How do Mothers do it on days like these?

The following story happened to Christy this past week. She shared it with me already and then she had to share it with her professor for a class she is currently taking. I am amazed at how much stress she can handle and how calm and collected she can be. I'll stop talking now and just paste the email that she just wrote her professor.

Hello Professor Ringel,I am writing to inform you that I have the flu as well as a sinus infectionand therefore am not going to be attending class tomorrow evening. (1/30/08)
I did do the assignment however and will just type it now for you to sharein class or just for yourself- however you were planning on us using theseexperiences.
My stressful "event" was more like a stressful day. I have two little boys-one who is three years old, and the other is one. After waking the baby upto take my 3 yr old to pre school, we pulled into the parking lot to realizethat there was no school that day and somehow I missed the memo. Since wewere all up and out and about, we proceeded to Costco to get our list ofitems. Costco is never a fun place for anyone and even less fun with twokids. AFter shopping for over an hour, having a big bottle of pine sol fallout of our cart and spill all over the floor all while the baby has beenscreaming for the past 20 min, we proceed to checkout. The checkout linewas long and after ringing up 450.00 worth of merchandise, I swiped mycard. The machine said my pin number was invalid. Yes, the baby is stillscreaming and my 3 yr old saying repeadedly, "when are we doing to be done?"I begin to sweat. The noise from all the people and crying from my baby isdeafning. I try the card again. Still not working. I don't have acheckbook. I call the number on the back for customer service which justtransfers me to more and more voice machines. I just wanted to talk to aperson!!!! At this time, I am frustrated and angry already with whomeverI'm going to speak with on the other end b/c there is no way this should behappening. We have money in our account, and it wasn't like the card wasdenied, it was a pin number error. Was I supposed to have changed it in thenew year or something? I would have appreciated a letter or phone call ifthat was the case...... (so racing thoughts as to what is possibly going onand what I can do about it).After 15 min and the woman telling me to go to an atm and put in my pin andit'll work, I do that. I push my full cart to the ATM and wait in yetanother line. The baby has lost it by now. I pick him up and hold him inone arm and try to use the ATM with my other. ATM is not working- says it'san invalid pin as well. I pull out another card to just take out cash topay and get the heck out of there and the ATM says it's all out of cash.So, now I have a baby who is falling out of my arms b/c he is throwing amajor tantrum. Luckily the 3 yr old was a good trooper. I go over to thecashier, explain my situation and apologize. They now need to empty my veryfull cart. I have wasted over 2 hrs at costco. I get the kids coats on andrealize I had opened a box of granola bars and given one to each of my kidsto distract them while shopping. I tell the cashier I owe her for thegranola bars b/c they are opened and have just enough cash and change (tothe penny!!!!! ) to pay. So, I leave costco with one box of granola bars.The lady tells me to go to another ATM and come back with cash. They'llwait a while until they unload my cart. So, that's what I do. But, but thetime I come back and walk the mile it seems to take from my car to the storewith my cranky kids, the cart has been unloaded.During my costco fiasco, my emotions cycle rapidly. After I get off thephone with the lady about my pin number, I start to tear up and feel sohelpless and out of control. When I see there is no cash in the ATM, Istarted to laugh and said to my self, "of course....why not?" in a sarcasticmanner.It's nap time for the baby (and has been for a good hr) and yet I have nomilk to give him b/c we were going to buy some at costco. I stop by aneighbors house and fill up a sippie cup of milk breifly explaining my sagaand promise to repay her the few cups of milk I'm borrowing.Once at home and warming up the milk, the baby begins to scream from theother room and the 3 yr old shouts "Bryce fell on the toy!" Blood isgushing from his mouth. I pick up the baby, run to get a wet rag andpopcicle for his mouth to stop the bleeding an swelling. After calming himdown a bit, I check the damage and he's cut his stringly thing on the toplip that connects his top gums to his top lip pretty badly. Bleeding is notstopping. We call the pediatric dentist. She tells us to come in rightaway b/c he may need stiches. Back in the car we go. Still no naps......I grab the sippie of milk for the baby, a couple pieces of bread and abanana for lunch for the 3 yr old and baby - (if he is able to eat.)While driving I realize I haven't eaten all day and my stomach starts togrowl. I am surprisingly calm. I think more exhausted than anything atthis point. At the dentist, she determines that he doesn't need stiches andno teeth are loose. Back in the car, home, nap time. Baby in bed aftertylenol and the 3 yr old watches a movie and I crash on the couch. Ithought I had lots of energy which I did at the time, but after sittingrealized how exhausted I really was. I fell asleep- so did my 3 yr old.Upon waking and realizing I still had no milk or ingredients to make dinnerwith, I went to the store. I felt like a walking zombie. SO TIRED!!! Notjust sleepy tired, but whole body tired. Carter - the 3 yr old was up until10 that night b/c he took a nap, but after he was asleep, I slept sosoundly. Two days later I got the flu. 103 fever, aches, cough, chills,sore throat, runny nose, congestion, headache..... My body feels like I'vebeen hit by a truck. More stress b/c now my husband needs to take off workto care for the kids when he has no vacation days left and we need to savefor this summers trip to see his family in Idaho. More stress b/c I don'twant to get my kids and husband sick. More stress b/c I'm missingclasses.... So, my life seems like a big ball of stress right now and I feellike there is nothing I can do about it. I'm being forced to rest by beingso sick and hate it. Oh well....what do ya do?So, there you have it Professor Ringel. Probably more detail than you'dlike, but writing about it has actually been pretty theraputic. HopefullyI'll be in class next Wed. Thanks Christy.


It's moments like these that I realize, I am married to Superwoman.

Today Attitude Matters

One thing I really like about my new job is the fact that they pick a business related book for everyone to read and then they discuss it one afternoon six weeks later. This is the first book I've had the opportunity to read titled "Today Matters" by John Maxwell. Overall it has been an inspirational book and one that leaves you wanting to improve your life.

The book isn't only geared toward "business" people, but for all people. It basically covers 12 areas of focus for readers to improve on daily in order to achieve success. Of the 12 areas, 4 have really struck me as significant in my life, areas where I feel I can improve on the most in order to live a more successful life.

Attitude. I remember my dad speaking to me once when I was still in grade school, I had been sent to my room for something I did that apparently was a display of bad attitude. He came in after some moments of reflection and asked me if I knew what attitude was. I think my response was that it was how we act. He then mentioned to me that attitude was one thing that we could always choose, no matter what was going on around us. We could choose our attitude. I wonder if he even remembers that conversation, but I sure did. This book really hits it home with how having a positive attitude can not only improve your life but others that come in contact with you.

Some of the things he mentions are "When you spend time with others do they walk away feeling better or worse? Do you clear the air, giving them a fresh perspective and positive encouragement? Or do they go away feeling gloomy? Watch how people respond to you, and you''ll know which kind of person you are.
Looking for the positive in every situation helps you see opportunities that you would otherwise miss. Being positive with people prompts them to be positive with you-and individuals who interact well with others have a leg up on people who don't.
Many people in this world mistakenly believe their attitude is set...But that's not true. Your attitude is a choice. If it's not good now, you need to change it, here's how...If you desire to change yourself, then start with your mind. Believe that you can improve, that you can change into the person you desire to be. "

He further mentions how to accomplish this, by being appreciative and grateful for the little things instead of always finding something to complain about. If attitude is an area we really want to change then we need to work at it. Make a conscious effort to start out the day having a positive attitude. For myself, it is hardest when I am tired (which is another of his 12 areas, being healthy, but not one of the four I feel has impacted me the greatest). Other things he mentions are finding someone positive in every situation, "draft" off of them the way racers do and help each other stay positive. Say something positive in every conversation. Remove negative words from your vocabulary. Doing these things will help train our minds to think more positive.

The remaining 3 areas I will have to write about later are priorities, thinking, and growth.

What is your sleep number?

So finally after a year and a half, we are using the paint that we purchased at Home Depot to do the boys upstairs bathroom. Christy also bought some in-expensive wood floor looking vinyl stick on tiles that we can update the bathroom floor with. I finally was able to caulk for I think the first time in my life as I re-did the caulking around the shower and tub. We are still working on the floor and we need to put up a duckie wall paper border, but we have at least painted most of it. Being an adult has its perks...I used to dread doing home projects when I was a kid...but now I rather enjoy it. Kinda funny how lots of tastes change the older we get. Even things I didn't think were fun to learn about have become interesting to me.

We had a great Christmas and it was fun to stay at home and have the boys come downstairs and open up gifts. I think that the boys were on present overload (mostly Carter because Bryce is too young to yet know what is going on). But after he opened gifts here from Christy and I and his Aunt's, Uncles, Cousins and Idaho Grandparents, then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house where he got more gifts, and there was still one gift that Christy and I had bought as a joint gift for him and Bryce that he didn't open before we went over to the grandparents house, and when we came home to open it, he didn't seem all too excited. Makes me think we are really spoiling our children. But then I think that he will have these toys for years and they will replace other toys (hopefully).

We have been trying out a sleep number bed and after getting our 30 days extended for another 30, it is time to return it. It was a nice enough bed, just too expensive and I don't feel that the marginal gain of a good nights sleep on a new sleep number bed is enough to justify spending more than for a new mattress. So there was some frustration dealing with the return of the sleep number bed, but after spending some money on the return shipping, we are resolved. Now thats something to sleep good to.

We went Christmas caroling on Christmas eve at a retirement/nursing home. I remember being scared of old people (I don't know if that's the best way to refer to them (and again the "them" as if they are different than us)). Christy did a great job in prepping him for what it would be like and how they were lonesome and how he could color pictures to give them. Well Christy's sister ended up bringing lots of drawings or homemade Christmas cards and I was proud of Carter how he went up to people and handed them a card and would say "merry Christmas." It was inspiring to see how their eyes light up when they see the children or how they would long for them to touch them, give them a hug, or even a high five. How that must be to see a whole lifetime and future ahead of a child as you are looking back from the very end of yours.

We only had one snow so far this winter season. Carter, Bryce and Christy took advantage though.