My Ramblings

Since the kids have started school, I haven't known what to blog about. Today, I had a full day planned, but I keep getting distracted by the phone & other things, so I've decided to scale down a bit & focus one ONE thing, instead of 10, so I can feel like I've accomplished something by the end of the day. That one thing is laundry, & while it is washing & drying, I can get to other things I want to do, but feel to busy to do, like blogging.
I am at a crossroad in my life right now & it's weird, wonderful, exciting & scary all at once. We have all heard that there are seasons in our life. For the last 13 1/2 years, my season has been to have babies & raise them. That has been my primary focus. Yes, I have my personal interests & I have pursued through the years, but my life has largely been raising my kids. And it still is, but in a different way. Since they started school, I've been reflecting on the past a lot more than I ever have. See, thats new too. Having time to think. With 4 kids, it seems like someone always needs something, or wants to talk, or needs attention. With the house so quiet now, I can actually think. So my mind has wandered back to the "old days" when the kids were really little, when Stephen and I were dating, when I was in college, when I was a teenager.... I've thought alot about my granny who passed away 4 years ago & all the good memories I have of her. And I've realized that I've been so busy all these years to really stop & realize that my life has been so very good. Often, I've been too caught up in the daily to do lists & sometimes, the trials. I guess what I am saying is that it is a good thing to finally have some time to stop & smell the roses!
But, I have thought about the hard times & trials too. & I have come to the conclusion that looking back, I am glad we went through the things we did. It has made us stronger people & a closer family.
So, I have had a great life & the season of having little children is over. I am aware that very soon, the season of my children being busy outside of home is fast approaching, and so this season we are currently in, the "school- aged" children season is important & what I do now with it will shape the future. I've asked myself, "what do I want to be now that the kids are in school all day" The answer is, a happy, well organized mother when they come home. For me, that means taking care of household chores, getting Stephen's paper's typed, exercising, spending a little time each day doing something I enjoy, and then preparing for the kids to come home. I've discovered I enjoy cooking when a million things aren't going on at once, so I make dinner & a after school snack an hour before they get home. It is fun to hear them walk through the door and say, "that smells good Mom, what's for snack?" I hope it is a memory that stays with them for life.
Anyway, that's what is on my mind today. Kind of rambling.
Oh, before I go, a funny thing Hannah said yesterday:
Yesterday was a cold, rainy day so I decided to celebrate by making a pot of Brocolii Cheese Soup & Corn Bread for dinner. Since the kids were out of school yesterday, Hannah helped me make dinner. She stirred the soup while I made the cornbread batter, then she asked if she could put the batter in the muffin tin. I told her yes, then started to show her how to spoon out batter evenly in each muffin tin. She looked up at me & said "Mom, I know...... I DO watch Ruff Ruff man." For those that don't know, Ruff Ruff Man is a show on PBS. It was just too funny!