bobbi | Revolution of Love

Hosted by Jen.

– 1 –

Yesterday was an insane day and, as usual, my way to cope is to write about it. It started out normal enough but then it went crazy…

Rain Clouds Gather – I got the kids off to school them went to take my morning walk. When I was done and as I was getting Matthew back in the car, I got a phone call from the preschool. My usually playful JP was listless and not himself. I wasn’t sure if he has just tired (I loathe you, daylight savings time) or coming down with something. So I picked him up from school and headed home. The poor guy slept for an hour or two and then seemed much better. I gave him his lunch then went to send off some fundraising emails while Matthew played with his toys.

A few minutes later JP came to my chair and I scooted forward so he could take his usual position of comfort – standing behind me on the chair, leaning his head on my shoulder, and rubbing his finger on my lips. I don’t know how this soothes him but it does. As he hugged me I was thinking to myself that he seems fine now and maybe we should go ahead and go to speech therapy when he made this strange noise. Now the excitement begins…

– 2 –

TMI Alert – I turned my head to look back at him and saw chunks fly out of his mouth. I was covered in it, the desk chair was dripping and the desk was splattered. Immediately Matthew saw puddles of liquid to be splashed in and ran over. Luckily I was wearing a jacket over a tank top so I threw off the jacket, which had most of his lunch, and in one arm I held JP and my desk trash can, in case more was to come, and in my other arm I grabbed Matthew and ran down the long hallway to my bathroom. (See all that walking is paying off.)

I looked in the mirror and saw vomit dripping from my cheek onto my neck. Nice. There’s nothing like the glamour of motherhood. I quickly wiped my face off then bathed JP while Matthew emptied out the contents of the bathroom drawers on the floor.

– 3 –

The Famous Last Words “I Only Turned for A Second” – I finished cleaning JP and then smelled Matthew’s stinky diaper. No problem, after JP’s fiasco this will be cake. Now this is where things get scary – seriously. I grabbed the phone to call the speech therapist and leave her a message that we won’t be there. I placed Matthew on the bed to be changed. As I’m leaving my message, phone cradled in my neck, I had one hand on Matthew and with the other hand I tried to grab a diaper wipe that was just… out… of… my… reach… and my wiggle worm tried to escape but headed in the wrong direction – right off the bed. He fell down and started screaming. I hang up the phone. (What a message that will be.)

– 4 –

Snap Out of It – I picked up Matty to comfort him and you know how a baby cries really hard then sucks in a breathe and cries even louder? Well, Mathew sucked in the air but never let it out. He just stood there then looked almost like he was going to faint. I freaked out. I thought perhaps he hit his head so hard he had brain damage. My mind traveled at warp speed – it a matter of seconds I pictured the whole scenario – me in the hospital, the doctor telling me they did everything they could, my breakdown, the funeral… I slapped myself out of it and rubbed his chest and called his name. He finally took a breath and whimpered but seemed tired out. As I debated going to the emergency room or calling 911, I quickly changed his dirty diaper. There was no time for me to change out of my vomit clothes. I’d have to bring JP with me and hope he doesn’t get sick again. In the meantime Matthew had quieted down and seemed better.

– 5 –

Dr. H to the Rescue – I called my pediatrician’s emergency line and told him what happened. He asked me detailed questions about what happened. How far did he fall (off the bed), is the floor carpeted (yes), did his eyes roll back (no), are his pupils unequal (no), is he vomiting (no, just his brother), etc. He said it sounded like he was okay but I had to keep an eye on him for any warning signs. It seems he didn’t so much hurt his head but rather he was crying so hard that he lost his breathe.

– 6 –

Perspective – I sat on the couch with the boys grateful that Matthew finished his milk and was now hitting me on the face with his “love taps” as he laughed and babbled away, “Mamamamamama…” Who cares if my desk area was still covered in vomit or that I had yet to shower after getting drenched in it. Who cares about all the things I “should” be doing today. I was just relieved that I had my babies snuggled in my arms and God has spared me a scary, scary cross (at least so far.) There’s nothing like a little shake up to help you put back perspective in your life!

– 7 –

Lesson Learned – Today is a new day and the kids are home from school. I hear yelling, screaming, laughter and the sound of JP and Matty giggling as they play with the bubble machine by my desk. The chaotic noise never sounded so beautiful.

So if today happens to drive you mad and you are feeling like you are going to lose it, stop and take a breath. Remember what matters most and count your blessings. God will get you through the rough spots. Don’t wait for a near tragedy to remind you.

Thanks for listening and have a wonderful weekend!!

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

{pretty}

I know I have been OD-ing on the ocean photos but I can’t help it. Yesterday a storm was brewing and I had to get my walk done before the rain hit.

{happy}

This morning Matthew was happy to walk around the preschool after the boys went into their classrooms.

I’m not sure which he was headed for, the tricycle or the sand box/play area.

{funny}

Three days out of the week Matty and I have a couple hours to get things done. Here he is “helping” me by decorating the house with baby wipes.

Here he is helping me empty the dishwasher. (By the way, why doesn’t he have any pants on? He always wears pants. Hmm, maybe he learned how to throw them in the wash. That would be nice.)

{real}

Well, now I know what to do if an earthquake hits while I am walking.

Have a great day!

**Sharing the triumphs and missteps in my journey towards a healthier physical, emotional and spiritual life.**

Today is the first Weigh-in Wednesday where I share the small triumphs and missteps in my journey towards a healthier physical, emotional and spiritual life.
So much of life in the physical world goes hand in hand with the spiritual world. It’s not healthy to focus solely on one area and ignore the other. There is a balance. I picture it like a table with four legs. You could say that the table represent the four areas of my well being – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
As a Catholic woman, I can also see that table represent the main relationships of my life: God (my relationship as a daughter of God), my family (my relationship as a wife and mother), others (my relationship with family members, friends and the world in general) and myself (how I deal with me.)
However you look at it, they are all intertwined. All are a part of who I am. The four table legs represent the four areas. Working together, the table is stable. But if one area is lacking, then that broken table leg will make the whole table lopsided, or worse, it will tip over.
Someone once told me that a person’s exterior life reflects their interior life. This was a motivating factor in slowly organizing my house. But I am also clearly seeing that my exterior physical life also mirrors my spiritual interior life. Here are a few examples.
I struggle to motivate myself to exercise.
I struggle to slow down and spend time in prayer.
I need to decrease the junk food and increase the healthy fruits and veggies.
I need decrease my frivolous media intake and increase my spiritual/deeper reading.
I can’t lose weight unless I get on my feet and get moving.
I can’t grow spiritually unless I get on my knees and get praying.
Healthier living is not done overnight. It takes small changes everyday, done over and over until it becomes second nature.
A strong spiritual life is not done overnight. It takes small changes everyday, done over and over until it becomes second nature.
The list could go on and on. I know none of this is new but Lent is an especially good time to review and relearn what we’ve let fall through the cracks. For me the lesson is to be a better steward of my time, which helps me spiritually and physically.
So today I’ll give you a report on my physical progress. My goal this week was to turn off the computer and start my walking routine again. My two sisters BC & JC have inspired me! The started off simple and then slowly trained, got fit and have worked their way up to completing their first half marathon. Go girls!

So with their encouragement, after I drop off the boys at preschool I head over to the local walking trail, put Matthew in the stroller and walk two miles. I used to walk this trail all the time when Bella was in preschool and I was pregnant with Andrew. Today I was reminded how invigorating it is to be outdoors and walk so near God’s beauty.

My sister also recommended that I use the Endomondo app on my iphone while I walk. I love it. It really helps out by keeping track of my time, the distance walked, the calories I burn and it shows a map of how far I’ve gone. (It also works on a number of sports, not just walking or running.)
Okay, Wednesday will be over in less than an hour so I better post this before it is too late. Have a restful night!

It still has been very busy here and it will probably stay that way until our school fundraiser is over in April. However, I was thinking about how I can organize my schedule but still make time for blogging. I decided I would divide my days into different topics.
Mondays – TV Talk Mondays I discuss the new Masterpiece Theater shows or other similar mini-series/movies. Currently we are enjoying a Date with Dickens and watching Bleak House.

Tuesdays – Operation Clean & Organize where I share my progress in taming the procrastinating, ADD, mess cat within me.

Wednesday – Weight-In Wednesday is new. I share my progress in getting physically and spiritually healthier.

Thursday – I participate in Like Mother, Like Daughter’s photo journal with {pretty, happy, funny, real}, capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.

Friday – I participate in Jen Fulwiler’s 7 Quick Takes Friday.

There is no way I can post every day and I’ll certainly have posts that don’t fit into these categories but since these are the main things I write (or at least think) about, I’ll do my best to post at least a couple times a week with these topics.
If I have time I’ll try to finish writing my Weigh-In Wednesday thoughts and post it this evening. Either way, have a good late afternoon/evening/night!

Previous posts: Introduction and Parts 1-2.
This week I watched Parts 3 and 4 of Bleak House but my comments will be short(er) since I am putting the baby to sleep and typing with one hand.
Development – The biggest development is the deepening mystery surrounding Nemo, Lady Dedlock, Esther and how they are all related. Mr. Guppy may be a creepy little character talking about his angel but the boy knows how to dig around and uncover hidden facts about the case.
Most Fickle – Richard continues to worry Mr. Jarndyce, as well as Esther and Ada, with his lack of commitment to his profession. First it was the medical profession, then the law, and then the army and now he wants to quit altogether in order to pursue his court case. You know things are going bad when he argues to his lawyer that he knows better since he has “studied the law” – for a whole month or two.
Most Annoying Character(s) – Mr. Tulkinghorn continues to spin his webs and catch his prey. Mr. Skimpole is even more irritating this week as he explains that although Esther would most likely die, even if she did live, she’d be so scarred that people will be sickened to look at her face. Yeah, that boy is a real charmer. Explain again why he is there, Mr. Jarndyce?? A close third would have to be Mrs. Woodcourt. How can a man so good and noble have such a pest for a mother?
Best catch-phrase – When Brian and I are tired and we can’t seem to hop to our feet fast enough, we’ll exclaim, “Shake me up, Judy!” Every time I see the actor that plays Mr. Smallweed in another movie, I can’t help but think of him as this character.
Best Snicker – Spontaneous combustion? Is that even possible? (Do I admit that I actually googled it to see if it was?) At least it made an interesting plotline.
Best Bring Your Own Hankie Scene – First, can I say that I looove little Charley! (And where can I find little Charley to be my lady’s maid/mother’s helper?) It is touching to see the love Charley has for Esther and it broke my heart to see her in tears as she handed Esther the mirror. But the clincher was when Ada did not care about the scars on Esther’s face and was only relieved to that she was alive and well. As they held each other and cried, I cried too.
And with that I must bid you a good morning. The little ones are calling and my sleeping babe has jumped off my lap and is running down the hallway looking for mischief. Have a great morn!

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Blog Archives

7 Quick Takes (3/16/12): The “I Thought He Was Going to Die” Version

{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 25

Weigh-In Wednesday: Vol 1

New Daily Blog Topics

TV Talk Monday: A Date with Dickens – Bleak House, Parts 3-4 (Episodes 4-7)