Getting our shit together in 2010

We have been married 16 years and have lived at Nestlewood for nearly 12 of those. Throw two kids and two careers in to the mix, and we have accumulated a heap of junk. Not all of this junk is physical clutter that can be thrown away or recycled. Some of the junk is mental and spiritual and financial.

Chris and I have decided to get rid of all the clutter in 2010.

To begin, we are de-cluttering our personal bad habits. I was exemplary with my eating and exercise habits from January to early November this year, then I fell off the wagon completely. The Doritos and Velveeta sneaked their way back in, and my couch relearned the shape of my ass while my walking shoes grew mold. Quoth the raven, Nevermore!

Spiritually, I have neglected my peaceful meditation and study. I am out of whack when this is the case, so, in 2010, this will no longer be the case.

Financially, we make more money now than we ever have in all the time we have been together, as we are both fully employed in "real jobs" but are in no better financial shape because of our poor money management. That is not going to be how we roll in 2010.

As for the physical clutter, we are going to take Nestlewood room by room and go through every cabinet, drawer and corner and get rid of the unnecessary. The weeds will be gone from the landscaping, the shed will be cleaned out and the garden will be an herb filled oasis once again.

The specific plans are made, and it shall be done. Oh yes. It shall be done.

Myn Lykings

You have to understand, I have been a chorister for so long that it is part of the definition of she who is me. Myn Lyking is a centuries old song about how the Mother Mary felt about her Sweete Sonne (pardon the Olde English spelling, but, as I said, choir nerd for lo, these many years...)

Plus, Pagan though I am, the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary)is dear to me. Not because of her virginity, but for her motherhood.

Hence, this song has long been a lullaby to myn own Lykings. Hence, the YouTube link and the pictures of my dear ones and Sweetings.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APgtbPS1smc

Behold, the charming and tranquil village. Little do the inhabitants realize, a 9 year old boy has placed snipers in their midst.

Happy 38th Anniversary to my parents!

DC Rocked!

It was so wonderful to see all of this with my very own eyes! Click on the photos to embiggen them.

The Library of Congress













The Capitol




















My parents and Lina and Huck on the steps of the National Archives on the 4th of July






My Man President Obama's current home










The view from the front porch of Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home in Virginia












Huck with the Washington Monument behind him as we were about to go into the Lincoln Memorial

I hit 3 Smithsonian Museums as well (American History- I never wanted to leave that one, Smithsonian Art Museum and the Natural History Museum), along with the National Portrait Gallery. We went to the National Archives, and Chris took the kids to the Aquarium after they saw the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Contitution (All original! Wow!) so that I could spend a couple of hours there alone with my thoughts in that holy place. And look what was waiting for us when we got home-Baby Titter Tats!

Stuff and Fluff

I love my job! I'm still learning the ropes, but feel I will have it all down in a couple of weeks. Today I did 8 outpatient surgery and 15 Inpatient charts. That's quite an improvement over my first day's grand total of 2! My codes aren't as perfect as I would like for them to be, but since 80% of what I encounter in these charts is new material for me, I just need to cut myself a little slack. Sure I know how to code. But do I know how to get to a lithotripsy code when the doctor doesn't actually call the procedure lithotripsy, even though that's what it is? Well, yes, I do now. But I didn't when I first read through the chart. Sometimes I think my brain is going to leak right out of my ears, overflowing with all this new information.

I have solved my sedentary problem. It only costs me $20 per month, deducted from my check as the facility is affiliated with the hospital where I work. Everything a body could want in a gym is right across the road from my little cubicle.

We leave for Washington D.C. on the 3rd and will be back on the 10th. DC is going to rock on the 4th of July!

Don't you wish you were me?

Blueberries! Chris, Lina and Huck picked these yesterday morning and they are all kinds of yummy.

Little Update

Next week is my last working both jobs, thanks be. I just got home from town and I plan to stay in my jammies in my air conditioned house until Monday morning. I am not a "go outside and do stuff" kind of gal this time of year. It's just too stinkin' hot.

I have to brag on Chris. I was terribly afraid that by picking up a full time job, it would just be an addition to the full time job I already had (that of being a wife, mom and she-who-takes-care-of-everything) but it has not been so. If the kitchen is dirty, Chris cleans it. If the laundry is piling up, he does it. If I sleep in on a Saturday morning and he is here, he cooks the biscuits and bacon and eggs for Lina and Huck. He even took 4 kids an hour and a half down the road for a day at the zoo. Of course, when he got home he threw them out in the yard with juice boxes and snacks and poured himself a Big Gulp of chardonnay...

Lina and Huck have really stepped up to the plate as well. I've added more chores to their list and they are only bucking a little. I was afraid they would miss out hanging with their friends this summer since I wasn't here to be the neighborhood mom. Turns out, there is always someone willing to do that. They stay home with Chris sometimes, with my parents sometimes and with friends sometimes. Then on weekends, when I am home, their friends come here.

All this and money in the bank to boot!

Balance and Expectations

I am surprising myself by my response to this new life I have. This new life being one of working 110 hours the last two weeks, plus pouring what ended up to be 140 candles, plus all the mama stuff that must be done.

I'm not being a freaked out spaz (for the most part anyway-though I do, of course, have my moments) as I thought I would be. Why? Well, it's all about my expectations. I no longer expect to have free time to hang out at Nestlewood and do whatever I want to do. I know that simple life is no more, and I don't expect it. I expect to get the kids where they need to be for the day, put in 8 or 10 hours at a hospital, pick up the kids, get home and fix them supper and then spend a few hours hanging out with myself (or Chris, if he happens to be here, which isn't often as he is working all the time as well-Washington DC trip to pay for and all that) I don't expect long hours of uninterrupted time for myself. What I am doing is finding my balance as I can find it.

For example, when I wake up in the mornings, before I even let my muscles begin to stir, I go over my dreams of the night and try to see what they are telling me. Then I do a quick chakra balance, say thank you to the Universe and get up and start the day. While I am at work I keep my iPod in my ears to enjoy books or music while I do my job. Since I sit all day at work, I am not physically tired when I come home, (only mentally) so I don't feel the need to sit. I'll happily cook supper, clean the kitchen, pour candles etc... because it keeps me off my bootie. The housekeeping tasks fulfill my nesting side so aren't hardships at all. This week I plan to begin the journey of getting caught up with my scrapbooking, since I haven't done anything in it since early 2005, when I started back to college. I am not looking at this as a task, but as a creative outlet and reminder to cherish the day in and day out with my great kids and husband.

I indulge myself at job 1 with audiobooks. No deep literary thoughts for me there as I listen to fiction books I have already read, so it's like a visit with old friends. Nora Roberts, Stephen King, JD Robb and Jan Karon are my favorites while I plow through the ER charts. Job 2 requires more of my concentration than job 1, so I have endless cool iPod playlists coursing through my earbuds.

It's all about my expectations. I could expect to have a certain lifestyle and then get crazy because that's not what I have. Or I can expect to go through each day doing what needs to be done, finding pleasure and balance and joy, with a grateful heart.

Chandling (Is this even a word?)

I'm doing another candle fundraiser just now, this one for my very own Thumbelina. She has been nominated to represent her elementary school at the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC. While this is a huge honor, it is also hugely expensive. Her tuition is almost $2000. Hence, the fundraiser. It's quite convenient for Lina that she has access to her own personal fundraising company. Normally, these candles sell for $12 each and I keep $6 and the child keeps $6. They cost me about $3 or so to make, so my profit is $3 per candle. This doesn't sound like much, but it adds up. For this fundraiser, the child, since she is my very own, keeps $9 of each candle; all I kept out was the money to purchase my supplies. All together we sold about 130 candles, which puts a nice chunk towards her tuition.

Naturally, we are not about to put our 11 year old on a plane by herself and hope for the best; we are going to make this our family vacation this year so Chris, Huck and I are going as well. This expense has to come from our own shallow pockets, though, so Chris and I are both working overtime. And, of course I have to make 130 candles...

Quite a day for Mothers

Thumbelina made this for me. Note that she did it in autumn colors, as they make me the happiest :-)

My own mother is in the hospital. She had knee replacement surgery on Thursday and was discovered to have an MRSA infection that had to be treated with two rounds of IV Vancomycin. She is running a low fever of 100.2 or so, and I am really trying not to worry. I've talked to her several times and she sounds fine, but I know that she tends to put up a strong front. If she says her pain is a 4 on a pain scale of 1-10, in reality she is at an 8 or so.

I have worked nearly 50 hours this week, and today is my first day off since last Sunday. So, this morning I am going to hang with her at the hospital and see for myself how she is doing. I am going to completely annoy the nurses by asking specific questions like "what was her white count when the infection was first discovered and what is it now?" etc...

I am also going to take her some contraband. She loves Chris' cooking, and he grilled some tenderloin and yellow peppers, zucchini and purple onion last night for supper. He made some garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes to go with it, and since she isn't on any special diet, I am going to sneak a plate to her to give her a break from hospital food.

Gumball Machine

When my mom was a little girl, her Daddy often ran Wavaho gas stations. Go Go Go with Wavaho! This gumball machine was in one of those gas stations, and somehow, Mama managed to hang onto it all this time. She gave it to me when the kids were teeny because they loved it so much and wanted to bring it home. It's made of 1/4" thick glass and metal with the words: Northwestern Morris Ill. etched into the back of the glass. It still works, and when I take the top off to refill the candy I have to use the biggest and meanest screwdriver I can find, since most of the tread of the foot long screw holding on the lid has been chipped away.

This machine takes only pennies. Isn't that great? We keep a little change holder by the machine for all of our spare pennies. Absolutely every child (and most adults) that come through our door head straight for those pennies to get a handful of whatever happens to be in the machine at the time. Right now it's jellybeans, but it has been filled with everything from M&Ms, Skittles, Runts, Red Hots, Mike and Ike, and candy corn.

Proof that Huck is indeed my son; such flowery language!

Last night I told him that he needed to get in the shower before bed. He said "No. I'll take a bath and wallow in my own filth."

Thumbelina Understands

I was all PMS grouchy this morning. Lina said "Do you need to kick a puppy? Would that help?"

Chanti-dazzled

Sweet Bruhver is a soprano in a Grammy award winning ensemble. You have to understand, this group has been The Pinnacle of Perfections to me and to Chris long before Sweet Bruhver joined it. We had been to three of their concerts and had every CD they ever recorded.

They did a concert in our area Sunday night. Not only did we get to see Sweet Bruhver sing with them while they rocked our world, we got to go to an intimate reception with the group afterward. After that, Chris and I went to their hotel to hang with them until the wee small hours of the morning.

It was surreal.

I may be married to the Easter Beagle

Spring is Chris' favorite time of year and he loves to spread the joy. He stopped on his way home from work and cut the wisteria for me. I woke up to the bouquet, wine and stuffed bunny a few days ago, and he and the kids colored 5 dozen eggs last night.

He gets positively giggly and giddy when dogwoods bloom and he can be surrounded by fresh new green leaves on trees. He stretches out on the porch swing and reads when he has a day off, and is hard pressed to come inside for any reason.

I, on the other hand, am Linus, waiting for the Great Pumpkin. To me, April is the cruelest month, because the warming begins. I rejoice in the turning of the wheel of the year, and I know that I will enjoy the fresh herbs and tomatoes in the next few months. Of course, I marvel at the beauty around me, but blue skies and sunshine make me melancholy. Already I am yearning for the gray skies of Autumn, jack o'lanterns on front porches and orange leaves swirling in a brisk breeze.

Hiking and Homing

Chris has taken the kids hiking today. I'm not allowed to go on their excursions because I am a worry wart and my constant warnings of eminent danger apparently throws some sort of wet blanket over their fun. Imagine... So, I stay home while they go enjoy the wild. Chris packed snacks and drinks and hiking sticks and they are gone to the wildlife refuge for several hours.

Both of my jobs are going really well. I coded 225 ER charts yesterday, and my brain was fried, but I had the end of the day satisfaction of a job well done. The newest job is very interesting too, though I am still really slow yet. All in all, between the working every day and the family life and all that entails, I don't have a lot of room in my head for anything other than what needs to be done that day.

Recovery from the Plague

The kids are back to school today, I am fever free and start a new part time job on Monday. I still have my PRN job as well. Yay!

A Clairvoyant Dog

This is Pebbles and she owns me. If I am on the couch, reading or sewing, she is nestled against my hip. If I am sleeping, she is curled up against me in the bed. If I am tapping away at the computer, I am sitting criss-cross applesauce style and she is in my lap. If I want to take a walk, I am S.O.L. if I think I can go without her.

All I have to do is think about going for a walk and she will awaken from a deep slumber and look at me with those M&M eyes. Then she will start to scratch and whine and walk in place so that I will know that she wants to go too. How does she know what I'm thinking?

January, in Review

I stole this idea from Casey. Rather than wait until the end of the year to make assessments on how we are doing on living the life we want to live, let's take inventory once a month.

In January, I did many more things that made me happy. I read more, I stitched more (2 Celtic knots in January), I exercised more, and I feel like I was a great mom. I only bought one block of Velveeta, which is quite an improvement, and I stayed far far away from Doritos. That isn't to say that I did not indulge in crunchy stuff dipped in creamy stuff. It is only to say that I did not OVER indulge in crunchy stuff dipped in creamy stuff.

I worked at the hospital a very reasonable amount (I heart PRN) yet was able to be home when the kids were sick, needing Mama pampering. I did lots of cooking and Chris spoiling too, which makes me happy.

For February, I vow to get our taxes done (H&R Block will do ours for $49 because I was a college student in 2008)walk 10 miles a week and put in that damned Body Boot Camp DVD that I bought the first week of January. And, if I am a very good girl, I will move my puff along with the DVD, and not just watch it and think ugly thoughts about the tight bodied bitches on the screen in front of me.