Keep busy and be Joyful

Anyone who has played Settlers of Catan should be able to understand the comparison I'm about to make.

The other day my in laws were here and we were all playing Settlers. I lost. I wasn't getting ANY cards so I couldn't do anything!! Bah! I think i lost at about 6 points. I was a really sore loser...I was totally annoyed and pissed off. Why? Cuz nothing was getting done. No cards=no action. Then we played another game. And I still lost....at about 6 points...but this game was still totally fun! Why? Cuz I was getting cards, things were happening, I got lots of development cards...but I still lost, but it was fun cuz I was able to participate.

So...yesterday was kind of a flop day. It was the end of the day. S just got home and I was in such a pissy mood. I was being short with my kids, short with my husband. I was annoyed at my kids every move, every sound. S asked me why I was in such a foul mood and I couldn't exactly say why. My day was like alot of other days...except for one thing. We stayed inside all day and I had big plans to clean my house. Big plans to get the 'longest road'.....Owen asked if we could go to the beach but I said No....I have to clean my house. But all day long one thing or another took my attention away from my task and nothing got done...I wasn't getting any cards....I was a big sore loser by the end of my day cuz my plans went by the wayside and I didn't accomplish what I set out for myself.
So...being the person I am...I TRY to look at things from another perspective...sometimes i'm successful...other times i'm not. But i realized yesterday that I've had lots of days where my house looks worse and i've felt better. Why? Because I didn't meet with defeat. I spent my time going to the park, entertaining my kids, playing outside the house. Getting lots of cards...getting lots done. And even if my house still looks horrid-I feel better cuz I've been busy.

I guess there is a life lesson to be had through this experience. Life is more fun when you keep busy!

Super Mom

So-
Hubby just left.
He went to Vancouver until Saturday for a conference.
We figured out A has tonsillitis today. She's been feverish and ill. And now it looks like O might have the flu? And R...well, she seems ok...but as an infant she is still needy.
That leaves me-by myself for 2 days and 2 nights.
Wish me luck.

Independance

Monday was technically A's first day of Kindergarten. Last week was a teacher/child interview and a meet and greet but this week was official-even though its a gradual entry into a full day kindergarten.
I was a little apprehensive-but mostly excited! So sue me. I'M EXCITED!  I will scream it from the rooftops! I think the thing that excites me the MOST-is that the teachers are going to give her all the 'good job's and 'nice work's and the 'A+'s that she always tries to get out of me. I'm not sure if i'm not doing my job as a parent in giving her enough attention, or maybe it's all normal. To all my friends with 4 yr olds: Does attention seeking -in your faceness- happen to you? If so-do you think it is normal? Or do you have guilt like me?
Either way-my daughter is well on her way to independence and there is NO DOUBT that we are both ready for this new phase in our lives!
 A was so excited her first day. She woke up at 630am and greeted me in my bedroom fully dressed and ready for school. I looked at her with my one morning eye...congratulated her and then begged her to play a computer game til I had a chance to wake up. Later, she was so excited to use her new lunchbag (and I have to admit...I'm a nerd and I was excited too.) Too much time on Pintrest has caused me to have pride in my coolness of sending a bento box style lunch -ideas compliments of Pintrest- Did that make sense? I'm cool and it's all cuz of Pintrest. There...that's better. So-off to school we go...but unfortunately my children have lost my camera so the only picture we got was one on the iphone. Once we got there we found her door. Goodbyes were not hard, she just wandered into her classroom navigating herself among all the kids standing around clinging to their own parents. It's like she knew what she was doing-and she definitely didn't need my help. I stood at the door watching her go, happy that I was the cool and collected mom that had the confident child. Then-I had a split second of sadness (my daughter doesn't need me!! Waaahhhh!) and i called out "A, do I at least get a kiss?" She looked back, shrugged her shoulders and reluctantly kissed me goodbye. She obviously had better things to do.

These are my hopes for her for this year:  I hope she will make friends. I hope she stands up for herself. I hope she has FUN. I also hope kids don't make fun of her. I remember (Grade 3 maybe?) bringing a pickle for lunch once. The torment that ensued lasted...well...at least that whole school year! Really? Torment for bringing a pickle? I still remember that day and it was a sad day for me. All for something really stupid. So...I think 2 things about that. 1-It doesn't matter how much I try to protect A, kids will ALWAYS find something to tease about. and 2-Don't ever send a pickle to school for lunch!
 So thankfully all went well her first day...and her second day. I haven't gone as far as thinking i'm in the clear though. I am feeling the adjustment. O is feeling it too. The first day he kept asking where A was..giggling mischievously I would say "at school". We went for a nice walk after dropping A off. We went to the park and played and it was SO GREAT playing with just him! It's a whole different experience. He is a different kid when A isn't around. He listens better, there is less whining, he laughs more, he is more inquisitive and he seems to learn more. I think when they are together they are just so obsessed with being naughty to each other...it's bordering on destructive! We explored in the Garrison Forest, finding rocks and leaves. He loves to run! I love it when he runs...it works out well for me at bedtime! We played at the park and he could actually play without fighting with A! I even got on the playground and played with him! SO FUN! Then we walked home and he helped me make macaroons. Look at all I can accomplish with only 2 kids. It almost feels like only 1 kid cuz R is so content and sleeps most of the time. It's like I'm in heaven!
Well...I'm excited. Excited for A to meet new friends, get encouragement and praise from someone that isn't me and for her to have the opportunity to grow and become her own person.
I'm excited for Owen...that he'll have more time with just me. That we'll have more time for Boy stuff-u know: dirt, rocks, bugs, running... that sort of thing. I'm excited that we'll get more alone time to learn, practice his letters/numbers, colors, shapes etc. And that he can be my little helper without the distraction of his older sister for at least 6 hours a day!
I'm excited for R. That I'll have more energy and time to just stare into her eyes and try to burn that memory into my brain. If she is my last baby...I need those memories to stick..(Mental note: Buy a new camera instead of waiting to find the old one.)
And finally...I'm excited for me!!! I'm excited to have a little more freedom to get out of the house...it's just easier with two than it is with three. I'm excited to see my kids growing and learning! I'm excited for the extra time and energy that will be added to my day.
Well...life gets busy now...glad I started a blog. Cuz if i don't blog it...i probably won't remember it.

How I came up with our Blog Name

I decided to start a blog. I've tried in the past..but lately seeing everyone's cool blogs is making me feel somewhat leftout. So I logged on to blogger and tried to put in a boring old blog name. It was unavailable so i started looking around at how people come up with their blog names. They suggested using unusual names so I googled "Rare words". It may be somewhat WITZELSUCHT (a feeble attempt at humor)..but it's my blog and i'll do what i want to.
The first word I found pertinent was ABDERIAN...'Given to incessant or idiotic laughter'. This is a common occurance in our household so I put it first on my list and thought I could maybe work it into our blog name. Next word: ADOXOGRAPHY 'Skilled writing on an unimportant subject'. I thought that interesting since...isn't that what a blog is sometimes?? Hahah! Next: AEOLIST 'A pompous windy bore who pretends to have inspiration. That could work. Sometimes I pretend to have inspiration...LOL.  Next: AUTOHAGIOGRAPHER 'One who speaks or writes in a smug fashion about their own life and accomplishments' I thought "HEY! I'm still in the A's and I've found 4 cool words that would describe my blog perfectly!! HAHA!!
EXSIBILATION 'The collective hisses of a disapproving audience' I thought-that could be the result of this blog?! Maybe....
FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION 'The categorising of something that is useless or trivial' Also pertinent...as my blog will probably end up being trivial in nature AND The blog name would probably be available!!
GOSSYPIBOMA 'A surgical sponge accidently left inside a patient's body' Dude...I didn't know there was a name for that!! Why didn't I learn that in my OR course? LOL-interesting though not a consideration for my blog name.
HADEHARIA 'The practice of constantly using the word 'Hell' in speaking' What the HELL? Who decides to make up names like this? Funny..though also not pertinent to my blog name.
HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSESQUIPEDALIAN 'Pertaining to extremely long words' It's at this point that I'm like....what website is this?? I still don't know.
INANILOQUENT 'Speaking foolishly or saying silly things'...could be a blog name...since i'm not a great writer and i'll probably try to compensate with humor-mine would probably be full of INANILOQUENCY (i just made that up...sounds good hey....they should add it to that website)
HAMARTITHIA 'Being likely to make a mistake' Also likely with my writing skills.
LETHOLOGICA 'The inablility to recall a precise word for something' Huh...I didn't know there was a word for that either...but I suffer from this all the time!!! Wait...it's on the tip of my tongue....
MYTACISM 'The incorrect or excessive use of the letter M' .......Really? Really?
ONYCHOPHAGY 'The habit of biting one's fingernails'  I also suffer from this. But it's worse when my mother in law is near....is there a word for that? MOTHERINLAWEXCESSIVEONYCHOPHAGY 'The habit of biting one's fingernails more excessively while their mother in law is near' (I'm just kidding...I made that one up too. But it could be legit...if you only believe.....)
POLYPHLOISBOIAN 'Making alot of loud noise or racket' This IS  my life with 3 kids...this could be my blog name!!! Put it to the top of my list...
QUIDNUNC -for those scrabblers out there (Jodi...i'm talking to u)...here is an unusual Q word. 'One who always wants to know what's going on'. I think this is a term to describe facebookers.
STRIKHEDONIA 'The pleasure of being able to say 'to hell with it' ' Hmmm....close second? Put it under Polyphloisboian.
ULTRACREPIDARIAN 'Of one who speaks or offers opinions on matters beyond their knowledge' A good blog name...certainly not for mine however.
Finally....at the end of the list: YCLEPT 'by the name of; called'

It's like it was meant to be...YCLEPT DEVENNEY. Perfectly encompassing our family name..but in an unusual fashion. AND I got to learn a bunch of cool new words. Anyone who wants to check out the website...here's the link: http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/unuwords.htm