I sometimes worry...

Now that the kids are out of school I find myself sometimes worrying about their whereabouts. I only have four kids and two of them are old enough to speak up if they feel they have been forgotten, one is under excellent supervision at her Fit Camp and the baby is usually with me.

The problem is that sometimes I have to stop and think about where they all are because I am afraid if I'm not careful I'll forget one of them somewhere, like the gym's nursery or at Volley Ball practice. I don't want to be looked at as a bad mom, just a little stress every now and then. I'm exercising more, need to sleep more, but I'm eating healthy and staying hydrated. This is all an effort to keep my wiring working well so that I don't ever forget a child.

I think the reason I get comfortable and only reason I would even "forget" my kid is because I trust where they are and the people they are with. (I am one of those moms who checks the car just in case a kid slipped in on a trip uninvited) When I go to the gym, the baby runs to the arms of his young care provider and spends about 2 ours playing and having a great time while I work. My 6 year old forgets I'm in the room when I drop her off at FitCamp, which happens to be in the same building where I work. The teens--well they would like it if I dropped them off a few blocks away and if I chose to forget where they are, that would just be a huge plus.

As moms with busy lives we do the best we can, we give them love, a safe environment, and still manage to bring everyone home at the end of the day, even if for a fleeting moment we snap our heads back to make sure our kids are all present and accounted for and buckled in their seats. Usually that snapping motion is welcomed by four bright and beautiful smiles-- one of which will smartly say "We're all here mom!"

They grow so fast!

My idea of heaven!

I forgot I created this little video on RockYou literally 2 days after the baby was born and 1 day before my husband was leaving for Iraq. It was so bitter sweet but I did what I had to do. Had the baby, baptized him, and with the help of my older kids, we had an awesome Thanksgiving Dinner on November 18th--the next day, at 6:00 am, he left. I felt so lonely even in the company of my kids. Soon that faded as I had to be strong for all the kids, but particularly for this little bundle of joy who needed me.

The husband is now back, the baby is 19 months, still I feel that same bitter-sweet feeling I felt the day we took these pictures and created this slide show.

I love that we're back together again. This is heaven!

photo by BennyPix

WOW I made it outdoors today. All the kids are sleeping and I get to enjoy my morning with my coffee, laptop, and some books I need to study. I'm currently reading about Hinduism in my World Religion class. This is such interesting material and I wish I could speak to someone who practices this religion to get a better understanding. I love learning and understanding other cultures. Really understanding their rituals and beliefs and how those compare to my own. We are still discussing our understanding of this religion in class so if anyone out there practices Hinduism and wouldn't mind being interviewed by me, please leave me a message.

On the other hand, I have been enjoying watching my fruitful garden produce something I can eat this summer. I'm really excited. The squash plants have lots of flowers, the watermelon is moving a little slower but I see flowers there too. Lots of tomatoes and grapes. This is so cool! I love it! It has been so hot in this area, well I guess the weather has bee very crazy everywhere. The lack of rain in my region is killing off the grass and the flowers. We try to use water from the kiddy pool or the dehumidifier to water the garden and that's working so far.

As for my 30 day challenge--things are running smoothly and everyone is doing a great job at staying on top of things or at least recognizing when we fail and need to readjust. I am so sore today from working out this past week but it's a good kind of pain. The kind that tells me I worked hard so I'm OK with all that. I do hope others will join us in this challenge and bring some of their ideas to the table. Everyone benefits--what's that saying TEAM: Together Everyone Accomplishes More. I like that. So join us if you feel you need a little push, a little motivation or if you just want to challenge yourself to reach a specific goal.

Right now, this very moment, all I hear are the birds chirping--someone must have filled their bird feeders because they sound pretty happy; the wind chime at my ear and nothing else--even if it only last a few minutes I have to say that I really do enjoy the days when I can get out and enjoy nature--even if only for a little bit. This makes me happy!

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." -- Aristotle