Our Days are Numbered

The title to this post could sound sort of deep.

Maybe prophetic

or have some sort of theological twang to it.....

....depending on your given state of mind at the moment, I suppose.

But to me...right now....it sounds like a bunch of math.

I was inspired by a friend and fellow blogger, Jody, about the importance of each and every day we have with our kids.

And not to let any of them just slip away.

I'm a visual-type.

So this little mathy-crafty thing is a helpful reminder to me that the days that I have with my kids are numbered.

In each vase, there are beads that total the number of days from TODAY until each of the kids' 18th birthday.

At the end of each day, I will take one out of each vase.

Here's the breakdown.

Nathan: 1589

Marisa: 2130

Claire: 2960

Danielle: 3559

(not sure if you can tell from the pic, but i had to start using smaller beads in the younger 2 so i could fit them all in)

Yes.

I used a calculator and calendars and counted out beads for this.

No.

I'm not a math person or a craft person.

But I'm totally in love with these kids and I don't want to waste even a single bead.

That ends this special deep-prophetic-theological-math-craft-story......

Balance

Balance...
I need to make sure I have it.

The short version:

'Cause there are so many things that I do that are important for me to be doing...
....So many IMPORTANT things that I need to be doing...
....and I just started a new job....which is important.

The long version:

I've been writing more. And publishing. And getting paid to write. All good things.
But not quite my "Bread and Butter".....maybe just the "butter." But if I want it to be more...I have to keep working at this.

I WON a scholarship for a writing class that is all about developing your specialty and launching a platform. This. Is. Good. Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention has been the topic that has chosen me.....I just haven't had a clear idea on how to express this. I think this class will help.

And on that very topic of DV.....there are definite ministry opportunities in the works.....
....or more acurately, in the works of being in the works. (did i say that right?) This is important. I'm not doing enough here. I want to do more.

I started a new job today.....at Hill of Beans. It is local. This will take up about 4 to 5 hours a day....but today it happened to take up about 6. The job is important. I need the job. I need to be around people. I just have to make sure it does not wear me too thin....

And then there are the basics....which, in my opinion, are the most important.
It's called loving God and loving those he has given to me.
Sometimes the "basics" get saved for last. I gotta make sure that this ALWAYS stays first.

Seriously?

It is pretty sad that I have to copy my attorney from 3 years ago on to my email corespondence with my ex-husband.

News flash: I am not your wife. We have "shared" custody. Take responsibility for your share and stop trying to take control over mine.

Parade

If you aren't too fussy about humidity and how your clothes tend to stick because of the humidity....then it was a GREAT weekend for a Parade and Talent Show!

Here's a few snapshots from the weekend.

And take a look at the 2 pics of the lady on the tractor. In the first pic, she is asking Sharon (brian's mom) "Is that her?" She was pointing to me.

And the next pic she is smiling.

which means, I think she approves.

I didn't get hardly any pics of Brady's band...cuz the lighting was terrible for my failing camera battery.

Also missed the pics of Nathan playing in the basketball tourny. Rest assured, he had fun and that was his hi-lite of the weekend.

stringers

Stringers....Freelancers.....sort of the same thing in newspaper lingo.

I USED to freelance for the Advocate News. The Wilton/Durant Advocate News. One of which is my home town.

And I was so proud to do that.

But I had to take some time off from doing that to take care of personal matters at home.
As in,....personal
and
at home.

Sort of a down side of being rural is that everybody and every body thinks that they know your personal and
at-home stuff....

....even if they don't.

And throw in any element of being known publicly.....like, let's just say....you write for the newspaper....
...well, then....that must quadriple whatever anything that anyone must absolutely know about your at-home, personal life stuff.

you know.

So let me just backtrack here a teensy bit.

I used to freelance.
I am ready to do it again.
Talked to the editor (the new editor since the last time I wrote for them) several times in the last couple of years about my interest in freelancing again.

Even tried to pitch how I would be good for his paper...."let me write for you....people will come to me with their stories....they used to....they will again...." plead, beg, me.

To which I hear: "Robin, we are well aware of your writing capabilities. Should we ever need someone to fill one of our staff positions....or be in need of freelance writers, we will most certainly keep you in mind."

Yeah.
Right.

They have asked me for info and photos.
I have provided both.
With no cutline/byline or credit whatsoever.

And today.

today.

I was at the parade in Durant.

Some guy took my picture.
A stranger.
I didn't know him.

He asked me for my name. And proper spelling.
Becuase he was taking photos for the Wilton/Durant Advocate News.

New guy.
That's how he presented himself.

Maybe I'm wrong.

But.

That was supposed to be my job.

First Day of School

The excitement can be seen more clearly in some faces than others.

But they all assure me that, yes.....they are ready for school to start.

Nathan is more like.....yes....football can start.

Mom has mixed feelings on the start of a new school year.

This year we have, 2 junior highers, a 4th grader and 3rd grader.

"so whatcha doin?"

I heard that question 3 or 4 times today.

2 of those times were followed up with requests to help with a favor.

and both times I had to say no because I was just too darn busy.

It doesn't seem like doin stuff here and there and making the world in this house happen is a big deal.

So when someone says...."whatcha doin?"
.....and I say "not much"
.....it's my own fault when all of that "not much" doesn't get done because I said it was "not much."

What am I doing?

I made breakfast for 5 kids. toasted english muffins. Not hard at all. Except I can toast ONE muffin at a time and dress it with either: butter and jelly, PB and jelly, just PB, or just jelly.....(just pick one kid....and move on already)

I cleaned up from breakfast. And decided that since my feet are sticking to the floor from breakfast, I will just clean the floor while I am at it. Better for me to do it than to let the ants come and take care of it. Trust me....I weighed this as an option. I would've voted for ants to clean it up just so I wouldnt' have to do it....except bunches of insects swarming one area is the kind of image that gives me bad dreams. I cleaned the floor.

And I vacuumed the rest of the floor while I was at it. Only because I am either: A)Obsessive/compulsive....or B)just smart to do it all at one time....save me time tomorrow, maybe?

Laundry. Washed it and hung it out. 3 loads. Hanging laundry out is more work for me; however, my dryer doesn't dry a whole load in one round....so it takes me longer to dry a load in the dryer than it does to hang it out on the line. whatever.

Took nathan and a friend to golf course. Which I promised I would do after he mowed the lawn. Which he somehow accomplished in what he said was like an hour and a half or 2 hours tops. I believe him. It looks great. But where did that hour-and-a-half to 2 hours go for me? Oh my. I just reread the above and I figured it out.

Brian called and asked me if I could run an errand and then watch some concrete dry. As in literally....watch the concrete dry. He is pouring at the park today and he wanted to make sure that kids didn't run through it before it dried. I had to tell him I would call him after I.....

.....made lunch and took Claire's friend home. Claire had a friend spend the night and she lives in another town and I promised she would be home after lunch.

and I cleaned up after lunch. Because I hate ants.

So I took friend home and called Brian. I guess he no longer needed me to watch the concrete dry. Does it really take me that long to do stuff?

Girls ask if they can swim. So i say....okay....but I can only drop them off because I HAVE to go home and write something that somebody will buy and we can pay our bills. So they get ready. I take them. There is no lifegaurd on duty today. They can swim but only with an adult present.

So....I get to be that adult. For a couple of hours. (maybe a little less than that)

Then I take girls home. And go back to golf course to pick up boys. Drop one friend off at home.

Pull some laundry off the line.

Start making supper.

Still left to do:

Eat
Softball tryouts
Clean up from eating....(it's an ant thing that I hate....not so much that I am too particular about cleaning.....maybe)
Write something that someone will BUY!
Help the tired kids ready for bed....snuggle, read, the good stuff

and while I am at it....I should probably just tack on:
Change the world
Lose 10 pounds
Make a million dollars

See.....I'm not really doing that much. At least it doesn't seem like it....
....till it doesn't get done!

And the ants come marching in!