out of the mouth of rowdy one....

"good food brightens the spirit"

that is what he told me tonight as we ate.

we were watching jamie at home on the cooking channel and jamie was cooking a chicken tomato potato something. rowdy one wanted to go to the store at that moment and get everything to cook it. i told him we could make a quick stir fry. he was good with that.

it is basically pw's sesame noodles and then i stir fry whatever veggies i have and add them. YUM! tonight we had cauliflower, purple cabbage, broccoli, carrots and squash. i have also done the same recipe of hers but instead of noodles done brown rice or couscous. all good.

rowdy one helped me make it. he comments on how colorful it is and then...then....says good food brightens the spirit......i stopped for a second and just stared. did jamie say that? no, i did. i smiled. he is such a blessing to me!

cherish the little moments.

lyn

type b flu

that is actually what i am cherishing today. type b flu. it means wise one and i have spent a week together. he with fever of 102.9 and me with a terrible sinus headache. he has the flu. i have a cold. but we sit together all day. taking naps. watching tv. laughing. talking.

"will you have a dog for your kids?" i ask.

"yes. most definitely. to teach responsibility."

"it that what four legged one teaches you?"

"yeah, kinda."

then we take a nap.

we eat scrambled eggs twice in a day cause that is all that sounds good to him. we stay in our pjs for days on end. with a shower on occasion to freshen up. we drink sprite and tea.

"why i oughta!!!" i say in some weird accent. like a mobster maybe. i have not idea when i even started this but when the boys pick on me or do something silly i say it pumping my fists in the air, laughing. and they say "but your not gonna!" and we laugh and laugh. family joke that no one understands. but a tradition all the same.

and i ask, "i wonder, will you do that with your kids?"

"i am sure i will!" and i smile.

he plays one of his shoot em up games. the kind that make mommas cringe and daddys say...it's a male thing. we fight against the bad guys and save the world. yeah, one of those games (eye roll). i tell him to stop and listen. he does and smiles.

"i hear the birds. they don't have the flu." and i smile.

he is a great kid, this one. my first born. the one that survived my total inability to diaper and swaddle and change clothes with arms swinging in every direction. the one that made my heart melt over and over just be watching him sleep. the one that slept with us till he was three and now just tolerates my hugs.

i cherish this week of sickies just to spend time with him. and i think he kinda enjoyed it too. not the mouth sores so much but the one on one time, that he usually competes for, yeah he has enjoyed that.

off to make more scrambled eggs.

lyn

word word remember the word

cherish today:

excitement over books

sweet shy smiles

i'm sorry said whole heartily from rowdy one

watching him pack.....his ways.....his movements.....his grin when he sees me watching

sticking with me

so the whole junkyard of good ideas has stuck with me. it has been creeping into my thoughts all day. i still laugh about it. it is such a perfect way to describe me.

this was a good idea......it took me to february to get it done BUT i completed it. i got to may and was happy. was gonna go about my business telling myself i would finish it later but come on, who am i kidding? i would get to may and then.....well it would end up in the junkyard. so i pushed thru and completed it all the way to december.

the thought, when i purchased it, was to use it for my "one word" instead of the picture, which it was made for. i still like the idea and i even went back and completed january. i snuck in "CHERISH" on each page.....reminder of sorts.

HA! take that!

lyn

icy

so small a word that can bring such havoc.

i am referring to our current state outside but icy words, emotions and body language can bring havoc as well. three little letters.

outside the icy-ness kept my husband at work all night and the rest of my family in flannel pjs all day. under quilts. with 2 pairs of socks. that kind of icy.

but now as i glance out the kitchen window i see the sun. it is 448 in the afternoon and this is the first time i have seen it today. we are not used to this weather at. all. i am not sure my metal state could handle it for months on end. maybe i would adjust. maybe i would just become a hermit.

now i understand what basements are for.....when the kids haven't been able to go outside and get their energy out just send them to the basement! mine are doing fine so far but my little ones at school are paying a high price for no recess for two weeks. cold, wet and now ice.

cherish today: warmth of house and body and spirit; brothers playing more than arguing; no pipes freezing; no electricity going out; no place i have to be.

lyn

i feel a change a coming.....

that is what wise one told me today. and then he asked if he could wear his purple "church" shirt to school. the polo? yeah that one! (him thinking it a church only shirt cracked me up)

let's go back in history.

at 3 - sleeveless all the time.
at 5 - pants with jacket all. the. time.
at 8 - shirts with skulls and nothing else printed on them. (seriously)
at 9 - t shirts only. not a skull in sight please!
at 10 - WHITE t shirts only. they can have something on them but white only.
now at 12 - polo shirts are the going thing!

i smiled last night when he told me "he felt a change a coming".....these are all changes i can handle. the driving change, no...no. the dating change...please no. the college change, have mercy on my heart. the serious girlfriend home for christmas change....flash before my eyes. the buying a house, having a kid change.....i am long gone now.

change is good. some might say. i say....depends on the change. the change of shirts is about as much change as i want from him at the moment.

well and maybe the change of him picking up his shoes!

cherishing the sweetness......

lyn

to cherish

cherish was an interesting word for me to pick. it was the one that kept popping into my head so i went with it. it was odd to me. not something i say in my normal conversations. cherish. i cherish you. nope never said that to anyone. i cherish this. again, don't think i ever said that. but the idea to cherish things spoke to me. to cherish........i actually looked up the definition to make sure i understood it.

cherish - to cling fondly to, to care tenderly for, to hold dear.

yep, that is what i was looking for.

this week i have noticed i am in a moment and cherish pops into my head. a whisper of sorts, "cherish this" "pay attention" "stop, take this all in"

i have been listening.

- a classroom of 5 yr olds singing as they do their artwork
-deep talks with the resident 12 yr old, don't happen as much as they used to
-a smile from chosen one
-a hug, from anyone
-a plead to be petted, four legged one truly calms my heart
-dinner, together, at our table
-sunrise

i am listening......

lyn

prayin

tonight as i drove my boys home, after a very long day of school and college and family obligations, we heard Better Than a Hallelujah by amy grant. i love this song. i sing it loudly when i hear it. as i was driving i lost my breath.....the soldier's plea not to let him die.........



i lost my breath and my boys saw. tears started flowing. we sung the rest of the song. we pulled in the driveway and i grabbed their hands......



Heavenly Father,


we lift up every soldier in every land fighting for freedom and justice. we may not understand the whys and hows and time frame. we may not agree with things that are set in motion but we lift all these soldiers up to you. for protection. for comfort. for guidance. when lonely nights happen and tears for home flow, hold them. when fear enters their bodies, hold them. when pain, emotional or physical occurs, hold them.

In Jesus Name We Pray. Amen.

and then we sat. for less than a minute no one moved. our teary eyes met at the same time and i cherished them.

lyn

mlk

today has been a rough day.

tempers flare.

tears flow.

voices raise.

hearts break...a bit.

after things have calmed and exhaustion sets in...i wander outside to the garage. there i see a MOUNTAIN of laundry. and laugh........and laugh......and LAUGH. and in times like these laughter turns to tears. tears, tiredness. and comfort.

i have a family that doesn't always get along and work together. i have a family that goes thru to many clothes, that have to be washed. i have a family that gets annoyed with each other. i have a family....so many things i could say. but the most important is............i have a family.

to love.

to comfort.

to believe in.

that's good enough for me.

i am blessed.

lyn

ho hum

i am continuing to "release" into 2011. AND i have "cherish"ed quite a bit too. i am stopping to notice more. to listen more. to see more.

i am trying to grow. i am trying my hardest to grow. i think i like it. i am excited.

lyn

word word

still deciding on the word of 2011 and still living by the word of 2010.

"release" did me well this year. today we released A LOT from the garage.

throughout the year release meant letting go...of feelings, of plans, of emotions, of ideas, of stuff, of people, of me, of expectations, of stuff, of clothes, of paper, of anger, of stuff, of control, of family heirlooms, of dishes, of sadness, of control, of firm grips, of things i thought about myself and others, of me running the show, of toys, of christmas items, of shoes, of family.

you get the idea. lots of things fell into my release attitude. some were easy some so very very hard. but all for the better. truly. i plan to continue to live my release attitude. in hopes that at some point it will be i never "get" it/them in the first place. i pass it/them by the first time so that i do not have to "release" later.

i am really thinking of "organize" or "cherish" for 2011. organize seems so one way but really i could use it could help me in so many ways. not just my tupperware cabinet. but my thoughts, emotions, actions, closet, tupperware cabinet, time...you get the idea. and cherish. a much needed reminder for me. i need to STOP and cherish every single moment. i think cherish is more important. i think. yeah. it is. i will cherish this year. i can always organize. cherish...well i don't need to pass that up.

i didn't expect to make up my mind in a blog post but i did.

CHERISH it is.

lyn

one word

what will my one word be for 2011?

2010 was release. i think i did well with it. it fit. it worked. it was what i needed.

this year.....what fits?

cherish

comfort

peace

enjoy

stop

breathe

rejoice

clean

choice

moment

so many words. so many emotions. so many things to tackle.....with just one word.

lyn

Second Month

This second month of 2010 finds me sad......mostly for all the couples around me that are breaking up/on the verge/deeply struggling. I count seven off the top of my head. I am sure if I made a list it would be more. Some are very very close to me and others are not. But I am sad for all.

In keeping with me one little word of RELEASE I am praying daily and releasing the sadness that I feel. It is alot for me to do this. It is a huge baby step for me to make this happen. Pray and RELEASE. This is for my own mental health. The sadness of what I feel seems to stick to me like glue in times like these. I must RELEASE. It is not easy. It is not simple. It is not natural.

But I will............

Definition

Release:

::::liberation - the act of liberating someone or something

::::let go of

::::free from something that holds back, binds or fastens

::::a process that liberates or discharges something

Chatter

Rowdy One talks alot....and usually when I am listening to my favorite song, or reading the best part of a book....when I am deep in conversation with someone or myself, when I want to hear every drop of the rain....or when I desperately need quiet. Rowdy One is talking.......

Normally it is some fact that I could care less about or a question I have already answered at least a million times. Demands, arguing or trying to get his point across, a point that many times makes no sense at all.

I try to listen to what I am wanting to listen to and tune him out. I try. And sometimes I do.

But sometimes I don't and out of the millions of words he speaks in a day....sometimes they are the sweetest words I have ever heard. Sometimes they are wise beyond his years. They are funny or tender or smart or helpful.

I must release what I think I should hear and listen to Him thru him.

Release my ideas of what my ears want to hear and hear what I am meant to hear.

I have missed alot doing it my way. This year I will do it His way.

Release and in turn receive.

Release

Word for 2010.......