Musings from a Busy Mom

Where are you in your life? Not whether you are in the diapering stage, the school-age stage, or teen stage… but where are you in your heart? Are you content with where you are, or are you seeking more? Mothering can be a tough job. We face many challenges unique to mothering as we also battle through everyday life. How can we be happy or content with so much expected of us? What can we find to make us happy and able to enjoy every stage of mothering? I have been looking for a lot of things lately to satisfy my desires. The biggest thing I have been looking for, though, is a close friend. You know, the friend you can call at a moment's notice to come over and spend time with you - to laugh, to cry, to talk, or to just sit in comfortable silence. The friend who is beside you through all your triumphs and your trials. The one who accepts you for who you are. In all my searches for happiness, recently I had my hair cut shorter and styled with a little flip in all the lay

I always said I would not get upset about my children's grades - that I would not discipline over my children's school performance.  Well, today I blew it. First, let me explain.  I homeschool three children ages 6, 7, and 9 - second, third, and fourth grades.  I just got back from MOPS Convention on Sunday afternoon, with the plans to start school on Monday.  I thought I had it all figured out. The children were going to do their 'computer work.'  All three children have laptops that we found on clearance so they don't have to take turns using the computer, and they all have some subjects on the computer.  The youngest has Science, Language Arts, and Spelling.  The middle has Bible, Math, Science, History & Geography, Language Arts, and Spelling.  The oldest has Bible, Spanish, Math, Science, History & Geography, Language Arts, and Spelling. We normally use a classical model of education, with the exception of math, and use the computers to supplement

While up in the middle of the night because the dogs were playing too loudly and the house was too hot, I decided to get caught up on emails and Facebook.  I am amazed at all the comments about what occurred yesterday (Chick-Fil-A appreciation day). I am amazed at the overwhelming response and for some reason I was actually a little amazed at how misinformed some people are and at how people were able to twist what is happening.  I really shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. Many people went out to support a company that has always been known as a Christian company.  Other protested - either at one of the franchises, by boycotting the restaurant chain, and/or through social media.  Everyone had one thing in common: we all had the right to voice our opinions and beliefs on the subject.   Watching and listening, I discovered a few things.   First, why were people dining at Chick-Fil-A yesterday?  I saw three - no, make that four - reasons: 1.  Many Christia

Okay, I just have to say this, and some of you will be offended (sorry)!  Many people, including myself, are making more and more things at home - from sauces, ketchup, bread, and jams - to quilts and crochet washcloths - to household cleaners and dish and laundry detergent.  Some of us are doing this because of allergies, some for better quality, others to save a buck, and some of us just for the challenge.   Nothing wrong with any of these reasons.  I do it for three of those reasons: allergies, quality, and challenge.  Yes, I do sometimes to save a buck on some items, but there are just as many times when I am paying just as much if not more to make it myself, which is frustrating, actually.  I know I spend more on my good olive or canola oil I use in making mayo than I would on a jar of Duke's, but my son is allergic to soy, so I make our own.  Yes, I spend more on the local honey to make my ketchup than I would on a bottle of Heinz, but I'm going for quality (you can us

We've all been told to 'feel the burn' and that exercise is supposed to hurt.  So, what is supposed to be our motivation that makes us do something we know will hurt?  It would be so much easier just to sit on the couch and watch another movie.  After all, our grandparents and their parents, and so on throughout the ages, did not get caught up in the latest exercise fads.  Why should we exercise now? Well, frankly, our grandparents did not have to make a point of exercising.  It was a part of their daily lives: walking through their gardens weeding and hoeing and harvesting; washing laundry by hand and going out to the line to hang it up and back later to bring it in; washing down their walls and sweeping their floors, taking their rugs outside to beat them; and the generation before that would either walk or ride horses into town rather than sit in a car.  They would walk to their neighbors for a visit, which often included helping them with their chores.  Let's fac

Do you ever feel like you are just the wrong person - doing the wrong thing - at the wrong time?  I have recently found myself in this state of mind.  And when I go there, I bring others with me.  Not that they know it, but they are there in MY heart.  When I go to the place where I am down on myself, I also get down on those who are closest to me - my husband, my children, and sometimes even my friends and other family.  When I don't feel good enough, I don't see the loves of my life as good enough, either. Why do we go down these roads?  I believe we allow Satan to plant seeds of self-doubt.  At times I feel that I should not be a MOPS Field Leader (and before that a MOPS group leader) because I don't always have it all together.  I don't have all the answers, I sometimes yell at my children, I don't always get along with my husband, I get frustrated, and I sometimes let the housework go - for far too long.  Sometimes I feel like I should not be teaching my chil

If I were given a pop quiz on car maintenance, I think I would get most of the answers right.  Especially on true or false questions like the following. True/False:  It is important to check the oil before driving.   Yes, I think i would pass the quiz.  However, my problem comes in the practical application.  Did you know if you run out of oil that your car will overheat and after getting your car to the parking lot behind McDonald's you will be stranded with three children with nothing to do but to walk to McD's let them play in playhouse? Yes… It's true.  And of course you will have to call a friend to get the food out of your car because it is your turn to provide the main dish for a ministry in which you are involved.  Well, what could I do?  I could gripe and complain and be all down about it.  Or I could take the time in McD's to rest and read a good book that just happened to be in my purse (I had to take a child to a doctor's appointment earlie

low-fat loaded potato soup with grilled chicken salad I have heard different view on what people eat after gallbladder surgery.  According to my surgeon, I should avoid milk and fried foods for a couple of weeks, but other than to resume a normal diet.  However, I've heard of people who had to go on a liquid diet for a few days, others who needed a bland diet, and still others who were almost immediately able to eat spicy foods.  I also heard from people who have had no problems since surgery, and others who years later still cannot eat certain foods and have some GI problems.  What does this mean to me?  All this tells me is that everyone is different. For me, as long as I take an antacid in the morning and evening, I can eat most foods.  However, I am choosing to take this time to really adjust my diet (again), and hopefully this time for the long term.  I will say, though, that tea is the only drink I can keep down in the mornings now, and through the remainder of the

Well, after the first day of surgery, I felt great for a couple of days!  I didn't move much, but I was able to take care of myself and even put a simple meal on the table.  My husband took the girls to a horse show the day after surgery, and thankfully a friend came to take my son for a couple of hours.  I thought I could take care of him, but that was a little tougher than I'd expected. Six days post-op I went for my follow-up and was still feeling pretty okay, other than some cramping.  I told the doctor that I just wanted to sleep a lot, and she said that was normal.  She also reiterated that we can only hope that removing the gallbladder will resolve all the issues that I had been having… only time will tell.  The next day, though, was a tough one.  That night I had what felt and seemed like another one of my attacks.  I was shaky, vomiting, had chills, and was sweaty/clammy.  I just did not feel right at all.  I asked my husband to take me to the hospital, but h

Wednesday the doctor told me I needed to have my gallbladder removed. Thursday morning I had an appointment to consult with the surgeon.  Friday I had my gallbladder removed.  Wow!  This happened so fast - from diagnosis to surgery.   Today (Saturday) I am sore and tired (with those pain meds one moment I'll be talking to you and the next I'm asleep), but overall I feel really good. I would normally say that I wish someone had figured out it was my gallbladder six years ago when I first started having symptoms.  But I cannot say that.  God has truly blessed me with this experience in many ways. Now some people may say that six years ago when I had my first symptoms it probably was due to my endometriosis for which I had a hysterectomy four years ago.  I am not quite ready to jump on that bandwagon.  The symptoms I had prior to my hysterectomy were exactly the same as my symptoms after my hysterectomy.    At first when my symptoms resurfaced a year after my hysterectomy, I

Okay, so now I know what is the main culprit of all my problems... my gall bladder.  Evidently the symptoms do not always revolve around the area that needs attention.  Which is why so many doctors never really checked my gall bladder.  So... I will be visiting  surgeon tomorrow to go over the best course of action.  My doctor believes removing the gall bladder will relieve many if not all of my symptoms.  Who'd have thought that a bad gall bladder that stays too long could be responsible for joint pain? I did also have a shot of B-12 today, since apparently that was low.  Other than the B-12, all my blood work looked great, my heart is doing well at its job, and my arteries look like they should for my age.  Absolutely no signs in the blood work of lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Woo Hoo!!  Hopefully I will soon feel better than I have in years. I also learned a new word: cholecystitis.  This is a word that the monographer used.  I don't know why they couldn't just lea

Grilled chicken over whole wheat coucous with a lemon-basil cream sauce, grilled parmesan zucchini, and salad with homemade Catalina dressing...  So simple, and so good!!

Wow!  It has been over seven months since I have posted here.  I knew I had this account, and remembered that I had been tracking my diet here... but since I got discouraged and quit calculating my calories and documenting exercise (what's that?), I stayed away from my blog. Just the other day when I was updating another blog I manage (for my MOPS Area), I was once again thinking I should occasionally blog about my life.  So, since this is Musings from a Busy Mom, I guess I don't have to just blog about food and non-weight loss here! =)  So I am moving on with blogging with what I feel like, and when I feel like it (I am not a historian and I don't keep a diary, so don't expect something every day here!). So... moving on...  yucky medical diary below; read with caution... I am currently waiting on test results from my doctor.  My life has changed since moving to East Tennessee six years ago.  Some ways good, but when it comes to my health, things have not been goo