Daybook: Quiet in the Heart of my Home
/Outside my window::
::it's Saturday morning around dawn as I begin this entry. The rain has stopped at last but it's still gray and very damp.
I am listening to::
::quiet. No one is awake yet. I force myself to get out of bed earlier and earlier because I so need the quiet. I've been especially noise-sensitive lately.
I am wearing ::
::A pink fleece bathrobe with satin trim that reminds me of a comfort blanket I had as a child, and a pair of pink fleece slippers. These were my finds at Costco this week. Go! You know you want them, too:-)
To be Fit and Happy::
:: Dear Lord, please grant me one week between now and Christmas when no one is sick. Please? Please?
I am thankful for::
::a fabulous new math tutor who understands our particular brand of dyscalcula and assorted other learning disabilities. I can't tell you how many sleepless nights I've spent trying to figure out how to do what she does so very well. "Thankful" doesn't even begin to capture it.
I am pondering ::
::The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Ecclesiastes 9:17 (not that my children are fools or anything;-)
I am reading ::
From the kitchen::
:: I'm trying to heed Ann's advice and incorporate orange veggies into at least a meal a day. Favorites here are butternut squash risotto and this curried soup. Morning fare is carrots juice blended with an orange and frozen peaches. I'm looking forward to trying Tracy's pasta. And then there are the ubiquitous pumpkin muffins...
I'm thinking::
::I was much more active before I had big kids to do so much of my lifting and carrying for me.
::a recipe scrapbook with Mary Beth. This resource is so beautiful it deserves its own post. Maybe this week?
On my iPod::
::Free Angelus Christmas MP3. Enter code 212. Exquisite.
Towards a real eduction::
::We have several narration projects to bring to completion this week before we diverge from the regularly scheduled curriculum to the advent-infused curriculum.
::I wonder if the Kindle's text-to-speech feature would bless reluctant readers and dyslexics. If you have firsthand experience with the voice, please send me an email. I don't think they'd like stilted computer-sounding voices...
Towards rhythm and beauty::
::It's interesting; at the beginning of every sports season and every school term, I sit with iCal and fiddle for hours to make it all fit. In some instances--like the carpool scheduling and such--it's very, very necessary. Getting five different kids four different places in the middle of a major traffic hub requires precision. In other cases--like the school planning--I don't even look at iCal again until the next planning period. I plan to make sure that there is theoretically enough time to do it all, but I rarely stick to anything but the most basic skeleton of a plan.
To Live the Liturgy::
::We'll review the mustard seed and the precious pearl in the atrium this week and then synthesize the Kingdom Parables--all in anticipation of advent.
I am hoping and praying::
::more prayers of thanksgiving. Suddenly, I can see God's hand in so many places.
::for healing in my friend Molly's household where H1N1 has landed her infant daughter in the hospital and her others home sick without mom. Please pray for them! (And an interesting note: our hospital is allowing absolutely NO visitors. Molly can't even leave to meet me in the cafeteria. Things are even tighter in the Birthing Inn. I'm grateful that Sarah's saga was last year and not this flu season. I can't imagine how difficult these restrictions are on mamas, babies, and families. Lord, bless them with grace and strength!)
In the Garden::
::roses still blooming. Every year, we hope for that December rose...
Around the House::
::some things are just maintenance things, you know? I never cross them off the to-do list. I finally have a new laundry rhythm. It's so simple that I wonder at my previous struggle. Three loads a day, folded on the dining room table, sorted into baskets according to gender and put away by the oldest child of each gender and me before dinner. Every. single. day.
On Keeping Home::
::we have chosen the wood for the floors and now we're just waiting for delivery. I can hardly wait for the wonderful transformation my house is about to undergo.I keep walking around with the sample in my hand, imagining, imagining, imagining...
One of my favorite things::
::morning. Really. I love morning. I love the quiet. I get up very, very early in order to indulge in morning quiet. The perfect morning proceeds exactly in this order:
- morning offering while still in bed,
- up and into a warm bathrobe,
- cup of tea,
- Bible, prayer journal, spiritual book--QUIET TIME
- computer for calendar/email check
- time to blog
- children awake
- breakfast for kids
- wake Mike with breakfast in bed
Less-than-perfect mornings: #1 while scooping up the baby so she doesn't wake Mike, then directly to a very abbreviated #4 while hiding in the bathroom and quickly on to #8 & #9--a totally non-negotiable scramble, no pun intended.
Sarah Anne this week::
::Still not crawling, but she has decided that if absolutely necessary she will sit on her bottom and scoot very slowly across the room. She has a new tooth on top, bringing the grand total to 3. In other news, she's not been able to wean off the inhaled steroids that we began again in early September. Poor little love, breathing just doesn't come easy...
How's the burnout recovery going?
::So, I'm still gathering thoughts on depression, but my mail indicates that this is an intense and very personal topic. Prudence dictates that writing and publishing about it is probably something I should not do until I'm fully rested and have lots and lots of time for discussion. So, we'll hold off on that for ten years or so.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week::
:: Tying up lots of loose ends: putting the finishes touches on the advent school plans; putting the finishing touches on book project; putting every loose thing in my house into a box so that the floors can go in...
::Girls have a Daddy Date to an ice show
::Soccer Tournament this weekend
::shhh...the little boys just might have a surprise trip to Seattle in their future.
A Picture Thought I'm Sharing:
Fifth's disease. Of course, we have Fifth's Disease. We've certainly had at least four other diseases since school started. Poor dear.
