Lifesavers

I'm not thinking of the fruity-flavored roll of candies to which I would pick through and snatch only the cherry and pineapple. I'm thinking of those people/places/things that have really made getting through the day so much easier.

This morning was a blur. Busy, busy! But I finally got a chance to check my e-mail and in my box were 2 very meaningful and emotion-filled messages. One, pages long, but I still "breathed" in every word as I teared up staring at my computer screen. A college friend and his wife (to whom I had the pleasure of living with during my freshman year) are expecting their first baby any day now. Their daughter has a life-threatening heart condition, but their faith remains so solid. The other e-mail came from a dear friend that just lost her grandfather. The message was 4 words long, but still enough to make the tears in my eyes wet the keyboard.

I'd like to say that I "count my blessings" but at that moment, I felt the need to meditate and remember the "lifesavers" in my life. Here is my list that I've been working on, in no particular order (Just to add so I don't offend anyone else, this is NOT my list of most important things in my life, this is my list of what gets me through the day).

Lifesaver 1: My husband. The kiss that he plants on my lips every morning before he leaves for work is a reminder of just how much he loves me no matter what. He is my biggest fan and my best friend. He knows me better than I know myself sometimes. I just wish that he'd read my blog more often.

Lifesaver 2: My boys. Sure, they demand that I get out of my bed and feed them and they depend on my driving skills to get them to practice and Bible study. They are the truest reflection of me. In their actions, I can see my faults but also my successes as a parent. They are forgiving. They call me mom and that is the greatest job title that I've ever had.

Lifesaver 3: My running partners: At this point, the list is very small, but I am so greatful for the words of encouragement or the belly laugh that I get while exercising with my 2 buddies. I've become a much stronger person and have been able to get through a couple of tough situations with the support and compassion of these women.

Lifesaver 4: My parents, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. Family is important, but it is so important to me to have people that I love within arm's reach, and not just for the babysitting. I can ALWAYS count on them for physical back-up (A broken-down car, an emergency with the boys, a night of fun, dinner that I don't have to cook....). Thank you!

Lifesaver 5: Funny as it seems to put here, but my middle son's teacher. At a time when I felt so down about the teaching profession, this woman had to inspire me and almost make me want to go back to teaching in public school....but no. I've seen so many wonderful things happen this year in my son's life and I owe much of that to his teacher. All-in-all, he is learning so many important skills dealing with work ethic, manners and politeness, setting goals,... It makes my job much easier. Yes, there really are teachers out there that care! Bravo Miss McLovin (he-he)!

Lifesaver 6: My treadmill. When I can't get out to burn off some steam, I do it on my stationary track. I put those earbuds in and I ignore the whimpering in the background and I just run. I've actually been working towards increasing my speed and at the push of a button, I can do that. I feel accomplished and sweaty at the end of a good 8 mile run. I feel empowered and ready for a nap at the same time. But I always shower first.

Lifesaver 7: Those friends and family members that share their journeys through life with me. The e-mails that I received really set my emotions going and I thank the authors for that. Friends that meet me for lunch/dinner, send me texts while I am working, call from their homes far away to check up on me, attend church with me, sit with me all afternoon on the soccer field...you know who you all are. Thank you to those friends that do feel comfortable enough to chat about life with me. You are the people that help me to build my integrity and help me to stay honest. I pray that I can be a beacon of light to you too and help you when you need a shoulder or a laugh.

Lifesaver 8: God. No explanation necessary.

Lifesaver 9: My home. It's very materialistic, but I am so happy at the end of a day to have a safe place to sleep at night. I like knowing that my boys know their way around town based upon the starting or ending point of our house. We add "beauty" to it by remodeling, but no matter how we decorate, it will always be the central meeting place. It will always be the place where we sit down together as a family and have dinner.

Lifesaver 10: Midol. I am dead serious.

Manwich

Last night Cayden made a comment to me. He told me that I should go out more often so he could have Manwich and tater tots. Oh, wouldn't I just love to cook up a batch of "man" food (sloppy-joes, chili dogs...pretty much anything that comes from a can and has a red-face-staining color to it) and just leave a few sporks on the table and head out the door with my keys.

I would love to say that I've worked so very hard on making sure that my children get the proper nutrition that they need to stay healthy, but last night, it was my mental health that needed to be restored. As a result, the kids and hubby dined on an increased amount of saturated fat and enjoyed every bit of it (...and the can says that you get 2 servings of vegetables).

What is it about "man food"? I just don't get it, but maybe that is because I am a woman. Even if it is an easy meal, I just don't think that I could sit down and genuinely pray to God and "thank" him for this meal that has been prepared. Wow! That is pretty selfish of me....to not be thankful to God for Manwich. Next time I am complaining of my state of starvation, I am sure that He will send down the Manwich until it comes out of my nasal passages. Lesson learned. Amen.

So Long to Nap Time

I love naps. I love to take them. I loved to put my boys down for them. It was like my small piece of heaven wrapped up in a day full of chaos. When I took/take them, I wouldn't have to worry about the craziness around me which often consisted of some form of fighting or loud electronic entertainment. It's become white noise to me now. I can nap through it all. When I'd put the boys down, it was a few hours of peace and freedom to do mindless, non-thinking activities like watch t.v. or play on the internet. Maybe even catch a nap of my own. My youngest, Rylan, has so sadly outgrown his naps. For 4-and-almost-one-half years he took them and hardly ever put up a fuss. He still needs them (so I tell myself), but he's become too difficult to convince. He's seen through all of my hidden agendas. We tried "meditation" and we tried resting-with-our-eyes-closed-but-not-sleeping We've even tried sit-on-the-bed-and-read-until-I-say-you-can-come-out-and-hopefully-you-will-pass-out-first. They've all worked once, but he's one smart, stubborn cookie.

So comes the end of an era of raising children who nap. It's a benchmark in any parents' lives. Now I must entertain my child for 2-3 more hours of the day. Now I must find my "me" time somewhere else....to which there is no other place that it will fit unless I stay up longer, but that is a BAD idea. You see these bags under my eyes already?????

I actually caught myself reminiscing about the glorious napping days of all of my boys. They were always such "good" nappers. Bryson loved to nap all day and then he'd be up all night. Once we fixed that, he would nap every day after lunch until he started school. Cayden was like clockwork. From the time he was a baby, his mission in life was to play hard, eat, and sleep. I could time his naps on a watch and it would be like deja vu every day. He was the most consistent of all. He still needs that extra sleep, but because he's in 4th grade, I think a nap would be frowned upon by his peers. He just goes to bed much earlier than....any other kid that I know.

Now my "baby" is preparing to enter kindergarten this coming fall. His eyes still roll to the back of his head and his lids get heavy as he answers "NO!" when I ask him if he's tired after his morning at preschool. He still stares into space as I snap and clap in his face and ask him if he needs a nap. Once he enters the house and I say the magic words, "Go potty and take your shoes off", he just looses it. I consider myself to be a pretty consistent mom, but I've weighed the options of fighting the stubborness and holding him down on his bed until he's done kicking and screaming at me or just letting him have some "quiet time" and then putting him to bed earlier. It seems that the less agressive turns out to be the least stressful. I have less time to do my "work" but I do get time that is quiet and I get a happy boy.

I, too, have made some improvements on my napping routine. I have been taking fewer naps during my days and I miraculously get more acomplished aound the house and I have more time to do my running. On most days I get 6-8 miles in. Yay! I'm not going to say that I am in a better mood, or that I don't snore now at night, because I've been told that I have been more consistent with my log sawing.

But unlike most of my blogs, I will end on a positive and uplifting note. I will consider myself a good mother for getting my boys through their preschool days well-rested. I'd even go as far as saying that I've gotten my boys to "enjoy" napping beyond the age of an average child-napper. That happened to be one of two great goals of mine as far as longevity. The other was breastfeeding...and would it be too much to tell you that my 4-and-almost-one-half-year-old son still asks me questions like "Member yesterday when I use to eat from your boobies?" (He's still working on time lapse, obviously....)