Keeping the PEACE

It has been a few weeks & I haven't had any takers on the assistant job---can't imagine why!!  I have been searching for that PEACE that I wanted & I think I have found it.  I am learning to not let the little things become BIG things.  I am a sort of Pinterest addict & I remember a saying from there that goes something like "The laundry may not all be done, there may be dirty dishes in the sink, the house may be a little messy.  That just means my kids have worn clean clothes, eaten at meals, & that we have enjoyed our time together."  I know I am not quoting this perfectly, but you get the idea.
  I am still trying to stay with the daily chore chart that is on the dry erase board in the laundry room, but I am not going to run around like a chicken with my head cut off & stay up all hours of the night to try & get it done!  So, if you come to our home to visit, don't expect everything to be oh-so perfect...it is 'lived in'.  We haven't given up by any means...but we are enjoying each others company & keeping the PEACE in our home, lives, & sleep schedules!!

Job opening

   I LOVE to volunteer my time to organizations close to my heart.  My church; I teach Sunday School & am the Social Activity Director, which includes a number of things (organizing potlucks & picnics, floats for parades, children's skits, all holiday events....), Girl Scouts; I am a troop leader for the 4th year in a row now & this year became service unit manager over the area with 6 troops under me.
   Along with these, which are the largest 'jobs', I also am trying to keep my household together.  Remember before you continue reading, I LOVE to volunteer!
   This first week of 2012 started with the kids going back to school & myself trying to find that PEACE & get onto the household schedule I had set up.  It was also my son's birthday & the week that we began selling GS cookies, along with Vernon coming home from his 2 week shift.  The kids & I were ecstatic for him to be coming home after being gone through Christmas & New Year.  His flight was going to arrive on Nicholas' b-day & the kids could hardly wait for the school day to be over so they could see him.  I could hardly wait too, but as I was driving the 1 1/2 hour drive to the airport, my phone started to ring like crazy!  I tried to be polite & helpful, but all I could think was, "Here we go...".  Usually when I get to the airport I am so excited I have to stand outside the vehicle & tackle Vernon as soon as I see him.  He must be used to this because as I am sitting there on the phone (feeling very frustrated at the fact that I just need 1 day without distractions), Vernon came walking up with his hands in the air saying, "Hello?"
   We were able to celebrate Nicholas' b-day that evening with a quite dinner, but that was all we were able to squeeze out of this week (until today).  These are volunteer positions & the key word is 'volunteer'.  This means  I give of myself freely & am not paid.  I should not be at someone's "beck & call", but when they call every 30 minutes & send texts in 15 minute intervals...really!?!?
   So, today, I did not answer that phone that at times is a life saver, but this week, has been my worst nightmare!  We had the best time hanging out with our dearest friends & I now feel refreshed.  So refreshed, that I am going to announce that I am not at anyone's beck & call & I am not anyone's personal assistant.  If anything I need one myself, so I will be taking applications--no pay, long hours, no benefits, & you will be responsible for this cell phone!!!   Any takers?!?!?

Life on a Sugar High

Another year has gone & for the 1st time in our marriage we weren't together for that New Years kiss at midnight.  This year marked another holiday 1st as well, no gathering or party to attend, so the kids & I stayed in & played card games (all day).  I made homemade hot chocolate in the crockpot & when it was ready the kids got their mugs, added the flavored marshmallows of their choosing...& fell asleep!!  This left me with 3 mugs of rich, creamy hot chocolate &...let me just say, I didn't want it to go to waste.  Talk about a sugar high---I was up till 4 am when Vernon called to start his work day!
   Let me tell you, in a quiet house for all those hours (the kids crashed at 9) I had lots of time to think about the coming year.  To make a resolution or not?....it will just get broken within a few months just like in years past.  I decided I will strive for PEACE....in every aspect of our lives.  Peace for the worries about Vernon traveling so often; Peace for my new journey as a housewife; Peace for my ongoing work as Girl Scout troop leader, Service Unit leader, Social Secretary & Sunday School teacher at church; Peace for our crazy schedules that sometimes get way out of hand & over-booked at times; Peace for our church as we look to grow; and Peace for our household.
   For the last, I thought of 'The Little House on the Prairie'....(not sure why, but my mind works in overdrive & never shuts down!)  Monday is for washing; Tuesday is for mending; Wednesday is for churning.....I updated this as I don't do much mending & I don't churn!  Monday is laundry; Tuesday is floors; Wednesday is errands--post office, groceries, airport trips :-); Thursday is bathrooms (yuckk); Friday is dusting & extras; Saturday is project day (yard work, crafts...); & finally Sunday is prep day for the coming week.  Wheww...just putting it all down seems exhausting!!  I may need lots of Peace for our household.....
   On to the 1st week of the new year & tomorrow we begin with school for the kids & laundry, or washing, for me.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "What lies behind us & what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."  I pray for Peace within me & Peace within you for this new year!