...and goodbye 29!

Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm gonna be...gulp....30. I've been dreading this day all year. I thought this holiday season would be hard. I'm famous for my "After Christmas Depression" that I sink into every year on Christmas day. But this year...it wasn't so bad. Praise Jesus!

I'm still kind of dreading my birthday, though. I don't like attention and I'm not crazy about getting older. Wow. How "Bella" of me. :)

Despite all that, I'm more than ready to kick 29 out the window. This has been a hard year. Lots of crap went down. Maybe 30's the magic number- it seems so grownup, doesn't it? Maybe I'll gain some maturity tomorrow.

So....goodbye 29!

Oh! Christmas Tree!

I just couldn't let the Christmas season end without posting about our Christmas tree.

Its Christmas night, and the Smith family has only had a Christmas tree for two weeks. For as long as I can remember, we've always put up a tree over Thanksgiving weekend. But this year, we've been super crazy busy. Two Saturdays ago, Shaun was invited to a birthday party and Chris and Jordan were looking for something to do. I suggested that the two of them take a trip to the tree farm to purchase our tree. Which they did. They even sent me this text message of Jordan in front of the tree that he picked out himself:


They chopped down the tree, strapped it to the top of our Jeep, and headed back into town to pick Shaun and myself up from the party. We drove home. That's when The Hubs forgot that the tree was still on top of our vehicle. And he drove said vehicle into our car port.

Thunk. Thunk. Bang.

Chris: "Oh man. I can't believe I just did that."

And then he backed the Jeep out of from under the car port. Because he had to, I guess.

Bang. Thunk. Thunk.

My family and I watch in horror as several tree branches slide down the Jeep's windshield. We get out to survey the damage to our Christmas tree and this is what we see:


Yep. That's our Christmas tree up there. With a big hole chopped into it. Chris and I look at each other and laugh. He offers to go buy another tree and I tell him that this one is fine...we can just put the "holey" side against the wall. And that's just what we did. We prepare to decorate and discover that we can't find any of our lights from last year. The boys pile into the car to go buy more lights.

Let's rewind back to last Christmas for just a moment. That was the year that we splurged and purchased all new matching Christmas tree ornaments in black and gold. The new ornaments coupled with clear Christmas tree lights made for one beautiful tree that was quite classy as well. Since we had used clear lights last year, I assumed that my boys would buy clear lights again this year. You know...because the clear lights went so well with all of our black and gold ornaments. But, Jordan wanted to pick out the lights. And since he had picked out the tree, Chris agreed to let this happen. And that's why they came home with multi-colored lights. Multi-colored lights that clash horribly with all of our beautiful black and gold ornaments.

What else could we do? We decorated the tree and I just had to laugh. There it was...with a huge hole in the back, fancy black and gold ornaments, multi-colored lights, and of course my hand painted upside down ornament.


Oh! Christmas Tree!

Riding on Cars While Waiting on Shaun

Last night, we were at church a looong time. Because its Christmas and Shaun is in our church's Christmas production. And a rehearsal was held last night. And Chris was needed to work on a video. So we went as a family and hung out at church on a Friday night. It wasn't as bad as it sounds! In fact, as you can see, Jordan had quite the good time playing with his friend Madison. Mostly, they played with a car. Or maybe on a car is more accurate.

These two are too cute...and rambunctious...for words!

Random Midnight Rants Regarding My Mood Swings

Mood. Swings. I'm experiencing them big time. I'm up, I'm down. I'm here, I'm there. Exactly like what Ben accuses Andi of in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Except that I'm not acting this way on purpose as a way to get my man to dump me.

I know its most likely hormones. Or my adrenal gland's lack of ability to even out my moods and keep me from behaving like a crazy person.

But I'm tired. My personalities are many and its exhausting trying to keep up with them. Ha ha! At least I can still laugh about it. One more week and I go back to the doctor for my test results. One. More. Week.

I really thought I wanted to blog about this, but now I'm already tired of it. See? Did you see my mood just change?

My biggest fear at the moment: she'll say there's nothing wrong with me. Nothing to fix. That this is just me... the way I am. Ugh. I hope not. I think if that's the case, I'll definitely be looking into some anti-psychotic drugs. Just kidding. Kind of.

If I Believed in Karma...

I went out Saturday night to help my sweet friend Kendra celebrate her birthday. We ate:

Yes. I know. This is the worst-quality picture...EVER. But its the only one I've got!

and then went to paint pottery. I had my doubts about this activity, since I'm neither an artist nor creative (my coloring sheets always look as if Jordan did them instead of me) but decided to be a good sport. After all, it was for Kendra!

So there we were. Painting pottery. Here's a shot of the birthday girl herself and our friend Natasha, working on their fabulous creations.


They were really quite good at it!

I was not. It turns out that my handwriting is even more horrible when I paint than when I try to write with a pen or pencil. My Christmas ornament looked as if a five year old had painted it. When I pointed this fact out to my friends, my sweet friend Kendra burst into laughter. And then she reached for my ornament and pointed out that I had painted it upside down. Yes. "2010" is upside down on my ornament. Here it is:


Isn't that hilarious...and kind of sad at the same time? Everyone thought it was sooo funny. And Kendra laughed the hardest. So I didn't feel extremely sympathetic when she accidentally did this to her own ornament:


See those smudges on her beautiful ornament? Ha ha. Bwahahaha! I laughed the hardest at that! Of course, she was able to fix it. My ornament, on the other hand, was a lost cause. So I just turned it in at the counter to be glazed. And yes, I'm going to hang it on our tree when I pick it up. How could I not?

What a fun night. My stomach is still aching from all the laughter!

On what I'm thankful for

As promised, here is my deep and sentimental Thanksgiving post.

1. I'm thankful for my children. In light of recent events, I realize that I take them for granted. Sometimes I get so caught up in doing "my things" that I make them feel as if they're in the way, or a bother. Not true at all. I'm so thankful for Shaun's strong will and Jordan's tenacious spirit. I'm thankful that they're compassionate and that they love the Lord. I'm thankful for Shaun's salvation and I'm thanking God in advance for Jordan's...even though it hasn't happened yet.

2. I'm thankful for my husband. Yes, we really get under each others' skin sometimes...but I've realized you can't argue so passionately without being in love. I'm thankful he still loves me, no matter what I look like. I'm thankful he forgives me when I say hormonal things. I'm thankful that he loves Jesus and is using his talents to glorify Him. I'm thankful that he is setting a Godly example for our boys.

3. I'm thankful for my family. My parents- who raised me to love Jesus and taught me to put the needs of others before the needs of myself. I'm thankful for a father who will pray and pray for his grandson's health until he gets a miracle. I'm thankful for a mother who is always there for me, no matter how badly I mess up. I'm thankful for my grandparents. For my Mamaw up in Heaven- that she taught me how to pray and how to show mercy to others. I'm thankful that I can honestly say that she was one of my best friends. I'm thankful that my children had the honor of knowing her. I'm thankful for my Granny and my Pawpaw, who are still with us on Earth. I'm thankful that I was always able to sit with them during church. I'm thankful for the way they love me and take care of me even now that I'm all grown up. I'm thankful that they taught me the importance of hard work and the value of laughter. I'm thankful for my sister, who is also my best friend. I love that we can look at each other sometimes and just know what the other one's thinking. I'm thankful for the times she's let me cry on her shoulder, telling me that everything was going to be okay. I'm thankful for all of our inside jokes and that we can hang out forever and still have fun. I'm thankful for all of my cousins and my aunts. Even though we don't see each other as much as we used to, we're still closer than most families are. I'm thankful for the way we forgive each other and keep on loving. I'm thankful for the way we come together and support each other when something goes wrong.

4. I'm thankful for my church. For a pastor who preaches God's word in black and white...and who doesn't worry about offending his congregation while doing so. For a ministry team who visited me and prayed over me when I was sick in the hospital. I'm thankful that I'm surrounded by fellow worshipers who aren't afraid to dance around a little, cry, and raise their hands. I'm thankful that I've been taught the importance of prayer and fasting--and to expect miracles when doing so. I'm thankful to belong to a church in which its common to witness people praying for each other in the hallway...in empty classrooms...in the restrooms...in the elevator...basically, wherever a person can find a quiet place. I'm thankful that my four year old is learning so much about the Bible. I'm thankful that he is being taught scriptures and can quote them at any given time. I'm thankful that, the other day as we were walking to our car, Jordan looked up at me and said "You know what Mom? I can always count on God". I'm thankful that I've witnessed both of my boys become totally lost and unaware of their surroundings during worship time. I'm thankful for a wonderful children's ministry that teaches our oldest son not only about the Bible, but about the importance of a relationship with God. And I'm thankful that Chris and myself are able to be a part of this ministry.

5. I'm thankful for my friends. My church friends, who know when I need prayer without even having to ask. My homeschooling mom friends, who have become kindred spirits to me. I'm thankful for their constant love and support. I'm thankful that I can be having a bad day, call one of them up, and know that she understands what I'm going through. I'm thankful that most of these conversations end in prayer. I'm thankful for these moms and their familes who have become like second families to my family. I'm thankful for friends who know when I'm depressed and decide to invite me over for a Greek Salad dinner...because its my favorite. I'm thankful that our husbands let us have Thursday nights to hang out together, and I'm thankful for the laughter and the conversations we share.
I'm thankful that when a tragedy occurs, or even simply a sickness or a health issue, we come together and do what we can to whoever's hurting....and we all know the others would do the same for us.
I'm thankful for friends who've seen me at my absolute best and my absolute worst- and who still like me anyway. I'm thankful for my Twilight friends and the fun we have together. I'm thankful that we can laugh about how odd it is that we're still friends after all these years, but never get together unless we're doing something Twilight related. I'm thankful for all of the silly fun we have. I'm thankful for my small group friends. I'm thankful that we're all so different but have come to realize that many of our problems are the same. I'm thankful that we pray for each other and laugh together. I'm thankful for our leader, who is not afraid to call us out when we're wrong.

6. I'm thankful for my salvation and that I know I'm going to be in Jesus' arms one day. I'm so thankful that He really knows the thoughts and desires of my heart...the good and the bad...and He chose me anyway. I'm thankful I'm forgiven. And I'm thankful for God's unconditional grace when I mess up.

7. I'm thankful for all the "material" things. I'm thankful I have nice clothes to wear. A car to drive. A house to live in. I'm thankful for my books, my bed, and my children's toys. I'm thankful that even if we don't necessarily have everything we want, there has never been a time when we didn't have what we need.

And many, many more. I'm blessed beyond words.

On how I'm proud of my boys

My family lost a good friend this week.

Gabe Jeffries- you are already missed! My family loved you. I loved your smile and your ever-positive attitude. My children were always so excited to see you EVERYWHERE...in the parking lot at church playing "light saber" with your parking stick, at Stevie B's, and even at Zaxby's. Chris loved it when you popped in on his guitar lessons, just to say hi. I loved that you were so kind to me during my little emotional meltdown in the park. Yesterday Shaun commented that he was sure you are now in Heaven...he could tell just by being around you. I totally agree.

-------------------------------------------

I've been so proud of my children this week. For their compassion towards their friends. For wanting to pray. For not being ashamed to cry. Even Jordan, at 4 years old has amazed me. I was reluctant to bring him on our visit to the Jeffries' house yesterday. Mainly because he can be so blunt...which can be perceived as unkind or callous. I just didn't want him saying things about Gabe's death that would upset the other children. What I witnessed was him offering to share his light saber with his friend and whispering "I'm sorry about your brother" as he passed it off. Of course I cried a little, because that's what I do lately. :)

Shaun spent a good deal of time during our visit sitting beside his friend Max on a recliner, just listening to him talk about the accident. I can really tell my boy's growing up. He just listened, which I hope was helpful to his friend. Shaun mentioned to me on the ride over that he was afraid to see his friends because maybe they were crying, or maybe he would say the wrong thing to them. I told him to pray...and that God would give him the words to say and the actions to do. Whatever he prayed, God definitely heard him, because I couldn't have asked for more in his behavior.

Thank you God, for giving my children a compassionate spirit.

And it just keeps getting sadder.

My good friend Rebecca's elsdest son, Gabe, was killed in a car accident this afternoon. Please pray for her and the rest of her precious family.

Once again, no words.

Its s sad day.

A few weeks ago I requested prayer for my "baby" cousin Alex and her unborn baby, Emory. Sadly, Emory passed away yesterday just minutes after his birth. My heart is breaking for Alex and her mother, who are currently at a hospital in Dallas, TX. They travelled there in hopes that Emory would be able to undergo surgery on his little heart. I think they will remain in Dallas until Friday, until Emory can be cremated and brought back home to Georgia. Please lift this family up in prayer. I cannot begin to imagine going through something like this at only sixteen years old.

Despite everything, I still believe that my God has plans to make good out of everything His children endure.

No other words right now. Just praying for peace and comfort for my family.

Why I feel like poo.

I haven't been feeling well lately. Again. In fact, I haven't felt good since the whole Meningitis episode back in July. I finally took the advice of two of my friends and saw a new doctor this week. Dr French. I chose her because she uses a blend of traditional and homeopathic medicine....my kind of girl! We talked...and talked and talked about how I was feeling:

Irritability? Check!


Insomnia? Check!

Mood swings (despite the use of anti-depressants)? Check!


Fatique? Check!


Difficulty losing weight? Check!


Irregular/difficult periods? Check!


Body aches and pains? Check!


Hair loss? Check!


Anxiety? Check!


Feelings of depression (once again...despite the use of antidepressants)? Check!


Check! Check! Check!

Seriously. I "checked" every single one of the symptoms that Dr French threw out at me. Then she asked me questions about my life. I told her about my children and their special issues. About the homeschooling. About my marriage and what all Chris and I have overcome in the past. After the entire gory story of my life was out on the table, Dr French asked if I'd experienced any illnesses over the past year.

Well, yes. I had bacterial meningitis over the summer.

Dr French leans over her desk with the look in her eye. The look of pity. The look I've learned to deal with after seeing it multiple times a day when I was sick last summer. I winced while I waited for the "oooh, you poor thing" that everyone usually says.

But. Dr French makes eye-contact with me and begins educating me on the adrenal gland. About how when life's little stressers pop up, my adrenal gland should be releasing something...maybe cortisol?...to help me cope. And apparrentally it hasn't been doing its job.

Dr French's more simple explanation was, "Your adrenal gland has died. But it can be revived with hormones."

At this point, I had a question: "Will my hair grow back?" This may seem shallow, but I'm really depressed about how thin my hair has become. It used to be so thick it would take hours to dry. Now I can dry it in about 10 minutes. A few years ago, I had to use 2 ponytail scrunchies just to reign it all in. Now, I can hold all of my hair back with a single bobby pin. People are starting to notice, which bothers me a little. I guess with my thin hair, pale complexion, dark circles under my eyes, and general worn out appearence, I just look like someone who's sick. And I hate that. But it is what it is, and it can be fixed. At least its not permenant.

So, Dr French and I made a plan. Next week I go back for bloodwork and to drop off the kit containing my saliva test. Which is as gross as it sounds- trust me. Then, I'll wait 3 weeks for the results to come back. When they're back, I'll schedule an examination and appointment to go over the results of the tests, and to discuss which hormones I may need to fix the problems. These hormones, which are naturally derived from a yam, are said to work wonders on people with symptoms like mine. I guess you could say that I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm desperate to feel like ME again. I'm turning 30 next month...I don't want to do that feeling like an old granny!

So there you have it. Why I've been feeling like poo. Why I've been sleeping late, crying, watching my hair fall out by the handfulls, aching, and freaking out over the tiniest little things.

That stinkin' adrenal gland. I'm trying to remember who's really in controll here. And I'm praying for a complete healing.

A light-hearted, shallow Thanksgiving post...

...which will be followed at some point by a sentimental, deep Thanksgiving post. But tonight, I feel like being a little silly.

So, I'm thankful for:

...NetFlix. Because it keeps me company when I can't sleep.

...my iPhone. Because it introduced me to Words with Friends. And it allows me to snap cute photos all day long, even though the quality's not great.

...Facebook. Because it gives me a glimpse of the "outside" when I'm inside the house teaching my children.

...The Office. Because nothing makes me laugh harder late at night than Michael Scott.

...my Thursday night clique. Because I've never belonged to a clique before and it makes me feel so special.

...feta cheese. Because its just so darned good...and it only has 1 carb per serving.

...Twilight. Because its brought me so much mindless happiness over the past year.

...the person who invented text messaging. Because text messaging has eliminated hours and hours of mind-numbing small talk from my life.

...Call of Duty. Because it occupies my Hubs for so many hours, which gives me some free time.

...Wal-Mart. Because its open 24 hours. This enables me to meet interesting people while grocery shopping at midnight.

...homeschooling. Because it allows me to sleep intil 9:00 am most mornings.

...Teen Mom. Because Catelyn, Maci, Amber, and Farrah make me feel so mature.

And many, many more. But I have to stop now, because I can hear Jordan and he's supossed to be asleep...and even though I'm mildly annoyed right now, I'm so, SO thankful my children have the ability to get in and out of bed by themselves. :)

Overwhelmed

I think we all (everyone who comes into contact with me on a daily basis) know that I'm a little emotional here lately. Maybe its a hormone problem. Maybe I need some vitamins. Who knows. I'm weepy and moody. And no, I'm NOT pregnant. I'm going to a new doctor soon to get it all straigtened out. But in the meantime, I feel like an absolute basket case.

Last week, I had a mini breakdown. At the park. Out in public. In front of my children. And the friends of my children. And the mom of the friends of my children. Thank goodness said mom is a good friend of mine. Otherwise, the situation would have been extremely awkward. Bwahahaha!

Anyway, while I was a blubbering, tearful mess, I tried to explain to my friend exactly how I felt about Shaun and all of his "issues". I think my exact words were:

"...its like a cycle. Most of the time I can handle things and they don't bother me. But sometimes its just....just...."

And then my sweet friend piped in with:

"...overwhelming?"

Yes. YES! Exactly. Sometimes...not all the time...but sometimes....I'm just plain overwhelmed. With everything. Not only by my children, but by everything. I'm coming out of a really tough week. I've had to confront people. Which I really, really do NOT like to do. We've had some financial...surprises. Not the good kind! I don't feel good. And my hair's falling out. Pretty depressing stuff. I guess I'm in a funk

We sang a song at church last Wednesday night about praising God even when things are tough. How praise will confuse the enemy. So that's what I'm trying to do- praising and praying that tomorrow and the coming week are better.

And starting tomorrow, I'm definitely going to follow the good example of some of my bloggy friends and post some "thankful" blogs. Promise. ")

On when I had the Wierdest Dream Ever

I had a *crazy* dream the other night. Actually, it occurred sometime between 5:30 and 8:00 am. And I want to remember it, so I'm writing it down here. Enjoy!

My sister and I needed a haircut. She had found a flier advertising $20 haircuts....at some fancy schmancy salon that we could never, ever afford to go to, unless we had a coupon or something like that. This flier stated that "new clients only" could receive a $60 haircut for only $20. Awesome. But, the only problem was that I knew we wouldn't be considered "new clients" because we had visited this particular salon before, when they were having "new talent" haircuts for cheap. (Which we really did, back in March. Creepy!)

I tried to explain this to my dear sister, but she wouldn't listen. So off we went. For some reason, she had to stop at a lawyers office on the way. So we stopped. In real life, the building for her lawyer's office is a car repair shop about five minutes from my house. In my dream, it still looked like the car repair shop, but inside were lawyers just working away. And there just happened to be a cheap hair salon adjoining the office. It was kinda like Great Clips, but it was called "Cheap Clips".

While she was discussing unknown matters with her lawyer, I waited in the waiting room, where I struck up a conversation with the receptionist. By this time in my dream, the lawyers office had turned into my doctors office. Anyway, I was telling the receptionist about our hair appointment. She told me that this flier was a fraud, and that she had tried to go to the same salon for a $20 haircut and it wound up costing her a fortune because of the "hidden costs". Ha ha! So, I walked through the sliding glass door into the "Cheap Clips" to make a hair appointment that I could afford! I wrote my name in the registration book and the only stylist there said it would be a few minutes. So I waited. (By the way, the inside of Cheap Clips looked exactly like the inside of the car repair shop, except for one of those hair cutting chairs.)

I had been waiting a few minutes when I noticed my sister driving away in her car, leaving me behind. I ran outside and caught up with her, using my super-fast running skills. I tried to explain to her once again about the fraudy hair salon flier, but she wouldn't listen. Again. We drove to the salon, where they wouldn't even see us because we weren't "new clients". Ugh.

Back to the car we went, and determined to get a haircut, we drove back to "Cheap Clips", where I received a tongue-lashing for not keeping my earlier appointment. The woman stylist from earlier in the dream disappeared and my hair was cut by a man. A very nice man who also cut my sister's hair. During the middle of my haircut, my friend Cynthia came into the Cheap Clips. She was wearing the exact same "TEAM EDWARD" shirt that I was wearing. I leapt from my chair and we had a frenzied conversation about how we each didn't know that the other was a Twilight fan and what a big coincidence it was and how she needed to come to my house for my Eclipse viewing party. (Which I am really having!) Then she left and I continued on with my haircut.

After our cuts, when we were back in the car, my sister starts showing me photos on her phone of me getting my hair cut....by Steve Carell. I began to freak out, exclaiming that I didn't even realize it was Steve Carell who was cutting my hair. I went on and on about how nice he was and what a great job he was did, and of course I updated my Facebook status with "...just had my hair cut by Steve Carell!". I call my dad to tell him and he asks "Has he told Hollywood yet that he's leaving to be a hair dresser at Cheap Clips?"

And that's all I remember. I quite enjoyed that dream! But I'm thinking that maybe I'm watching too many of "The Office" reruns on NetFlix before bed.

Please Pray!

I have a prayer request today. Please pray hard for my cousin Alex and her unborn baby, Emory. Emory has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. As of right now, Alex is in the hospital where Emory can be monitored. They are waiting for amnio results, which should be back either tonight or tomorrow. From what I understand, the amnio is checking for genetic abnormalities. If no abnormalities are found, Alex and Emory could be eligible for an experimental surgery in Boston to repair Emory's heart valves in utero. Because this procedure is experimental, the doctors are picky about their patients, so they may decide not to take this case, even with positive amnio results. If the amnio tests postive for genetic abnormalities, I think the doctors will continue to monitor mom and baby until birth. The doctors are not giving the family very positive outlooks.

There are so many opportunities for miracles here! Please join me in praying for Emory's complete and total healing.

Hats and comments regarding said hats

Last night was declared "Mom's Nite Out" by my friend Elissa and myself. We need moments away from our precious families from time to time...so that we'll still love them the next day. I can't speak for Elissa, but the every day stressors
that occuur in my household definitely leave me ready for a break. Awhile ago, my wonderful Hubs began to realize that I needed a break as well. So we declared Thursday nights to be "Mom's Night". On Thursdays, I can do whatever I want. Within reason, of course.

I really, really appreciate the Hubs giving me this time every week, which is just for me. Sometimes I grocery shop. Sometimes I sit at Panara Bread with a good book and a Greek Salad. Sometimes I shop for the kids. Sometimes I shop for me! Sometimes I bring a friend, and sometimes I go it alone.

This week, since the Hubs had to work on (GASP) Thursday,
Elissa and I made plans for Saturday evening. My parents took the children to a fair and Halloween costume hunting, which meant that Hubs was able to have some alone time with Call of Duty on XBOX Live. As you can imagine, everyone involved was pleased as punch with these arrangements.

So off I drove to meet Elissa. I was running late, and she was awesome enough to put our name down at the restaurant, which was super-crowded. And, as luck would have it, her pager started singing right when I walked through the door. Is that Devine or what?

We ate. And laughed. And laughed. And ate. And laughed and laughed some more. To-go boxes were needed, which was fine with us. We skipped out and I rode along with Elissa in her husband's BMW...right across the street to Michael's. A craft store that has just opened.

I realize that some of you are laughing right now at the very idea of me walking willingly into a craft store. I am not crafty, I don't sew, I don't knit, and I don't scrapbook. But. Someone....who is not me and who's name begins with the letter E convinced me that I could begin making my own jewelry. She was very convincing, this friend of mine, and I left the store with supplies to make a necklace and a pair of earrings. I kinda sorta made the necklace last night. I wore it to church today. I received several complements and one sweet lady asked if I'd bought it at Wal-Mart. So maybe I need to "embellish" it a little.

Anyway, we became very silly in the craft store, amusing a fellow shopper and several employees before we left and headed to ....Marshalls! Elissa was looking for comforters for her soon-to-be-5-year-old-twins. Which she didn't find. I was looking for some crazy-good deals on some shirts or shoes. Which I didn't find.

What we did find was...Hats. And we had such fun with those hats. Even though they were impractical. And made our heads look long. We were so silly trying on these hats. And then, when Elissa posted the pictures to FaceBook, even sillier are the comments that were made. I'll list some here:

‎

A silly hat,
A silly hat,
I wear it on my head because that's where it's at
I know it looks as funny as can be!

...If someone saw my silly hat,
they'd think it was the funniest thing they'd seen!

I love you ladies...and your hats. :D

P.S. We neeeeed another girl's night soon; it has almost been a month!

--Elia

"heeheeeheee... this one makes me smile... and laugh! It's so deceiving... she looks so sweet and innocent here."

---Kendra


"I know, right, ?"

---Elissa

"I just love how my stomach makes that black hat look sooooo small!"

---Erin


"We moms wear many hats."

---Elissa

How profound. I couldn't agree more. I couldn't love this picture any more, either!

Jordan being Michael Jordan

Jordan has a new favorite movie. "Space Jam". Starring Michael Jordan and all of the Warner Brother's cartoon characters. We found an old VHS copy of this movie awhile back, and Jordan loves it. He watches it at least once every few days.

After church last week, Jordan had a chance to show off his skills on the court. I told him he was doing a great job with the basketball and he informed me that he was Michael Jordan. And then he showed me his stuff:








Love him!

On how my routine's out the window.

Tuesdays. I used to love 'em. We had a routine, the kids and I. And if you know me, you know how I love a good daily routine. Until last week, our Tuesday routine was as follows:

Wake up. Do some school. Grab a quick lunch (usually gluten-free mac and cheese with peas and carrots- a favorite with my boys). Jump in the car for Shaun's physical therapy appointment. Then, it was on to Monkey Joe's for Free Tuesdays. That's right. Free admittance. For us, that's almost a savings of twenty bucks. We'd meet up with some friends and the children would jump themselves silly while the moms talked until 4:30. That's when we'd head over to Stevie B's for pizza. Because on Tuesdays at Stevie B's, kids eat for one dollar. That's a crazy-good deal. So, we'd eat, the kids would play, and us moms would talk (some more) for another few hours. Afterwards, we'd head home, get baths, and the kids would be so worn out they'd go to bed early. What a great day! Here's a few pictures from past Tuesdays:

Shaun flirting with a MJ employee.


Most of the "regulars".




Two Tuesdays ago, we went to Monkey Joe's as usual. I signed the kids in and they took off. The teenaged employee put my wristband on and then said, " That'll be six dollars". Huh? I informed him that this was Tuesday, and admittance was free! Then he informed me that admittance was now three dollars on Tuesdays. Well. I decided that I could deal with spending six dollars, especially since my kids were already jumping! We continued on with our Tuesday as usual.

Last week when I signed in the kids at MJ's, the same teenaged employee hits me with "That's seventeen dollars and ninety-eight cents". I think I actually gasped a little and sputtered "Are you charging full price on Tuesdays now??". It seems that yes, Monkey Joe's has done away with Free and/or Reduced Tuesdays. Talk about disappointment! I was able to somehow talk the staff into letting us in for three bucks, same as the week before. But I don't think I can do it again. Which means that our Tuesday Routine is out the window. Because I will NOT pay almost 20 bucks for my children to jump on inflatables. I refuse. Its ridiculous!

So now our Tuesdays have changed. I assume I'll actually be making dinner in my own kitchen, since I can't really imagine us waiting around Gainesville for 2 and a half hours on one dollar pizza. What will I do with all of the extra time I'll have on Tuesday evenings? Maybe I'll get some cleaning done. And my Jeep needs a good washing. I'm also behind on the laundry. Somehow, none of this sounds as fun as all the conversations my friends and I had around the Stevie B's table...

Oh, Tuesdays! You were nice while you lasted!

Detour

The boys and I had a field trip planned for today. We were scheduled to visit Burt's Pumpkin Farm with our homeschool group. On the way to Dawsonville, it began to rain. Some phone calls were made it was decided to try to reschedule our trip, rather than clomp around in all the mud and dirt while looking for pumpkins with our kids. NOT that clomping around in the rain and mud isn't fun, but we decided to reschedule it anyway.

I thought fast. I didn't want to just take the boys home and do regular schoolwork today. They were expecting a field trip! But it was raining outside, so that made educational nature hikes in the mountains impossible. Then, I remembered Dahlonega, this cute little historical gold mining town which lies inbetween our house and Burt's Pumpkin Farm. So, we made a detour. We made it to Dahlonega and even found a wonderful parking space in the rain...God was smiling down on us!

We decided to visit the Historic Gold Museum and Court House. I remember going there on a field trip as a kid, and it was lots of fun. We were able to take the guided tour with a group of 35 7th graders from Atlanta. I was a little worried, as my boys can me a wee bit much for some people to handle, but both of sons behaved like perfect gentlemen. I was proud! Jordan even sat, still and quiet, during a 17 minute educational video on gold mining in Dahlonega.

Jordan thought the whole experience was "good", but Shaun was really into it. He listened intently to all of the speeches and had a good time seeing all of the exibits. On the way back out to the car he was so excited that he told me all he had learned:

"Did you know that the chairs we sat in were over 100 years old?"

"Did you know it took three weeks for the men to get back to Georgia with those coins? These days, its only a three day drive".

"Did you know that Benjamin Franklin...um...I mean Benjamin Parks was the first one to find gold in Georgia? He was hunting deer and he tripped on a yellow rock."

And on and on. I loved it! I love that he's interested in history. After the tour, I let the kids pick a treat from the gift shop. A vile of gold for Shaun (4 bucks) and a small bag of rocks-er-I mean stones(!) for Jordan (3 bucks).

We finished our trip with lunch at Chick fil a.

Here are some pictures from our day. Shot from my iphone, so the quality is bad. :)


Shaun with a mining tool. Not sure what its called.


Sitting on the 174 year old chairs.

The view from the top of the courthouse.

I can never get a good picture of Jordan on my phone...he's just too fast.


I bribed him with this bag of rocks if he sat quietly through the movie.

Shaun and his vial of gold.



Lunch at Chick fil a. My favorite picture from our day.

It was such a good day. So relaxed. I haven't really enjoyed spending the day like that with my boys in a long, long time. The only downside of the trip is that Shaun now has "Gold Fever". I see a trip to the Consolidated Gold Mines in our near future.

Firsts

There's only one word to describe my family's life lately. Busy. We've been so busy. We're finally back in the swing of things with school. The kids have started attending a co-op. Chris has been working tons and tons of overtime. Etc, etc, etc. Its been awhile since I've posted anything, and a lot of "firsts" have happened since last time:

1. Jordan's first bike ride. While at my mom's for a visit, my babe taught himself how to ride a bike sans training wheels. I was pretty amazed. He's now a pro.

2. Shaun's first sleep-over. Shaun spent the night with a friend. This is the first time he's ever been away overnight, aside from spending the night with family. I was a bit of a nervous wreck, but things went just fine. When I left him, he had tears in his eyes, so I fully expected a phone call from my friend Rebecca at 2:00 am. But things went just fine. Shaun and his friends actually were sound asleep by 8:00- they had played hard outside all day long. When I picked him up the next day, Shaun asked why I was there- apparently he wanted to stay longer. He's growing up.

3. My first meal at Red Robin. While Shaun was "spending the night", I was having a mom's night. At Red Robin. Oh my. Delicious isn't the word. I'm hooked. I want to go back. I had this monster burger topped with avocado dip and feta cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

4. Chris' first Dad's Night Out. I've been having a lot of "me time" lately, and I guess Chris was jealous. At any rate, he informed me that he was going out to a movie with a friend from work. Since I'm such a good wife, I had no problem with this. And I didn't laugh at all when Chris' friend would up having to work late, forcing my Hubs to see a movie by himself. Hee hee!

5. Jordan's first self-inflicted hair cut. Jordan's co-op teacher came up to me in the hallway at church and exclaimed, "That baby of yours! I looked at him and he was leaned over the table chopping his hair off..and hiding it in his pencil box". I went into Jordan's classroom to survey the damage and found a huge chunk cut into his bangs and the hair on the back of his head. When I asked why in the world he would do such a thing, Jordan informed me that he needed a haircut. Sigh.

Passion

I realized today that, somewhere in the last few months, I've lost my passion. My focus hasn't been where it should be: on Jesus. Always straight on Jesus. This was in no way intentional. Life got in the way, I guess. I was sick for awhile and recovering was trickier than I thought it would be. Then it was *technically* time for school to start. I considered my current situation...headaches, lack of energy, drug-induced confusion and clumsiness...and Chris and I made the decision that school for our family would begin in September instead of August. And then we hit our knees and gave thanks to God for the benefits of homeschooling.

In September we hit the books hard and heavy. The kids were (and still are) learning lots and actually enjoying it enough to not cry about it too much. :) We had a schedule that gave us Fridays off, since we school year-round. Everybody loves this! We began attending a homeschooling co-op at church on Thursdays, which we all really enjoy. Everything was great. But it was also a lot of hard work. Getting lesson plans ready. Planning field trips and library visits. Shaun joined a dance team and is also taking karate again. Routines to learn! Oh! The nursing home ministry that our family is blessed to be a part of...together. We love it! But its also work...songs to choose and rehearse (along with rehearsing for the other 2 routines from other activities). Chris' guitar lessons and band rehearsals. Homework for School of Discipleship and keeping up with the reading for my small group.

I began to get really good at juggling everything! I was doing all of the above and still managing to keep the house decently clean, which is a major, major big deal for me. I was even on a Bible reading plan to read the New Testament in 30 days. But... I was on auto-pilot. Literally. Doing things without really doing them, if that makes any sense. Praying without thinking, reading without comprehending. Auto pilot.

Then, last night, my Hubs had the opportunity to lead worship for our church's middle school ministry. I had never attended one of these services and didn't really know what to expect, as this is a fairly new ministry at our church. I'm so glad that God orchestrated the events of our lives to allow me to be there last night. The message was about Jesus, and how He not only died for us, but because of us. Because of me. He knew each and every sin I would ever commit, and He died for me anyway. Of course, I technically knew this already, but lets just say that it had been quite a while since I had really meditated on it. Towards the end of the sermon, the pastor showed clips of The Passion of the Christ. I hadn't seen that movie in so long. While watching, I became overcome with gratitude for my Savior. And I wasn't the only one. The alter was full of middle school students making commitments to Jesus. It was a great night.

I left church last night with the correct perspective on life once again. And its so nice. Life has a way of taking my "best", and its so easy to lose focus on the important things. I've committed, once again, to not become so busy and wrapped up in my family that I lose sight of my Jesus. My Passion. I'm so grateful that He gives us second (third, fourth, fifth...) chances.

Ambien

I came here tonight so that I could post about our crazy busy weekend full of "firsts"...but the Ambien has shown itself and there's no telling what I'd type. So I'd better go to sleep instead. :)

Jordan's First Big Service

This morning at church, Jordan couldn't decide which classroom he wanted to be in. There are two choices for the four year olds at the 9:00 am service, and Jordan just could not choose between the Leopard class and the Tiger class.

So, I had an idea.

"Say, Jordan. Would you like to come upstairs to church with me?"

He looked at me and whispered, "To the big service?"

I told him sure, but explained that he must be quiet and remain in his seat the whole time. No funny business. He agreed, and off we went.

We sat waaaay up in the balcony, so we could make a quick getaway if the need arose. But, to my surprise, no getaway was needed. Shortly after the service began, an older couple came and sat right beside us. The woman looked at Jordan and then asked if we were visitors. I assured her that no, we were not visitors. She then went on to make sure I knew that there was "Sunday School" downstairs for the kids. Again, I assured her that I knew the routine. She "reminded" me of this fact several times. Apparrently she really thought Jordan belonged down there!

I guess my boy's growing up. Sometimes I forget that he's almost five years old. Anyway, he was really, really well-behaved. He sat in his own seat for most of the service, and then moved to my lap. The only issue was during the invitation song. Everyone stood up, and Jordan tried to stand in his seat. When he did this, his little feet slipped though the opening in the theater seats and were stuck there for a few minutes. He was able to get himself out quietly, though. And then it was over.

I hope he comes with me again next week!

Monkey Joe's Head

This is by far one of the funniest things to happen to me all year.

So, Monkey Joe's is having free admission again. My kids love MJ's. And so do I. I love that I can sit and talk with my mom-friends and my children can run, jump, and play themselves silly. Which is what we were all doing when two of my friend's children came running up to us with Monkey Joe's head. You know, the big fake purple monkey head that the poor MJ employee has to wear (along with the rest of the costume) at birthday parties. We all gasped and my friend Rebecca said to her children, "Where in the world did you get that??" .

To which they replied:

"Shaun's little brother and his friend who looks like him went into the room that says 'Stop! Employees Only'. The next thing I knew, he was running around with this on his head. So I grabbed it."

Oh my. Well. Rebecca was able to heave a sigh of relief, since her children weren't involved in this scheme. She instructed her kids to take Monkey Joe's head to the snack bar and give it to the employees who were working back there. The worker man then gave us a funny look, grabbed his keys, and ran to the back of the building--to lock all of the doors. I looked at my friends and wondered aloud why those doors weren't locked in the first place. But I guess that wasn't really the point...

I went to find Jordan. He saw me coming and jumped into my arms saying, "Did you see me? I put Monkey Joe's head on!"

In between the bursts of giggles that I just could not hold in, I told him that he wasn't ever, EVER to go into those rooms again. And he agreed.

What a day. What a day. I laughed out loud again just thinking about it.

Crabs

We ate at Red Lobster this weekend. Twice. Friday night was my 11th wedding anniversary. The Hubs and I knew we wouldn't be able to find a sitter and we had some Red Lobster gift cards, so we made plans to go with the children. Not exactly my idea of a romantic anniversary date, but we decided to make the best of it. Friday also happened to be my mother's birthday. While at her house that afternoon, she asked if Chris and I wanted to go out to dinner with her and my dad. Along with my sister and her family of 6. Of course we agreed. And, to our surprise, we had a really nice time. The kids were well-behaved. The adults were even able to sit at a table by ourselves. My parents decided to treat us to dinner, so at the end of the night we still had our gift cards. When the kids heard this, they had a simple solution: to just go to Red Lobster again the next night. Which we did!

This time around, it was just the four of us. When we asked the kids what they wanted, Shaun replied "Crab legs!". And we let him order just that...even though his kiddie crab legs meal cost the same as my popcorn shrimp meal. Needless to say, the crab legs were a huge hit. Here's a photo of Shaun getting ready to dig in. Pardon the quality...my cell-phone doesn't produce top-notch quality photos.




When the waiter brought Shaun his plate, Jordan cried out "EW! Don't eat that!"...but Shaun ignored him and chowed down. Turns out, he LOVES crab legs. I'm afraid we've created a monster, because he now says crab legs are his favorite food.

After all of the meat was consumed, the real fun began, as you can see here:





Jordan became quite fascinated by this...claw? Pincher? Whatever its called, he loved it. He took it home, slept with it, and has played with it all day long today.

Its been a good weekend!

Just another loss of control...

Things have been a little "out of control" in the life of my family lately. I guess it started when I was sick and then spiraled from there. Since I've been back home, things have NOT returned to normal. Even though I'm doing much, much better, I still don't have all of my energy back. I'm still tired, probably because I lost so much sleep a few weeks ago. My head's still bothering me, but I can handle the pain now. The kids are....crazy. All they want to do is fight with swords, jump, and turn flips. I've been trying to slowly introduce school back into they're lives while managing everything around the house, but I'm not having much luck. Out of control!

My sister and her family are moving, so she needs my help watching her children while she packs and cleans. I love that I'm able to help her...she was an absolute God-send while I was out of commission. She's always been there for me, and its nice that I'm able to help her out now. But, its difficult to get anything accomplished when even more hyper children are added to the chaos! I am determined...determined to get started with our school year on Monday. Today's Saturday, so that gives me one more day.... hmm. Maybe I should wait until after labor day. Or not. We really need to get started. But I'm just not ready yet. Our school room looks more like a toy store. I still need to go through the many, many different curriculum options that I have here in the house and finally decide what I'm going to use. But before I do all that, the rest of the house is an absolute mess. Which must be cleaned up. The most frustrating thing about this mess, is that the mess accumulated in about 3 hours while I was out of the house yesterday. Thanks to the three males who were left here unattended. Out of control!

On top of everything else, I dropped off the children's old clothing at my first ever consignment sale yesterday. I'm pretty sure it will be my last...it was just too stressful. All of the clothes laying around the house for weeks while I printed out tags, organized, and washed them so they'd be ready. Me, telling the kids to please not mess up the small piles of pants and shirts strewn all over the living room floor. My husband getting frustrated because his computer room floor was also completely covered in clothing, save a small trail that led from the doorway to the computer dest. And let's not forget the drama that insued the night before the sale, when our printer wouldn't work to print the tags...and the many holes I poked in my fingers trying to safety-pin the tags onto the clothing. And the night of absolutely no sleep that i endured trying to finally get everything ready. Out of control!

But, as always, we were able to get it all done. My sister and I went to the church to drop everything off. I brought out a cart to pile everything on, so it that we would only have to make one trip. I parked the cart behind my Jeep, and started filling it with shirts. I looked up to ask my sister a question, and the next thing I knew, the cart...along with my clothes....was rolling away down the sloped road heading straight for a mini-van that was pulling into the parking lot. Thankfully, there was no collision, and the cart came to a stop safely at the bottom of the hill. As I stood there watching the whole scene, I couldn't help but laugh. Hard. That cart careening down the hill just reminded me so much of my life at the moment...out of control...that I just laughed and laughed. I laughed so hard that I was barely able to walk down the hill to rescue it. Of course, my sister laughed too. Because this incident went along perfectly with the rest of our day...nothing else had gone as we had planned!

This whole situation reminded me that even though things are hectic, hairy, and out of control right now, they will get better. Like that silly run-away cart, we will one day soon be resting safely, finally able to breathe. One day, my life will probably be so predictable and boring that I won't know what to do with myself. Until then, with help from my Jesus, will continue to take whatever life dishes out as it comes. No matter how out of control things may seem. And I'll do it laughing the entire time!

Patty

Today's been a hard day. Especially for Shaun.

This morning, the boys and I had plans to head to Wal-Mart with my sister. I was waiting for her to arrive to pick us up, when I heard an awful howling noise from outside. It was so loud and agonizing that I was sure a coyote had attacked an animal in the woods behind our house or something. Then my phone rang.

"Erin. I just ran over Patty", my sister whispered to me.

I jumped up from my chair, thinking "Oh my gosh, I can't believe our little dog made that horrible, loud noise". Thankfully, Shaun and Jordan were absorbed in their video game and didn't hear a thing. I walked out onto our car port and there was our little Patty...hobbling around, pulling herself with her front legs. Looking up at us with such sad eyes.

My sister had tears in her own eyes as she apologized profusely and begged me not to tell my boys that she was the one who did this to their dog. We decided to take her to the vet. I went inside and told Shaun and Jordan that Patty was hurt and needed to go to the doctor. We put her in a crate off we went.

When we arrived at the vet's office, we were ushered to an exam room...me, Shaun and Jordan, and my sister and two of her children. The doctor came in and took Patty to a back room to examine her. When she came back in, she informed me that something was definitely broken but x-rays were needed to see how severe the injuries were. She brought out a price list that totaled more than $600.

In a panic, I whispered how much we would need to pay today. I told her that I didn't have an extra $100, let alone $600. I talked to the office manager and we were working out a payment plan. Then, this sweet woman asked if she could talk to me in the hallway, away from the children. Once we were alone, she looked me in the eye and asked me if I was willing to pay that much money for a dog we had only had for a few months. She went on to say that the $600 was just a minimum of treatment costs...the total bill was likely to be closer to $1300. And, she went on-- it was likely that Patty would have to be put down anyway.

She proceeded to talk with me through my tears, suggesting that we may want to consider just having Patty put to sleep. I went outside to call Chris, who of course, left the decision up to me. While I was on the phone with him, a "God Thing" occurred.

The vet and nurse came outside onto the porch. They told me that, while Patty was in the treatment room, one of the technicians working on her had become attached. And...get this...this sweet woman became aware of our financial situation and offered to adopt our dog- and pay for all of her medical expenses. Wow. At first I was a little taken-aback. But then, when I considered it, it made the perfect solution. But- I still had to run it past Shaun. I brought him outside and told him what was going on. A heart-breaking conversation. He cried and cried. And so did I. But, proving once again that he is indeed growing up, he agreed to let the technician take his dog...as long as he could meet her first.

We went back inside and met with Bar. One of the sweetest, most compassionate people I've ever met. She was so good with Shaun, explaining that she lived on a huge farm and had a retired husband and several other dogs for Patty to play with. Plus, she worked at the vet's office, so all of Patty's injuries would be taken care of. She passed the test with Shaun, and we left the vet's office minus our little dog.

Jordan still doesn't understand what's going on. Shaun's still sad. So are Chris and I. I told Shaun that once our hearts don't hurt quite so badly anymore, we'll go to the Humane Society and pick out a different dog. He said he didn't think he'd be ready anytime soon. :(

So, that's been our day. My eyes are gritty from tears and my neck is tense from the stress. But even so, I've been amazed once again at how God takes care of us and provides us with everything we need.

Yes, today was definitely a "God Thing" day.

Prayer Requests and Praises

Readers, please remember my friend Rebecca and her family in your prayers tomorrow. This wonderful woman of God, along with her husband, answered God's call and obtained legal guardianship over 10 siblings a few years ago. In reality, they rescued these precious children-from preschool ages to 21- from their biological parents and the conditions in which they were being raised. Rebecca and her family will be going to court tomorrow to find out if they will be able to legally adopt these children or if the children will return to their biological parents.

I know for a fact that all children are thriving under Rebecca's care- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Please, please begin to pray for the wisdom of the courts, for the children, for the biological parents and for Rebecca and her husband.

Now, I have a praise! When I woke up this morning...okay, it was technically, this afternoon...my headache was gone! For the firs time in a month, I did NOT have a headache! This was huge! I called Chris to tell him the news. He replied with "That's great! I'm glad you feel good today". What he really meant was "Oh thank you, sweet Jesus, I won't have to take the kids to church by myself anymore!"

I remained headache-free until around 9:00. Now, its back, but I feel better since my "break" today. I feel as if I'm finally seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. Praise God!

Now, that's love!

Corn Nuts. They've become my favorite snack over the last few months. Specifically, ranch flavored Corn Nuts. They're delicious. They are to me, at least. I've learned that not too many other people like them. But to me, there's nothing better. For a snack, that is. Even though I know they're terrible for me. I can only pronounce 2 of the ingredients listed on the label...corn and corn oil. I have to hide them from the boys because no way are they eating them!

A few days ago, on the way home from Wal-Mart, I noticed that the Jeep had less than a quarter tank of gas. I asked Chris if he was going to stop to fill up. He said no, that he'd just do it on the way to work the next day. I told him that if he stopped, I'd like to run inside and get a pack of Corn Nuts for later. He just looked at me and said that the kids were tired and we needed to get home. And I said okay.

The next night, I was home alone with the kids. Chris was out listening to band practice. Potential recording business, you know. I noticed that we needed a few groceries, so I sent him a text asking him to pick them up. Ground beef, organic ketchup, green beans, and carrotts- for those who are interested. He sent a text back from the grocer store asking if I needed anything else. Of course I replied back with "Corn Nuts".

He called from the car on the way home with the news that Kroger doesn't carry Corn Nuts and that he had also went to 3 different gas stations trying to find them- with no luck. I thanked him for his effort.

Today, The Hubs came home from work with these:

Oh yeah! When he bought gas today, he also bought every pack of ranch flavored Corn Nuts in the store. Was that sweet or what? Now, that's love!

Speaking of the man I married, he just left for church with the children. I'm supposed to be sleeping, seeing as how I've been awake almost continually for 48 hours. To say that I'm having trouble sleeping would be an understatement. I literally have been staying awake all night long. Not intentionally. It just happens. To say that I'm tired would also be an understatement. So, I guess I should stop blogging and catch some zzzz's. Chris' plan is for me to fall asleep around 5 and sleep through the night. I have strict instructions to not, under any circumstances, turn on Net Flix. He says he won't wake me...or let the boys wake me....if I'm sleeping when they get home. I think he's really, REALLY ready for me to be all well again!

Alright. I'm gonna try to sleep now. G'night!

Routine

I've been dealing with insomnia for a few months now. I just can't seem to fall asleep at night. So, I've developed a little routine to pass the hours.

10:30. Go to bed with the hubs. Talk, cuddle, etc. He falls asleep. I close my eyes and try to follow his example. But instead I toss. I turn. I use the restroom. Stare at the ceiling. Listen to the crickets outside. Get a drink of water. Use the restroom again. Lay down and repeat. Turn on bedside lamp and read my Bible. Lay down and toss some more.

11:30. When my sister's husband worked night shift, I used to call her at this time and we'd talk for hours. Now her husband has a regular job and she needs to spend time with him at night. So instead, I go upstairs and Facebook for awhile. Or blog. Or watch episodes of Friends or Gilmore Girls on Fancast.

12:30. Use restroom again. Go back to bed. Repeat the whole toss/turn/listen to cricket routine.

1:00. Read by lamplight again.

1:30. Head to the living room and fire up the XBox360. The Hubs recently hooked our Netflix account up through the gaming system so that we can watch movies online instead of waiting for the DVDs to be mailed. I watch a few episodes of The Office, one episode of Law and Order SVU, and then one more episode of The Office.

3:00. Use the restroom and head back to the bedroom. Lay down. Roll around some more. Sigh and get up again.

3:30. Read some more.

4:00. Finally decide that I'm sleepy and collapse into bed, exhausted.

My nightime routine. Its not really as bad as it sounds. I'm a homeschooling mom, remember? Which means I can sleep in until 9. 5 hours of sleep used to be plenty. But now its starting to get to me. I'm tired all the time, which isn't helping my headaches, I know. The fact that I'm having trouble sleeping is funny, actually, when you consider all of the pain medicine I'm taking for my head right now. And they all say "MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS" on the label.

Chris is getting frustrated. Which frustrates me. Its not like I want to be skulking around the house all night instead of sleeping.

I've made a doctors appointment for next week. I hope she can fix me! I'm even ready to try sleep-aides at this point.

I just glanced at the clock. It's 11:32 pm. Which means I'm right on schedule!