthy, but contrary to what a lot of healthy people say, it isn't easy, and it definitely isn't as easy as "eat right and exercise".  Maybe that works for single people with no kids, I don't know.  But I'm not single, I have things I do when my husband's at work that I try to do to make his life easier, and I swear during the summers someone screams MOM every seventeen seconds.  That makes eating a nice salad for lunch hard.

One day I'll be healthier, and I hope I remember then that it's not easy to shrug off extenuating circumstances to "eat right and exercise".