It’s been a crazy couple of weeks – as you can see from my two earlier posts, we took some of the students from GAFA to an incredible conference in Durham. We had a great time. Don and the kids came with me. Since I’m still nursing Rylee, this was the only way that I would have been able to go. It was our first trip with the girlie and I was a little nervous about the two hour car ride and two nights with all of us in the same room. But we did great – so fun!
Reagan started showing signs of having a cold on the trip back home. Sooooo….this week we’ve been dealing with ear infections in both kids and nasty colds. Rylee actually lost her voice by Wednesday – it was so sad to see her open up her mouth to squeel or laugh and nothing would come out!
I finally got Reagan one of THESE. The Leap Frog “Tag” is an amazing little gadget that has ignited such joy and amazement in Reagan. He is IN LOVE with it and I have really enjoyed seeing him have so much fun learning new things! If you have kids age 3-8 this is a great investment. The initial kit is $50 and includes the Tag “pen” and one book. Additional books are $14 at Target but I found them on line at Toys R Us for $9.99 each! So far he has the Kung Fu Panda, Olivia, and Cars books as well as the alphabet board and a set of land and sea animal cards.
Our church is observing a 21 day fast this month. It’s been exciting to see how many people have gotten on board and are trusting God for breakthroughs in our personaly lives and in the life of our church. My brother has been posting some great devos during the fast – go check them out! I have decided to fast caffeine, sugar, dairy products and all processed/fast foods.
I’ve been feeling secluded lately – being a stay at home mom is such an wonderful privaledge and I do not second guess my decision for one second. I do, however, realize that stay at home moms MUST make significant efforts to maintain friendships, generate new ones, and remain faithful to pursue your passions. It’s so much harder than I thought it was going to be – and infinitely more rewarding than I could have ever imagined!
I hate laundry.
Gonna tackle my closet tomorrow – it’s a scary thought and I’ve been avoiding it for months – but it’s gotta be done. Yuck…
Do you Twitter? Let me know so I can follow you!
I SO get you in this post. I’m sure you remember reading my posts I wrote on my issues with feeling similar. Thankfully, the sun has begun to come out again in that regard. There were weeks that I would literally go from Sunday to Sunday and not see a soul except at church. I would cry alot of Sunday nights when I knew Anthony had to go back to work the next morning and I would be alone again….yes I know, crying is a bit pathetic. But nevertheless, It’s true.
And yes, it does take effort to maintain relationships outside of our comfort zones. Sometimes I’m really bad at that simply because I love the freedom of being able to function at my own pace and not feel obligated. But then again, in return, I don’t reap the rewards that are to be found. I was all the time having other moms ask me to join mommy groups and for whatever reason, I never did. I don’t know, I think I may have a hangup in that way I guess.
And it’s not that I don’t love being around people, cause I do. I guess maybe I just didn’t make myself put forth the effort.
Other that than getting out of the house, making YOU time, and being honest about how you feel, and realizing this is ONLY a phase are the key to not letting that feeling overwhelm you. And as you already know, this phase is one to be savored. You will turn around one day and go, “How did my life go from SOOOOOO SLOOOOOOW to feeling a bit overwhelmed with a rapid change in pace.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone. And it is so normal to feel secluded and alone at times. And it’s awesome that you can be honest about it. I never have been a mom that’s good at smiling and pretending to always love being at home with no adult interaction everyday all day. And I’ve struggled with feeling guilty about that very thing SO much. But have yet to figure out how to change it that’s just me.
So, I’ve learned to embrace that fact that it IS a stage of life. And it will pass….all too fast. And I KNOW i’m gonna look back one day, maybe sooner than I think and wish I could have it back.
But I’ll have to say, getting back into teaching again, has done WONDERS for my attitude towards it all. I LOVE that I can still be at home much of the time with them, and yet still feel that I’m contributing a great deal to our household income and having interaction with the rest of the world.
Anyhow, GOOD LORD! That was WAAAAAY too long. Sorry. Maybe I should’ve just emailed you. Know that I love ya, and am here. When the weather gets nicer, (or before) let’s get together more. It’ll be great for the kids…..and us!
I think you’re cool, and love your company.
P.S. Don’t forget we gotta go see “The Soloist”
Rachel’s last blog post..Nothing Tastes As Good As Fit Feels
Ditto. I HATE laundry. The other stuff, well, I’m not there yet. But I know you’re a great mommy and more importantly your kids know you’re a great mommy.
mindy’s last blog post..Time Flies