Thought for the day

"Writings of light assault the darkness, more prodigious than meteors."  ~Jorge Luis Borges

Multitude Monday...#91-100 (Yeah!)

Thankful for:

91.  A good heart-to-heart talk with my sister, even though it was over email.  Katie and I are both writers by nature so we actually embrace the opportunity to communicate in this way (you know, the Austen sisters wrote very sweet letters to each other, too!).  We are both experiencing lots of aha! moments (sorry for the Oprah-ism but it's apropos) lately and I'm relishing hers as she is relishing mine. 
92.  My instincts as a mom.  Last night I heard the tiniest moan come over the monitor and where I'd normally dismiss it (when not followed by cries) or cross my fingers and hope said child would fall back asleep, this time something told me to go investigate.  I found Will in his crib, uncovered and laying at a weird angle.  I started to readjust him but he held up his arms to me and said "Ma?"  I can't resist that.  When I sat down in the glider with him, I saw a sort of upset expression on his face.  I settled him in with his silkie (blanket) and he put his arm around me and sighed the most precious sigh of contented relaxation.  For whatever reason, he just needed me and I'm so glad I felt that instinctive need to respond.
93.  The aforementioned glider.  If rocking motions could be measured in miles, I think Marty and I could have circumnavigated the globe several times with our children by now...
94.  Dunkin' "Turbo" coffee.  It's our new addiction.
95.  The Indianapolis Colts.  Go ahead and laugh -- I'm kinda laughing, too.  But honestly, with Peyton Manning sidelined with an injury, and being led by two really really NOT GOOD (and that's being nice) backup quarterbacks, my team still went out there last night and played their hearts out.  They even had the game tied up with 2 minutes to go -- versus the Steelers, y'all!!!  I love fortitude and sportsmanship and work ethic and integrity, even in the face of certain loss.  I even had a couple tears in my eyes, as the camera showed the exhausted and sad faces of these big linebackers who I've come to love.  (I used to despise football.  Now I love it.  Just goes to show you that you should never say never!) 
96.  The anticipation of an afternoon out shopping with my kiddos today, as soon as they awake from their naps.  We're just going to do window-shopping but I relish the chance to get out and take a stroll with them in this late September sunshine.
97.  The fact that no one guilt-trips me over running the dishwasher twice (sometimes 3!) times a day.  It's the only way I can keep up with my kitchen, but because it is *MY KITCHEN*, I'll do it this way, thank you very much.
98.  The chance to teach Will new words.  His speech/language development is coming along slowly, and we're even a bit worried there might be a delay (his vocabulary falls in the normal range, but he isn't phrasing yet).  But he tries, God love him, he tries so hard.  Last night we were working on "arms," "towel," and "toothpaste."  His little eyes light up as I sound out the words; it's almost like I'm canting a magic spell and he's excited to have a front-row seat.  I just love the opportunity to teach him, period.
99.  Progress made in The Great MEGA-Clean of Autumn 2011.  I got all of Will's clothes organized this morning, along with some kitchen clean-up and several loads of laundry.  It's coming along!
100.  This being a big number, I'm going to make this item auspicious and say once again I'm thankful for my darling husband.  We fell in love in September (of 2007) so this time of year is extremely special to me and to us.  I love you, my Marty.

The Great MEGA-Clean of Autumn 2011

(Image from Hyperbole and a Half, a truly hysterical website that you really *must* visit from time to time...)

So I've been a bit scarce lately.  Due to several things actually, not the least of which has been a time of silent reflection for me, which I've enjoyed immensely.  I'm doing some serious thinking about "the next stage of my life," whatever that might be.  I'm racing towards 35 with no eagerness, yet I'll be there before I know it.  My twenties were something of a wash.  Okay.  My early thirties were spent dating and marrying my Beloved and then carrying and giving birth to our children.  Awesome!  But now that I'm happily ensconced in marriage and motherhood and facing down mid-life (WHAT?), I'm feeling the need to at least take stock, review, reflect, and PLAN.  And like I said, I've no idea what exactly I'm planning, but I'm taking the mental effort to do it.  So wish me luck on that!

The other thing taking up my time has been the onset of what I'm calling The Great MEGA-Clean of Autumn 2011.  Yes, I don't do anything small or halfway in life.  (My friends are all chuckling at this point.)  I have drawn up a list of all the rooms in my house and I'm going to visit each one with every cleaning utensil I own and all the organizing tips I've gleaned and I won't cross it off the list until it's sparkling and efficient!  See, we're coming into a season of hosting lots of company (okay, not "lots" per se, but even a single person after a drought of nobody feels like a lot!) and even some holiday celebrations, and I want the place spic-and-span.  And I don't want to spend an eternity in prep work before each visit.  So I want to do a major clean and then brush it up before company arrives.  Sound like a plan?  I think so!

I'm currently in KITCHEN mode.  I thought I'd start here because, of course, it's the hardest room.  Isn't everyone's kitchen the worst place to keep clean and well-functioning?  So I've bitten off the biggest bite for starters, but I've already made some good progress.  I hope to move to the Master Bed and Bath, Closet and Laundry by mid-week.  I hope to have everything finished before the second weekend in October. 

It's grueling.  It's exhausting.  But I'm gonna have a clean house before snow flies, to be sure!  And that excites me enough to keep me going.  Is anyone else in "Clean ALL the things!" mode?

Multitude Monday...#81-90

Thankful for:

81.  The fact that Will ate a good lunch today.  And a decent dinner last night.  We've been struggling so much with his appetite and finickiness (is that a word?) that any improvement is enough to sing about.
82.  This blog.  This blog post.  I asked for voices similar to my own and I have both found them and they have found me.  This woman is not afraid to be unpopular, to listen to her own mommy voice first and foremost.  She won't peddle a "system" to you; she just tells you to listen to your instincts and love your children.  Period. 
83.  The feeling of relief emerging from a period of much personal growth.  I just listed to my BF all the ways in which I've changed in the last year and frankly, it is *startling*.  But good changes.  Lots of them.  They didn't come easily, either.  (Do they ever?)
84.  One of the best weekends we've ever experienced as a family.  Yummy meals, lots of cuddle and play, going to church, going to the park, going to the store -- just all the hubbub of life experienced with smiles and laughter and very few upsets and tears.  I'm so grateful for all these precious memories.
85.  An improved complexion.  I was going to buy some Origins products but at the last minute, opted for Mario Badescu products instead.  I bought the $15 cleanser, and used a $3.50 off coupon at Ulta and was given a free sample of the collagen lotion, so I got two products for $12, which ain't half-bad, kids!  And they have worked wonders.  My skin is much improved and *softer*, an added benefit!
86.  The book, Jane Eyre's Husband, mentioned in my last post.  I "liked" the author on Facebook and ended up in a conversation with her, and she told me how to download free software to read a book on a Kindle for the PC, so I could also take advantage of the Kindle price ($9.99).  Although the writing could use some editing (can't help saying it, I'm an editor and always will be), the story is *good* and I like where she's going and how she's filling in the blanks about my much-beloved Mr. Rochester.
87.  Reconnecting with friends I once thought were lost to the maelstrom of my divorce.  The best things -- and people -- really do survive any test or hardship.  (Even if it takes a bit for them to rise to the surface.)
88.  A lovely time at church yesterday.  Will had a blast in his class, Lucy was held and rocked and loved on for an entire hour by doting grandmotherly ladies, and Marty and I were so blessed by the sermon and shared thoughts about it over our meals yesterday.  (Even though they were oft-interrupted thoughts...you don't exactly have deep theological conversations with two toddlers about.)
89.  The unmistakable onset of autumn with her plunging temperatures and angled sunlight. 
90.  Apple crisp.

Dear Reader, I might curl up and die if I can't have this

If you are a Jane Eyre fan like myself, please go here.  Look at the Table of Contents.  Commence drooling.  Swooning.  Participating in other, similar amazing-literature-inducing physiological phenomena.

Then, loan me $25 (stupid budget!).  Better yet, just buy this for me.  Better still, flood my husband's inbox with requests on my behalf that he buy me the book and give me a weekend away from hearth and home to read it and re-read it and then read it again.  Yes, this latter is the best option.

Oh I might just up and D-I-E if I can't have this book...

Thought for the day

Two monologues do not make a dialogue.  ~Jeff Daly

Multitude Monday...#71-80

Thankful for:

71.  The fact that our country has been kept safe from terrorist attacks for 10 years, as of today.  I have no idea how much effort, worry, and even blood has been spent to ensure this, and I know I will never know.  But I'm grateful nonetheless.  I will never again take our safety for granted!
72.  Watching 9/11 memorial shows and documentaries yesterday and feeling my own part in the white-hot surge of patriotism that once flooded our collective national spirit and does so again, at least on every 11th of September and every 4th of July.
73.  Reading these words from Thomas Jefferson, in his reflections on the 4th of July (which feel so apropos in light of yesterday's anniversary):

"All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man...
For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh
our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."

74.  The new "fast uploader" for pictures and custom-path photo book software on Shutterfly.com.  I'm having an absolute *blast* creating a photo album for Will.  Not only do I get to enjoy seeing him again as an 18-month-old, but I also get to use "stickers" like cars, planes, and trains throughout the photo pages, just like a scrapbook.  Plus I have several coupon codes to use and they're offering free shipping on anything over $30, so my creation won't cost me a fortune!

75.  The Wiggles, Angelina Ballerina, and Berenstein Bears, all on Sprout TV.*  This channel is a new discovery in our household and we find its shows to be just as fun as Nick Jr. and PBS, and it offers some variety to our kids.  Both Will and Lucy start dancing when they hear The Wiggles' theme music, and they look to me to watch them with twinkled merriment in their eyes and faces, and I just absolutely delight in *their* delight.

76.  The way Will squeals with pleasure to play with his pull-along wagon (for Megablocks).  We bought this for him no less than two Christmases ago, and he's all but ignored it until this past weekend, and now he plays with it constantly.  Kids are funny with their toys!

77.  Lucy's fearlessness.  Although I will have to teach her caution (especially on stairs -- hello, heart attack!), I'm glad she's no shrinking violet.  You can teach caution but not courage!

78.  Patient friends.  I owe a ridiculous number of return messages.

79.  Hot baths.  Advil.  Tums.  A husband who takes over the bedtime routine when I'm about to drop.
80.  Powdered donuts ("nuts") for Will in the morning.  He's going to be over the moon.

*Lest anyone think I'm a big ole hypocrite (due to this post), our plan is to always have a very basic cable package in the fall/winter and then cancel again for spring/summer.  Why?  Well, FOOTBALL of course!