The Simple Life at Home: The Stuff of Which Life is Made

Ok, due to an overwhelmingly guilt-inducing email from my sister, I have been dragged back to the blog. It's not that I don't love blogging and appreciate all of you who, for whatever reason, choose to follow and keep up with my life. It's just that it has become a blur lately centering on work, homework help, cooking and cleaning. Not exactly the stuff that makes for thrilling reading, but, I suppose, the stuff of which life is made up of. So here's an update on our life for the last month and a half. (Yikes, it sounds awful when I say that!)

The coolest thing right now is that I'm working through The Love Dare book with a group of friends. We are on Day 4 today and I think we are all being challenged and stretched already. The great thing about doing this with a group is that we are all picking up on different things and encouraging each other. This is a group of women whom I have been friends with for 14 years+, started from a chat room for women with kids about the same age. We live all over the place (well, okay, I get credit for being the most far-flung - the rest are in the States) and have all different backgrounds, but are bonded together after years of commiserating about infancy, the terrible twos, childhood and now teenage angst. We are all in different places in our marriages, but have found that most of us have our ups and downs. Marriage is hard at times. Doing The Love Dare is a way for us all to learn to put the value we place on our marriage before our emotions, which can be very fickle.

Daniel had an amazing trip to Oman. 5 days without Mom. I think it was much harder on me than on him. (Although, privately, I will admit the quiet was a little nice.) Rock climbing, mountain biking, snorkeling, and more were all on the agenda. Next year, in 8th grade, he'll be heading a little farther away probably to either Malaysia or Sri Lanka. That will really freak me out.

I'm getting braces. Braces. At 41. Unbelievable. But due to my overwhelming vanity, I'm only doing the top teeth right now because the orthodontist says they can be done by summer, so they'll be off for my trip home. And because my kids and I are all doing them, he's giving me the clear ones for no extra charge. Words cannot begin to express how excited I am about this. I mean, really. Wouldn't you be excited? Not.

Grocery shopping has been pretty good lately. At least I've been able to find most of the things on my lists. This week's big find? Instant chocolate pudding which I have NEVER seen here. I stocked up so I can make Hubby's favorite desserts - Oreo pie.

Hubby and I are locked in a battle to the death over whether or not to hire someone to help us clean house once a week. To my way of thinking, it would cost us about $35 dollars a week for 5 hours of help and since I'm working full-time I think it's a justifiable expense. He feels it's not necessary if we all pitch in and work a little harder. But truthfully I don't want to work harder. I'm tired when I get home and by the time I do dinner and help with homework and pick up, I'd be happy to let someone handle the general cleaning - dusting, bathrooms, mopping, etc. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Summer vacation is just 124 days away. Not that I'm counting or anything.

3 comments:

Pamela Fierro said...: Yay! Glad to see you blogging again. Hope to see you again soon!; February 11, 2010 at 5:40 PM
Leeann said...: I agree with Pam. Don't be a stranger!; February 15, 2010 at 5:35 AM
Stacey said...: so glad your sister guilted you!!

GET A HOUSEKEEPER! :); February 25, 2010 at 4:13 AM