Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Seasons of Life: Puppies

We are still here, living and breathing in our corner of the world!



Life has been quite

FULL


these days. I realize I say that often, and times when I miss 2-3 weeks of blogging, that's my go-to excuse. But, seriously...with school starting and teacher meetings and class projects and crazy amounts of rain and flooding and work schedules changing and school board meetings and youth group and church small group starting up again and Fair season here in Lancaster County (you CAN'T forget about Fair season!), blogging sometimes does need to take a backseat while I figure out how to navigate what can look like a grand mess. I know it's a season of life, and things will slow down and be normal again soon enough. So, pardon me for the short breaks! ;o)


On top of all the floods and newness these days, our Lucy-girl contributed her own litter of excitement last Thursday...in the form of nine puppies!





Yes, nine...9! We have 5 males and 4 females.





Crazy, yes...but you can't deny the cuteness or the urge to snatch one up and go snuggle for a while. (By the way they do make excellent snuggling buddies in these first few weeks.)




My kiddos love the opportunity to hold the puppies...and Lucy doesn't seem to mind for the most part. (I think she realizes they are in her business 24/7 anyway!)







This job is rather easy for us...until it's time to transition them to puppy food. Then we'll have our hands full for about 2-3 weeks. But, again...it's for a season, and they will be gone before we know it (the week before Thanksgiving, to be exact). ;o)




I hope you are enjoy your season, no matter where you might be!

Friday, September 9, 2011

I kinda like being an island...but not for long

When it rains, it pours...




...and POUR did it EVER!


Days of heavy rain turned many local roads into rivers here in central PA, some flowing and some just standing still, the already over-soaked ground unable to keep up.


Our normally busy road, with tractor trailers and drivers flying by at 50 MPH when they should be doing 35 or less, (PENNDOT, get ready...I'll be writing!), was very quiet yesterday. And this was why:


Flooding, less than a quarter mile in one direction...




...aaand flooding a quarter mile in the other direction.


All the trash and debris (and trash receptacles) that floated down from people's homes and from the park










Essentially, our little town/village turned into an island all its own for a day...and I LOVED it (except for our normal running routes being under water)! No vehicles on our road (except for the onlookers and those who couldn't figure out how to get around), neighbors milling about, kids in the middle of the street...





(Yes, yes...they were already told that this isn't something they get to do everyday. What kind of mother do you think I am? Sheesh!)


We were rather fortunate...just a little water in the basement, wetting several plastic containers. Easily cleanable. Others, though (including my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) are dealing with rain into the first floor of their homes (or even covering their homes), forcing evacuations. And still several others are dealing with severe loss, such as the family in our county whose 8 year old died in front of their home, sucked into a storm drain. Oh, how my heart hurts for them.


So, while the rain waters recede, the schools re-open, and the clean up begins...remember to lend a helping hand and check in on others. While it was nice to be an island for one day, reality eventually comes back and things go back to normal for most of us...but not for all.



I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.
- Edward Everett Hale

Friday, September 2, 2011

I am that type of mother

Four days into the kindergarten school year, and so far so good for my little girl! She loves school and makes it known to her little brother that she doesn’t miss him one bit during her mornings away. Little does she know that the poor boy misses her more than he lets on. Ah, the joys of sibling relationships.



Through all of this change and adjustment, I’m quickly learning more about myself this week…what makes me tick and what I need to change in myself. Here’s the short list:

  • Since having children, I have accepted the fact that I’m usually 5-10 minutes late for most things. Heck, some people call it being “fashionably late”, or what I like refer to as “fashionably on time.” My lovely friend Sarah and I practice this frequently, knowing that whenever we plan to meet, just tack on 5-10 (in her case, I tack on 15-25). J However, the school bus and its meticulously planned pick-up route know NOTHING about this common practice. Actually, I take that back. They DO know about it, but it applies only to them and not to me or anyone else. The bus can arrive 5 minutes early, right on time, or 5 minutes late…and I’m the one who needs to comply, not vice versa. While we haven’t missed the bus (yet), there already were two mornings this week that involved rushing around, frantic hair brushing, carrying a boy in pj’s and no shoes, and getting to the bus stop within 1-2 minutes of Big Yellow’s arrival.

  • I have been severely spoiled over the past two years. On days that I go to work, our friend/neighbor/babysitter Dianna has been the breakfast-giver and sometimes child-dresser in the mornings. Now, it’s me who needs to pull it together and get the kids (and myself) dressed, fed, and out the door on time. And again, as mentioned in #1, it’s a tight deadline!
  • Stress makes me do funny things. Like break out in “Ice, Ice, Baby” when my son asks for ice in his water. Or literally break out in hives (or some kind of itchy bumps) around my neck. Or not realize until it’s faaar too late that the “ground turkey” I thawed out and was trying to cook over the stove for tacos was actually ham loaf. Or not answer emails for weeks on end, then completely forget about them and tick people off. You know, stuff like that.


So, yes, I am THAT mother…the one that I scoffed at in the past and thought, “That woman better get her act together”…the one that I wrongly judged and I swore I’d never be. I think I had myself fooled all these years, thinking I’m some sort of organized phenom. In actuality, I keep things clean (vacuum, dust, etc.) and love to multi-task, but I stink at holding it all together when under pressure and a lot of stress in a short amount of time. My Wonder Woman hat (and boots…yes, I do have Wonder Woman rain boots) seems to be taking a break lately. Oh, Proverbs 31 woman, how in the world did you do it??