Simple Woman

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via Paul Hurst on Flickr
and this looks nothing like outside my window – I just like it!

I am thinking…
about how jarring it is to be part of the “back to school” culture.  I’m not immune to it as a homeschooler because all of those activities start back up too,  AND because anything my kids do in the community centers or the schools is also starting back up.  ANd I find it all to be just a ridiculous shock to the “person” to go from the lazy restful days of summer into the blurry busyness of fall – much like I imagine diving into ice cold water would be!

I am thankful…
to have some of these school kids back in school – particularly the little boys that keep teasing Rosie and her friends endlessly every afternoon.

In the kitchen…
BLTs last night but I’m opting for an Italian chicken on noodles for tonight and then I’m cooking another big turkey so we have meat for the rest of the week.

I am wearing…
My black shorts and black T.

I am creating…

• a check list for Gabe.  We decided to just go ahead and finish up high school via homeschooling and I am going to work out a list of all of his subjects with bite size chunks that he can do and finish off.  Hopefully he can be done by June.
• all the paper work for the Saturday Soccer League will finally be DONE!   Mr. Pete just has to organize the game schedule. 
• a flute practice schedule for myself. 

I am going…

to walk every day when either Noah or Rosie is running with their cross country team.  I did that last week and dropped an inch off my waist!  nice!

Get in a strength and cardio video at least three times. So far I am walking about three miles in an hour at least five days a week.  Haven’t had time to do any upper-body work though. 

Finish organizing the soccer league I inherited – which has been a major pain in the butt. Teams are picked, and the t-shirts and socks come in today – then I get the lovely job of organizing all of that.   

Start organizing the support group which seems to be a lot like herding cats as well. 

And I know I’m doing a lot of complaining here but I’m tired of people thanking me for doing such a great job.  What they mean is, “thank you for doing all of this work so that I didn’t have to do it!”  And I’m afraid I’m losing my patience with that.

I am wondering…
whether I should get a different vehicle or not.  My van sucks gas like crazy and now that we are going to be only a family of five, I think I might want to downgrade to something smaller.

I am reading…

Finished it.

Awesome book.

I am hoping…

• That I can be on good terms with all of my sons. We made strides in that direction this weekend.  I am learning more and more to swallow my pride and my anger and to just accept the things I cannot change. 
• To learn that I can’t teach my grown up sons things they aren’t ready to learn.  Sometimes I think I want to spare them some of the things I went through as a young person and now I think, no matter what, some of this stuff they just have to learn the hard way. 
• That the young women my sons give their hearts to won’t break them. 
• that I have the strength to manage a homeschool group and a soccer league. 
• that all my children make good choices going forward.
• that the sale of the property I am selling from my father’s estate goes through.  Ten days!   Having my attorney looking over some papers.  Can’t believe I even have an attorney and now I’ve had three!
• that I can endure all of the things I am called to endure – through Christ who strengthens me. 

I am looking forward to…

• Rosie running her first cross country meet.
• a special surprise family event this fall- something new for our family.
• the start of  a new school year. 
• The Feast of the Queenship of Mary! this month!! 

Around the house…
Cleaning all my hardwood floors today on hands and knees! and then cleaning up the classroom for the new school year.

I am learning

that there are somethings you just can’t teach other people.  Last night I had a young couple over to watch Ina May Gaskin’s film The Birth Story.  This is their first baby and my hope was to empower the girl to believe that her body can give birth and to expose the young man to the sights and sounds of birth so that he will be prepared for what he is going to see in the birthing room.

I can say it was a complete disaster. The girl was cringing and covering her eyes and the young man looked like he was going to throw up.  I started wondering how they conceived this baby in the first place?

I am pondering…
what a disaster it has been to take birth and death out of the home and away from everyday life. This young lady had never seen a birth before, let alone the kind shown on this film and it was as if she was watching something dirty and disgusting. I don’t think she appreciated it at all.

And then I thought – the people that I knew that loved these types of birth films had all had traumatic birth experiences, where they felt as if they had lost any power and had in fact been disrespected and traumatized by their caregivers.

So maybe that’s the difference.  You have to go through a tough birth experience before you can appreciate efforts to empower you to have a good birth!  I guess.
A favorite quote for today…
I had to learn not to let anyone push me around, to be brave and to say things I knew might make people mad.
Ina May Gaskin 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/i/ina_may_gaskin.html#O7cvdxICeXuxIhgH.99 

A photo I am sharing…