Yes, another month escapes me. My house is a mess, mail is stacked on our table, and we are struggling to get over a series of misfortune. March was filled with illness, in fact we are still recovering. Kannon had pink eye, a 7-day fever, and a rash. I didn't fair any better with pink eye (which I got twice) and strep throat. One day Dale lost his job the next he had it back. Clark got sick. Dale got jumped at the bus stop. I rode the bus to work three days in a row carrying two kids on my hips because no one bothered to move. Oh, and our fish died. Seriously, everything that could have gone wrong in March did go wrong.
On Saturday, Kannon had a 105 degree fever. As he laid helpless on the couch, refusing to move, eat or drink. I saw life flashing before my eyes. I had meningitis as a child and my parents waited anxiously for me to pull through. I started wondering if Kannon had meningitis which led to a whole other kind of thinking. I felt guilty for not being there during the day. I thought, morbidly, what if he didn't wake up? I kept praying that Kannon would be strong and I begged for it to go away. A couple hours later Kannon woke up fever free. I feel like Kannon's body was trying to tell us to slow-down, stop, and remember what we are here for. We are a family. With all this Dale and I decided to make some changes.
1) I am going to work part-time. I want more time with my own kids--period.
2,) The kids will no longer be at my preschool. We found a part-time Montessori school in Ballard that is half the cost.
3,) We are going to Florida in May to visit family and reflect, rejuvenate, and recharge.
4.) We are going to exercise more. We are an active family and spend all our working hours on our feet but we need more.
5.) We are going to spend more time with the dog. Yes, our dog, Emma, has probably been the most neglected of all.
Alas, its almost April. Spring? New beginnings? Strength? I am asking for all these things. We were really tested last month and all the lying in bed with illness gave me time to think. I miss the kids. I miss living joyously. I miss surrounding myself with passionate people. Now is not time to focus on the negatives but rather lift our spirits with optimism and hope.
So, if you are waiting for a post-card, birthday package, current photos of the boys, please give me just a few more days to get myself organized. In the meantime, who have you hugged today?
Friday, March 30, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Intentional Living
Lately, I have been feeling like a puzzle piece is missing in our life. With our busy schedule we have little time together as a family and most of our time consists of running errands, bedtime routines, etc. I miss the days when I purposefully planned our activities ranging from zoo trips to finger-painting. I miss lazing around drinking coffee and reading the paper. I miss volunteering my time to serve others. So much of our life has become go-go-go. The chaos has me yearning for something more.
Last week, I was asked by a friend to take the Hunger Challenge as part of Hunger Action Week. It came at an opportune time as I was feeling a bit empty--both spiritually and physically. Hunger is very real for us. Dale and I are part of the "working poor". We both have full-time jobs but with the high cost of living, price of childcare, insurance, gas and bills, we don't have much left for food. We live on a strict budget which amounts to about $7 a day for our family of 4. Frankly, we were doing better when I was a stay-at-home mom and we qualified for public assistance when we received $526/month for food.
Living on little requires strict meal planning, couponing, and buying generic foods. However, it doesn't mean sacrificing healthy and balanced meals for our family. We eat a lot of veggies, hearty soups, and lentils. Fortunately, we have a $34/ week organic produce box from Full Circle Farms which makes much of our meal planning effortless as we have to think creatively about how we cook and eat. After we pay the $34 box, we only spend $10-15 extra on milk, eggs, and protein. Occasionally, we spend extra if protein is on sale or we run out of staples like flour and sugar. We don't waste food; anything leftover we freeze; we only grocery shop once a week. All these things allow us to eat healthy and feel full. For us, living on less has become easy.
However, there are weeks, when I crave a good steak or am torn when the kids ask for two types of jam. I am tempted by frozen meals and canned soups, especially when I am busy. We have learned to live with what we have instead of wanting more. We are able to make this work with hard work, frugality, and a commitment to eating healthy.
We have our shortfalls too. Last week, I paid for milk in quarters I scrounged from the car. We had just paid childcare and insurance and had $13 to last the next week. I hate that feeling. Alas, we get by unlike many families that live on less than we do.
This week I was reminded of living with intention. I used to volunteer weekly, donate to charities, and reflect daily. With all the chaos, I have stepped away from this way of life and have found myself feeling a lack of purpose; vision; passion; and community. I am hungry for change.
United Way of King County is working tirelessly to inspire others to spark the conversation surround hunger and encourage others to take action during Hunger Action Week. My class will be sponsoring a food drive at school. We will deliver the food to Northwest Harvest where it will be distributed to families in need. This action has inspired me to inspire others. I got my 4 year olds excited by telling them we were going to become real-life superheros about to save the world from hunger. I am excited to see how this will develop; how it will inspire me to keep giving back and keep living intentionally.
So what will you do to prevent hunger? Furthermore, are you living an intentional life? What inspires you? What keeps you going? What are you hungry for?
Last week, I was asked by a friend to take the Hunger Challenge as part of Hunger Action Week. It came at an opportune time as I was feeling a bit empty--both spiritually and physically. Hunger is very real for us. Dale and I are part of the "working poor". We both have full-time jobs but with the high cost of living, price of childcare, insurance, gas and bills, we don't have much left for food. We live on a strict budget which amounts to about $7 a day for our family of 4. Frankly, we were doing better when I was a stay-at-home mom and we qualified for public assistance when we received $526/month for food.
Living on little requires strict meal planning, couponing, and buying generic foods. However, it doesn't mean sacrificing healthy and balanced meals for our family. We eat a lot of veggies, hearty soups, and lentils. Fortunately, we have a $34/ week organic produce box from Full Circle Farms which makes much of our meal planning effortless as we have to think creatively about how we cook and eat. After we pay the $34 box, we only spend $10-15 extra on milk, eggs, and protein. Occasionally, we spend extra if protein is on sale or we run out of staples like flour and sugar. We don't waste food; anything leftover we freeze; we only grocery shop once a week. All these things allow us to eat healthy and feel full. For us, living on less has become easy.
However, there are weeks, when I crave a good steak or am torn when the kids ask for two types of jam. I am tempted by frozen meals and canned soups, especially when I am busy. We have learned to live with what we have instead of wanting more. We are able to make this work with hard work, frugality, and a commitment to eating healthy.
We have our shortfalls too. Last week, I paid for milk in quarters I scrounged from the car. We had just paid childcare and insurance and had $13 to last the next week. I hate that feeling. Alas, we get by unlike many families that live on less than we do.
This week I was reminded of living with intention. I used to volunteer weekly, donate to charities, and reflect daily. With all the chaos, I have stepped away from this way of life and have found myself feeling a lack of purpose; vision; passion; and community. I am hungry for change.
United Way of King County is working tirelessly to inspire others to spark the conversation surround hunger and encourage others to take action during Hunger Action Week. My class will be sponsoring a food drive at school. We will deliver the food to Northwest Harvest where it will be distributed to families in need. This action has inspired me to inspire others. I got my 4 year olds excited by telling them we were going to become real-life superheros about to save the world from hunger. I am excited to see how this will develop; how it will inspire me to keep giving back and keep living intentionally.
So what will you do to prevent hunger? Furthermore, are you living an intentional life? What inspires you? What keeps you going? What are you hungry for?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
2012:: So far....
I am in awe. I am constantly in awe of the family that we have created, the routine we have developed, the mountains we have conquered. Everyday I find myself wanting to hug my boys tighter and tighter because they are growing up so fast. It has felt so good being able to focus on family but while it has been wonderful I have missed the blogging world and being able to get my words out. But I haven't quite decided on my 2012 blogging challenge. Forgive me, but I don't know if I can commit to a weekly or monthly post. I haven't decided if I want to use photos, words, or written love letters to my children. I am still searching for an idea but in the meantime, here are simply some updates.
2.) We went to San Juan Island in February. I will include some pics here but it was a wonderful, relaxing trip that allowed us time to breathe and recharge.
3.) Dalyn, Dale's sister, welcomed baby Asher John into the family. We drove to Spokane to see them and had such a wonderful and amusing trip. (Ask me about the poop on 1-90 story later)
4.) We are going to Florida in May!!!!
5.) Kannon graduated from the parent and tot gymnastics class and will be starting independent gymnastic classes next week! I am so nervous as to how they will go!!!!
6.) Clark is a music man. He has started dancing the two step and snaps his fingers and sings at the same time...seriously, adorable.
7.) Both kids are obsessed with eating blueberries and playing with the animals.
8.) Kannon thinks he is cat and crawls around the house meowing. It is hysterical.
9.) Dale and I started going to bed at 8pm on Sunday nights and 12 hours of sleep has never felt so deserved.
10.) While I love winter, I am ready to say goodbye to this extended bi-polar weather. I went to work this morning in snow and was sweating in sunshine by 4pm.
There you have it. The simplified updates in our life. Of course, so much more has taken place that can't be just an update. Dale and I have moved mountains together in the last month. No one tells you how hard adulthood, parenting, marriage can be and it is a constant struggle to maintain the present while working towards the future. The coming of spring marks new beginnings and Dale and I are waiting to see what will unveil itself. In the meantime, we will continue to love our family, enjoy our time together, and laugh each day.
More to come soon....
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