Swimming, Cable TV and Wabi-Sabi!

Hubby has had this whole week off and has taken the older boys swimming every morning, trying to help the older 2 get their next ranks in scouts. I'm hoping we stay YMCA members for a month or two, so he can continue taking them before work every morning. :)

MM is getting there - needs to work on his stamina. TSS has the crawl stroke down, but has issues getting his face in the water for extended times. (That and he doesn't sink or float, but hangs in the water - "neutral buoyancy" Hubby says.) EB, he says, "sucks" at swimming. The child has no control over his limbs. It's like each limb has a mind of its own, and his brain doesn't control any of them. (He's kind of like that in taekwondo - his strikes and kicks are loose.) TCC has decided he'd like to go too, but I'm not about to get up at oh-dark-thirty to go swimming, no matter how much I love it. (Honestly, they're gone between 6 and 6:30 every morning.) We might do an afternoon thing, when Hubby takes the older ones during an afternoon session.

As far as cable goes...we got rid of it on February 7th. TCC, who was the most vocal about not getting rid of it, told us last night he doesn't ever want it back. (Mind you, he can watch the shows he wants online...) Hubby is undecided, but is investigating purchasing equipment to get the local channels. I, personally, don't miss it much at all. I'm getting much more stuff done at home and even my time online isn't as much as it used to be. I rather liked the first night or two, when we all gathered on the couch and watched a movie. Or reading to TCC, instead of having him hang out in the basement watching the boob tube until bedtime. I think it's going to be a good thing for us and I'm excited about the prospects.

Hubby and I recently read about wabi-sabi in Mother Earth News and I would love to see us do more (or less, as it were) with that. I'd love to pare down our things and leave the house simple, pleasing and have things with history and presence. I think the timing of the article was fortuitous, as I recently watched a show on Buddha and felt what I learned was profound and has an application for all of us - regardless of spiritual beliefs. Essentially it was this: No one knows for certain what happens when we die, except those who have died. So, stop worrying about your future, as well as your past, and live in the here and now, with those who are with you, in each moment, and live fully, within that moment with those people. Appreciate them and everything around you.

May you be filled with loving kindness.

May you be well.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

May you be happy.

Quiet Sunday Morning

Hey look - I'm updating again! In the same month even! Figured no one else is stirring, so why not. I couldn't sleep - mind is too active right now.

I cleaned up a little bit of the kitchen (more on why not the whole thing later), made myself a mint mocha (with homemade chocolate mint syrup) and came down to study for my taekwondo test on Tuesday. After almost a year of inconsistent attendance, I'm finally going to test for my next belt. Woo-hoo!

Ok, so the reason I can't clean up the whole kitchen is because I only have full use of one hand right now. (Ceej, I'm sure, would be laughing with me about that...)

We were starting back on our school schedule when, last week, we had 2 snow days. Normally these don't impact us, but EB and I decided to make something comfy for dinner for Hubby, who works out in the weather. Cutting up the veggies with the mandolin (yeah, you can see where this is going...) - had one last thing to cut and it got stuck. It shot through, with my index finger. Sliced my finger from just under the cuticle to the first knuckle, deep enough to probably do nerve damage. The rest of Monday was spent applying pressure and directing the kids on what to do to finish the meal. (EB, BTW, was exceptionally helpful! He and MM helped me take care of the wound; EB shoveled several times and he made my lunch!)

Decided against going to the hospital - couldn't drive during the snow (what, with one hand bleeding all over and the other trying to stop it?) and figured they wouldn't be able to stitch it well - just superglue it. And have you ever had to go get stitches and they take so long to get to you that the wound seals? And then they come and rip it open? Seriously, who needs that? Not to mention the last time I went in, I had 2 cuts - one needed stitches, the other didn't - they stitched the one that didn't and I said "we're done". Then it was such a lousy job - the cut wasn't even stitched completely closed - that I had to go get them taken out.

So anyway, Hubby was off the following day, which always is a day off of school. We had a packed day of appointments the next day; I worked the following and we had a performance to go to on Friday. (Which we couldn't find any parking for, so we left - thankfully it was only $20!)

Maybe this week will be better for school. :)

Tomorrow MM goes to his first official orthodontist appointment. They said they were taking a mold of his mouth, but they already did that last month during our consultation. I'm hoping that means they'll actually put things on - he's getting anxious for it to be done.

Alrighty, time to hit the "books" - need a refresher on my terminology before anyone else gets up.

Happy New Year!

So, I'll try to be a little more regular about updating this thing. :)

The past several months, life, in general, just feels right. Sounds a bit strange, but I'm a gut-instinct, feelings-based person. I might not be able to explain why something doesn't seem good or bad, but I'm almost always right. (Got that instead of a superbrain, I guess.)

Here are some thoughts:

• I'm looking forward to having the kids start up school again tomorrow and having that routine. Getting done with our Lewis and Clark study - finally.
• We're down to 2 pets and that also is good. The dog crate has been relegated to the garage for the time being. Our dog food consumption has been cut almost in half. No litterbox.
• I'm heading back to taekwondo tomorrow, three times a week, plus doing core strengthening and possibly some dance.
• Eating right more consistently. Ultimate goal is to be 30 pounds lighter by summer; 60 by this time next year. (Though I'll take 30 by fall!)
• We're making some changes - tightening the budget so other things aren't so restricted. My goal there is to get rid of cable at least, maybe even the landline.
• Going to decide if we're planning on staying here for the rest of our foreseeable lives. (That right there makes me cringe...LOL...so maybe a move is in the cards.)

I, personally, am in such an awesome place right now. I love my life, my family and the direction we're headed. (Though, I always expect something to come up when that happens - that's usually when we adopt a child and chaos reigns supreme!)

I'm truly thankful to have all of our friends and family - past and present - who have helped shape (and, yes, even motivate) me.

Life is GREAT!