Happy Monday Night!! I had some things that had to be done this morning and afternoon AND I have two sick pre-teen boys. As in the stomach kind of sick and boy am I glad they are not little and missing the bucket!
And now that I have totally grossed you out, let’s get on with this past weeks Reflections.
#1 DOTS
This arrived today. We have been in state of busy-ness over the last 6-8 months. And what once worked (chore charts broken down by days) no longer works so after much searching and countless conversations about how to simplify…and our system was pretty simple, we came upon this little gem. I will be honest it was pricey. BUT after researching materials I couldn’t make it much cheaper. So this all inclusive system will be tested out. This is not a sponsored post. I need to add the pictures of each family member to the top row. BUT outside of that it is pretty much complete. It comes complete with everything you need except scissors and glue. The Whole family is excited to give it a try . It moves away from an allowance system and goes more towards a family store (you can still incorporate concepts of tithing and giving). Be watching for my honest review of this in the next month or two- and updates as we work out the kinks and make it useable for our family . You can check out Family Do Dots here.
#2- Finishing (well)
At the end of this last year….ok so if I’m honest it started when we got home from our last vacation in August, I struggled with some …eh…not sure what you would want to call it, but I had some tasks that I wanted to accomplish and they just never got finished. As the new year rolled around I began my annual goal setting routines and I hit a road Block. I kept coming back to those unfinished tasks. So as I am planning for upcoming months I have decided to finish up those goals. I think I really struggle with time frames. I think that if I haven’t finished something in my allotted time I just give up and move on. This year I have realized that it does not have to be 6 months or 12 months. They are my goals, so what if they don’t happen in the 12 months I thought it should take. I am my own worst critic. So this year I want to not put so much pressure on myself and finish some of the goals I stared last year and have less goals overall this year. I want to remember 2 things 1) Progress over Perfection and 2). It only matters how well you finish not WHEN you finish.
#3-Youth Group Overnights
I have loved youth group overnights since I was a teenager and our church did lock-ins. I have very fond memories of playing water balloon volleyball in the gym of my middle school where I attended (amongst other crazy games courtesy of my youth leaders Robin, Brenda, Gerry and Jennifer) and for the last couple. of years I have had the privilege of helping lead the youth group and now am co-leader with my hubby. Usually a couple of things lead to crazy sleep deprivation like not being able to nap before the overnight. I just couldn’t I would lay down but nothing would happen. I would just stare at the ceiling. Then I would either be up all night or most of the night, come home and have to leave again for some long scheduled meeting or something. That happened on the lsat 3 or 4 overnights . SoI end up being awake from Friday at 5 or 6 in the morning til Saturday at 7 or 8 at night. The result is almost a half week of just wanting to sleep all the time. Well this time was different. This time I peeked in a four hour nap. Stayed up ALL night with only 1 cup of coffee. I came home and went to bed at like 7:30 or 8 am and slept until 1:30. Great right HA! One would think But just like that newborn coming home from the hospital my days and nights are mixed up. I still love overnights and I will continue doing them as long as I can. And to be completely honest I can deal with my days and nights mixed up better that just being exhausted for a week!
#4- Skunks
I know I have said it before but we live in the middle of nowhere. Wildlife is a part of our life. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys, ducks, geese, raccoons, ferrel cats, coyotes, eagles, hawks, pheasants, frogs, turtles, rats, bats, mice, opossums, foxes , snakes and skunks. We have them all, and who knows there could be some other fun creatures lurking around our house.
But this last week some poor soul hit a skunk right in front of our house. I woke up to this terrible smell and blamed the dog. I was wrong. Our WHOLE house wreaked of the striped nocturnal beast. Hubby wonderfully moved the skunk from in front of our house to the woods. Some comments were made about it looking like it was digging a hole in the middle of the road (only my brothers and dad will get THAT reference) We have had some skunk activity BUT wow. Then two nights later I needed something from our truck so I opened the front door and I was hit with tear inducing stench. SERIOUSLY! There was no dead skunk this time BUT some poor soul, or animal met with the wrong end of that variegated vermin, and I wasn’t’t about to be victim #2!
I chuckle to myself as I thought back to a camping trip as a teenager. In a matter of a couple of hours we had seen 20-30 skunks. we called it the year of the skunk. My brothers and I ran into one at dusk that resulted in a three stooges moment where the first one stopped dead in his tracks and the other two of us ran into the one in front of us. Then on the way back to the campsite (my brothers ditched me) in the dark armed with nothing but a small flashlight heard something in the underbrush next to me . I flashed the light expecting to see a deer or bear but instead was met with the beady black eyes of a skunk just a few feet away. I ran. I got to the campsite where my parents had been watching skunks (yes Plural) at the edge of the forrest. Mom and I ran into yet another skunk as we headed towards the shower house before going to bed and upon returning we found my dad in the van…..a skunk ran across his foot. Sometime in the middle of the night my dad and I were awakened by the most hideous noises I have ever heard while camping. we went to the window of our TENT and saw the biggest raccoon (he had to duck to get out from under the picnic table) and a bunch of skunks fighting over the watermelon seeds we had spit onto the ground at dinner. I whispered “dad what happens if they spray”? My dad whispered back “We go home”. In all of the skunk sightings we never once got sprayed, we finished out our vacation with not another skunk sighting. Funny how smelling that awful stench brings back such funny memories!
How about you? What randomness has happened in your life this week? and I look forward to sharing again next week!
