Army Wives v. Jesus' Bride

Thanks to my mom's recommendation, I tried out the show Army Wives on Netflix. I really like to watch a tv series from the very beginning. It only took one episode and I really liked it-couldn't even pick a favorite character I liked it so much. And boy am I thankful since I'm spending a lot more time on my couch as I recover from neck surgery.

The main characters of Army Wives share friendship, sadnesses, joys, drinks, dinners, and lots of life experiences that normal people have. They are a tight-knit group that most would envy. I would've envied it fifteen years ago.

As I get emotionally involved in the lives of my "friends" on Army Wives, it's hard not to notice their closeness but also their dedication to their country. When they are having hard times, they rely on themselves. That's where the difference lies.

My friends and I share friendship, sadnesses, joys, drinks from Sonic:), dinners and lots of life experiences. But the main thread that keeps us sewn together isn't our country, it's our Maker. Our Savior. the One who brought us together. And for that Common Thread I will forever be thankful. He has put the most amazing friends in my life, brothers and sisters that mean the world to me.

Dealing with Disappointment

I hope the following blog doesn't come off as whining and complaining. Bryan works 55+hours/wk on salary. This doesn't count the 1/2 hour commute both ways and 1/2 lunch he doesn't take. He's been working this many hours for probably 5 mos. or so. When I was eight months pregnant with Caroline, I warned him that I wouldn't be able to handle these long days with three kids. Well, Caroline is 3 mos. old this week and things are just now beginning to change. We were led to believe last week that there was a great job available for him at the county jail. He'd work 6 am -2pm Mon-Fri. The pay would be less but I thought it was worth it for Bryan to be home more with me and the kids. Currently, he sees the kids from 7-8:30 pm everyday. He reads to them every night and says their bedtime prayers with them. Today we found out there really wasn't a job for him. Hopefully he will be able to switch positions at work to something where he can be home more.

Anyway, to deal with my disappointment that I won't be seeing my husband for dinner every night and have someone to help me with a dozen daily potty trips and discipline issues and that my kids won't see their dad but for a little bit before bedtime every weeknight, I am outlining some truths to tell myself. I've found boundaries help keep my emotions from getting out of control. That's exactly what happens when I'm on duty from sunup til past sundown Mon-Fri.

1. My husband doesn't really work the day shift. He works 6am-7pm most every day. Having plans with friends on weeknights is not a good idea. On Mondays, which are usually even longer days, I have a friend to hang out with in the evening.
2. Weekends are our time together. We need to make the most of this time. It's not wise to go do our own thing for half the day. That's too much being gone.
3. Being cranky is a waste of time.
4. Thank You, God, that we have a job, paychecks, healthy, smart, decently obedient kids, extraordinary friends and family.
5. Accept help and don't be proud. Do not apologize or feel guilty if I find a little time for myself.
6. Everything on my to-do list does not have to be done before noon on Monday, nor does it have to be done before noon any other day. Running errands with 3 children can be difficult. Lower personal expectations.
7. Spread things out and use every bit of time available.
8. ENJOY enjoy ENJOY enjoy ENJOY enjoy -that's my biggest fear - that I will look back and not have appreciated this amazing time in my life having 3 under 5.

Diary of a Busy Mom

I want to start blogging about my days. They aren't anything spectacular to read I'm sure, so please don't feel obligated if you find them monotonous or annoying.

Today I woke up to rain on my bedroom rooftop, wishing I could stay in bed all day:) But, I got up and helped Luke get ready for school and get on the bus. Since the girls weren't up yet (which is strange for Norah certainly), I got a little quiet time to myself, then napped for 20 min. on the couch til Nor got up. Norah and I had breakfast and got ready. Then I got Caroline up and tried to feed her. She was very snotty and didn't want to eat. We packed ourselves up and headed to the RSEC, now the CFSB bldg, to walk for half an hour. After that we went to story time at Immanuel Lutheran Church and had a wonderful time playing, listening to a story and doing a craft. Plus, 3 of my friends were there, so I got to talk to them - bonus! I dropped the girls off at home with Amanda so I could work for a couple hours w/o them. I picked Luke up, ran an errand, treated us to lunch at McD's, then worked for an hour. I was so so glad to get home and put on comfy warm clothes. Worked on laundry and chores til I tutored at 3. Now I'm getting ready to make some meals to have on hand. No plans tonight, just hanging out at home and staying dry.

Hand-Picked Friends

Kristin and I have been talking about this new season with Cate and Luke in preschool now. Our routines have changed; it's strange not having them with us, but we know it's part of growing up. One thing that is neat is that our kids are choosing their own friends for the first time. All the friends they have up until now are our friends' kids. That works out pretty perfectly.

Now Luke comes home talking about friends at school and it's weird to me to not know their moms or anything about them. So we've got some playdates to work on that.

On the subject of friends, Luke and Norah got attached to a couple of my sister's friend's kids at Audrey's first birthday party. They still talk about these friends they played with at the party, Jordan and Jaylin. So this weekend when we were up at my mom's we got the kids together to play. I guess I'm amazed that they remember these friends and were so anxious to see them again. They played and were sad to have to part again.

Quirky Kids

I know I won't remember these little things if I don't write them down or scrapbook them or tell my friends so we can laugh about them in the years to come. Here are the latest antics from our house.

Norah has taken to wearing her pink Dora rubber gloves quite often. She got these from her Grandma Stacy last spring. They are gardening gloves. She ignored them for months and now wears them to bed and around the house. I think she is associating them with the purple gloves Willy Wonka wears on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The best part is, she wears them when we go potty sometimes and I don't have to wash her hands:)

Luke has been cracking me up lately when he uses a deep voice to speak for his toys, but especially when his toys talk to me. I will hear Luke call me Jaclyn and before I can say something about it I realize his toy is talking to me. I talk to all kinds of toys throughout the day - Batman, Optimus Prime, Iron Man. My favorite though was War Machine the other day. He accidentally took a swim in the toilet so I asked Luke to put him in the kitchen sink for me to clean. When I gave War Machine back to Luke, War Machine (in a deep voice) said, "Thank you Jaclyn for cleaning my circuits."

More antics to come...:)

What My Kids Teach Me

I haven't blogged in a long time, obviously. Yet my mind has been on overdrive. One thing I thought about quite some time ago was what my kids have taught me. After having trouble having Lluke, I wasn't sure we would have anymore. So I did the best I could to not have any regrets. Luke definitely taught me that it's ok to get dirty. Messes clean up. He loves to jump in puddles, adopt bugs as pets, dig in dirt, and play in mud. (Yet he freaks out if his hands are sticky after a popsicle:))

Now, Norah and I had a rough start. It wasn't entirely her fault. Circumstances at home were difficult, she didn't sleep very well at all, and I was a hormonal mess. Eventually, everything worked itself out. She is such a delight to me. God gave her to me to teach me to dance. I secretly would love to dance. To swing dance actually. But I have lived 32 years as inhibited and that is too hard to change apparently. But in the privacy of my home with my Pandora set on Abba, we dance away. She dances to ringtones, commercials, movies, and actually to nothing at all. She has a bounce in her normal everyday step.

It's natural for me to wonder what Caroline will teach us. I wonder what she will be like, knowing she will be herself and different from her brother and sister. No matter what, I know she will have much to teach me.

Good News

Bryan and I were excited about the ultrasound appointment on Tuesday. We'd decided originally that we'd be surprised like we were with Luke. That wasn't really that hard and it was so exciting. On the way home from our Omaha trip though, I told Bryan I was really on the fence about finding out and he said he was too:) So we decided that if the baby cooperated, we'd find out.

Everything looked good. The spine, the legs, the arms, the heart, etc. Then the technician started putting her computer arrows around another part and I said, "It's a girl?," being pretty sure about what I'd seen. She confirmed and we were so surprised. My gut feeling was that we were having a boy and apparently I'd convinced myself of that. Bryan too. We were so glad we found out! So, you're looking at Caroline Mae Tompkins. Her profile looks just like her brother and sister's did:)