Introvert or What?

The other day a sweet, newer friend of mine invited me to coffee with some other moms.  And I wanted to go, but something held me back.

Help me out here . . . does anyone else ever feel this way?

I don't know what the hesitation is, but my thoughts usually go something like this . . .

I'd like to go out, but there's that downstairs closet that needs cleaning out.  And I really need to finish one of those paintings.  I promised Giggles I'd sew her teddy bear back together.  It's been ages since I scrubbed the bathtub.   Lesson plans need to be worked on.  Blah, blah, blah. 

Getting out of the house is vital when you're a stay-at-home mom!  Why in the world do I resist it?  I often think of those poor wives who moved west with their husband to settle.  Can you imagine day after day; no phone, no next-door neighbors, no internet.  Oh, yeah, and no town.  I'm thinking it may have been kind of difficult. 

It's like there's a weight of responsibility bearing down on me.  I don't feel like I deserve a break, and to be totally honest, I really don't feel like it's the right thing to do.  Yes, getting out makes you a better wife and mom.  Yes, it's healthy.  And yes, everyone deserves a chance for some relaxing, agenda-free girl time.  I get it in my head, but it's a process to start living it.  Again, can anyone relate?

Special Person of the Day

I knew I'd get behind on this. 
Didn't think it'd happen two weeks after I started it.  ;)

Well.  A special little girl turned NINE last week and this is for her. 

This is the girl that makes my bed and cleans the kitchen without being asked.  She made beautiful earrings for me with beads and paperclips for Christmas this year.  She loves to toss the football with her daddy and go to the library with me.  If Ethan and I had tried to dream up the perfect big sister for our other kids, we wouldn't have been able to imagine such a great girl.  Love you lots, Spunky!

(hanging with her baby sis!)

Bubba's Reign of Terror

As I write this I'm sitting outside my son's room, listening to him scream.  I normally would be doing last-minute house tidying and preparing dinner, but this has been a difficult day.  It's the third day like this and I think I'm about to lose it.  I am so incredibly thankful for a husband who is easygoing about dinner being ready. 

It seems like a wise idea to document this for when we see the specialist.  The last two days have convinced me that he needs something to change, although I'm at a loss for what that could be.  Here's what's going on:

His manic stage:  Ethan and I refer to this when we see behavior that looks as if he's just eaten a barrel of sugar.  What does it look like?  Racing through the house.  Pulling books out of bookcases.  Dumping toy containers.  Pulling dishes from the cupboard and throwing them. Opening the puppy's kennel to let him out.  Laughing hysterically.  Flushing things down the toilet that don't belong there.  Turning on water faucets and leaving the room.  Throwing random things (even large furniture) down the stairs.  Going through folded laundry and scattering it.

Screaming:  Self-explanatory.  :)  I guess I should say that screaming sessions can last for an hour.

Less sleep:  This is interesting because autistic children usually have sleeping problems anyway.  But up to this point I've been able to at least lay him down in his bed and he will stay fairly quiet while the other children are sleeping or resting.  During nap I try to get some time away to just be alone for a bit.  Wednesday, yesterday, and today he was so loud in his room he woke his baby sister.  He was pounding the walls and slamming his door. 

Ok, so as I was writing this it occured to me that people who don't know our other kids may assume that we just allow this behavior, or maybe with Bubba we allow it because he's autistic.  SO not true.  He does have consequences for his behavior, however, he doesn't react the way other children do.  It's hard to describe unless you've seen it first-hand.  I've been bitten, slapped, and hit by flying objects numerous times while disciplining him. When he's in the manic mode he will laugh hysterically no matter what you do.   It's just a constant, constant struggle. 

Aaaahhh, that's good to at least write about this.  Please pray for us as we try to find a solution for these behaviors.

A New Room for Spunky!

My dear sweet girl is NINE years old today!  We sent her off last night and hurried to get her new room in shape.  Here are the before pictures of Calico's nursery . . .

And here are the after pictures . . .

These aren't the best pictures because I took them with my phone.  I forgot to get the complete picture of the canopy, but we just took some tulle and pinned it to the ceiling.  I'm thrilled with the finished room, but more importantly, so is our girl!

New Artwork

I don't know why I just don't paint all of the time.  I mean, it makes me happy and sometimes people buy the completed projects, so why not?  But I think all creative people get in a rut once in a while, right? 

Anyhow, some of the latest projects.  I would love to have more scripture around my home, so I decided to start putting it into the paintings.  This one is for sale, but in the meantime it's fun to have on the wall!

The following picture is for a VERY special upcoming project.  Little Miss Spunky is turning nine years old this Wednesday and she's getting a big surprise.  Her baby sister is almost two, so we're going to redecorate the baby's room and give it to her sister!  Spunky has never had her own room and she has shown a lot of responsibility in the past year.  The best part of this is that she has no idea what's coming.  She's going to play at a friend's house Tuesday night while we scramble to move furniture, hang curtains, etc.  Her favorite colors are turquoise and lime, so that will set the tone for the rest of the room. 

She has no particular interest in peacocks, but it was different and fun.  I can't wait to post pictures of the completed room!

The Veritas Conflict

Claire Rivers finds an acceptance letter to Harvard in her mailbox and begins a journey that is divinely appointed.  There's an unseen battle raging at the prestigious university for the hearts and minds of the students.  And it's a lot bigger than it first appears.  It's not just an attack on Harvard's Christian heritage, but a plan for societal corruption. 

This book was kind of awesome.  I highly recommend it.  If you need a good reminder of how important prayer is, this is the book to read!

New Year, New Bible Reading Plan

I have to share a link to a Bible reading plan that Ethan and I have been following for then last week.  It's really different from any I've followed before, but I like the variety.  We've found that it takes us about 30 - 45 minutes in the morning to complete.  (Well worth the lost sleep time, by the way!)  I don't know about any of you, but I am a complete mess when I neglect my time with my Father.  He is so good!

Here's the link:

http://www.sohmer.net/media/professor_grant_horners_bible_reading_system.pdf

A Different Approach

Next week our life will be getting a little bit busier as we start up with our homeschooling co-op again.  It will be a big change for me as I'm going to be teaching a dance class for the co-op.  The girls are all between the ages of 7 and 11.   I am super excited. 

This is going to be a unique class.  The director of the co-op gave me an update to the class list last week, and there are two sisters who have no arms.  Yes, that's right.  In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have imagined this.  I think it will be a good challenge for me, to be more creative with the choreography.  And I think it will be good for the other girls in the class.  Prayers for our group are appreciated!

Decorating with Christmas Gifts

Thought I'd share a picture of a quilt that was given to us this Christmas.  At first I really wasn't sure about it, but I think when it's filled with pictures it will be fun.  Finally . . . our walls are getting covered!  ;)