Account of the Week

10-22-2012

It's nap time. :) The kids are in bed...or at least confined in their tiny room. Bomani is fast asleep, but the girls are hanging out rather wildly in there. Since they all sleep on one twin bed foam mattress on the floor, they can race about in the room until they fall asleep. The girls often end up on the floor instead of the mattress. :)

This morning I decided to take the time out of my work when the kids need it. The result? Happy kids, happy mom, but lunch time and the kitchen is in utter chaos with salsa partially made and the kids' breakfast remains still on the table. Yes, lunch was made. Curry with rice and toppings, but unfortunately, I was feeling too pinchy to buy more curry powder when I ran out, so the two lbs of curry meat had about 1 tsp. of curry powder in it. :)

All that to say that...if I take the time out to look after the kids' needs, including training and discipline, I get very little otherwise accomplished. I forgot I had dresses in the washer. I forgot I was going to put another load of laundry through. But I spent time with Bomani before the girls woke up, hung out with them after they woke up, and tended to their runny noses, cries, and naughtiness the rest of the morning.

I know...a lot of you are saying, “yes—that's how life is!” But some days, for me, it's not. I put my house and my work first. I get lunch made, lacto-ferment my cucumbers, do my laundry, and have the dishes done by lunchtime. But the kids suffer.

Is there no perfect answer?

No. :)

Okay, got that off my heart. :)

Last week...let's see, what was last week like? Oh yes—most of the week I felt so far behind in everything that I thought maybe I was ahead. (lame joke) I was utterly exhausted. I stopped taking tonic because I was tired of it and we were running out. I made more, but it takes two weeks to completely become the end product. By Friday, I was so tired it felt like my neck would not hold my head up anymore. Alisha came to my rescue by putting away an amazing amount of work for that afternoon. Friday evening was the ladies prayer partner banquet, something I look forward to all year. It's always so beautiful, it simply feeds my soul. But I was so tired, and I wore such high heels, that I could hardly wait for it to end so that I could go home, take tonic, and go to bed. My throat hurt. I knew I was getting sick.

I left early, took tonic, and went to bed. After a long, good night of sleep, I woke up tired. I woke up sick. I rested a lot that day. And every hour or two, I took the dreaded tonic, even though it wasn't fully fermented. By the next morning, I was 70% better, and by Sunday evening, I felt very good. Today I am fine! This—by the way—is another advertisement for the Flu Buster Tonic I am so happy with. Yes, it's so awful to take that I nearly gag. Yes, my tongue is sore from the large concentration of hot pepper, combined with vinegar. But I can tell you in all honesty, that when I have that feeling—the achy throat, achy skin, and achy bones—I know I'm getting sick—really sick. For days. And maybe after a week I'll be recovering.

But it didn't happen. I fought these virus' for about two weeks. But I did not get sick—no more than Saturday. One day. And even then, it was only the introduction to the virus. The tonic beat it. I am so grateful. I deeply dread every winter in America...but to have something that makes this much of a difference...I'm thrilled.

Well, I just heard Daisy hum her tune that means she is going to sleep. :) It's the same tune every time. So I'm going to sleep too. :)

Lata.

10-23

The wild part of the morning is over. :) Or I should say, this is the part between the two wild parts. In other words, the girls are sleeping. :) They are so busy. My house is constantly in a state of chaos. But right now, the downstairs is cleaned up, the dishes are washed, and the lunch is chopped and ready to stir-fry. And I can relax...

Highlights of the week:

When Daisy “shook” her finger at me and said “no”!

Hazel now says “thank you” nearly every time you give her something, or when she gives you something.

Bomani, last night as we were doing our “before sleep reading”, looking at a book Craig has from the library on barefoot running. He looked at the man on the cover, and said, “Ouch. 'ticker.” (sticker)

The girls getting up from their night, all sleepy-eyed, staggering around, with their hair flying all over. Hazel usually brings her blanket to me for a cuddle. Daisy starts right out on her own to find something to do.

There are a few snippets. :) These kids can fight! Yesterday Daisy was chasing Bomani with a spoon, hitting him. It looked so funny, I was dying with laughter while Craig was catching her. Daisy has this habit right now of bopping the others on the head. Yesterday they were outside and I heard her crying. This time it was Hazel, returning the favor! This is what it feels like, girl. :) I try to let them work things out on their own sometimes. But you can't always do that. :)

Lata!