I was reading my friend Cedar's blog this morning and she's inspired a train of thought for the morning. I recently turned 42 and my children range from 16 to 9. I look at these three wonderful humans and think, "They can't possibly be mine! I'm too YOUNG to have teens!" There are days when I feel like I'm 16 again...and days when I feel 96! Most days, though, it's more like 16; I keep waiting for my 'parents' to come home! As I hugged my youngest son good bye this morning, I noticed that he is indeed finally taller than I am - I stand 5'9 in my bare feet; he had sneakers on and I think he had a solid 2" on me! This baby was born nine weeks premature weighing only 4 lb 8 oz. I worried about him throughout my pregnancy and for months after his birth. He literally slept on my chest until he was five months old because I feared he would someone not live through the nights unless he was near me. He's now 14 and a handsome, strapping, young man, about to embark on his own life adventure. My oldest son is even taller - between the two of them I feel almost like a sapling between the redwoods. It's funny but sad at the same time - my babies are growing up and soon will fly out of the nest and start their own lives. That day will arrive all too soon and I wish I could put life on pause for a little bit and cherish the time I have now with these wonderful young people.
I spent 90% of their growing up as a stay at home mom. I returned to the workforce when my youngest child (my daughter) started kindergarten. I still work part time but also attend school full time. I spend the majority of my free time with my kids and am still very much an active participant in their lives. Much to their dismay, I still keep tabs on their whereabouts and know almost before they do, what they're doing! :)
My youngest 'baby' is also approach that time when hugging her ends up being a tear fest as I can't believe how tall she's getting and how mature she's turning. While she's only nine and still playing dolls, it's hard to think that in just nine short years, she'll be graduating high school and starting her adventure. We spend more time together since we are girls and like doing girly things together. She has had more of me these past nine years than her brothers did. I find myself sharing recipes (such as Cedar's ground beef stroganoff which is DELICIOUS!), teaching her how to do laundry, and helping her with homework. Of course I also do this with my boys - we call them LIFE LESSONS - but for some reason I spend more time sharing with her.
Life is a blur. Don't blink or you'll miss it!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Here We Go Again!
It's back to school here after a week-long vacation. The boys left grumbling and my daughter is just about ready to pop out the door. She's the only one excited about going back to school! She's cleaning out her backpack now and most of the papers can head right to the trash because they're from last week!
She and I spent four days in the mountains with our friends. They have four children and my daughter loves spending time with them. I like the adult friendships there and the kids all get along well. We get to share the excitement of loose teeth, a baby's rolling over and quite possibly a first word. It's a pleasant weekend even with five kids and four adults in the house! Cedar is a great cook and has shared many of her recipes with me. Tonight it's potato soup! It's sooo good! I also have a quart sized jar of honey made from Sandy's bees. I look forward to spreading that on some bisquits later (if I have time to make some!). Phil has shared some very cool balloon ideas that I'm going to definately try! I have homework to finish first - just a couple of little things to put the finishing touches on and then submit. One is a case study on a 72 year old woman and where she stands with her disability. Interesting enough. There's yet another A&P test tomorrow night - I think we're being tested to DEATH in this class!! I've studied but I'll put more time in tonight on the stuff. It's just lab material so it shouldn't be all that tough. I just have to remember how to type blood and do hematocrit testing.
I don't look forward to going outside today...it's below zero out and I'm cold just thinking about going outside! My feet are cold sitting here at the computer I think the door is leaking cold air. Looking out the door, it's looking like a very nice day - cold, but clear. No real clouds, the sky is a very pale blue. With it this cold, it's hard to think about putting up a garden this year. I'm thinking of snow or snap peas, beans, tomatoes, and maybe some squash. I have an 8' raised bed outside and I could easily build another one. I'll need a truckload of loam (it's all sand out there!) and some kind of drainage. Last garden, I had just put down some peastone for a shed foundation but I could scrape some from the pile that is left. Hmm, I think there's strawberries in the raised bed out there now - I'll have to see.
Time to get ready for work myself. It's just another day here in cold New Enland. If you don't like the weather, wait a minute - it'll change!
She and I spent four days in the mountains with our friends. They have four children and my daughter loves spending time with them. I like the adult friendships there and the kids all get along well. We get to share the excitement of loose teeth, a baby's rolling over and quite possibly a first word. It's a pleasant weekend even with five kids and four adults in the house! Cedar is a great cook and has shared many of her recipes with me. Tonight it's potato soup! It's sooo good! I also have a quart sized jar of honey made from Sandy's bees. I look forward to spreading that on some bisquits later (if I have time to make some!). Phil has shared some very cool balloon ideas that I'm going to definately try! I have homework to finish first - just a couple of little things to put the finishing touches on and then submit. One is a case study on a 72 year old woman and where she stands with her disability. Interesting enough. There's yet another A&P test tomorrow night - I think we're being tested to DEATH in this class!! I've studied but I'll put more time in tonight on the stuff. It's just lab material so it shouldn't be all that tough. I just have to remember how to type blood and do hematocrit testing.
I don't look forward to going outside today...it's below zero out and I'm cold just thinking about going outside! My feet are cold sitting here at the computer I think the door is leaking cold air. Looking out the door, it's looking like a very nice day - cold, but clear. No real clouds, the sky is a very pale blue. With it this cold, it's hard to think about putting up a garden this year. I'm thinking of snow or snap peas, beans, tomatoes, and maybe some squash. I have an 8' raised bed outside and I could easily build another one. I'll need a truckload of loam (it's all sand out there!) and some kind of drainage. Last garden, I had just put down some peastone for a shed foundation but I could scrape some from the pile that is left. Hmm, I think there's strawberries in the raised bed out there now - I'll have to see.
Time to get ready for work myself. It's just another day here in cold New Enland. If you don't like the weather, wait a minute - it'll change!
Monday, February 20, 2006
OH MY Aching EVERYTHING!
I've just spent the better part of two days working on flooring at my friend Wanda's house. What a chore! We did the bathroom floor on Sunday - has anyone ever moved an old fashioned steam radiator? The SOB was H-E-A-V-Y! I pride myself on being strong but this sucker just would not budge for me. We finally got the flooring down amid complaints from kids needing to pee, people wanting to shower, a cat needing a moment of privacy. My biggest thing was don't get the FLOOR WET YET!!
With Monday being a holiday we had yet another day to work on the kitchen floor. Now there's some interesting work! We had to cut out a piece of plywood and replace a piece that had rotted underneath the linoleum flooring that was down. Interesting ... that's all I'm going about that! Circular saws are NOT my favorite things to work with but I was getting pretty darned good by about noontime!!
We finally finished about 8pm (only took us just under twelve hours to do the entire kitchen!) It looks awesome! I had only one thing to say - the first person that scratches the floor has to replace it!!! I came up with the idea to put old socks on the legs of the tables and chairs until we can get those fuzzy things to go on the bottoms. It worked pretty well if I do say so myself! Once and a while I have a good idea - they don't happen often but boy when I do get a good idea - it's a doozy!!
Well now that my entire body aches, I'm off to study for yet ANOTHER A&P lab quiz Tuesday night. It's on sea urchins - pretty interesting stuff.
With Monday being a holiday we had yet another day to work on the kitchen floor. Now there's some interesting work! We had to cut out a piece of plywood and replace a piece that had rotted underneath the linoleum flooring that was down. Interesting ... that's all I'm going about that! Circular saws are NOT my favorite things to work with but I was getting pretty darned good by about noontime!!
We finally finished about 8pm (only took us just under twelve hours to do the entire kitchen!) It looks awesome! I had only one thing to say - the first person that scratches the floor has to replace it!!! I came up with the idea to put old socks on the legs of the tables and chairs until we can get those fuzzy things to go on the bottoms. It worked pretty well if I do say so myself! Once and a while I have a good idea - they don't happen often but boy when I do get a good idea - it's a doozy!!
Well now that my entire body aches, I'm off to study for yet ANOTHER A&P lab quiz Tuesday night. It's on sea urchins - pretty interesting stuff.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Time Slips Away
When life is busy, time has a way of slipping away. I haven't had a moment to write since my last post because I have been busy as a one armed paper hanger... School is in full swing - trying to coordinate assignment due dates has been one of the biggest hurdles I have had to face since starting back to school last April (05). I have a good course load this semester - Anatomy & Physiology II, Abnormal Psych, Health and Disability of the Elderly and Spanish for the Medical Professional. All of these courses are geared toward finally helping me get into and finish nursing school. Unfortunately I missed the deadline this year because my A&P I grade was only 70 and 78 is necessary to even apply. SO - we wait until next January. In the meantime, I'm still plugging along - taking whatever I can to finish my course work as well as take care of the prereqs needed for nursing.
I have made a few trips north to visit my friends - they have been such great friends that I wonder if I have been as good a friend to them as they have been to me. I just pray that I have been. Next week, I'm taking my daughter with me to spend four days in the mountains. We have such a good time visiting it's like a mini vacation for all of us! Even though I bring work, I find that I get it done so that I can enjoy my visit with them and get my work done! Sometimes Cedar helps with the math portion of my work; I can count on Phil to help me with the sociological aspect of things (he's got a great knack for making me stop to smell the coffee and relax); Sandy has been a fountain of knowledge in the medical field as well as other fields I'm exploring. I don't know what type of nursing I want to do yet but it's nice to have people that will let me bounce ideas off of them. It's amazing all the help I've gotten so far. I am so blessed to have awesome friends!
While I have awesome friends, I also have awesome kids! My kids have encouraged me all along this path towards nursing school - they've made me sandwiches while I study, graciously stopped playing the heavy metal so I can concentrate on the circulatory system, and have offered back and neck rubs as I sit hunched over my textbooks. What more could a gal want? They are the reason I decided to go back at my age (42 now). I want them to know that learning is a lifelong process, not something that only lasts 12 years or so. The day you stop learning is the day you start watching the grass grow from the wrong side!
I have made a few trips north to visit my friends - they have been such great friends that I wonder if I have been as good a friend to them as they have been to me. I just pray that I have been. Next week, I'm taking my daughter with me to spend four days in the mountains. We have such a good time visiting it's like a mini vacation for all of us! Even though I bring work, I find that I get it done so that I can enjoy my visit with them and get my work done! Sometimes Cedar helps with the math portion of my work; I can count on Phil to help me with the sociological aspect of things (he's got a great knack for making me stop to smell the coffee and relax); Sandy has been a fountain of knowledge in the medical field as well as other fields I'm exploring. I don't know what type of nursing I want to do yet but it's nice to have people that will let me bounce ideas off of them. It's amazing all the help I've gotten so far. I am so blessed to have awesome friends!
While I have awesome friends, I also have awesome kids! My kids have encouraged me all along this path towards nursing school - they've made me sandwiches while I study, graciously stopped playing the heavy metal so I can concentrate on the circulatory system, and have offered back and neck rubs as I sit hunched over my textbooks. What more could a gal want? They are the reason I decided to go back at my age (42 now). I want them to know that learning is a lifelong process, not something that only lasts 12 years or so. The day you stop learning is the day you start watching the grass grow from the wrong side!
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